Fans are in mourning this week after the death of Don Lusk, the last surviving animator from the golden age of Disney. Lusk reportedly passed away at a nursing home in Burbank, California at the age of 105 earlier this week.
Lusk began his career with Disney in 1933 and worked on some of the most classic Disney films over the next sixty years.
Some of the most popular films that Lusk worked on included Pinocchio; Bambi; Peter Pan; Lady and the Tramp; Sleeping Beauty; and One Hundred and One Dalmatians. These films are all still beloved by people of all ages today decades after they were released.
Lusk specifically drew such famous scenes and characters as the dog chase for Bambi in 1942, the mice for Cinderella in 1950 and Alice floating down the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland in 1951. These scenes have gone down in history as some of the most popular works in all Disney movies.
In addition to his career with Disney, Lusk was a Marine who served in World War II, returning to Disney when the war ended. He left Disney in 1960 and continued his career working with UPA, Walter Lantz, DePatie-Freleng, and Bill Melendez Productions. Over the next few decades, he animated such famous works as the Peanuts cartoons.
He retired from animation in 1993, and he is survived by two children, two grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. He will be dearly missed!
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