Wilfred Emmons Jackson (January 24, 1906 – August 7, 1988) was an American animator, musical arranger and director best known for his work with Walt Disney Productions.
Jackson joined Walt Disney Productions in 1928 as a volunteer washing animation cels. He was soon promoted to an animator and was instrumental in developing the Mickey Mousing technique, which synchronized the music and action for Steamboat Willie (1928). He was then made the director for the Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphonies cartoon series, of which he directed the Academy Award-winning short films: The Tortoise and the Hare (1935), The Country Cousin (1936), and The Old Mill (1937). His feature film directorial debut was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937).
Jackson next worked as a sequence director for Pinocchio (1940) and the Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria segment of Fantasia (1940).[1][2] He then co-directed several theatrical Disney animated features up to Lady and the Tramp (1955). In 1953, Jackson suffered a heart attack while directing Sleeping Beauty (1959). A year later, after recovering, Disney asked Jackson to produce and direct animated segments for the Disneyland series. After nearly 35 years with Disney, he retired in 1961.
Biography
Early life
Jackson was born in Chicago, Illinois, but his family moved to Glendale, California. At a young age, he attended a screening of Jack and the Beanstalk (1917), starring Francis Carpenter. In 1924, he graduated from Glendale High School in 1924.[3] After graduating, Jackson wanted to attend college, but his parents could not afford it. Wanting to pursue a career in animation, Jackson compromised with his father to attend an art school for two years. To pay for his tuition at Otis Art Institute (now called Otis College of Art and Design), Jackson recalled he "spent a year working at odd jobs, mostly gardening, things like that, and got enough saved up."[3]
Career
Seeking an animation job, Jackson learned that most animation studios were on the East Coast but he was unable to relocate. Through an acquaintance from a close friend, Jackson called Walt Disney at his Hyperion studio, asking to speak with him. He soon arrived at the studio and showed Disney his portfolio. After examining his portfolio, Disney felt Jackson was not ready to be an animator, to which Jackson volunteered to work unpaid for him. Disney agreed, and Jackson was assigned to help John Lott, a studio janitor, wash paint off the animation cels.[3][4]
Several of the Silly Symphony shorts he directed, including The Old Mill (1937), won Academy Awards during the 1930s.[5] In 1937, he made his directorial film debut with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He then directed sequences in many of the major Disney animated features up to Lady and the Tramp in 1955, including all of the animated sequences in Song of the South (1946). He later moved into television, producing and directing for Disney's Disneyland series. After continuing health issues, he retired in 1961.
Personal life and death
Jackson met his wife Jane Ames while studying at the Otis Art Institute. They married on February 23, 1929 and had two daughters, Barbara and Virginia.[6]
Jackson died on August 7, 1988 at his home on Balboa Island, at the age of 82.[7]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| 1937 | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | Sequence Director |
| 1940 | Pinocchio | Sequence Director |
| Fantasia | Director – Segment "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria" | |
| 1941 | Dumbo | Sequence Director |
| 1943 | Saludos Amigos (Short) | Sequence Director |
| 1946 | A Feather in His Collar (Short) | Director |
| Song of the South | Cartoon Director | |
| 1948 | Melody Time | Cartoon Director – Segment Johnny Appleseed |
| 1950 | Cinderella | Director |
| 1951 | Alice in Wonderland | Director |
| 1953 | Peter Pan | Director |
| 1955 | Lady and the Tramp | Director |
| Dateline: Disneyland (TV Special documentary) | Director | |
| 1954–1959 | The Magical World of Disney (TV Series) | Himself – 1 Episode / Director – 9 Episodes / Segment Director – 2 Episodes / Sequence Director – 1 Episode / Cartoon Director – 1 Episode |
| 1992 | The Music of Disney: A Legacy in Song (Video documentary) | Performer: "Turkey in the Straw" |
| 2002 | American Legends (Video) | Director – Segment "Johnny Appleseed" |
References
- ^ Shields, Meg (January 30, 2021). "How Animators Created the Elaborate "Ave Maria" Sequence for 'Fantasia'". Film School Rejects. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ^ Smith, Jim; Matthews, Clive (2008). Tim Burton. Virgin Books. p. 133. ISBN 978-0-7535-0682-0.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c "Wilfred Jackson Interview". Michael Barrier (Interview). December 2, 1973. Archived from the original on February 29, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
- ^ Thomas 1994, p. 111.
- ^ Lenburg 2006, p. 125.
- ^ Care 2016, p. 2.
- ^ "Obituaries: Wilfred Jackson; Animator at Disney". Los Angeles Times. August 10, 1988. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
Works cited
- Barrier, Michael (1999). Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in Its Golden Age. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-198-02079-0.
- Barrier, Michael (2008). The Animated Man: A Life of Walt Disney. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-25619-4.
- Care, Ross (2016). Ghez, Didier (ed.). Disney Legend Wilfred Jackson: A Life in Animation. Theme Park Press. ISBN 978-1-683-90037-5.
- Gabler, Neal (2006). Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination. Vintage Books. ISBN 978-0-679-75747-4.
- Lenburg, Jeff (2006). Who's who in Animated Cartoons. Applause Books. p. 159. ISBN 978-1-5578-3671-7.
- Thomas, Bob (1994) [1976]. Walt Disney: An American Original. New York: Hyperion. ISBN 978-0-786-86027-2.
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