William Cottrell

William Harry Dennis Cottrell was an American writer for Walt Disney Animation Studios and a driving force behind Disneyland's creation.
Cottrell was born in 1906 to English parents in South Bend, Indiana and graduated from Occidental College in Los Angeles, California, where he studied English and journalism. After working for a time on George Herriman's "Krazy Kat" comic strip, he was offered a job working cameras at Disney Studios in 1929. He soon moved into the Story department and contributed ideas for shorts, including Who Killed Cock Robin?, Peculiar Penguins, and Water Babies.
He went on to direct the Wicked Witch and Evil Queen sequences in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and contributed to story on Pinocchio. In 1938, he married Lillian Disney's sister, Hazel Sewell. In 1941, Bill and Hazel joined Walt Disney and a small group of artists on a goodwill tour of South America on behalf of the United States Government, which inspired Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros.
During the 1950s, he carried his interest in story over to WED Enterprises (now Walt Disney Imagineering), where he served as its first president and helped develop storylines and dialog for Disneyland attractions, such as Snow White's Adventures. Keen on nomenclature, he encouraged others quit using the term 'ride' and to refer to attractions as an 'experience'.
He also helped develop the popular Zorro television series and, in 1964, was named president of Retlaw Enterprises, the Walt Disney family corporation. He held that position until 1982, when he retired after 53 years of service.
A lifelong fan of Sherlock Holmes, Bill's idea for a movie about an animal detective inspired the 1986 animated feature film The Great Mouse Detective.
In 1994, Cottrell was honored as a Disney Legend. He passed away on December 22, 1995, in Los Angeles.
==Filmography==
Year	Film 	Position
1929	Wild Waves 	cinematographer - uncredited
1934	The China Shop 	story - uncredited
1934	The Grasshopper and the Ants 	story - uncredited
1934	Camping Out 	story - uncredited
1934	The Flying Mouse 	story - uncredited
1934	Peculiar Penguins 	story - uncredited
1934	The Goddess of Spring 	story - uncredited
1935	The Robber Kitten 	story - uncredited
1935	Water Babies 	story - uncredited
1935	Who Killed Cock Robin? 	story - uncredited
1935	Pluto's Judgement Day 	story - uncredited
1935	Three Orphan Kittens 	story - uncredited
1936	Three Little Wolves 	writer - uncredited
1936	Thru the Mirror 	story - uncredited
1936	Toby Tortoise Returns 	story - uncredited
1936	More Kittens 	writer
1937	Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs	sequence director
1938	Wynken, Blynken and Nod 	writer - uncredited
1940	Pinocchio 	story adaptation
1941	The Reluctant Dragon 	screenplay
1942	South of the Border with Disney	Himself
1942	Saludos Amigos 	story researchwriter: "Aquarela do Brasil"
1943	Victory Through Air Power 	story adaptation
1944	The Three Caballeros 	story
1947	Fun and Fancy Free 	story - uncredited: "Mickey and the Beanstalk"
1948	Melody Time 	story: "Little Toot"
1951	Alice in Wonderland 	story
1952	The Little House 	story adaptation
1953	Peter Pan 	story
1957	Zorro 	series developer
1957	The Magical World of Disney 	story: "Adventures in Fantasy"
==Gallery==
Disney staff in January 1930 (2).jpg|Standing, from left: Les Clark, Jack King, Ben Sharpsteen, Jack Cutting, Burt Gillett, Ub Iwerks, Win Smith, Wilfred Jackson, Cottrell, Floyd GottfredsonKneeling, from left, Dick Lundy, Charles Byrne, Carlos Manriquez, Norman Ferguson, Merle Gilson, Chuck Couch, Carl Stalling, Johnny Cannon, Walt Disney.
William cottrell in 1939.png
El grupo at the airfield.jpg|Hazel Sewell, Cottrell, Ted Sears, Lillian Disney, W. Disney, Ferguson, and Frank Thomas.
Huemer1973.jpg|Left to Right: Dick Huemer with his Mousecar award in February 1973 at the Penthouse Club, Cutting, Cottrell, and Clark.
Category:Males
Category:Writers
Category:American people
Category:People from Indiana
Category:1900s births
Category:1990s deaths
Category:Deceased
Category:Silly Symphonies
Category:Mickey Mouse
Category:Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Category:Pinocchio
Category:The Reluctant Dragon
Category:Saludos Amigos
Category:The Three Caballeros
Category:Fun and Fancy Free
Category:Melody Time
Category:Alice in Wonderland
Category:Peter Pan
Category:Zorro
Category:Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
Category:Disneyland
Category:Imagineers
Category:Disney Legends
Category:Walt Disney Animation Studios
Category:The Great Mouse Detective