Marc Davis was a renowned American animator from Bakersfield, California. He was a member of Disney's Nine Old Men, a group of senior animators who supervised the Walt Disney Animation Studios from approximately 1945 to 1977. Davis was affectionately known as "Disney's Ladies' Man" due to his expertise in designing and animating the primary female characters in Disney's feature films.
Throughout his illustrious career, Davis created some of the most iconic female characters in Disney history. His notable creations include Snow White in "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937),Bambi, Faline, and Flower in "Bambi" (1942),Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, and Brer Bear in "Song of the South" (1946),Bongo in "Fun and Fancy Free" (1947),Mr. Toad and the villainous weasels in "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad" (1949),Cinderella in "Cinderella" (1950),Alice in "Alice in Wonderland" (1951),Tinker Bell and Mrs. Darling in "Peter Pan" (1953),Aurora, Maleficent, and Diablo the Raven in "Sleeping Beauty" (1959),and Cruella De Vil and Anita in "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" (1961).
Davis developed his artistic skills from a young age, drawing as a hobby during his childhood. His drawings increased his popularity with other kids, and even the bullies stopped bothering him. He received formal training at the Kansas City Art Institute, the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco, and the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles. Davis habitually sketched zoo animals for practice, and studied animal anatomy to improve the accuracy of his depictions.
In 1935, Davis joined Disney as one of several young animators hired during the production phase of the studio's first animated feature film, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937). He quickly demonstrated a talent for developing "three-dimensional characters and storytelling," which set him apart from other animators. Davis was assigned to draw "difficult-to-draw" human characters, rather than caricatures. He aimed to put personality into the characters, making them appealing to the film's audience.
Davis was known for using reference images for his characters and emulating the gestures and expressions of the characters' voice actors. One of his most challenging assignments was animating the silent character of Tinker Bell. He had to express the character's sass and personality through pantomime and facial expression alone.
In 1956, Davis married costume designer Alice Estes (1929-2022),with whom he had previously worked on developing suitable clothing for the character of Aurora. After their wedding, Disney introduced Alice to the studio head Walt Disney, who eventually hired her to design costumes for Disney's live-action productions.
In the early 1960s, Davis left Disney's animation studio to join WED Enterprises (later renamed Walt Disney Imagineering),the subsidiary company responsible for the creation, design, and construction of Disney theme parks and attractions. Davis helped design and create several attractions, including "The Jungle Cruise" (1955),"Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland" (1960),"The Enchanted Tiki Room" (1963),"Ford's Magic Skyway" (1964),"Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln" (1964),"The Carousel of Progress" (1964),"It's a Small World" (1964),"Pirates of the Caribbean" (1967),"The Haunted Mansion" (1969),"The Country Bear Jamboree" (1971),and "America Sings" (1974).
Davis worked on developing an attraction called "Western River Expedition," which would have been a historical recreation of the Western expansion of the United States. Although this attraction was never built, elements of Davis' designs were later used in developing attractions such as "Tom Sawyer Island," "Big Thunder Mountain Railroad," "Splash Mountain," "Thunder Mesa," "Phantom Manor," and "Expedition Everest."
Davis retired in 1978, at the age of 65. He received several awards and honors for his contributions to animation, including a Winsor McCay Award in 1982, a Golden Award from the Motion Picture Screen Cartoonists in 1985, and a Disney Legends award in 1989. Davis passed away in January 2000, at the age of 86.
In recognition of his remarkable career and artwork, a biographical book titled "Marc Davis: Walt Disney's Renaissance Man" was published in 2014 by Disney Editions. The book was followed by a sequel titled "Marc Davis in His Own Words: Imagineering the Disney Parks" in 2020, which focused on his theme park designs. Despite his passing, Davis remains a beloved figure among fans of traditional animation.
