Here’s the sixth of nine parts detailing Walt’s Nine Old Men. This time, we’re focusing on Eric Larson.

Contents:

Before the Studios
At the Studios
After the Studios

Before the Studios

Eric Larson was born on September 3, 1905, in Cleveland, Utah. Growing up, Larson was an avid comic reader (he read “Punch” and “Judge” among others). He took his passion for humor with him through high school and college. He enrolled in the University of Utah, majoring in journalism. While at college, Larson gained a reputation as a humorist, both in his writings and in his sketches. His cartoon sketches frequently appeared in the Deseret News. After graduating from the University of Utah, Larson did freelance jobs all across America until landing in Los Angeles in 1933. While there, he created “The Trail of the Viking,” an adventure serial for KHJ Radio. Eventually, he was convinced by a friend to submit some of his drawings to the Walt Disney Studios. That same year, he was hired as an assistant animator and gave up on journalism.

At the Studios

While at the Studios, Larson worked on (in chronological order with what scenes/characters he worked on) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Bashful and the Whistle While You Work sequence), Pinocchio (Figaro), Fantasia (The Pastoral Symphony: Iris, Morpheus, Diana), Bambi (Bambi and Thumper), Cinderella (Cinderella), Alice in Wonderland (The Caterpillar), Peter Pan (Flying to London Sequence), Lady and the Tramp (Peg), Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmatians (The dogs watching T.V. sequence), The Jungle Book (The Vultures), The Rescuers (Bernard), Robin Hood (Little John), The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (Kanga and Roo), The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (Mr. Toad), The Three Little Pigs (All three Pigs), The Black Cauldron (Creeper), The Great Mouse Detective (Toby), The Fox and the Hound (Big Mama), The AristoCats (Scat Cat), Song of the South (Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Fox, Br’er Bear), Mary Poppins (Barn Animals).

In the 1970s, Larson began a training program to recruit a new series of animators. He expanded the Studio’s search across the nation and many well known (and to-be-profiled) animators went through the program: Don Bluth, Chris Buck, Brad Bird, Randy Cartwright, Tim Burton, Ron Clements, Gary Goldman, Glen Keane, Andreas Deja, Dan Haskett, John Lasseter, Bill Kroyer, John Musker, Richard Rich, Phil Nibbelink, Joe Ranft, John Pomeroy, Jerry Rees, Tad Stones, Henry Selik, and many others. Larson’s expansion of the Studio’s Talent Program came at a time when many older animators were retiring. By sticking through the switch, Larson helped preserve the integrity of Disney animation through the transition.

After the Studios

After over half a century at the Studios, Eric Larson retired in 1986 and died in 1988. He was named a Disney Legend in 1989.

Coincidentally, the name Eric Larson was given to a member of the radical extremist Weather Underground on the 3/4 episode of Life on Mars.