It was in the mid ‘90s that Gerald Gaitan and Dave Salas came into contact with Marc and Alice Davis. In meeting with the remaining four of the Nine Old Men, this couple was the most memorable and influential for them.
Marc Davis was such a motivational animator and legend in the world of Disney. He was responsible for mainly designing and animating Snow White, Bambi, Thumper, Bongo, Mr. Toad, Cinderella, her step sisters, Alice from Alice in Wonderland, Tinker Bell, and Cruella de Vil. These are just a few of the iconic characters that we see everyday in movies they appear in, in the stores, and even in our children’s bedrooms as their favorite decor.
Walt Disney dubbed Marc Davis as his “Renaissance Man.” He proclaimed, “Marc can do story, he can do character, he can animate, he can design shows for me. All I have to do is tell him what I want and it’s there! He’s my Renaissance man.” If Walt could dream it, Davis was there to bring it to life.
Davis was also known for his amazing skill in animating animals. He would go to the local zoos and study the animals of the characters he was animating. Davis would watch their movements and study their habits, then he would take it to the animation studio and bring it to animation life.
In one story, Davis was able to tell Salas and Gaitan about an incident he encountered during one of his observations at the zoo. Davis was watching an orangutan and the keeper told him he could touch him if he wanted to. Davis being a dedicated artist wanted to get as much accuracy as he could about the animal as possible, so he was more than thrilled at the opportunity.
Unfortunately, the orangutan did not share this same excitement as Davis. When Davis reached out to touch him, the orangutan took hold of his wrist and refused to let him go. An orangutan can be up to seven times stronger than a human being. So imagine Davis’ surprise when suddenly he had this huge animal latched onto his wrist and not letting up. It took about four to five workers to unlatch the orangutan’s fingers from Davis’s wrist. Talk about memorable.
How about the iconic scene in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland where the dog is seen holding the keys while the prisoner is trying to get his attention. That hilarious gag can be credited to Marc Davis. Walt Disney asked
Davis to contribute his ideas to some of the rides in Disneyland’s creation. Like the dog scene, many of the gag scenes that are seen in rides can be credited to Davis and his humor. Davis said, “You need to have some humor, you need to have some gags in these rides.” Davis conceived the designs for such classic attractions such as Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Haunted Mansion.
Walt Disney asked Marc Davis to help design the concept for the Haunted Mansion. Davis envisioned the Haunted Mansion as creepy and scary on the outside, Walt imagined it toned down and different. So, Davis helped bring it to life, your ordinary mansion just with a bit of darkness attracting you to it. With the outside just dark enough to pull you in, once you walk in you were transformed into a world of creepy and haunted.
Davis was able to go from dark, haunted, and scary to being able to take you into a world of snow, ice, and royalty. He came up with a concept for a ride that would allow visitors to jump on and cool off on a hot day. Can you imagine a world full of ice and snow and you’re riding through feeling each blast of ice cold air that comes your way? Well if you can’t, then maybe you’ve seen the ever so popular movie “Frozen.”
Davis took the Snow Queen tale and created the concept art and even created the pathway for the ride. With the Snow Queen at the center of it all, you’re surrounded by her world of ice and snow. The ride was ultimately placed on a back burner, along with all of his artwork.
However, the artwork was brought to life in 2013 with the animated movie. If you ever watch the extras in a movie you will be able to see Alice Davis beam with pride at her husband’s original artworks of the concept.
Davis once said, “Animation had been done before, but stories were never told.” This is exactly what Davis did. While he created the animations for many movies, he brought to life their stories and helped tell them in a way that not many people could do.
Gaitan will always remember the moments shared with Davis, along with his knowledge and inspiration. Davis once told him, “always keep a pencil and pad with you. You never know what might inspire you.” “Which was true in an a example he shared with us,” Gaitan shares as he explains this meaning. Cruella De Vil was actually based on a real person. Marc and Alice said they would never reveal the person responsible for the inspiration though. Marc said, “she’s so mean, I’m afraid she’ll come in the night and try to hurt me.“
During these moments Gaitan remembers a time when he was truly amazed by Davis and his work, “I was fortunate to see a drawing Marc did of Mama Cass that turned out just amazing.”
Marc and Alice Davis always welcomed Salas and Gaitan into their home. They shared their artworks with them, their stories, and their lives. Gaitan and Salas remember Marc and Alice as a continuously giving couple. They loved to dedicate their time to others and always giving back. Marc constantly supplied Salas with autographed memorabilia for Salas’ students. The love that they shared with each other was even inspiration, along with another couple, for the iconic elderly married couple in “Up.”
Just a few years after meeting with the iconic couple, Marc passed away. This did not deter Gaitan and Salas from continually visiting Alice Davis. Alice became such a huge part of their lives. From the visits of just the three of them to special dinners with the entire family. While they initially desired to meet Marc Davis, it was the bond formed with Alice Davis over the years that truly touched and stayed with them.
To be continued…