Burny Mattinson, Legendary Disney Animator and Director, Dead at 87

By Jenna Anderson

Burny Mattinson, a legendary animator and the longest-serving cast member in the history of The Walt Disney Company, has passed away at the age of 87. The news was broken via a statement from The Walt Disney Company, revealing that he passed away on Monday, February 27th at Canoga Park, California following a short illness. Mattinson was the last full-time Walt Disney Studios employee to work alongside Walt Disney, after having joined the company in 1953. He was set to receive the first-ever 70th anniversary service award on June 4th.

"Burny's artistry, generosity, and love of Disney Animation and the generations of storytellers that have come through our doors, for seven decades, has made us better—better artists, better technologists, and better collaborators," Jennifer Lee, the chief creative officer at Walt Disney Animation Studios, said in a statement. "All of us who have had the honor to know him and learn from him will ensure his legacy carries on."

"For almost 30 years, I've had the privilege to work alongside Burny Mattinson, from Winnie the Pooh to Big Hero 6 to, most recently, Strange World," director Don Hall echoed. "I have marveled at his artistry, enjoyed his good humor, and sat enraptured by his stories of Disney history. At 18 years old, he followed his dream of working at Walt Disney Animation Studios, and for almost 70 years he lived that dream every day, inspiring all of us who had the good fortune to follow in his footsteps. I love him dearly."

Born on May 13, 1935 in San Francisco, California, Mattinson joined Disney's traffic department after graduating high school, because there were not available positions in the animation department. After six-months, Mattinson served as an in-betweener on 1955's The Lady and the Tramp. This began a prolific stint at the company on films like Sleeping Beauty, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Sword and the Stone, Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, The Aristocats, Robin Hood, and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too. He later storyboarded and designed the titles for The Rescuers, The Fox and the Hound, and The Black Cauldron.

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Mattinson ultimately directed and produced the Oscar-nominated short Mickey's Christmas Carol, which led to him directing The Great Mouse Detective. From there, he was a storyboard artist on basically every theatrical animated film that Disney released, with his last credit being 2022's Strange World.  

Our thoughts are with Mattinson's family, friends, and fans at this time.

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