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GeezerVison is showing en.wikipedia.org — Wilfred Jackson - Wikipedia

Wilfred Jackson
Born(1906-01-24)January 24, 1906
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedAugust 7, 1988(1988-08-07) (aged 82)
Newport Beach, California, U.S.
Other nameJaxon
Occupations
  • Animator
  • arranger
  • composer
  • film director
Years active1928–1961
EmployerWalt Disney Productions

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 the leading animation studios at the studio were at New York City but he was unable to relocate. Through an acquaintance from a close friend, Jackson called Walt Disney, producer at Walt Disney Productions, then one of the few California-based animation studios to experience box office success. 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
1937Snow White and the Seven DwarfsSequence Director
1940Pinocchio
FantasiaDirector - Segment "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria"
1941DumboSequence Director
1943Saludos Amigos (Short)
1946A Feather in His Collar (Short)Director
Song of the SouthCartoon Director
1948Melody TimeCartoon Director – Segment Johnny Appleseed
1950CinderellaDirector
1951Alice in Wonderland
1953Peter Pan
1955Lady and the Tramp
Dateline: Disneyland (TV Special documentary)
1954–1959The Magical World of Disney (TV Series)Himself – 1 Episode / Director – 9 Episodes / Segment Director – 2 Episodes / Sequence Director – 1 Episode / Cartoon Director – 1 Episode
1992The Music of Disney: A Legacy in Song (Video documentary)Performer: "Turkey in the Straw"
2002American Legends (Video)Director – Segment "Johnny Appleseed"

References

  1. ↑ Shields, Meg (January 30, 2021). "How Animators Created the Elaborate "Ave Maria" Sequence for 'Fantasia'". Film School Rejects. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  2. ↑ 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)
  3. 1 2 3 "Wilfred Jackson Interview". Michael Barrier (Interview). December 2, 1973. Archived from the original on February 29, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  4. ↑ Thomas 1994, p. 111.
  5. ↑ Lenburg 2006, p. 125.
  6. ↑ Care 2016, p. 2.
  7. ↑ "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.

External links

  • Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Wilfred Jackson at Wikimedia Commons
  • Works by or about Wilfred Jackson at Wikisource
  • Wilfred Jackson at IMDb
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wilfred_Jackson&oldid=1381247811"
Categories:
  • 1906 births
  • 1988 deaths
  • American animated film directors
  • Directors of Golden Bear winners
  • American fantasy film directors
  • Walt Disney Animation Studios people
  • Artists from Chicago
  • Directors of Best Animated Short Academy Award winners
  • 20th-century American people
Hidden categories:
  • Articles with short description
  • Short description is different from Wikidata
  • Use mdy dates from October 2026
  • Use American English from October 2026
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  • CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list
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