John Mitchell Lounsbery (March 9, 1911 - February 13, 1976) was an American animator and director employed by Walt Disney Productions. He is best known as one of Disney's Nine Old Men, of which he was the shortest lived as well as the first to die.

John Lounsbery
Born
John Mitchell Lounsbery

(1910-03-09)March 9, 1910
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
DiedFebruary 13, 1976(1976-02-13) (aged 65)
Occupation(s)Animator
Director
Known forOne of Disney's Nine Old Men

Life and career

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He was born on March 9, 1911, in Cincinnati, Ohio, and raised in Colorado. He attended East Denver High School and the Art Institute of Denver. While attending the ArtCenter College of Design in Los Angeles, an instructor sent him to interview with Walt Disney.

Lounsbery was hired by Disney on July 2, 1935, beginning as an uncredited assistant animator on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). He went on to work on numerous short features in the 1940s while continuing to serve as part of the animating team on nearly all of Disney's most famous feature-length animated films. In the 1970s, he was promoted to director and directed the short film Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (1974) and co-directed The Rescuers (1977).

Lounsbery died on February 13, 1976, at age 64. At the time of his death, he was working on The Rescuers and still directing at the Walt Disney Studios. He was named a Disney Legend in 1989 and was buried at the Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Filmography

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Year Title Credits Characters Notes
1940 Pinocchio Animator
Fantasia Animator - Segment "Dance of the Hours"
1941 Dumbo Animation Director
1943 Victory Through Air Power (Documentary) Animator
1945 The Three Caballeros
The Legend of Coyote Rock (Short)
Canine Patrol (Short)
1946 Make Mine Music
Song of the South Directing Animator
1947 Fun and Fancy Free
1948 Melody Time
So Dear to My Heart Animator
1949 The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad Directing Animator
1950 Cinderella
1951 Alice in Wonderland
1952 Lambert the Sheepish Lion (Short) Animator
1953 Peter Pan Directing Animator
Ben and Me (Short) Animator
1955 Lady and the Tramp Directing Animator
1955 – 1982 The Magical World of Disney (TV Series) Animator / Director - 13 Episodes
1959 Sleeping Beauty Directing Animator
1960 Goliath II (Short)
1961 One Hundred and One Dalmatians
Aquamania (Short) Animator
1963 The Sword in the Stone Directing Animator
1964 Mary Poppins Animator
1966 Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (Short)
1967 The Jungle Book Directing Animator
1968 Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (Short) Animator
1970 The Aristocats Directing Animator
1971 Bedknobs and Broomsticks Animator
1973 Robin Hood Directing Animator
1974 Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (Short) Director
1977 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh Animator / Director
The Rescuers Director
1984 DTV: Golden Oldies (Video) Animator
2011 Mini Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (TV Series short) Director - 14 Episodes
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