Eustace Lycett

"A special effect in a motion picture is any technique or device that is used to create an illusion of reality in a situation where it is not possible, economical, or safe to use the real thing." - Eustace Lycett
Eustace Arden Lycett was a British special effects artist, who worked on both animated and live-action films for Disney.
Born in England to William Arden Lycett, mining engineer, and Martha Constance Walley. the family moved to Chilie where he spent much of his early years before the family moved to California in 1929. There, he earned a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical engineering at the California Institute of Technology (CalTech) intending to work in either the oil or aircraft industries. However, three days after graduating in 1937, he accepted a job at the Walt Disney studio, where he worked with Ub Iwerks on an innovative multi-plane camera. The device brought an unprecedented illusion of depth to animation in three planes, the background, the intermediate scene, and the characters. Prominently featured in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, it be instrumental in many animated features for the company.
Over the next 43 years, Lycett continued to work and learn under Iwerks with early special effects and experimenting with different photographic techniques to achieve feats, such as combining live-action performers with animated characters on camera. He later became head of the special photographic effects department in 1958. Over the next decade, Lycett had received Academy Award nominations for his work, winning for Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and Broomsticks. He also helped develop Circle-Vision, a process of film projection on a 360-degree screen; and he was involved in the Disneyland's Rocket to the Moon attraction and the engineering for Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln since its introduction at the 1964 New York World's Fair.
Lycett retired from Disney after doing special effects on the 1980 film The Last Flight of Noah's Ark and passed away on November 16, 2006. He was survived by four sons, Kenneth, William, Roy, and Victor; eight grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.
==Filmography==
Year 	Film 	Position
1937 	The Old Mill 	Special processes (uncredited)
1937 	Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 	Special processes (uncredited)
1940 	Pinocchio 	Special processes (uncredited)
1940 	Fantasia 	Special processes (uncredited)
1941 	Dumbo 	Special processes (uncredited)
1942 	Bambi 	Special processes (uncredited)
1942 	Saludos Amigos 	Special processes (uncredited)
1944 	The Three Caballeros 	Special processes (uncredited)
1946 	Make Mine Music 	Special processes (uncredited)
1947 	Fun and Fancy Free 	Special processes (uncredited)
1948 	Melody Time 	Special processes (uncredited)
1949 	The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad	Special processes (uncredited)
1950 	Cinderella 	Special processes (uncredited)
1951 	Alice in Wonderland 	Special processes (uncredited)
1953 	Peter Pan 	Special processes (uncredited)
1955 	Lady and the Tramp 	Special processes (uncredited)
1955–1978	The Wonderful World of Disney 	Special effects
1958 	Grand Canyon 	Special processes
1959 	Sleeping Beauty 	Special processes
1959 	The Shaggy Dog 	Special processes
1959 	Nature's Strangest Creatures 	Special processes
1959 	Eyes in Outer Space 	Special processes
1959 	Darby O'Gill and the Little People 	Special photographic effects
1959 	Donald in Mathmagic Land 	Special processes
1959 	Mysteries of the Deep 	Special processes
1960 	Islands of the Sea 	Special processes
1960 	Japan 	Special processes
1961 	One Hundred and One Dalmatians 	Special processes
1961 	The Absent-Minded Professor 	Special effects
1961 	Donald and the Wheel 	Special effects
1961 	Babes in Toyland 	Special effects
1962 	Moon Pilot 	Special effects
1962 	Bon Voyage 	Special effects
1962 	Son of Flubber 	Special effects
1963 	Summer Magic 	Special effects
1963 	Savage Sam 	Special effects
1963 	The Sword in the Stone 	Special effects (uncredited)
1964 	Mary Poppins 	Special effects
