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Eric Alfred Cleworth was an American animator, writer, and director, who worked at Disney and contributed to films, like One Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Jungle Book, The Aristocats, and Robin Hood.

He started at Disney in 1939 and slowly worked his way up to full-time animator who specialized in character design and movement, studying live action references in order to find the correct actions for the character. Here is what Cleworth said about studying rattlesnake footage for the dragon fight in Sleeping Beauty:

"The dragon's motions have a ponderous, reptilian grace that suggests powerful muscles moving a bulky body over the rocky terrain. The long neck and narrow head dart with serpentine fluidity."

Cleworth worked with Wolfgang Reitherman's unit during Lady and the Tramp, where he did some of the action sequences, including Tramp scarring off the other dogs when Lady has a muzzle, and in The Jungle Book with John Lounsbery animating the elephant inspection sequence.

Outside of Disney, Cleworth worked on projects, like Popeye the Sailor, a revamped Pink Panther show, and Richard Williams' The Thief and the Cobbler.

Despite initially retiring in the 1970s with his Disney stock options and had a long and comfortable retirement in Morro Bay, Cleworth returned to help animate the television shows The Wuzzles and Adventures of the Gummi Bears. He died on December 10, 1999.

Filmography[]

Year Film Position
1951 Alice in Wonderland animator - uncredited
1953 Peter Pan character animator
1953 Ben and Me animator
1955-1963 The Magical World of Disney animator
sequence director: "Holiday for Henpecked Husbands"
segment director: "A Salute to Father"
1955 Lady and the Tramp character animator
1957 The Truth About Mother Goose animator
1959 Sleeping Beauty character animator: Dragon
1959 Donald in Mathmagic Land animator
1960 Goliath II character animator
1961 One Hundred and One Dalmatians character animator: Jasper and Horace, Nanny
1963 The Sword in the Stone character animator
1967 The Jungle Book character animator: Hathi and elephants
1970 The Aristocats character animator: Hound dogs
story
1973 Robin Hood animator - uncredited
story sequences
1977 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh animator: "Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree"
story: "Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too"
1985 The Wuzzles animator
1985-1989 Adventures of the Gummi Bears animator

Gallery[]

v - e - d
Walt Disney Animation Studios - Transparent Logo
1920s—1970s
Disney's Nine Old Men: Milt KahlFrank ThomasOllie JohnstonLes ClarkJohn LounsberyMarc DavisWard KimballEric LarsonWolfgang Reitherman

Animators: Bill TytlaArt BabbittLee BlairPreston BlairFred MooreShamus CulhaneCy YoungDon LuskNorman FergusonHal KingJack HannahDick KinneyHal AmbroKen O'BrienJudge WhitakerBill JusticeDon BluthGary GoldmanCharles A. NicholsBlaine GibsonJohn EwingWalt StanchfieldRolly CrumpFred HellmichAmby PaliwodaWilfred JacksonXavier AtencioBen SharpsteenEarl HurdDale OliverEric CleworthDavid HandFred SpencerJulius SvendsenJack BradburyKenneth MuseRudolf IsingHugh HarmanFriz FrelengWalt KellyLeo SalkinJohn DehnerRetta ScottDavid SwiftMel ShawJack CuttingGrant SimmonsArt StevensFrank TashlinWathel RogersTyrus WongJohnny Cannon
Visual Development, Layout, Background Artists and Character Designers: Gustaf TenggrenMary BlairMarjorie RalstonLillian BoundsJoe GrantMel ShawClaude CoatsDon DaGradiJohn HenchEyvind EarleKen O'ConnorThor PutnamAlbert HurterJohn HubleyHerbert RymanDon GriffithBasil DavidovichJack BoydPeter EllenshawRuthie TompsonEarl DuvallRetta DavidsonUb IwerksVance GerryHazel SewellJames BodreroLance NolleyGrace BaileyMaurice NobleDale BarnhartAndy EngmanEustace LycettJohn EmersonJoe Hale
Storyboard Artists and Writers: Bill PeetRalph WrightDick HuemerFloyd NormanYale GraceyTed SearsErdman PennerJoe RinaldiWinston HiblerOtto EnglanderWilliam CottrellBill BergAl BertinoT. HeeHomer BrightmanTed OsbourneLarry ClemmonsHarry ReevesJesse MarshChuck CouchWebb SmithDick Sebast
Directors: Clyde GeronimiHamilton LuskeJack KinneyTed BermanRichard RichGeorge ScribnerRiley ThomsonDick LundyJack KingBurt GillettJames AlgarBill RobertsLarry Lansburgh
Producers: Walt DisneyRon MillerKen AndersonDon DuckwallPerce PearceMargaret J. Winkler

1980s—present
Renaissance Directors: Rob MinkoffRoger AllersGary TrousdaleKirk WiseChris SandersMark DindalJohn Musker

Story Trust Directors: Ron ClementsChris BuckByron HowardDon HallChris WilliamsRich MooreStephen J. AndersonNathan GrenoFawn Veerasunthorn
Producers: Peter Del VechoClark SpencerRoy ConliDorothy McKimDon HahnShane Morris
Chief Creative Officer: Jennifer Lee
Associated Figures: Bob IgerRoy Edward DisneyMichael EisnerJohn LasseterEd CatmullJeffrey KatzenbergBob Chapek
Signature Voice Actors: Jim CummingsAlan TudykKatie LowesJohn DiMaggioMaurice LaMarcheJodi BensonDavid Ogden StiersJesse CortiPaul BriggsRaymond S. PersiPhil JohnstonFrank WelkerBill FarmerBrian Cummings
Signature Musicians: Robert B. Sherman Richard M. Sherman Alan Menken Kristen Anderson-Lopez Robert LopezLin-Manuel MirandaHoward AshmanTim RicePhil CollinsStephen SchwartzMarc ShaimanDanny Troob
Supervising Animators: Glen KeaneAndreas DejaEric GoldbergMark HennJohn PomeroyRandy HaycockDale BaerTony BancroftTom BancroftTony FucileAnthony DeRosaRuss EdmondsRandy HaycockBruce W. SmithDuncan MarjoribanksRuben AquinoNik RanieriRon HusbandRick FarmiloeTom SitoTony AnselmoWill FinnKathy Zielinski
Visual Development & Storyboard Artists: Dean DeBloisClaire KeaneBrittney LeeJin KimShiyoon KimRyan Green

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