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Arthur Kendall "Ken" O'Connor was an Australian Disney layout artist and art director. He was genius, while his gentle, self-deprecating nature and wry sense of humor made him a joy to work with. As Director T. Hee once recalled, "Ken was a charmer. Being from Australia, he'd make some crazy crack that only an Aussie can do."

"He was a bright, clever man and a man who enjoyed life. He never got upset about things, but just brushed them aside and kept ongoing. That made it nice for us to work together."

Fellow Disney Legend Ward Kimball, who worked with Ken on many projects, including futuristic films for Disney television shows, added, "Ken arrived at some very interesting solutions... I'd ask him for some quick sketches of, say, how an underwater restaurant would look, and he would come up with some wild ideas."

Born in Perth, Australia, on June 7, 1908, Ken studied commercial art at Melbourne Technical College and fine art at the Australian National Gallery in Melbourne. In 1930, he emigrated with his family to the United States, settling in San Francisco, where he continued his education at the California School of Art.

In 1935, he joined The Walt Disney Studios, where he worked as either art director or layout man on 13 features and nearly 100 shorts. Among the most memorable images, Ken created for the screen are the magical coach in Cinderella, the marching cards in Alice in Wonderland, and the dancing hippos in Fantasia. His other credits included Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Make Mine Music, Melody Time, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, and more.

During World War II, Ken worked on training and educational films that Disney produced for the U.S. government, including "Food Will Win the War", along with theatrical cartoons, such as "Education for Death". Later, he provided layouts for the first 3-D cartoon "Adventures in Music: Melody". He also served as art director on three space factuals: "Man in Space", "Man and the Moon", and "Mars and Beyond", as well as the first CinemaScope cartoon "Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom", which won an Academy Award in 1953.

After more than 30 years with the company, Ken retired in 1978. He continued to lend his imagination and artistry, however, to projects, such as the Universe of Energy at EPCOT Center and the "Back to Never Land" introduction to animation film, featured in the Animation Building at Disney-MGM Studios in Florida. Ken also taught layout and art direction at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), which Walt Disney helped find.

O'Connor died on May 27, 1998 in Burbank, California. He was inducted as a Disney Legend in 1992.

Filmography[]

Year Film Position
1936 Mickey's Polo Team Layout artist (uncredited)
1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Art Director
layout artist (uncredited)
1939 The Practical Pig Layout artist (uncredited)
1940 Pinocchio Art Director
1940 Fantasia Art Director: "Dance of the Hours"
1941 Dumbo Art Director
Layout artist (uncredited)
1942 The New Spirit Background artist
Layout artist (uncredited)
1942 Pluto Junior Layout artist (uncredited)
1942 Bambi Art Director (uncredited)
1942 The Sleep Walker Layout artist (uncredited)
1942 T-Bone for Two Layout artist (uncredited)
1942 Pluto at the Zoo Layout artist (uncredited)
1943 Donald's Tire Trouble Layout artist
1943 Pluto and the Armadillo Layout artist (uncredited)
1946 Make Mine Music Layout: "Willie the Operatic Whale"
1947 Fun and Fancy Free Layout
1948 Melody Time Layout artist: "Once Upon a Wintertime"
1948 So Dear to My Heart Layout artist
1950 Cinderella Layout
1951 Alice in Wonderland layout
1951 How to Catch a Cold Layout artist (uncredited)
1953 Peter Pan Layout artist
1953 Melody Art Director
1953 Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom Art Director
1955-1970 The Magical World of Disney Art Director: "Man on Wheels"
Layout artist
Layout designer
1955 Contrast in Rhythm Layout artist
1955 Lady and the Tramp Layout
1959 Eyes in Outer Space Layout designer
1961 Babes in Toyland Special art styling
1962 The Search for Truth Animation layout artist
1963 VD Attack Plan Art stylist
1964 Man's Search for Happiness Layout artist
1965 Donald's Fire Survival Plan Art Director
1965 Steel and America Art Director
1965 Goofy's Freeway Troubles Art Director
1967 Family Planning Art Director
1968 Understanding Stresses and Strains Art Director
1969 Steps Toward Maturity and Health Art Director
1969 The Fight Art stylist
1969 The Social Side of Health Art stylist
1969 The Game Art stylist
1969 The Project Art stylist
1970 Lunch Money Art stylist
1970 New Girl Art stylist
1973 I'm No Fool with Electricity Art stylist
1974 Man, Monsters and Mysteries Art stylist
1987 The Brave Little Toaster Color stylist
1989 Back to Never Land Art consultant
1989 The Little Mermaid Visual development artist

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

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 Cannon
Visual Development, Layout, Background Artists and Character Designers: Gustaf TenggrenMary BlairMarjorie RalstonLillian BoundsJoe 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 Hale
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 Sebast
Directors: Clyde GeronimiHamilton LuskeJack KinneyTed BermanRichard RichGeorge ScribnerRiley ThomsonDick LundyJack KingBurt GillettJames AlgarBill RobertsLarry Lansburgh
Producers: Walt DisneyRon MillerKen AndersonDon DuckwallPerce PearceMargaret J. Winkler

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

Story Trust Directors: Ron ClementsChris BuckByron HowardDon HallChris WilliamsRich MooreStephen J. AndersonNathan GrenoFawn Veerasunthorn
Producers: Peter Del VechoClark SpencerRoy ConliDorothy McKimDon HahnShane Morris
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. Sherman Richard M. Sherman Alan Menken Kristen Anderson-Lopez Robert LopezLin-Manuel MirandaHoward AshmanTim RicePhil CollinsStephen SchwartzMarc ShaimanDanny Troob
Supervising Animators: Glen KeaneAndreas DejaEric GoldbergMark HennJohn PomeroyRandy HaycockDale BaerTony BancroftTom BancroftTony FucileAnthony DeRosaRuss EdmondsRandy HaycockBruce W. SmithDuncan MarjoribanksRuben AquinoNik RanieriRon HusbandRick FarmiloeTom SitoTony AnselmoWill FinnKathy Zielinski
Visual Development & Storyboard Artists: Dean DeBloisClaire KeaneBrittney LeeJin KimShiyoon KimRyan Green

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