Barry Atkinson is a background artist at Walt Disney Animation Studios who has been active in the industry for over 45 years.
He began his career at his father's animation studio, Atkinson Film Arts. He worked on features such as Heavy Metal and The Care Bears Movie before moving to Ireland where he worked under former Disney animator Don Bluth. He contributed to An American Tail, The Land Before Time, All Dogs go to Heaven, Rock-a-Doodle, Thumbelina, and A Troll in Central Park.
He later joined Disney where his notable contributions are shown in The Lion King, A Goofy Movie, Pocahontas, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Big Hero 6. He also split his time with DreamWorks Animation where he worked on The Prince of Egypt and Shrek. Between his many Animation duties Atkinson has designed and fabricated creatures for the Toy industry.
Filmography[]
| Year | Film | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | The Lion King | Background artist |
| 1995 | A Goofy Movie | Background keys |
| Pocahontas | Background artist | |
| 1999 | Fantasia 2000 | Background artist |
| 2000 | Dinosaur | Development artist |
| 2001 | Atlantis: The Lost Empire | Background artist |
| 2005 | Tarzan II | Additional background artist |
| 2006 | Winnie the Pooh: Wonderful Word Adventure | Art Director |
| Winnie the Pooh: Shapes & Sizes | Art Director | |
| The Wild | Color key artist: Reel FX | |
| 2007 | Enchanted | Background artist - uncredited |
| 2008 | Tinker Bell | Background designer |
| 2009 | Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure | Background designer |
| 2012 | Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue | Background designer |
| Secret of the Wings | Art Director | |
| 2013 | Planes | Background designer |
| Frozen | Visual development artist (uncredited) | |
| 2014 | The Pirate Fairy | Background designer |
| Planes: Fire & Rescue | Background designer | |
| Big Hero 6 | Background designer | |
| 2015 | The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar | Background paint |
| 2016 | Zootopia | Additional visual development (uncredited) |
| Sofia the First | Background painter | |
| Moana | Background designer | |
| 2016–2019 | The Lion Guard | Background paint |
| 2021 | Mickey and Minnie Wish Upon a Christmas | Background paint |
| 2023 | Hailey's On It! | Lead background painter |
