Brice Mack

Brice Harvey Mack (June 2, 1917 – January 2, 2008) was a background painter and director, known for his extensive work at Disney in the 1940s and 1950s as a background painter. He was hired for story writing at Disney in the 1950s, and worked on illustrating children's books based on the studio's films.

His first credited appearance was as the background artist for the Rite of Spring sequence in Fantasia. He worked on Song of the South, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and Lady and the Tramp. He also worked on Walt Disney's anthology television series as a background painter and writer in the late 1950s. In the 1950s he became the president of ERA Productions, a small studio which was staffed with animators who had mostly come from Disney after leaving during the strike of 1941, producing and directing animated and live action commercials for the Peterson Company, as well as work for Disney. He later went on to form Unicorn Productions, with which he continued to work on commercials, films, and theme park rides, continuing to consult for Disney into the early 1990s, when he retired.

His feature work includes directing the 1978 live-action horror film Jennifer, written by Steve Krantz. Other director credits include Rooster: Spurs of Death (1983), Swap Meet (1979), and Half a House (1979). He was the executive in charge of production for Ruby and the producer of Mara of the Wilderness.

Mack was survived by his wife, Ginni, three sons and three grandsons. His son Kevin Mack is an Academy Award–winning visual effects supervisor.

Awards Brice Mack was awarded the Golden Motion Picture Cartoonist award in 1987.

Filmography Film Year NotesFantasia 1940 backgrounds for Rite of Spring sequenceSong of the South 1946 backgrounds for cartoon sequencesFun and Fancy Free 1947 backgroundsMelody Time 1948 backgrounds for Johnny Appleseed, Little Toot and Pecos BillPluto's Fledgling 1948 shortSo Dear to My Heart 1948 backgrounds for cartoon sequencesThe Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad 1949 backgrounds for both segmentsPluto's Surprise Package 1949 shortPluto's Sweater 1949 shortBubble Bee 1949 shortSheep Dog 1949 shortCinderella 1950 b BackgroundsWonder Dog 1950 shortAlice in Wonderland 1951 backgroundsTwo-Gun Goofy 1952 shortTeachers Are People 1952 shortHow to Be a Detective 1952 shortPeter Pan 1953 backgroundsFather's Day Off 1953 shortFor Whom the Bulls Toil 1953 shortFather's Weekend 1953 shortDonald's Diary 1954 shortCasey Bats Again 1954 shortLady and the Tramp 1955 backgroundsBeezy Bear 1955 short

Film (after years at Disney) Year NotesMara of the Wilderness 1965 produced with company Unicorn Films. Starred Adam WestHalf a House 1975 directed; received an Academy Award nomination for best song Jennifer 1978 directedSwap Meet 1979 directedRooster: Spurs of Death 1983 directed