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[]
Character Gallery[]
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