Peter Ellenshaw (1913 - 2007)
Disney legend worked on The Black Hole, Mary Poppins
(Source: www.cartoonbrew.com)
Peter Ellenshaw, a matte painter and certified Disney legend, died February 12th in Santa Barbara. He was 94.
Peter was born in a farm in Essex, England in 1913. He got his first break as an apprentice to famous matte painter W. Percy Day O.B.E. Together they worked on background paintings for such films as Things to Come, The Thief of Baghdad and Black Narcissus.
After serving in World War II as an RAF pilot, Peter got a job with Disney on their first live action feature, 1950's Treasure Island. Ellenshaw continued his association with the Mouse House throughout the 1950's, doing matte paintings for Mary Poppins (where he won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects), 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier and Swiss Family Robinson. While at Disney, Peter also did some matte paintings for Stanley Kubrick's Spartacus.
Peter continued his work at the Mouse House, doing matte paintings for The Love Bug, The Absent-Minded Professor, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Darby O'Gill and the Little People and Zorro. In addition, he worked on some of the first attractions at the new Disneyland, such as the Circlevision theme show, TWA's Rocket Ship to the Moon and X-1's Satellite View of America.
In 1979, Peter collaborated with his son Harrison (also a matte painter, lauded for his work on Star Wars), creating and supervising the miniature effects on Disney's The Black Hole. Although the film bombed at the box office, he and Harrison were nominated for an Oscar for their work.
After that, Peter worked only sporadically in the film industry. His only credits in the 1980's and 1990's were 1987's Superman IV: The Quest for Peace and 1990's Dick Tracy.
In 1993, Peter Ellenshaw was officially named a Disney legend in a ceremony hosted by Roy E. Disney and then-CEO Michael Eisner. After that, he was commissioned to paint several works inspired by classic Disney movies.
