Disney Wiki
Disney Wiki
Advertisement
Disney Wiki

John Parr "Jack" Miller was an American character designer, animator, and illustrator, who worked for Disney from 1934 until 1942 where he contributed to features, like Pinocchio, Fantasia, and Saludos Amigos.

Hailing from New York, Miller lived with his mother and father and never finished high school. At fourteen, his mother died and his found a new wife who bore him another son, George. Following a two-year stint at the Grand Central Art School in New York, Miller moved out to Hollywood with his stepmother and brother after his father died during the Great Depression.

With encouragement from his stepmother, Miller showed his portfolio to Walt Disney who hired him in 1934. Starting out in the studio's Story department and as a background artist for several Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck shorts, he soon became a part of Joe Grant's Character Model department, which would include James Bodrero, Martin Provensen, Dick Huemer, Campbell Grant, and Elmer Plummer. They helped develop famous characters, such as Dopey, Dumbo, and Geppetto as well as their respective environments. His work impressed Walt enough that he was invited to be part of his 1941 Goodwill Tour of South America, which included Bodrero, Mary Blair, Norman Ferguson, Frank Thomas, Herbert Ryman, and others. The trip would inspire work at would become the fruition of Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros. By the time Miller enlisted in the navy, where he made training films during World War II, he had become dissatisfied with the company. After the war, he opted to not return.

He and some other Disney veterans, such as Gustaf Tenggren were later recruited by Georges Duplaix to be a part of what would become Little Golden Books as illustrators in an effort enliven the market for children's books and move beyond the "Dick and Jane" style that had been used for years. It there that he became friends with Richard and Patricia M. Scarry. He would spend over decades illustrating for authors, such as Margaret Wise Brown (The Wonderful House, Margaret Wise Brown's Wonderful Story Book), Katherine Howard (Do You Know Colors?, Little Bunny Follows His Nose), Patricia Scarry (The Sweet Smell of Christmas). Other books he contributed to included The Little Red Hen, Lucky Mrs. Ticklefeather, I Am a Mouse, Little Turtle's Big Adventure, Follow Me, and Jingle Bells: A New Story by Kathleen N. Daly.

Miller continued to work as a freelance artist in his later years. He passed away on October 29, 2004 at his home in Manhasset, New York. He was survived by his half-brother, George E. Miller, who donated over 250 artworks of his to the Carle Museum in Amhurst. Many more had been exhibited at libraries and other museums.

Filmography[]

Year Film Position
1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Character designer: Dopey - uncredited
1940 Pinocchio Character designer: Geppetto
1940 Fantasia Character designer: "The Pastoral Symphony"
1940 Fire Chief Background artist - uncredited
1941 Dumbo Character designer: Dumbo
1941 The Reluctant Dragon Story: "Baby Weems"
1942 Saludos Amigos Art supervision
1942 South of the Border with Disney Himself
1942 All Together Character designer - uncredited
2008 Walt & El Grupo Archive footage

Gallery[]

Artwork[]

Miscellaneous[]

Trivia[]

  • Miller had been an artist during stages of Song of the South before production was halted. He left the company before it was revived in the mid-1940s.

External links[]


v - e - d
Walt Disney Animation Studios - Transparent Logo
1920s—1970s
Disney's Nine Old Men: Milt KahlFrank ThomasOllie JohnstonLes ClarkJohn LounsberyMarc DavisWard KimballEric LarsonWolfgang Reitherman

Animators: Bill TytlaArt BabbittLee BlairPreston BlairFred MooreShamus CulhaneCy YoungDon LuskNorman FergusonHal KingJack HannahDick KinneyHal AmbroKen O'BrienJudge WhitakerBill JusticeDon BluthGary GoldmanCharles A. NicholsBlaine GibsonJohn EwingWalt StanchfieldRolly CrumpFred HellmichAmby PaliwodaWilfred JacksonXavier AtencioBen SharpsteenEarl HurdDale OliverEric CleworthDavid HandFred SpencerJulius SvendsenJack BradburyKenneth MuseRudolf IsingHugh HarmanFriz FrelengWalt KellyLeo SalkinJohn DehnerRetta ScottDavid SwiftMel ShawJack CuttingGrant SimmonsArt StevensFrank TashlinWathel RogersTyrus WongJohnny CannonBernard WolfJohn W. DunnHenry SelickTony StroblChuck WilliamsBurny MattinsonDave SudingAndy GaskillCampbell GrantJohn HubleyPaul Murry
Visual Development, Layout, Background Artists and Character Designers: Gustaf TenggrenMary BlairMarjorie RalstonMarcellite GarnerLillian BoundsEdna FrancisVirginia DavisJoe GrantMel ShawClaude CoatsDon DaGradiJohn HenchEyvind EarleKen O'ConnorThor PutnamAlbert HurterJohn HubleyHerbert RymanDon GriffithBasil DavidovichJack BoydPeter EllenshawRuthie TompsonEarl DuvallRetta DavidsonUb IwerksVance GerryHazel SewellJames BodreroLance NolleyGrace BaileyMaurice NobleDale BarnhartAndy EngmanEustace LycettJohn EmersonJoe HaleLeota ToombsFerdinand HorvathJerry ReesDan HansenJim ColemanDorse LanpherJohn P. MillerDodie RobertsNorma Swank
Storyboard Artists and Writers: Bill PeetRalph WrightDick HuemerFloyd NormanYale GraceyTed SearsErdman PennerJoe RinaldiWinston HiblerOtto EnglanderWilliam CottrellBill BergAl BertinoT. HeeHomer BrightmanTed OsbourneLarry ClemmonsHarry ReevesJesse MarshChuck CouchWebb SmithDick SebastPeter Young
Directors: Clyde GeronimiHamilton LuskeJack KinneyTed BermanRichard RichGeorge ScribnerRiley ThomsonDick LundyJack KingBurt GillettJames AlgarBill RobertsLarry LansburghRichard Irvine
Producers: Walt DisneyRon MillerKen AndersonDon DuckwallPerce PearceMargaret J. Winkler

