Ken O'Connor

Arthur Kendall "Ken" O'Connor was an Australian Disney layout artist and art director. He was genius, while his gentle, self-deprecating nature and wry sense of humor made him a joy to work with. As Director T. Hee once recalled, "Ken was a charmer. Being from Australia, he'd make some crazy crack that only an Aussie can do."
"He was a bright, clever man and a man who enjoyed life. He never got upset about things, but just brushed them aside and kept ongoing. That made it nice for us to work together."
Fellow Disney Legend Ward Kimball, who worked with Ken on many projects, including futuristic films for Disney television shows, added, "Ken arrived at some very interesting solutions... I'd ask him for some quick sketches of, say, how an underwater restaurant would look, and he would come up with some wild ideas."
Born in Perth, Australia, on June 7, 1908, Ken studied commercial art at Melbourne Technical College and fine art at the Australian National Gallery in Melbourne. In 1930, he emigrated with his family to the United States, settling in San Francisco, where he continued his education at the California School of Art.
In 1935, he joined The Walt Disney Studios, where he worked as either art director or layout man on 13 features and nearly 100 shorts. Among the most memorable images, Ken created for the screen are the magical coach in Cinderella, the marching cards in Alice in Wonderland, and the dancing hippos in Fantasia. His other credits included Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Make Mine Music, Melody Time, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, and more.
During World War II, Ken worked on training and educational films that Disney produced for the U.S. government, including "Food Will Win the War", along with theatrical cartoons, such as "Education for Death". Later, he provided layouts for the first 3-D cartoon "Adventures in Music: Melody". He also served as art director on three space factuals: "Man in Space", "Man and the Moon", and "Mars and Beyond", as well as the first CinemaScope cartoon "Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom", which won an Academy Award in 1953.
After more than 30 years with the company, Ken retired in 1978. He continued to lend his imagination and artistry, however, to projects, such as the Universe of Energy at EPCOT Center and the "Back to Never Land" introduction to animation film, featured in the Animation Building at Disney-MGM Studios in Florida. Ken also taught layout and art direction at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), which Walt Disney helped find.
O'Connor died on May 27, 1998 in Burbank, California. He was inducted as a Disney Legend in 1992.
==Filmography==
Year 	Film 	Position
1936 	Mickey's Polo Team 	Layout artist (uncredited)
1937 	Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 	Art Directorlayout artist (uncredited)
1939 	The Practical Pig 	Layout artist (uncredited)
1940 	Pinocchio 	Art Director
1940 	Fantasia 	Art Director: "Dance of the Hours"
1941 	Dumbo 	Art DirectorLayout artist (uncredited)
1942 	The New Spirit 	Background artistLayout artist (uncredited)
1942 	Pluto Junior 	Layout artist (uncredited)
1942 	Bambi 	Art Director (uncredited)
1942 	The Sleep Walker 	Layout artist (uncredited)
1942 	T-Bone for Two 	Layout artist (uncredited)
1942 	Pluto at the Zoo 	Layout artist (uncredited)
1943 	Donald's Tire Trouble 	Layout artist
1943 	Pluto and the Armadillo 	Layout artist (uncredited)
1946 	Make Mine Music 	Layout: "Willie the Operatic Whale"
1947 	Fun and Fancy Free 	Layout
1948 	Melody Time 	Layout artist: "Once Upon a Wintertime"
1948 	So Dear to My Heart 	Layout artist
1950 	Cinderella 	Layout
1951 	Alice in Wonderland 	layout
1951 	How to Catch a Cold 	Layout artist (uncredited)
1953 	Peter Pan 	Layout artist
1953 	Melody 	Art Director
1953 	Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom 	Art Director
1955-1970	The Magical World of Disney 	Art Director: "Man on Wheels"Layout artistLayout designer
1955 	Contrast in Rhythm 	Layout artist
1955 	Lady and the Tramp 	Layout
1959 	Eyes in Outer Space 	Layout designer
1961 	Babes in Toyland 	Special art styling
1962 	The Search for Truth 	Animation layout artist
1963 	VD Attack Plan 	Art stylist
1964 	Man's Search for Happiness 	Layout artist
1965 	Donald's Fire Survival Plan 	Art Director
1965 	Steel and America 	Art Director
1965 	Goofy's Freeway Troubles 	Art Director
1967 	Family Planning 	Art Director
1968 	Understanding Stresses and Strains	Art Director
1969 	Steps Toward Maturity and Health 	Art Director
1969 	The Fight 	Art stylist
1969 	The Social Side of Health 	Art stylist
1969 	The Game 	Art stylist
1969 	The Project 	Art stylist
1970 	Lunch Money 	Art stylist
1970 	New Girl 	Art stylist
1973 	I'm No Fool with Electricity 	Art stylist
1974 	Man, Monsters and Mysteries 	Art stylist
1987 	The Brave Little Toaster 	Color stylist
1989 	Back to Never Land 	Art consultant
1989 	The Little Mermaid 	Visual development artist
==Gallery==
Ken O'Connor and his wife Mary.jpg|Ken and Mary O'Connor
Ken o'conner interview.JPG|O'Connor in Cinderella: The Making of a Masterpiece.
==Trivia==
*His wife, Mary, served as inspiration for the design of the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella.
==External links==
*
*d23 - Ken O'Connor
Category:1900s births
Category:1990s deaths
Category:Males
Category:Deceased
Category:Animators
Category:Australian people
Category:Layout artists
Category:Directors
Category:Artists
Category:Visual development artists
Category:Mickey Mouse
Category:Pluto
Category:Donald Duck
Category:Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Category:Pinocchio
Category:Fantasia
Category:Dumbo
Category:Make Mine Music
Category:Fun and Fancy Free
Category:Melody Time
Category:So Dear to My Heart
Category:Cinderella
Category:Alice in Wonderland
Category:Peter Pan
Category:Lady and the Tramp
Category:Babes in Toyland
Category:The Brave Little Toaster
Category:The Little Mermaid
Category:Disney Legends
Category:Walt Disney Animation Studios
Category:Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
Category:Universe of Energy