Les Clark(1907-1979)
- Animation Department
- Director
- Art Department
Leslie James "Les" Clark was an American animator from Ogden, Utah. He served as one of Disney's Nine Old Men, a group of senior animators who supervised the Walt Disney Animation Studios from c. 1945 to 1977. Clark was skilled in timing his animation to musical scores, and in conveying emotion in the scenes which he animated. He went into retirement in the mid-1970s, and died before the end of the decade.
In 1927, Clark was hired in a temporary position at the Disney animation studio. He was initially working as a camera operator, and was then transferred to the ink and paint department. He received training from Ub Iwerks, who was the senior animator of the studio for most of the 1920s. Clark served as an inbetweener in "Steamboat Willie" (1928), the official debut for Mickey Mouse (the new protagonist for the studio's animated short films). Clark was soon after promoted to the position of a regular animator, and was tasked with working on "The Skeleton Dance" (1929). It was the first film in the "Silly Symphony" series.
Iwerks left the Disney studio in January, 1930, in order to establish his own Iwerks Studio (1930-1936). Clark became the senior animator of the "Mickey Mouse" film series. He worked under the various directors of the series, such as Burt Gillett, Wilfred Jackson, and David Hand. Clark regularly attended art classes in order to improve his art style.
In 1934, the Disney studio started working on the animated feature film "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937). It was the first American feature film, and the most ambitious project for the studio. Clark was tasked with animating the Seven Dwarfs. His most important scene in the film depicted Snow White dancing with each of the Dwarfs.
Clark's next major assignment was the anthology film "Fantasia" (1940). He was one of the key animators for two segments of the film: "The Nutcracker Suite" and "The Sorcerer's Apprentice". The "Sorcerer's Apprentice" was an adaptation of the eponymous 1797 German poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, which was in turn an adaptation of the Roman story "Philopseudes" ("Lover of Lies") by Lucian. Clark and his fellow animators worked with a redesigned version of Mickey Mouse, provided by Fred Moore. The new version of the character had pupils in his eyes, and had a greater range of expressions.
In the mid-1940s, Clark was promoted to the position of a directing animator in Disney's feature films. He served in this role for "Song of the South" (1946), "Fun and Fancy Free" (1947), "Melody Time" (1948), "Cinderella" (1950), "Alice in Wonderland" (1951), "Peter Pan" (1953), and "Lady and the Tramp" (1955). Clark also served as a sequence director for "Sleeping Beauty" (1959), in his last major work in a feature film.
Clark served as the director of the animated short "Paul Bunyan" (1958), which was based on American folklore about a giant lumberjack. The short was nominated for an "Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film", but lost to "Knighty Knight Bugs" by Warner Bros. Cartoons. During the 1960s, Clark primarily worked on Disney's infrequently released animated short films. He directed the educational short films "Freewayphobia or The Art of Driving the Super Highway" (1965) and "Goofy's Freeway Troubles" (1965), which both featured Goofy as their protagonist. He also directed the educational short film "Donald's Fire Survival Plan" (1966), which focused on fire safety precautions.
Clark retired in the mid-1970s, possibly due to health reasons. His "temporary" assignment for the Disney studio had lasted for over 35 years, and he was the studio's longest serving employee at the time of his retirement. In September 1979, Clark died due to cancer. He was 71-years-old at the time of his death. He was the second of the Nine Old Men to die, following John Lounsbery. In 1989, Clark was posthumously inducted into the hall of fame "Disney Legends" in 1989.
In 1927, Clark was hired in a temporary position at the Disney animation studio. He was initially working as a camera operator, and was then transferred to the ink and paint department. He received training from Ub Iwerks, who was the senior animator of the studio for most of the 1920s. Clark served as an inbetweener in "Steamboat Willie" (1928), the official debut for Mickey Mouse (the new protagonist for the studio's animated short films). Clark was soon after promoted to the position of a regular animator, and was tasked with working on "The Skeleton Dance" (1929). It was the first film in the "Silly Symphony" series.
Iwerks left the Disney studio in January, 1930, in order to establish his own Iwerks Studio (1930-1936). Clark became the senior animator of the "Mickey Mouse" film series. He worked under the various directors of the series, such as Burt Gillett, Wilfred Jackson, and David Hand. Clark regularly attended art classes in order to improve his art style.
In 1934, the Disney studio started working on the animated feature film "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937). It was the first American feature film, and the most ambitious project for the studio. Clark was tasked with animating the Seven Dwarfs. His most important scene in the film depicted Snow White dancing with each of the Dwarfs.
Clark's next major assignment was the anthology film "Fantasia" (1940). He was one of the key animators for two segments of the film: "The Nutcracker Suite" and "The Sorcerer's Apprentice". The "Sorcerer's Apprentice" was an adaptation of the eponymous 1797 German poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, which was in turn an adaptation of the Roman story "Philopseudes" ("Lover of Lies") by Lucian. Clark and his fellow animators worked with a redesigned version of Mickey Mouse, provided by Fred Moore. The new version of the character had pupils in his eyes, and had a greater range of expressions.
In the mid-1940s, Clark was promoted to the position of a directing animator in Disney's feature films. He served in this role for "Song of the South" (1946), "Fun and Fancy Free" (1947), "Melody Time" (1948), "Cinderella" (1950), "Alice in Wonderland" (1951), "Peter Pan" (1953), and "Lady and the Tramp" (1955). Clark also served as a sequence director for "Sleeping Beauty" (1959), in his last major work in a feature film.
Clark served as the director of the animated short "Paul Bunyan" (1958), which was based on American folklore about a giant lumberjack. The short was nominated for an "Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film", but lost to "Knighty Knight Bugs" by Warner Bros. Cartoons. During the 1960s, Clark primarily worked on Disney's infrequently released animated short films. He directed the educational short films "Freewayphobia or The Art of Driving the Super Highway" (1965) and "Goofy's Freeway Troubles" (1965), which both featured Goofy as their protagonist. He also directed the educational short film "Donald's Fire Survival Plan" (1966), which focused on fire safety precautions.
Clark retired in the mid-1970s, possibly due to health reasons. His "temporary" assignment for the Disney studio had lasted for over 35 years, and he was the studio's longest serving employee at the time of his retirement. In September 1979, Clark died due to cancer. He was 71-years-old at the time of his death. He was the second of the Nine Old Men to die, following John Lounsbery. In 1989, Clark was posthumously inducted into the hall of fame "Disney Legends" in 1989.