1965 	Those Calloways 	Special effects
1965 	The Monkey's Uncle 	Special effects
1965 	That Darn Cat! 	Special effects
1966 	The Ugly Dachshund 	Special effects
1966 	Lt. Robin Crusoe USN 	Special effects
1966 	Follow Me, Boys! 	Special effects
1967 	The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin 	Special effects
1967 	Scrooge McDuck and Money 	Special effects
1967 	The Gnome-Mobile 	Special effects
1967 	The Jungle Book 	Special effects (uncredited)
1967 	The Happiest Millionaire 	Special effects
1968 	Blackbeard's Ghost 	Special effects
1968 	Never a Dull Moment 	Special effects
1969 	The Love Bug 	Special photographic effects
1969 	Rascal 	Special effects
1970 	The Boatniks 	Special effects
1971 	Bedknobs and Broomsticks 	Special effects
1971 	The Barefoot Executive 	Optical effects
1971 	The Million Dollar Duck 	Special photographic effects
1972 	Now You See Him, Now You Don't 	Special effects
1972 	Snowball Express 	Special effects
1973 	The World's Greatest Athlete 	Special effects
1973 	Charley and the Angel 	Special effects
1973 	Superdad 	Special photographic effects
1974 	The Island at the Top of the World 	Process camera (uncredited)
1974 	Herbie Rides Again 	Special effects
1976 	No Deposit, No Return 	Special effects
1976 	Treasure of Matecumbe 	Special effects
1976 	Gus 	Special effects
1976 	The Shaggy D.A. 	Special effects
1976 	Freaky Friday 	Special effects
1977 	Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo 	Special effects
1977 	Pete's Dragon 	Visual effects supervisor (uncredited)Special effects
1978 	Return from Witch Mountain 	Special effects
1978 	The Cat from Outer Space 	Special effects
1978 	Hot Lead and Cold Feet 	Special effects
1978 	The Small One 	Special effects (uncredited)
1979 	The North Avenue Irregulars 	Special effects
1979 	The Black Hole 	Composite optical photography
1979 	Cosmic Capers 	Special effects
1980 	The Last Flight of Noah's Ark 	Special effects
==Gallery==
Eustace Lyett at the Oscars with Peter Ellenshaw and Hamilton Luske.jpg|Alain Delon presents the "Best Visual Effects" award to Eustace Lycett, Peter Ellenshaw and Hamilton Luske on April 5, 1965.
==External links==
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*LA Times Obituary
Category:Males
Category:1910s births
Category:2000s deaths
Category:Deceased
Category:European people
Category:British people
Category:Visual development artists
Category:Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Category:Pinocchio
Category:Fantasia
Category:Dumbo
Category:Bambi
Category:Saludos Amigos
Category:The Three Caballeros
Category:Make Mine Music
Category:Fun and Fancy Free
Category:Melody Time
Category:The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
Category:Cinderella
Category:Alice in Wonderland
Category:Peter Pan
Category:Lady and the Tramp
Category:Sleeping Beauty
Category:The Shaggy Dog
Category:Darby O'Gill and the Little People
Category:101 Dalmatians
Category:The Absent-Minded Professor
Category:Babes in Toyland
Category:Moon Pilot
Category:Summer Magic
Category:Old Yeller
Category:The Sword in the Stone
Category:Mary Poppins
Category:The Misadventures of Merlin Jones
Category:The Million Dollar Duck
Category:The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes
Category:That Darn Cat!
Category:The Ugly Dachshund
Category:The Gnome-Mobile
Category:The Jungle Book
Category:The Happiest Millionaire
Category:Blackbeard's Ghost
Category:Never a Dull Moment
Category:Herbie
Category:Rascal
Category:The Boatniks
Category:Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Category:The Barefoot Executive
Category:Charley and the Angel
Category:Superdad
Category:No Deposit, No Return
Category:Treasure of Matecumbe
Category:Gus
Category:Freaky Friday
Category:Pete's Dragon
Category:Witch Mountain
Category:The Cat from Outer Space
Category:Hot Lead and Cold Feet
Category:The Small One
Category:The Black Hole
Category:The Last Flight of Noah's Ark
Category:Donald Duck
Category:Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
Category:Walt Disney Animation Studios
Category:Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln
Category:Mission to Mars