Burny Mattinson, Disney's Longest-Serving Animator, Dies At 87

Burny Mattinson, Disney's longest-serving animator, has died following a short illness. He was 87 years old.

He died at Canyon Oaks Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Los Angeles on Monday, confirmed Jennifer Lee, the chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios.

"Burny's artistry, generosity, and love of Disney Animation and the generations of storytellers that have come through our doors, for seven decades, has made us better — better artists, better technologists, and better collaborators," Lee said in a press release Monday. "All of us who have had the honor to know him and learn from him will ensure his legacy carries on."

Mattinson had worked with the studio for 70 years.

Walt Disney Animation paid tribute to the late animator by sharing one of his old interviews. In the video, Mattinson recalled working with Disney since 1953 and laughed, "Gee, that's a long time ago." It also featured Mattinson's first photo as an employee and his drawings as he explained the fun part of working with Disney.

"Getting into that world when you're sitting down and taking a little stick figure character and you start to think what his world is like, where he's going, what he's going to do, what are they feeling at this moment?" Mattinson can be heard saying in the video.

Alongside the video, Disney Animation wrote, "It is with a heavy heart that we share the passing of beloved Disney Legend, Director, and Story Artist Burny Mattinson. You made our world a happier place and inspired generations of artists with your heart, humor, and storytelling. Thank you for your legacy, Burny."

Mattinson worked in the animation department for several Disney projects, including "Robin Hood," "Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too," "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh," "The Magical World of Disney," "Big Hero 6" and "Strange World."

He also directed animated movies like "Mickey's Christmas Carol" (1983), "The Great Mouse Detective" (1986), "DTV Monster Hits" (1987) and "Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse," which came out in 2001. His final work was "Strange World," which was released last November.

Before working as a character animator for "Robin Hood" in 1973, Mattinson was an assistant animator for popular Disney shows "Lady and the Tramp" (1955), "Sleeping Beauty" (1959), "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" (1961) and "The Jungle Book" (1967).