Wilfred Jackson was an American animator, arranger, composer, and director, who worked for Disney.
Born in Chicago, Illinois; Jackson attended Otis College of Art and Design in the 1920s before getting hired at the studio. He approached Walt Disney and offered to pay him "tuition" for the experience of learning animation, which in those days could only be acquired on the job. His skills did not impress the young producer but his timing was fortuitous. Jackson worked closely with Ub Iwerks as an assistant while contributing to Steamboat Willie where he proved it was feasible by devising a crude synchronization method that related film speed with the musical beats of a metronome.
Jackson was promoted to director and worked on many of the Silly Symphonies cartoons, several of which, including The Old Mill, won Academy Awards during the 1930s. Also, he began directing the then ambitious full-length animated features produced by the studio, such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Melody Time, and Peter Pan. Jackson most notably animated sequences in Song of the South and the "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria" segment of Fantasia.
In 1953, Jackson suffered a heart attack while directing sequences for Lady and the Tramp and was never able to resume his full-time duties. He was replaced as a director on Sleeping Beauty and worked sporadically on Disney's television shows, like the Disneyland anthology series. In 1959, he took an extended leave of absence that ended with his official retirement in 1961.
Jackson died at age 82 in 1988. In 1998, Jackson was posthumously honored as a Disney Legend and, as of 2007, part of his composition in Steamboat Willie is included in the intro sequence of animated features.
Filmography[]
Year | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
1928 | Steamboat Willie | Animator Composer Songwriter: "Turkey in the Straw" |
1929 | The Karnival Kid | Animator - uncredited |
The Plowboy | Animator - uncredited | |
The Skeleton Dance | Animator - uncredited | |
Mickey's Follies | Director - uncredited | |
1930 | The Shindig | performer: harmonic - uncredited Animator |
Autumn | Animator - uncredited | |
Cannibal Capers | Animator - uncredited | |
The Cactus Kid | Animator - uncredited | |
Frolicking Fish | Animator - uncredited | |
The Fire Fighters | Animator - uncredited | |
Arctic Antics | Animator | |
Midnight in a Toy Shop | Animator - uncredited Director | |
Night | Animator - uncredited | |
The Chain Gang | Animator - uncredited | |
Monkey Melodies | Animator - uncredited | |
The Gorilla Mystery | Animator - uncredited | |
The Picnic | Animator - uncredited | |
Winter | Animator - uncredited | |
Pioneer Days | Animator - uncredited | |
Playful Pan | Animator - uncredited | |
1931 | The Birthday Party | Animator - uncredited |
The Castaway | Director | |
The China Plate | Director - uncredited | |
The Cat's Out | Director - uncredited | |
Egyptian Melodies | Director - uncredited | |
The Clock Store | Director | |
The Spider and the Fly | Director | |
The Fox Hunt | Director - uncredited | |
The Ugly Duckling | Director - uncredited | |
1932 | The Bird Store | Director - uncredited |
The Grocery Boy | Director | |
Barnyard Olympics | Director | |
Mickey's Revue | Director - uncredited | |
The Bears and Bees | Director | |
Musical Farmer | Director | |
Mickey in Arabia | Director - uncredited | |
The Whoopee Party | Director - uncredited | |
Touchdown Mickey | Director - uncredited | |
The Klondike Kid | Director - uncredited | |
Santa's Workshop | Director - uncredited | |
1933 | Mickey's Mellerdrammer | Director - uncredited |
Father Noah's Ark | Director - uncredited | |
Mickey's Mechanical Man | Director - uncredited | |
Puppy Love | Director - uncredited | |
Lullaby Land | Director - uncredited | |
The Pied Piper | Director - uncredited | |
The Pet Store | Director - uncredited | |
The Night Before Christmas | Director - uncredited | |
1934 | The China Shop | Director - uncredited |
The Grasshopper and the Ants | Director - uncredited | |
Funny Little Bunnies | Director - uncredited | |
The Wise Little Hen | Director - uncredited | |
Peculiar Penguins | Director - uncredited | |
The Goddess of Spring | Director - uncredited | |
1935 | The Tortoise and the Hare | Director - uncredited |
The Band Concert | Director - uncredited | |
Water Babies | Director - uncredited | |
Mickey's Garden | Director - uncredited | |
Music Land | Director - uncredited | |
1936 | Mickey's Grand Opera | Director - uncredited |
Elmer Elephant | Director - uncredited | |
Mickey's Rival | Director - uncredited | |
Toby Tortoise Returns | Director - uncredited | |
The Country Cousin | Director - uncredited | |
More Kittens | Director | |
1937 | Woodland Café | Director - uncredited |
The Old Mill | Director - uncredited | |
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | Sequence Director | |
1938 | Mother Goose Goes Hollywood | Director - uncredited |
1940 | Pinocchio | Sequence Director |
Fantasia | Director - Segment "A Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria" live action model for Chernabog | |
1941 | Dumbo | Sequence Director |
Golden Eggs | Director | |
1942 | The New Spirit | Director - uncredited |
1943 | Saludos Amigos | Sequence Director - "Aquarela do Brasil" (uncredited) |
1946 | A Feather in His Collar | Director |
Song of the South | Cartoon Director | |
1948 | Melody Time | Cartoon Director - "The Legend of Johnny Appleseed" |
1950 | Cinderella | Director |
1951 | Alice in Wonderland | Director |
1952 | The Little House | Director |
1953 | Peter Pan | Director |
1955 | Lady and the Tramp | Director |
Dateline: Disneyland (TV Special documentary) | Director | |
1954-1959 | The Magical World of Disney | Himself - 1 Episode / Director - 9 Episodes / Segment Director - 2 Episodes / Sequence Director - 1 Episode / Cartoon Director - 1 Episode |
2002 | American Legends (Video) | Director - Segment "Johnny Appleseed" |
Gallery[]
External links[]
This page uses content from the English Wikipedia page Wilfred Jackson. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. Text from Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. |