Information
Full name: Marc Fraser Davis
Birth: March 30, 1913 in Bakersfield, California
Death: January 12, 2000 in Glendale, California
Marriages:
Marion (? – ?)
Alice Estes (1956 – January 12, 2000)
Worked at the Disney studio between:
December 2, 1935 – 1978
Job on Snow White:
Assistant director of Grim Natwick on sequences 2A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 5A, 5B, 6A, 8A, 8B, 8C, 10A, 16A
Animator of Snow White on sequences 2A, 4C, 8A.
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An exceptional assistant
Marc Davis, dubbed later in life one of Walt Disney’s legendary “Nine Old Men,” was renowned for his exceptional talent in both character animation and design. After studying at the California School of Fine Arts, Davis joined Disney in 1935 during the production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. As all new recruits, he started by inbetweening and following Don Graham’s courses. After about four months, he worked as an assistant to the master animator Grim Natwick, who was responsible for animating Snow White herself. Under Natwick’s mentorship, Davis contributed to refining the delicate, naturalistic animation of the heroine—a significant challenge given the unprecedented realism required. His keen eye for anatomy and movement helped elevate Snow White’s performance, and this foundational experience shaped Davis’s understanding of expressive character animation.
As Davis rose quickly through the Disney ranks, he even was responsible for a few scenes such as scene 11, in sequence 4C where the Princess is asleep (and doesn’t move), but more importantly of the iconic scene 26 in the entertainment sequence 8A, where Snow White dances alone as the dwarfs dance around her or play musical instruments. The grace of the character is so evident in this shot that it was used in many trailers and documentaries about the film.
He also animated the difficult scene 21 in sequence 2A where Snow White runs from the Prince, enters the castle, peeks out a first window as she runs up the stairs and finally opens the curtains of her room, all in one shot!
On Bambi, he was given story and character development work and animated Flower. He became animation director on Song of the South, and took over Don Graham’s course in 1947 at Chouinard’s.
He became known for animating iconic characters such as Cinderella, Alice, Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty), and Cruella de Vil (101 Dalmatians), where his flair for theatrical design truly shined. In 1962, after a hard work on the discarded project Chanticleer, Davis transitioned to Walt Disney Imagineering, contributing to the creation of classic Disneyland attractions like Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion. His work seamlessly bridged animation and themed design, making Marc Davis one of Disney’s most versatile and influential artists. He retired in 1978.
I think one of the faults is a lot of artists who deserve credit didn’t receive any. Marc was a brilliant artist and he cleaned up my animation.
Grim Natwick
