Carl William Stalling was an American composer, voice actor, arranger, and musician for music in animated films for Disney and Warner Bros.
Stalling was born to Ernest and Sophia C. Stalling in Lexington, Missouri. He started playing piano at six. By the age of 12, he played piano at his hometown's silent movie house and soon played with and conducted orchestras at various theatres. In the 1920s, while working in Kansas City, he met Walt Disney where the budding animator was impressed with his style of combining known music pieces with his own. Keeping in touch with Walt through correspondence, Stalling was eventually hired to compose music for Walt’s cartoon subjects, picking him up in Kansas City while on the train to New York City to premiere Steamboat Willie.
Moving to California, Stalling composed scores for Plane Crazy, The Gallopin' Gaucho, The Skeleton Dance, Stalling even voiced Mickey Mouse in The Karnival Kid in 1929. Stalling would record the music for the animators who then choreographed the movements to match the music. This synchronization of music and on-screen movement became known as "Mickey Mousing". After two years, Stalling left the studio to work with Ub Iwerks until his studio closed in 1936 but continued to freelance for Disney as well during the early stages of of both Dumbo and Bambi.
He soon found work at Warner Bros. through Leon Schlesinger's animation studio where he became associated with the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts. He averaged one complete score each week for 22 years, totaling over 600 shorts, until his retirement in 1958.
Stalling died on November 29, 1972; a few weeks after his 81st birthday.
Filmography[]
| Year | Film | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1928 | Plane Crazy | Composer (uncredited) |
| The Gallopin' Gaucho | Composer | |
| 1929 | The Barn Dance | Composer (uncredited) |
| The Opry House | Composer (uncredited) | |
| When the Cat's Away | Composer (uncredited) | |
| The Barnyard Battle | Composer (uncredited) | |
| The Karnival Kid | Composer (uncredited) Songwriter: "The Streets of Cairo" Voice: Mickey Mouse | |
| Mickey's Choo-Choo | Composer (uncredited) | |
| Mickey's Follies | Composer Story (uncredited) | |
| The Plowboy | Composer (uncredited) | |
| The Jazz Fool | Composer (uncredited) | |
| Wild Waves | Composer (uncredited) | |
| The Skeleton Dance | Composer Based on idea (uncredited) | |
| El Terrible Toreador | Composer | |
| Springtime | Composer (uncredited) | |
| Jungle Rhythm | Composer (uncredited) | |
| Hell's Bells | Composer | |
| The Haunted House | Composer (uncredited) | |
| The Merry Dwarfs | Composer (uncredited) | |
| 1930 | Autumn | Composer (uncredited) |
| Minnie's Yoo Hoo | Composer (uncredited) Songwriter:"Minnie's Yoo-Hoo" | |
| 1933 | Three Little Pigs | Music arranger Piano (uncredited) |
| 1941 | Dumbo | Musical director (uncredited) |
| 1942 | Bambi | Musical director (uncredited) |
Gallery[]
.jpg "Disney staff 1930 (1).jpg (66 KB)")
Kneeling, from left, Sharpsteen, Dick Lundy, Merle Gilson, and Norman Ferguson.
.jpg "Disney staff in January 1930 (2).jpg (65 KB)")
Kneeling, from left, Lundy, Charles Byrne, Carlos Manriquez, Ferguson, Gilson, Chuck Couch, Stalling, Cannon, W. Disney
Standing: King
.jpg "Disney studio orchestra (Hyperion).jpg (190 KB)")
External links[]
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