Eric Larson

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Eric Cleon Larson (September 3, 1905 – October 25, 1988) was an American animator at Disney. He joined Disney in 1933 and became one of the studio’s Nine Old Men. Born in Cleveland, Utah, Larson worked on many classics, including Snow White, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Bambi, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Jungle Book, and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. He also helped with The Rescuers and animated characters in The Aristocats and Robin Hood. In the 1980s his on-screen work slowed, but he served as a consultant on Mickey’s Christmas Carol, The Black Cauldron, and The Great Mouse Detective. In 1973 he started a training program that brought a new generation of Disney animators into the studio, influencing many future stars. He was married to Gertrude Jannes Larson. When he retired in 1986 he was Disney’s longest-serving employee, with 53 years. He died on October 25, 1988, at age 83 in La Cañada Flintridge, California.