Disney animator Burny Mattinson, who began decades-long career on classics Lady And The Tramp and became its longest-serving employee, dies at 87
- Mattinson died Monday after most recently working on Strange World (2022)
- He was set to receive Disney’s first-ever 70th anniversary service award in June
- Mattinson began working for the studio fresh out of high school in the 1950s
Burny Mattinson, the legend Disney animator who worked on several classics beginning in the 1950s, died on Monday at the age of 87.
During his astounding and prolific career, Mattinson became Disney’s longest-serving employee ever. The Walt Disney Company confirmed his death.
The animator, who got his start with the iconic studio on 1950s-era classics including The Lady And The Tramp and most recently worked on last year’s Strange World, died just months before he was to be awarded Disney’s first ever 70th-anniversary service award in June.
‘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,’ said Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Chief Creative Officer Jennifer Lee in a statement. ‘All of us who have had the honor to know him and learn from him will ensure his legacy carries on.’
End of an era: Burny Mattinson, the legend Disney animator who worked on several classics beginning in the 1950s and became the studio’s longest-serving employee ever, died Monday at the 87
Classics: Mattinson began working with Disney as an animator on Lady And The Tramp (1955) and Sleeping Beauty (1959; pictured), though he was uncredited on those early projects
