Eric Larson was truly one of the greats of Disney animation. He was one of Walt's Nine Old Men and was best known for animating Figaro in "Pinocchio," Friend Owl in "Bambi" and Peg in "Lady and the Tramp." He also worked on other classics including "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Fantasia," "Cinderella," "Alice in Wonderland," "Peter Pan" and "Sleeping Beauty."
His greatest legacy, however, may be as the teacher and mentor to an entire generation of young animators that joined Disney in the 1970s and '80s. He had a passion for his art and a commitment to uphold the standards established by Walt Disney. Eric's memoir, "
50 Years in the Mouse House," is a fascinating and heartfelt testament to that passion.
His book, however, was almost lost forever, and the story of Didier Ghez's search for the missing manuscript is nearly as compelling as Eric Larson's life itself.
Didier edited Eric Larson's original manuscript and combined it with material taken from interviews Larson gave and lectures he presented at the Walt Disney Studios. Didier adds "50 Years in the Mouse House" to his impressive output of historical Disney works including all 16 volumes of "Walt's People" and his upcoming tribute to Disney concept artists, "They Drew as They Pleased." Didier Ghez is my guest today in "The Mouse Castle Lounge."
