Don Lusk, one of the last living animators from the classic era of Disney passed away at 105. Don’s dearest friend Navah Paskowitz-Asner passed along the news on her Facebook page this morning.
Lusk joined the Walt Disney Company at the age of 20 and became one of the most notable animators of the classic era. The legend is best known for his work on the Fish Dance in “The Nutcracker Suite” in Fantasia, Cleo the goldfish in Pinocchio, the title character in Alice in Wonderland and Wendy in Peter Pan.
In 1960, Lusk left Walt Disney to direct multiple cartoon films and series, most notably for various Peanuts TV specials and movies and for the Hanna-Barbera studio. Some of his other works include Song of the South, Cinderella, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty and One Hundred and One Dalmatians.
After serving almost 60 years in the animation industry, Lusk retired during the early 1990s. The late Winsor McCay Award winner has contributed a lot to the industry and will forever be remembered.
Rest in Peace Don Lusk, 1913-2018.
