Don Towsley (animator)

Don Towsley (May 11, 1912 – November 25, 1986) was an animator working at Walt Disney Animation Studios,^[1] and later at MGM and Filmation.

Donald F. Towsley
Born	(1912-05-11)May 11, 1912 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died	November 25, 1986(1986-11-25) (aged 74) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)	animator, director

Career

Starting out at Disney, Towsley worked on three shorts in the Silly Symphony series, animating the band in The Cookie Carnival (1935), a scene of dancing hens ultimately cut from Cock o' the Walk (1935), and the introduction and opening scene of Donald's Better Self (1938).^[2] In 1938, Towsley became the main animator for the Donald Duck short films, following Fred Spencer's death.^[3]

Towsley contributed to the 1940 film Pinocchio, as part of the team responsible for Jiminy Cricket and Monstro the Whale.^[4] He also animated the "Pastoral Symphony" segment of the 1940 film Fantasia.^[5]

In 1943, Towsley, along with a team of animators, contributed to a wartime animated short film titled Der Fuehrer's Face produced by Walt Disney.^[6]

In 1948, after leaving the Disney studio, Towsley created a line of children's wallpaper cutouts, featuring images of animals.^[7][8]

In the 1960s, Towsley worked for MGM's Tom and Jerry series, including animation work on 1965's Haunted Mouse.^[9]

Towsley joined the Filmation animation studio in 1968 as an associate director.^[10] He directed episodes of Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1972–1974), My Favorite Martians (1973–1975), The New Adventures of Gilligan (1974–1977), The U.S. of Archie (1974–1976), The New Adventures of Batman (1977), Sabrina, Super Witch (1977–1978) and The New Adventures of Flash Gordon (1979–1980), among others.^[11] He also directed a sequence in Filmation's 1972 film, Journey Back to Oz.^[12]

Films worked on

1930s

• Two-Gun Mickey (1934)
• Mickey's Service Station (1935)
• The Cookie Carnival (1935)
• Moving Day (1936)
• Donald's Golf Game (1938)
• Donald's Cousin Gus (1939)

1940s

• Pinocchio (1940)
• Fantasia (animation supervisor) (segment "The Pastoral Symphony") (1940)
• Dumbo (1941)
• Bambi (additional animation - uncredited) (1942)
• The Plastics Inventor (1944)
• Donald's Crime (1945)
• Cured Duck (1945)
• Old Sequoia (1945)
• Sleepy Time Donald (1946)
• Donald's Double Trouble (1946)
• Wet Paint (1946)
• Dumb Bell of the Yukon (1946)
• It's a Grand Old Nag (supervising animator) (1947)
• Donald's Dilemma (1947)
• Crazy with the Heat (1947)
• Wide Open Spaces (1947)
• Drip Dippy Donald (1948)

1960s

• Talking of Tomorrow (1960)
• The Yogi Bear Show TV series (1961)
• Penthouse Mouse (additional/title animation - uncredited) (1963)
• The Unshrinkable Jerry Mouse (1964)
• Snowbody Loves Me (1964)
• Much Ado About Mousing (1964)
• Is There a Doctor in the Mouse? (1964)
• The Cat Above and the Mouse Below (1964)
• A Taste of Catnip (additional animation - uncredited) (marking Towsley's last animations of Sylvster) (1965)
• The Year of the Mouse ... a.k.a. Tom Thump (1965)
• Tom-ic Energy (1965)
• Of Feline Bondage (1965)
• Jerry-Go-Round (1965)
• I'm Just Wild About Jerry (1965)
• Haunted Mouse (1965)
• Duel Personality (1965)
• The Cat's Me-Ouch (1965)
• The Brothers Carry-Mouse-Off (1965)
• Bad Day at Cat Rock (1965)
• Ah, Sweet Mouse-Story of Life (1965)
• The Man from Button Willow (1965)
• The Dot and the Line ... a.k.a. The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics (supervising animator) (1965)
• Matinee Mouse (title animation - uncredited) (1966)
• Puss 'n' Boats (1966)
• Love Me, Love My Mouse (1966)
• Jerry, Jerry, Quite Contrary (1966)
• Filet Meow (1966)
• Catty-Cornered (1966)
• The A-Tom-Inable Snowman (1966)
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (TV) ... a.k.a. Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (USA: complete title) (1966)
• Shutter Bugged Cat (title animation - uncredited) (1967)
• Surf-Bored Cat (1967)
• Rock 'n' Rodent (1967)
• Purr-Chance to Dream (1967)
• O-Solar Meow (1967)
• The Mouse from H.U.N.G.E.R. (1967)
• Guided Mouse-ille ... a.k.a. Guided Mouse-ille or Science on a Wet Afternoon (1967)
• Cat and Dupli-cat (1967)
• Cannery Rodent (1967)
• Advance and Be Mechanized (1967)
• The Bear That Wasn't (1967)
• "The Batman/Superman Hour" TV series (associate director) (1968)
• "The Archie Show" TV series (associate director) (1968)
• Carte Blanched (additional animator: animation)
• Pink on the Cob (additional animator: animation) (1969)

1970s and 1980s

• Horton Hears a Who! (animator) (1970)
• The Phantom Tollbooth (animator) (1970)
• The Aristocats (animator) (1970)
• Journey Back to Oz (sequence director) (1972)
• Treasure Island (sequence director) (1973)
• U.S. of Archie (director) (1974)
• The New Adventures of Gilligan (director) (1974)
• Oliver Twist (sequence director) (1974)
• Fraidy Cat (1975)
• The Space Sentinels TV series (animation director) ... a.k.a. The Young Sentinels (USA) (1977)
• Mickey Mouse Disco (1980)

References

1. Massen, Michael (2011). The Artist's Guide to Drawing the Clothed Figure: A Complete Resource on Rendering Clothing and Drapery. Watson-Guptill Publications. p. 208. ISBN 9780823001194. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
2. Merritt, Russell; Kaufman, J.B. (2016). Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series. Disney Editions. pp. 163, 171, 222. ISBN 978-1-4847-5132-9.
3. Ghez, Didier (2010). Walt's People : Talking Disney with the Artists who Knew Him, Volume 9. Xlibris. p. 306. ISBN 978-1-4500-8746-9. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
4. Blowen, Michael (December 20, 1984). "Pinocchio Carves a Special Space in Film". The Boston Globe. p. 110. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
5. Culhane, John (1999). Walt Disney's Fantasia. Harry N. Abrams. p. 138. ISBN 9780810980785.
6. Shull, Michael S.; Shull, Michael; Wilt, David E. (1987). Doing Their Bit: Wartime American Animated Short Films, 1939-1945. McFarland & Co. ISBN 9780899502182. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
7. Riebeth, Rome (August 22, 1948). "Decal Menagerie". Minneapolis Star-Tribune. p. 14. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
8. Youse, Olive (April 10, 1949). "Cheery Child's Room Created with Cut Outs: Animal Figures Cavort on Wallpaper". Chicago Tribune. p. 82. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
9. Hallenbeck, Bruce G. (2009). Comedy-Horror Films: A Chronological History, 1914-2008. McFarland & Co. p. 234. ISBN 9780786453788.
10. Scheimer, Lou; Mangels, Andy (2012). Creating the Filmation Generation. TwoMorrows Publishing. pp. 61–62. ISBN 978-1-60549-044-1.
11. Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 91, 114, 322, 331, 573, 583, 702. ISBN 978-1476665993.
12. McCall, Douglas L. (2015). Film Cartoons: A Guide to 20th Century American Animated Features and Shorts. McFarland & Co. p. 40. ISBN 9781476609669.

External links

• Don Towsley at IMDb