Born: John Mitchell Lounsbery
Birthday: March 9, 1911
Location: Cincinnati, OH, U.S.
Alma mater: Art Institute of Denver, ArtCenter College of Design
Occupation: Animator, Director
Years active: 1935-1976
Died: February 13, 1976

John Lounsbery was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and raised in Colorado with a love of drawing. He graduated from the Art Institute of Denver in 1932 and moved to Los Angeles. John worked as a freelance commercial artist while studying illustration at the Art Center School of Design. One of his instructors at the school urged him to interview at Walt Disney Studios which was searching for artists.

On July 2, 1935, he was hired by Disney as an uncredited assistant animator to Norman Ferguson on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Lounsbery then moved on to numerous Pluto shorts including Pluto’s Playmate, Pluto at the Zoo, and Private Pluto.

John’s first major assignment was animating both of the conmen, J. Worthington Foulfellow and Gideon in Pinocchio. He also served as one of the main animators in Dance of the Hours, the ballet-themed segment of Fantasia. As a matter of fact, one of his all-time favorite characters was Ben Ali Gator, the dancing alligator.

Lounsbery quickly grew into one of Disney’s rising stars because he had a particular talent for drawing facial expressions and animating flowing motion. John’s draftsmanship was held in high regard by his fellow artists, he could take a sketch from any of the studio’s other animators and animate it in their style and technique.

Later, he was promoted to directing animator and made his debut animating the loyal Timothy the mouse in Dumbo. He’d go on to be credited as a directing animator for features like Song of the South, Fun and Fancy Free, Melody Time, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan. John animated Tony the cook from Lady and the Tramp, and worked on One Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Sword in the Stone, and The Aristocats.

Although naturally shy, John created animated characters that were not. They were very broadly acted and fun to watch. He was frequently assigned key supporting characters to animate in the Disney features. Some of Lounsbery’s best work includes animating the allied kings Huber and Stefan in Sleeping Beauty, the sinister Shere Khah in The Jungle Book, and the titular fox in Robin Hood.

John Lounsbery was known for his positive personality. Whenever there were contentions or challenges, John would make a funny comment to make light of the situation and ease tensions.

He was promoted to director in the 1970s and co-directed the short film The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh as well as animating Eeyore’s major scenes in the film. He was one of the three co-directors of The Rescuers in 1976 when he passed away.

John Lounsbery was posthumously awarded with a Winsor McCay Award in 1986. and named a Disney Legend in 1989.