Otto Englander was a Bosnian screenwriter of Jewish descent, who worked for Disney during the early years of the company and wrote episodes for the Disney anthology series.
Englander was born on February 17, 1906 in Tuzla to Bela Englender and Gisela Lisska. At the age of twenty, he left Tuzla and went to the United States, where he graduated from the Chester School of Art in New York. After graduating, he headed to Los Angeles and became a part of Walt Disney's creative team while also working separately at Ub Iwerks' own animation studio as well.
Englander quickly established himself as a reliable partner, and became the author of screenplays and stories for numerous animated shorts about Mickey Mouse and other Silly Symphonies. In 1937, he contributed to the writing team responsible for adapting Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs into a full-length animated feature film. The success of the film lead to more features like Pinocchio, Fantasia, and Dumbo.
In addition to animated films, Englander has also worked on screenplays for feature films such as Massacre River, The Boy from Indiana, The Diamond Queen, and an episode of The Cisco Kid.
He was married to Erna Pinto, also originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina, who was a US Politics correspondent.
He died in Los Angeles on October 13, 1969. In his memory, the Tuzla Film Festival has been awarding the Otto Englander Award for Best Screenplay since 2018.
Disney Filmography
| Year | Film | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1931 | Mickey Cuts Up | story - uncredited |
| 1934 | The Wise Little Hen | story - uncredited |
| 1935 | Cock o' the Walk | writer |
| 1935 | Broken Toys | writer - uncredited |
| 1936 | Mickey's Polo Team | writer - uncredited |
| 1936 | Moving Day | story - uncredited |
| 1936 | Mickey's Circus | story - uncredited |
| 1936 | Three Blind Mouseketeers | writer - uncredited |
| 1937 | The Worm Turns | story - uncredited |
| 1937 | Don Donald | writer - uncredited |
| 1937 | Moose Hunters | story - uncredited |
| 1937 | Clock Cleaners | story - uncredited |
| 1937 | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | story adaptation |
| 1938 | Polar Trappers | story - uncredited |
| 1938 | The Fox Hunt | story - uncredited |
| 1938 | The Whalers | story - uncredited |
| 1939 | Goofy and Wilbur | story - uncredited |
| 1940 | Pinocchio | story adaptation |
| 1940 | Fantasia | story development - segment "The Pastoral Symphony" |
| 1941 | Dumbo | story direction |
| 1955-1970 | The Magical World of Disney | writer |
| 1968 | Understanding Stresses and Strains | story |