1980s—present
Renaissance Directors: Rob MinkoffRoger AllersGary TrousdaleKirk WiseChris SandersMark DindalJohn MuskerMike Gabriel

Story Trust Directors: Ron ClementsChris BuckByron HowardDon HallChris WilliamsRich MooreStephen J. AndersonNathan GrenoFawn Veerasunthorn
Producers: Peter Del VechoClark SpencerRoy ConliDorothy McKimDon HahnShane MorrisPeter Schneider
Chief Creative Officer: Jennifer Lee
Associated Figures: Bob IgerRoy Edward DisneyMichael EisnerJohn LasseterEd CatmullJeffrey KatzenbergBob Chapek
Signature Voice Actors: Jim CummingsAlan TudykKatie LowesJohn DiMaggioMaurice LaMarcheJodi BensonDavid Ogden StiersJesse CortiPaul BriggsRaymond S. PersiPhil JohnstonFrank WelkerBill FarmerBrian Cummings
Signature Musicians: Robert B. ShermanRichard M. ShermanAlan MenkenKristen Anderson-LopezRobert LopezLin-Manuel MirandaHoward AshmanTim RicePhil CollinsStephen SchwartzMarc ShaimanDanny Troob
Supervising Animators: Glen KeaneAndreas DejaEric GoldbergMark HennJohn PomeroyRandy HaycockDale BaerTony BancroftTom BancroftTony FucileAnthony DeRosaRuss EdmondsBruce W. SmithMichael SurreyDuncan MarjoribanksRuben AquinoNik RanieriRon HusbandRick FarmiloeTom SitoTony AnselmoWill FinnKathy ZielinskiHendel ButoyEllen WoodburyMatthew O'CallaghanDavid PruiksmaBob WalkerAaron BlaiseJay JacksonNancy KniepJames BaxterTony FucileSergio PablosRandy Cartwright
Visual Development & Storyboard Artists: Dean DeBloisClaire KeaneBrittney LeeJin KimShiyoon KimRyan GreenSue C. NicholsMichael Peraza, Jr.Kevin LimaKelly AsburyKelvin YasudaToby SheltonBarry CookSteve StarrJohn TuckerMark KennedyMabel L. GesnerCarole HollidayJorgen KlubienDon PaulVan ShirvanianBrian PimentalDonovan CookDavid PimentelJoseph Christopher PepeAlex MannGeoffrey C. EvertsRob GibbsGraham WoodsRay HofstedtJoe RanftMichael GiaimoPerry Farinola
Other Animators: Kaaren LundeenTimothy O'DonnellMichael HumphriesTim BurtonBrenda ChapmanDavid CutlerSandro CleuzoJane BaerEd GombertBarry TempleGary M. EgglestonBrad BirdDavid StephanRay HarrisLureline WeatherlyMark KalesnikoJoe LanziseroRuben ProcopioPhilip PhillipsonRaul Aguirre Jr.Barry AtkinsonThomas BakerChris BaileyGeefwee BoedoeJane MisekRob CorleyDaan JippesEric PigorsDorothea Baker PaulTrey FinneyPres RomanillosMartin SchwartzMichael ShowKevin M. SmithEdward R. GutierrezJuliet StroudBill ThinnesAsh BrannonGilda PalinginisDana ReemesTheresa WisemanMarianne TuckerLillian A. ChapmanClaudia V. KeeneLorna CookChristine Lawrence FinneyLaurey FoulkesMike CosaJody KooistraAndrew RamosMary-Jean RepchukEric WallsElizabeth S. WatasinJames Young JacksonJymn MagonButch HartmanBill WaldmanChris SonnenburgMarc TosoliniGontran HoarauLieve MiessenFlorence MontceauMarco AllardBert KleinJim SniderJames LopezMarc SmithMark KoetsierBradley RaymondCathie Karas WilkeClay KaytisMichael LesterMichael BenetBilly GeorgeJohn PuglisiDoug PostAnthony Wayne MichaelsDarrell Van CittersLieve Miessen

Advertisement