Historical Animator: Marc Davis
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Historical Animator: Marc Davis
Many people are brilliant animators, but that’s all they can do. They are great at
expressing poses, meaningful movements, and acting and they do not have a problem when
presented with tasks such as story, character development, designing and applying those
principles to animation. Although, many other animators can perform all those tasks excellently
and can handle any task given to them. Marc Davis is one of those excellent animators. He was
born in 1913 in California. His parents traveled a lot, and in the process of the constant
movements, he ended up attending 22 schools by the time he finished high school. Davis began
drawing as a way of expressing himself in coping with the difficulties of moving around and
finding friends.
Marc Davis is historically significant for his excellent skills in the natural drafting of
animated pictures. He understood character consistency, narration, character staging and what
makes an exciting and entertaining performance. He was a respected artist and as a man by
everyone. He was also known for his dedication, generosity, and resourcefulness at the Disney
studio. He was an artist who could do anything when it came to animation. He would combine
what he observed from life experiences and put it together in an exciting story.
Davis attended several art schools including Kansas City Art Institute, California School
of Fine Arts in San Francisco and Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles. Marc Davis spent his time
drafting zoo creatures and also studied animal anatomy at the public library. His anticipation
was to capture the movement in fine art. The screening of the earliest Disney cartoon “Who
Killed Cock Robin” inspired him to pursue animation. In December 1935, Davis went to work
for Disney studio (Ponti, 2011). He then worked at the Disney studios for 42 years. He helped in
creating some of their most outstanding characters. His skills as an animator facilitated him to
focus on conveying the traits of his characters. He was always assigned the same tasks as his
closest friend Milt Carl. He also taught advanced art lessons at the Chouinard Art Institute in Los
Angeles for 17 years (Solomon, 2018).
During one of his presentations, Davis addressed his view on the industry and the respect
and love he had for his old boss, Walt Disney who was also the source of his inspiration and
success in his career (Ponti, 2011). He also said that Walt Disney was like a father to him as he
was loyal and helped him through his career. He described his experience working at the original
Disney Studio as a place of self-discovery and exploration, a place that cared for the craft and the
artists who m...
