Imagineers contribute to more than just the parks – and sometimes, they’re best known for their work outside of Disneyland. Meet Marc Davis, the designer behind some of Disney’s most instantly recognizable animated characters.
Source: 50 Most Influential Disney Animators
Marc didn’t start out in Hollywood. Born in 1913, his dad’s oil field development job meant Marc moved constantly – attending more than 20 different schools before graduating high school. He added 3 more schools to his resume, this time focusing on his love of art: the Kansas City Art Institute, the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco, and the Otis Art Institute in LA. When he wasn’t studying, he would visit the zoo and draw the animals. This hobby served him well when he joined Disney in 1935 to work as an apprentice animator for Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.
Soon, Marc became known as the studio’s “ladies’ man”, designing some of the most iconic female characters (with a lot of spunk) like Maleficent, Cruella de Vil, and Tinker Bell. The nickname didn’t translate to his personal life – he married fellow Imagineer Alice Davis in 1956.
Source: Walt Disney Family Museum
Walt was impressed with his talents, and in the 50s, he became one of the original Imagineers working on the company’s first theme park.
Marc can do story, he can do character, he can animate, he can design shows for me. All I have to do is tell him what I want and it’s there! He’s my Renaissance man.
Source: Disney Parks Blog
In his time as an Imagineer, Marc Davis designed characters and story elements for many different types of attractions:
- America Sings
- Country Bear Jamboree
- Enchanted Tiki Room
- General Electric Carousel of Progress
- Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln
- Haunted Mansion
- It’s A Small World
- Jungle Cruise
- Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Submarine Voyage
Additionally, he contributed to the Ford’s Magic Skyway (1964-1965 World’s Fair), and the Western River Expedition, a western themed boat ride that was never fully developed.
At this one meeting, one of the first things I said was ‘Well, I’ve got an expensive way and a cheap way of doing this.’ And Walt got all the way up from his seat and walked up to the front of the room where I was. He put his hand on my shoulder and said, ‘No. Marc, look, I don’t agree with that. And I do not worry about whether anything is cheap or expensive. We only worry if it’s good. I’ve got a great big building out there full of all kinds of guys who worry about costs and money. You and I just worry about doing a good show.’ And then he said, ‘I have a theory that if it’s good enough, the public will pay you back for it.’
So, since that time I feel that’s my job. If they want to cut something out of it, that’s fine—that’s somebody else’s business. But I try to do the thing the best way I know how. But I think he is absolutely right: when you do something good, and you give the public credit for having brains, then I think the public is going to appreciate what you’ve done for them and pay you back for it. And I think when other people understand that, I think you can do anything. I think that’s the story of the medium at the present time—and probably into the future.
Source: Allears.net
Marc and his wife Alice both retired from Imagineering in 1978, but he continued to consult on a few projects for both Epcot and Tokyo Disneyland. He was named a Disney legend in 1989, and passed away in 2000. But Marc’s legacy lives on in Disneyland – not just in the rides he helped create, but in a sweet tribute on Main Street. He and Alice have side-by-side windows, right next to the Main Street Cinema.
