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Blaine Gibson was an American Disney animator and Imagineer, best known for his sculpting work on numerous classic Disney attractions.


Blaine Gibson was born on a farm in Rocky Ford, Colorado. As a child, he enjoyed making clay sculptures. After attending Western State Colorado University and the University of Colorado (though he dropped out of the latter), he applied to Disney in 1939 and worked as an assistant animator on films, such as Fantasia, Bambi, Peter Pan, and Lady and the Tramp, as a character animator on films, such as Sleeping Beauty and One Hundred and One Dalmatians, and as an effects animator on films, such as Song of the South and Alice in Wonderland. While working in the animation department, he took sculpting classes at Pasadena City College and his sculpture work caught the eye of Walt Disney, who took him aboard for his Disneyland project in 1954.

Among the attractions, Blaine Gibson would sculpt for included the Jungle Cruise, the Enchanted Tiki Room, the various attractions produced for the 1964 New York World's Fair, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion, and the Hall of Presidents, which he would continue to sculpt new presidents for until George W. Bush. In 1993, Blaine Gibson was commissioned to sculpt the "Partners" statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse for Disneyland. The same year, Blaine Gibson would be honored as a Disney Legend.

Disney Filmography

Year Film Position
1940 Pinocchio in-between artist - uncredited
1940 Fantasia assistant animator - segment "The Pastoral Symphony", uncredited
1940 The Fire Chief animator - uncredited
1942 Bambi assistant animator - uncredited
1946 Squatter's Rights animator
1946 Song of the South effects animator
1947 Pluto's Housewarming animator
1947 Figaro and Frankie animator
1947 Fun and Fancy Free animator - uncredited
"Bongo": effects animation - uncredited
1950 Cinderella animator - uncredited
1951 Lucky Number effects animator
1951 Alice in Wonderland effects animator
1951 No Smoking effects animator
1951 Bee on Guard effects animator
1952 Donald Applecore effects animator
1952 Two Chips and a Miss effects animator
1952 Let's Stick Together effects animator
1952 Teachers are People effects animator
1952 Pluto's Party effects animator
1952 Pluto's Christmas Tree effects animator - uncredited
1953 Peter Pan effects animator
1953 For Whom the Bulls Toil effects animator
1953 How to Dance effects animator
1954 Casey Bats Again effects animator
1955 Lady and the Tramp assistant animator - uncredited
1955-1979 The Magical World of Disney animator
Himself: "Disneyland Goes to the World's Fair" (1964)
"Disneyland 10th Anniversary" (1965)
1959 Sleeping Beauty character animator
1960 Goliath II character animator
1961 One Hundred and One Dalmatians character animator
2008 Walt & El Grupo Self - Interviewee
2015 Walt Before Mickey technical advisor