Profile of an Imagineer: Marc Davis

The creative of genius of Marc Davis created some of the most memorable Disney animated characters. Working as an animator, an artist, and an Imagineer Davis helped Walt Disney bring countless Disney characters to life on screen and was one of the creative forces behind Disneyland.

Marc Davis & Walt Disney Talk Pirates
Marc Davis was born on March 30, 1913 in Bakersfield, California. After high school he attended the Kansas City Art Institute, followed by the California School of Fine Arts, and finally the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles.

Davis joined Disney in 1935 as an apprentice animator on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. After he worked on sketching the story and designing the characters on Bambi and Victory Through Air Power. He also worked on the animation for other Disney classics such as Cinderella, Song of the South, and Alice in Wonderland.

Marc transferred to WED Enterprises and became one Disney's original Imagineers. He contributed story and character concepts to Disneyland attractions such as the Enchanted Tiki Room, It's a Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, and the Jungle Cruise.

Disney Legend Marc Davis at Work
He described the attractions at Disneyland in this way, "We really don't have a story, with a beginning, an end, or a plot. It's more a series of experiences building up to a climax. I call them experience rides."

After his retirement from the Walt Disney Corporation in 1978, Davis continued to contribute to Disney specifically with the development of EPCOT and Tokyo Disneyland.

Marc Davis was named a Disney Legend in 1989. He passed away on January 12, 2000 in Glendale, California.