Donald R. "Don" Lusk was an American animator and director.
Lusk was born in Los Angeles, California and got his professional career started when he was employed at Walt Disney Animation Studios in 1933 as an inbetween artist before being promoted to animator with the short Ferdinand the Bull. Some of his more notable work included Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Fantasia, and Bambi before leaving to join the United States Marines during World War II. After the war, Lusk returned to Disney where he worked Song of the South, Melody Time, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, and Sleeping Beauty.
By 1960, Lusk quit at Disney, but continued to work as an animator during the 1960s and 1970s for other studios, most notably for the Hanna-Barbera studio for productions related to The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Scooby-Doo, The Smurfs, Paw Paws, Snorks, Pound Puppies, Yogi Bear, and The Greatest Adventure: Stories from The Bible. He also worked on films, such as Gay Purr-ee, The Thief and the Cobbler, Journey Back to Oz, Cool World, All Dogs go to Heaven, and various Peanuts films and specials.
Lusk retired after nearly 60 years in the animation industry. He died on December 30, 2018, in San Clemente, California, aged 105.
Filmography[]
| Year | Title | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1936 | Mickey's Polo Team | Animator (uncredited) |
| 1936 | Moving Day | animator (uncredited) |
| 1937 | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | Animator (uncredited) |
| 1938 | Farmyard Symphony | Animator (uncredited) |
| 1938 | Ferdinand the Bull | Animator (uncredited) |
| 1940 | Pinocchio | Animator |
| 1940 | Fantasia | Animator: "Nutcracker Suite" "The Pastoral Symphony" |
| 1942 | Bambi | Animator |
| 1942 | Saludos Amigos | Animator (uncredited) |
| 1942 | How to Fish | Animator |
| 1943 | The Grain That Built a Hemisphere | Animator (uncredited) |
| 1943 | Figaro and Cleo | Animator (uncredited) |
| 1944 | Contrary Condor | Animator (uncredited) |
| 1944 | The Three Caballeros | Animator (uncredited) |
| 1946 | Make Mine Music | Animator (uncredited) |
| 1946 | Song of the South | Animator |
| 1946 | The Story of Menstruation | Animator (uncredited) |
| 1947 | Donald's Dilemma | Animator (uncredited) |
| 1947 | Fun and Fancy Free | Character animator (uncredited; earlier cartoon clips) |
| 1948 | Melody Time | Character Animator Animator: "Trees" "The Legend of Johnny Appleseed" "Once Upon a Wintertime" |
| 1949 | So Dear to My Heart | Animator |
| 1949 | The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad | Character Animator: "The Wind in the Willows" |
| 1950 | Cinderella | Character Animator |
| 1951 | Alice in Wonderland | Character Animator |
| 1951 | Chicken in the Rough | Animator (uncredited) |
| 1952 | Lambert the Sheepish Lion | Animator |
| 1952 | Trick or Treat | Animator |
| 1953 | Peter Pan | Character Animator |
| 1953 | Ben and Me | Animator |
| 1954-1960 | The Magical World of Disney | Animator |
| 1955 | Lady and the Tramp | Character Animator |
| 1959 | Sleeping Beauty | Character Animator |
| 1961 | One Hundred and One Dalmatians | Character Animator |
| 1961 | Aquamania | Animator (uncredited) |
| 1990 | Adventures of the Gummi Bears | Animator (uncredited) |
Trivia[]
- Despite leaving Disney in 1960, much of his animation was recycled for later productions, which included The Sword in the Stone, Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, The Aristocats, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Robin Hood, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and The Little Mermaid.
External links[]
