Animator and story artist Dave Michener, who worked at Walt Disney Studios for more than 30 years, has died at the age of 85. His wife Donna said he died at his Los Angeles home on February 15 from complications due to a virus.
Michener co-directed “The Great Mouse Detective” alongside John Musker and Ron Clements.
Michener starting with Disney in 1956, right out of college, and worked there until his retirement in 1987. He contributed to classics like “Sleeping Beauty,” “One Hundred and One Dalmatians,” “Mary Poppins,” “The Jungle Book,” “Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day,” “The Aristocats,” “Robin Hood,” “The Rescuers” and “The Fox and the Hound.”
He was hired by Walt Disney himself, who had seen one of his art exhibits at the Chouinard Art Institute. Michener also produced and directed character animation for Epcot Center in the 1980s, followed by similar duties at Tokyo Disneyland’s “Meet the World” attraction and the pre-show PSA on the history of aviation at Disneyland.
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