Wilfred Jackson

Wilfred Emmons Jackson (January 24, 1906 – August 7, 1988) was an American animator, musical arranger and director best known for his work with Walt Disney Productions.

Jackson joined Walt Disney Productions in 1928 as a volunteer washing animation cels. He was soon promoted to an animator and was instrumental in developing the Mickey Mousing technique, which synchronized the music and action for Steamboat Willie (1928). He was then made the director for the Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphonies cartoon series, of which he directed the Academy Award-winning short films: The Tortoise and the Hare (1935), The Country Cousin (1936), and The Old Mill (1937). His feature film directorial debut was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937).

Jackson next worked as a sequence director for Pinocchio (1940) and the Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria segment of Fantasia (1940). He then co-directed several theatrical Disney animated features up to Lady and the Tramp (1955). In 1953, Jackson suffered a heart attack while directing Sleeping Beauty (1959). A year later, after recovering, Disney asked Jackson to produce and direct animated segments for the Disneyland series. After nearly 35 years with Disney, he retired in 1961.

Biography Early life Jackson was born in Chicago, Illinois, but his family moved to Glendale, California. At a young age, he attended a screening of Jack and the Beanstalk (1917), starring Francis Carpenter. In 1924, he graduated from Glendale High School in 1924. After graduating, Jackson wanted to attend college, but his parents could not afford it. Wanting to pursue a career in animation, Jackson compromised with his father to attend an art school for two years. To pay for his tuition at Otis Art Institute (now called Otis College of Art and Design), Jackson recalled he "spent a year working at odd jobs, mostly gardening, things like that, and got enough saved up."

Filmography Year Title Credits 1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Sequence Director 1940 Pinocchio Fantasia Director - Segment "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria" 1941 Dumbo Sequence Director 1943 Saludos Amigos (Short) 1946 A Feather in His Collar (Short) DirectorSong of the South Cartoon Director 1948 Melody Time Cartoon Director – Segment Johnny Appleseed 1950 Cinderella Director 1951 Alice in Wonderland 1953 Peter Pan 1955 Lady and the Tramp Dateline: Disneyland (TV Special documentary) 1954–1959 The Magical World of Disney (TV Series) Himself – 1 Episode / Director – 9 Episodes / Segment Director – 2 Episodes / Sequence Director – 1 Episode / Cartoon Director – 1 Episode 1992 The Music of Disney: A Legacy in Song (Video documentary) Performer: "Turkey in the Straw" 2002 American Legends (Video) Director – Segment "Johnny Appleseed"