Burny Mattinson, who worked on such classic animations as “Mickey’s Christmas Carol,” “The Great Mouse Detective,” “Lady and the Tramp,” and “One Hundred and One Dalmatians,” has died at age 87, The Walt Disney Company announced. . He spent almost 70 years working for the company.
Mattinson died Monday, February 27, at the Canyon Oaks Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Canoga Park, California. Although it was announced that he passed away due to an illness, it was not specified which one.
In June, Mattinson marked his 70th birthday working for Walt Disney Animation Studios where he served as an animator, director, producer and artist on various projects.
This makes him the employee of the company with the longest service. He was to receive recognition for this fact on June 4. This would be the first award of its kind that The Walt Disney Company would give out.
“Burny’s artistry, generosity and love for Disney Animation and the generations of storytellers who have passed through our doors for seven decades have made us better: better artists, better technologists and better collaborators. All of us who have had the honor of knowing and learning from him will ensure that his legacy continues,” said Jennifer Lee, chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios, according to a statement posted on the company’s website.
At the time of his death, Mattinson was working full time as a story consultant.
Burnett Mattinson was born on May 13, 1935 in San Francisco, and since he was little he dreamed of being a cartoonist since his mother took him to see the movie ‘Pinocchio’ when he was 5 years old.
“Ever since I saw that movie, this was my dream: to work in this business. So, I worked every day, drawing”, the artist came to confess.
After graduating from high school, Mattinson managed to get a job at Disney in the mailroom.
Later, he was promoted to assistant animator for the film ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and for ‘One Hundred and One Dalmatians’.
After this film, he worked for 12 years together with Eric Larson on other projects, such as ‘The Sword in the Stone’, ‘Mary Poppins’, ‘The Jungle Book’, and ‘The Aristocats’.
He then went from assistant to animator for the ‘Robin Hood’ project, which premiered in 1973; and he was a key animator for the film Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too in 1974.
Mattinson was named a ‘Disney Legend’ in 2008. He set the record for the company’s longest-serving employee on March 5, 2018, when he surpassed the previous record held by John Hench, who worked 64 years, eight months, and 29 days.
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