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 |
| Fantasia | Art Director: "Dance of the Hours" | |
| 1941 | Dumbo | Art Director Layout artist (uncredited) |
| 1942 | The New Spirit | Background artist Layout artist (uncredited) |
| Pluto Junior | Layout artist (uncredited) | |
| Bambi | Art Director (uncredited) | |
| The Sleep Walker | Layout artist (uncredited) | |
| T-Bone for Two | Layout artist (uncredited) | |
| Pluto at the Zoo | Layout artist (uncredited) | |
| 1943 | Donald's Tire Trouble | Layout artist |
| 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" |
| So Dear to My Heart | Layout artist | |
| 1950 | Cinderella | Layout |
| rowspan=21951 | Alice in Wonderland | Layout |
| How to Catch a Cold | Layout artist (uncredited) | |
| 1953 | Peter Pan | Layout artist |
| Melody | Art Director | |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Steel and America | Art Director | |
| 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 |
| The Fight | Art stylist | |
| The Social Side of Health | Art stylist | |
| The Game | Art stylist | |
| The Project | Art stylist | |
| 1970 | Lunch Money | Art stylist |
| 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 |
| The Little Mermaid | Visual development artist |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- His wife, Mary, served as inspiration for the design of the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella.
