"A special effect in a motion picture is any technique or device that is used to create an illusion of reality in a situation where it is not possible, economical, or safe to use the real thing." - Eustace Lycett Eustace Arden Lycett was a British special effects artist, who worked on both animated and live-action films for Disney.
Born in England to William Arden Lycett, mining engineer, and Martha Constance Walley. the family moved to Chilie where he spent much of his early years before the family moved to California in 1929. There, he earned a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical engineering at the California Institute of Technology (CalTech) intending to work in either the oil or aircraft industries. However, three days after graduating in 1937, he accepted a job at the Walt Disney studio, where he worked with Ub Iwerks on an innovative multi-plane camera. The device brought an unprecedented illusion of depth to animation in three planes, the background, the intermediate scene, and the characters. Prominently featured in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, it be instrumental in many animated features for the company.
Over the next 43 years, Lycett continued to work and learn under Iwerks with early special effects and experimenting with different photographic techniques to achieve feats, such as combining live-action performers with animated characters on camera. He later became head of the special photographic effects department in 1958. Over the next decade, Lycett had received Academy Award nominations for his work, winning for Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and Broomsticks. He also helped develop Circle-Vision, a process of film projection on a 360-degree screen; and he was involved in the Disneyland's Rocket to the Moon attraction and the engineering for Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln since its introduction at the 1964 New York World's Fair.
Lycett retired from Disney after doing special effects on the 1980 film The Last Flight of Noah's Ark and passed away on November 16, 2006. He was survived by four sons, Kenneth, William, Roy, and Victor; eight grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.
Filmography[]
| Year | Film | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1937 | The Old Mill | Special processes (uncredited) |
| Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | Special processes (uncredited) | |
| 1940 | Pinocchio | Special processes (uncredited) |
| Fantasia | Special processes (uncredited) | |
| 1941 | Dumbo | Special processes (uncredited) |
| 1942 | Bambi | Special processes (uncredited) |
| Saludos Amigos | Special processes (uncredited) | |
| 1944 | The Three Caballeros | Special processes (uncredited) |
| 1946 | Make Mine Music | Special processes (uncredited) |
| 1947 | Fun and Fancy Free | Special processes (uncredited) |
| 1948 | Melody Time | Special processes (uncredited) |
| 1949 | The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad | Special processes (uncredited) |
| 1950 | Cinderella | Special processes (uncredited) |
| 1951 | Alice in Wonderland | Special processes (uncredited) |
| 1953 | Peter Pan | Special processes (uncredited) |
| 1955 | Lady and the Tramp | Special processes (uncredited) |
| 1955–1978 | The Wonderful World of Disney | Special effects |
| 1958 | Grand Canyon | Special processes |
| 1959 | Sleeping Beauty | Special processes |
| The Shaggy Dog | Special processes | |
| Nature's Strangest Creatures | Special processes | |
| Eyes in Outer Space | Special processes | |
| Darby O'Gill and the Little People | Special photographic effects | |
| Donald in Mathmagic Land | Special processes | |
| Mysteries of the Deep | Special processes | |
| 1960 | Islands of the Sea | Special processes |
| Japan | Special processes | |
| 1961 | One Hundred and One Dalmatians | Special processes |
| The Absent-Minded Professor | Special effects | |
| Donald and the Wheel | Special effects | |
| Babes in Toyland | Special effects | |
| 1962 | Moon Pilot | Special effects |
| Bon Voyage | Special effects | |
| Son of Flubber | Special effects | |
| 1963 | Summer Magic | Special effects |
| Savage Sam | Special effects | |
| The Sword in the Stone | Special effects (uncredited) | |
| 1964 | Mary Poppins | Special effects |
| 1965 | Those Calloways | Special effects |
| The Monkey's Uncle | Special effects | |
| That Darn Cat! | Special effects | |
| 1966 | The Ugly Dachshund | Special effects |
| Lt. Robin Crusoe USN | Special effects | |
| Follow Me, Boys! | Special effects | |
| 1967 | The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin | Special effects |
| Scrooge McDuck and Money | Special effects | |
| The Gnome-Mobile | Special effects | |
| The Jungle Book | Special effects (uncredited) | |
| The Happiest Millionaire | Special effects | |
| 1968 | Blackbeard's Ghost | Special effects |
| Never a Dull Moment | Special effects | |
| 1969 | The Love Bug | Special photographic effects |
| Rascal | Special effects | |
| 1970 | The Boatniks | Special effects |
| 1971 | Bedknobs and Broomsticks | Special effects |
| The Barefoot Executive | Optical effects | |
| The Million Dollar Duck | Special photographic effects | |
| 1972 | Now You See Him, Now You Don't | Special effects |
| Snowball Express | Special effects | |
| 1973 | The World's Greatest Athlete | Special effects |
| Charley and the Angel | Special effects | |
| Superdad | Special photographic effects | |
| 1974 | The Island at the Top of the World | Process camera (uncredited) |
| Herbie Rides Again | Special effects | |
| 1976 | No Deposit, No Return | Special effects |
| Treasure of Matecumbe | Special effects | |
| Gus | Special effects | |
| The Shaggy D.A. | Special effects | |
| Freaky Friday | Special effects | |
| 1977 | Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo | Special effects |
| Pete's Dragon | Visual effects supervisor (uncredited) Special effects | |
| 1978 | Return from Witch Mountain | Special effects |
| The Cat from Outer Space | Special effects | |
| Hot Lead and Cold Feet | Special effects | |
| The Small One | Special effects (uncredited) | |
| 1979 | The North Avenue Irregulars | Special effects |
| The Black Hole | Composite optical photography | |
| Cosmic Capers | Special effects | |
| 1980 | The Last Flight of Noah's Ark | Special effects |
Gallery[]
