Eric Larson

Who was Eric Larson?

Eric Larson was an animator for the Walt Disney Studios starting in 1933 and was one of the "Disney's Nine Old Men."

Born in Cleveland, Utah, Larson was the son of Danish immigrants and worked on such films as Snow White, Fantasia, Dumbo, Bambi, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmatians, and The Jungle Book. Throughout the years, Larson has animated characters on classics like The Aristocats, Robin Hood and The Rescuers. In the 1980s his work was minor, but he has been an animation constulant on classics like The Fox and the Hound, Mickey's Christmas Carol, The Black Cauldron, and The Great Mouse Detective.

In 1973 he began a recruitment training program that brought a new generation of animators into the Disney studio. Many well-known figures in animation today went through Larson's training program, including Brad Bird, Don Bluth, Chris Buck, Tim Burton, Randy Cartwright, Ron Clements, Andreas Deja, Gary Goldman, Ed Gombert, Mark Henn, Dan Haskett, Glen Keane, Bill Kroyer, John Lasseter, John Musker, Phil Nibbelink, Richard Rich, Burny Mattinson, Melvin Shaw, Jeffrey J. Varab, John Pomeroy, Joe Ranft, Jerry Rees, Henry Selick and Tad Stones among many others.