Marc Davis

**Marc Davis** (1913-2000) is a legendary Disney animator and Imagineer. He was considered to be one of Walt Disney's, "Nine Old Men".

## History

### Real-world

#### Disney Parks contributions

* Marc Davis designed characters, vignettes and scenes for attractions such as: America Sings (later used for Splash Mountain), the Jungle Cruise, Submarine Voyage, the Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Country Bear Jamboree, Western River Expedition, Liki Tikis, Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room, Mine Train through Nature's Wonderland (later repurposed for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad), Enchanted Snow Palace, World of Motion, It's a Small World, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, and Ford Magic Skyway.

### Disney Parks

Marc Davis was a visual-artist who created and sold artwork from Asia and the middle-east through the company *Far East Imports*. Davis often worked alongside his wife Alice Eastes Davis, a seamstress for the *Small World Costume Company* who also worked as an author on international costume-design. In the 1920s, Davis was amongst the animators who worked at the *Atwater School of Art* on Buena Vista Street in Los Angeles.

The nine animators of this school would come under the employ of a young Walt Disney, who in this continuity is believed to be a magic-user. Marc became an esteemed animator and designer within the Walt Disney Company. In the 1930s, he was one of the animators sent to a new animation studio in the sleepy town of Disney Springs, Florida. At this location, Davis' artwork would become magically connected to the powers of Tinker Bell, a pixie from the realm of Neverland.

## Appearances and allusions

Most allusions to Marc Davis in the Disney Parks do not refer to him specifically as a character in the Parks mythos.

### Buena Vista Street

The Nine Old Men have their names listed for an apartment on Buena Vista Street as part of the, "Atwater School of Art".

### Disney Explorers Lodge

The Stone of Serendipity is attributed to having been discovered by explorer/ornithologist, **Marco Daviolo**.

### Haunted Mansion

The late-Gracey family patriarch, "**Grandpa Marc**" is named for Marc Davis.

### Jungle Cruise

#### Jungle Cruise Adventure Game

One of the family members belonging to the Cruz and Lyons families was an illustrator who was modelled after Marc Davis.

#### Skipper Canteen

Marc Davis is the namesake for fictional Jungle Navigation Company employee Skipper Marc who is head of Animal Biological Studies in the headquarters of the JNC.

### Main Street, U.S.A.

Marc and Alice Davis have windows next to one another in a single apartment on Main Street. Marc is identified as selling exotic artwork for, "Far East Imports" while Alice's window identifies her as being a seamstress working for the *Small World Costume Company*.

### Pirates of the Caribbean

Above the treasure room in the Castillo del Morro fortress in Puerto Dorado is a crest with the name, "**Marci Daviso**".

### Thunder Mesa Daily Messenger

In this Thunder Mesa newspaper is an advert for the fictional New Orleans company Davis Coats which is identified as having been run since 1869 and reads, "T*he finest overcoats, cloaks and capes for all happy and somber occasions*". This alludes to Marc Davis and Claude Coats along with their shared history with the Haunted Mansion.

### World of Disney

The World of Disney shop in Disney Springs is themed to being repurposed from a Walt Disney Studios animation studio from the 1930s. There is an old animator's table in this shop has etchings of artwork from Marc Davis inferring that he was one of the animators working in the studio. Among the drawings are depictions of the elephants from the Jungle Cruise, Hitchhiking Ghosts from the Haunted Mansion, Ned Low from Pirates of the Caribbean, Tinker Bell from Peter Pan, Br'er Fox from Song of the South, and Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty.

## Connections

### Disney Springs

The animation table in the World of Disney implies that Davis once worked in the animation studio of Disney Springs, Florida.

### It's a Small World

Marc's wife Alice is affiliated with It's a Small World in the Skipper Canteen and Main Street, U.S.A..

### Skipper Canteen

In the library of the Skipper Canteen is a book presumably by Alice Davis which is titled *A Small World of Traditional Wardrobe* by A. Davis.

## References

1. ↑ http://www.fromscreentotheme.com/FunFindFridayBuenaVistaStreet2.aspx
2. ↑ https://jungleskipper.com/sea/attractions/disney-explorers-lodge#&gid=1&pid=-a1
3. ↑ https://insidethemagic.net/2017/10/cryptic-tour-haunted-mansion-tombstone-tributes-walt-disney-world/
4. ↑ https://touringplans.com/blog/2017/04/15/s6\_skippercanteen/
5. ↑ https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2014/02/windows-on-main-street-u-s-a-at-disneyland-park-marc-and-alice-davis/
6. ↑ http://www.fromscreentotheme.com/FunFindFridayPirates2.aspx
7. ↑ http://www.fromscreentotheme.com/FunFindFriday.aspx