Don Lusk
Filed under: People, Animator, Director, Hanna-Barbera Studios, Walt Disney Studios, Walter Lantz Productions,
Full Name:Donald R. Lusk
Occupation / Title:Date of birth:28/10/1913
Date of death:30/12/2018
Birthplace:Burbank, California, USA.
Associated studios:Biography
Donald “Don” Lusk was born in Burbank, California, USA, on October 28, 1913
He was the last surviving animator from Disney Animation’s golden age, known for his character animation in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), the cat Figaro and the fish Cleo in Pinocchio (1940), the sultry fish dance in the “Nutcracker” scene of Fantasia (1940), and Bambi (1942). His career spanned around 60 years in the animation industry since his retirement in the 1990s.
He died on December 30, 2018 in San Clemente, California, USA, at the age of 105.
Family and early life
Don was married to Marge Lusk, who worked in the Personnel Department at Walt Disney Studios. They had two children together.
Career outline
Lusk began working with Walt Disney in 1933, garnering huge animation credentials on films important to Disney’s legacy such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940), and Bambi (1942).
In 1941, Lusk joined the animators’ strike against Walt Disney Studios, and he returned to work at the studio and was able to have a long career with Disney, albeit with limited advancement opportunities due to his participation in the strike. Lusk was continuing his animation career when he was drafted into the US Marines during World War II. He was assigned to the training film unit in Quantico, Virginia, and spent a few years working with other enlisted animation artists such as Carl Fallberg, Tom Codrick, and Pete Alvarado.
After the war ended, Lusk returned to Disney to work on some other notable films, such as Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951), Peter Pan (1953), Lady and the Tramp (1955), Sleeping Beauty (1959), and One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1959). He also worked on Disney’s first few animation/live-action hybrid films, such as the controversial Song of the South (1946) and So Dear to My Heart (1948).
Lusk left Walt Disney in the 1960s, becoming a freelance animator on several projects throughout the dacade, such as the Charlie Brown specials, and with UPA. In the 1970s, he freelanced for Bill Melendez, DePatie-Freleng, and Walter Lantz before moving to Hanna-Barbera to work on episodes for several of the company’s iconic series, including Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, and Tom and Jerry. He also directed for several projects, such as the 1987 crossover special The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones, The Addams Family, Yo, Yogi!, The Smurfs, and the 80s cartoon of Paddington Bear.
Lusk retired in 1993 after directing The Pirates of Dark Water. He was awarded the Winsor McCay Award from ASIFA-Hollywood for his lifetime achievement in animation in 2015.
Honors and awards
Winsor McCay Award (2015)
References:
Amidi, Amid. “Don Lusk, Last Living Disney Animator Of Golden Age, Dies At 105.” Cartoon Brew, December 31, 2018.
Blauvelt, Christian. “Don Lusk, Last Living Animator of Disney’s Golden Age Who Worked on ‘Pinocchio,’ ‘Fantasia,’ Dies at 105.” IndieWire, December 31, 2018.
Sippell, Margot. “Don Lusk, ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘Pinocchio’ Animator, Dies at 105.” Variety, December 31, 2018.