Blaine Gibson
Visual Effects
After animating all day at The Walt Disney Studios, Blaine Gibson would go home at night and sculpt; it had been a favorite hobby of his since childhood. Then, in 1954, Walt Disney happened to see one of Blaineās art exhibits, which featured several animal sculptures, and recruited him to work on special projects for his new theme park, Disneyland. Blaine was somewhat ambivalent about being diverted from his goal to establish himself as one of the Studioās foremost animators. As he recalled in 1995, āI didnāt think it was that important, but then I was told Walt was expecting me to work on these projects. So I said to myself, āwhat the heckā and went [to Walt Disney Imagineering]. I was never sorry after that.ā Born February 11, 1918, in Rocky Ford, Colorado, Blaine attended Colorado University, but left school to join The Walt Disney Studios in 1939. While working as an in-between artist and assistant animator, he took evening classes in sculpture at Pasadena City College and studied with a private instructor. Among his animation credits areĀ Fantasia,Ā Bambi,Ā Song of the South,Ā Alice in Wonderland,Ā Peter Pan,Ā Sleeping Beauty, andĀ One Hundred and One Dalmatians. When first assigned by Walt to the Disneyland project, Blaine divided his time between sculpting and animating for the Company. In 1961, he transferred full-time to WED Enterprises, joining the design and development division to supervise the newly created sculpture department. Ultimately, Blaine went on to make a name for himself in 3-D animation, creating hundreds of sculptures from whichĀ Audio-AnimatronicsĀ®Ā figures and bronzes were produced for exhibits at the 1964-65 New York Worldās Fair and Disney theme parks around the world. Among his credits are contributions to such attractions asĀ Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln,Ā Pirates of the Caribbean,Ā Haunted Mansion, and theĀ Enchanted Tiki Room. After nearly 45 years with The Walt Disney Company, Blaine retired in 1983. He continued to consult on such projects asĀ The Great Movie RideĀ at Disneyās Hollywood Studios in Florida. In 1993, the same year he was named a Disney Legend, Blaine created a life-size bronze of Walt and Mickey Mouse standing hand-in-hand. The statue, called āPartners,ā is located at the Central Hub in Disneyland and at Disney parks around the world. Blaine subsequently created a life-size bronze of Roy O. DisneyāCompany co-founder and brother of Waltāfor display in Disney theme parks. -https://d23.com/walt-disney-legend/blaine-gibson/
