Who Was Burny Mattinson? Director, animator and Disney’s longest-serving employee dead at 87

Burny Mattinson was an American animator, director, producer, and story artist who worked for the Walt Disney Animation Studios for 70 years, making him the company’s longest-serving employee. He started working there in 1953 until his death in 2023. In 2008, he was inducted into the Disney Legends program.

“It is with a heavy heart that we share the passing of beloved Disney Legend, Director, and Story Artist Burny Mattinson. You made our world a happier place and inspired generations of artists with your heart, humor, and storytelling. Thank you for your legacy, Bunny,” the statement read.

“Bunny’s artistry, generosity, and love of Disney Animation and the generations of storytellers that have come through our doors, for seven decades, has made us better – better artists, better technologists, and better collaborators,” Chief Executive Officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios, Jennifer Lee said in a statement.

“Burny was the Renaissance man of Disney Animation. He literally did everything that could be done at the studio – assistant animator, animator, story artists, producer, and director of many films that made an indelible mark on our collective appreciation of the Disney ethos. He was also, when we started, traffic boy to Walt, giving Walt his weekly spending cash,” Eric Goldberg, a close friend of Mattinson who is also a Disney employee, stated.

Mattinson contributed to films like;

• All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)
• Big Hero 6 (2014)
•  Strange World (2022)
• The Rescuers (1977)
• The Fox and The Hound (1981)
• Beauty and The Beast (1991)
• Aladdin (1992)