Wednesday, January 12, 2011

January 12: Animators Born Today

These 3 animators share a birthday on this January 12.

Hugh Hennesy in 1891 - an artist, animator, art director and layout artist whose credits include The Three Caballeros, Song of the South, So Dear To My Heart, Peter Pan, and Lady and the Tramp.

Ray Aragon in 1927 - an animation artist whose Disney credits include Sleeping Beauty, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, and Goofy's Freeway Troubles. (His post-Disney career includes such classics as Yellow Submarine and The Iron Giant.)

John Lasseter (pictured above) in 1957 - co-founder of Pixar who actually began working for Disney as a Jungle Cruise skipper at Disneyland. Famously known for his work on Toy Story, A Bug's Life, and Toy Story 2, today he is chief creative officer at both Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios.

On a sadder note, legendary animator Marc Davis (one of Walt's Nine Old Men) passed away on this day in 2000. Coincidentally he had recommended Ray Aragon for a job at Disney back in the 1950s.

Click HERE for more January 12 Disney history.

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