Marc Davis. Courtesy of Walt Disney Enterprises.

In order to understand, as well as we can, the art of Marc Davis, we start by changing the single word of Mark Twain's brilliant definition of the art of writing: "The difference between the right word and the almost right word, is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug."

How close to the edge between triumph and disaster is all drawing and writing; how courageously did Marc (and Mark) risk that razor's edge. Today, grossness and crudity in drawing seems to sadly prevail in animation, but they cannot ever erase the beautiful effectiveness and eventual triumph of the single line as exemplified best by the artistry of Marc Davis.

Sincerely,
Chuck Jones

••••••

Although I'm reluctant to follow the combined eloquence of Chuck Jones and Mark Twain, the editors of Animation World have asked me to add some of my own reflections on the late Marc Davis and his art.

Davis at work on Bambi. Courtesy of Walt Disney Enterprises.

Marc Frasier Davis was born in Bakersfield, California, on March 30, 1913. He studied fine art at the Kansas City Art Institute, the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco and the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles. He began working at the Walt Disney Studio in December, 1935. His exceptional draftsmanship and knowledge of human anatomy enabled him to help create some of their most memorable characters during the 42 years he spent there.

Davis and his close friend Milt Kahl -- who was his only rival as a draftsman at the studio -- were usually assigned the realistic human characters in the Disney features. Davis later said these assignments led him and Kahl to regard their talents as "both a blessing and hellish curse. The humans basically carry the story: if the audience doesn't believe in them, it doesn't matter how funny the comedians are."

Maleficent was only one of the many female characters Davis created in his career. © Walt Disney Enterprises.

Davis' polished draftsmanship enabled him to give his characters believable personalities. Cinderella's movements reflect her gentle modesty, while Tinker Bell's saucy walk reveals her impudence. The icily beautiful Maleficent moves with a controlled, reptilian power that contrasts sharply to Cruella de Vil's flamboyant gestures. Davis' work is also distinguished by a pervasive sense of design and pattern. When one of his heroines turns, her garments and hair move in sensual arcs that emphasize her feminine grace.

After 101 Dalmatians (1961), Walt Disney moved Davis from feature animation to designing attractions for the New York World's Fair, Disneyland, Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland. He did extensive preliminary work on "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln," "Pirates of the Caribbean," "It's a Small World" and "The Haunted Mansion" before his retirement in 1978. Davis also taught advanced drawing classes for 17 years at the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles. His students included commercial animator Bob Kurtz, UCLA animation professor Dan McLaughlin and fashion designer Alice Estes, whom he subsequently married.