Eric Larson

For persons with similar names, see Erik Larson (disambiguation).

Eric Larson (September 3, 1905 – October 25, 1988) was an animator for the Walt Disney Studios starting in 1933 and was one of the "Disney's Nine Old Men."

Born in Cleveland, Utah, Larson was the son of Danish immigrants and worked on such films as Snow White, Fantasia, Dumbo, Bambi, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmatians, and The Jungle Book. Throughout the years, Larson has animated characters on classics like The AristoCats, Robin Hood and The Rescuers. In the 1980s his work was minor, but he has been an animation constulant on classics like The Fox and the Hound, Mickey's Christmas Carol, The Black Cauldron, and The Great Mouse Detective.

In 1973 he began a recruitment training program that brought a new generation of animators into the Disney studio. Many of well-known figures in animation today went through Larson's training program, including Brad Bird, Don Bluth, Chris Buck, Tim Burton, Randy Cartwright, Ron Clements, Andreas Deja, Gary Goldman, Ed Gombert, Mark Henn, Dan Haskett, Glen Keane, Bill Kroyer, John Lasseter, John Musker, Phil Nibbelink, Richard Rich, Burny Mattinson, Melvin Shaw, Jeffrey J. Varab, John Pomeroy, Joe Ranft, Jerry Rees, Henry Selick and Tad Stones among many others.

Larson was married to Gertrude Larson, who died of cancer in 1975. He retired from Disney in September 1986 and died two years later.

Animator

• Forest Animals, Whistle While You Work Sequence (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)
• Figaro, Cleo (Figaro lick Cleo and Cleo going into castle), French Can-can dancers marionettes and Russian girl marionette, Donkeys (Pinocchio)
• Pegasus, Centaurs, Centaurettes (The Pastoral Symphony) (Fantasia)
• Lullabye sequence "baby animals" (Dumbo) (uncredited)
• Bambi (Bambi)
• Ichabod Crane ("Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad")
• Cinderella, Prince Charming (Cinderella)
• Alice, Dinah, The Caterpillar, The Cheshire Cat, The Queen of Hearts, Flamingo (Alice in Wonderland)
• Flying to London Sequence (Peter Pan)
• Peg, Puppies in Pound (Lady and the Tramp)
• Pongo, Perdita, Puppies, Colonel, Tibbs (101 Dalmatians)
• The Vultures, some of the Wolves (The Jungle Book)
• Little John, Vultures (Robin Hood)
• Kanga and Roo (The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh)
• Mr. Toad (The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad)
• 3 Little Pigs (The Three Little Pigs)
• Roquefort, Scat Cat (The Aristocats)
• Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox and Brer Bear (Song of the South)
• Barn Animals (Mary Poppins)

Note: At the time these films were produced it was common for an animator to animate every character in the shot.

External links

• Eric Larson at IMDb
• Disney Legends