| Revision as of 19:13, 23 August 2010 editRjwilmsi (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers932,073 editsm fixing birth date template calls using AWB (7027)← Previous edit | Revision as of 04:03, 29 August 2010 edit undo200.108.111.17 (talk) →External linksNext edit → | ||
| Line 43: | Line 43: | ||
| {{start box}} | {{start box}} | ||
| {{succession box | {{succession box | ||
| | before = ] | | before = ] | ||
| | title = ] | | title = ] | ||
| | years= 1947–1977 | | years= 1947–1977 | ||
Revision as of 04:03, 29 August 2010
| Jimmy MacDonald | |
|---|---|
| Occupation(s) | animator, Voice artist and head of Disney sound effects department |
John James "Jimmy" MacDonald (May 19, 1906 - February 1, 1991) was a Scottish voice actor and the original head of the Disney sound effects department, and the voice of Mickey Mouse from 1947 to 1977.
In addition to directing sounds for animated shorts as aurally complicated as Mickey's Trailer (1938), he developed many original inventions and contraptions to achieve expressive sounds for characters like Casey Jr., the circus train engine from Dumbo (1941); Evinrude the dragonfly from The Rescuers (1977); the bees in Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966); and Buzz-buzz (later called "Spike"), the bee who gets the best of Donald Duck in his 1950s short films.
MacDonald also added voice effects, like on-screen humming for Kirk Douglas in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), and chipmunk chatter from various Chip & Dale cartoons, starting with 1943's Private Pluto.
In 1947, Walt Disney was getting too busy and too hoarse from smoking to continue voicing Mickey Mouse, so he passed the torch to MacDonald, starting with the film Fun and Fancy Free (1947). MacDonald voiced the mouse on a regular basis until 1953, and a recurring one until 1977, until passing the torch to young Disney sound effects man Wayne Allwine for Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983).
MacDonald also provided the voice of Jaq and Gus and Bruno the dog in Cinderella (1950) and also the Dormouse in Alice in Wonderland (1951). He also appeared in the feature film Toby Tyler as the Circus Band Drummer, but was uncredited.
MacDonald also found time to play drums in the famous Firehouse Five Plus Two jazz band. He played with the band on and off from its inception until it disbanded in the early 1970s.
MacDonald died of heart failure in 1991. He was buried in Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery.
See also
- The Disney Channel's "Disney Family Album: James MacDonald", circa 1985
- Some of his SFX can be heard in non-Disney cartoons like Rocko's Modern Life, CatDog, Ed Edd n Eddy and Spongebob Squarepants and also various UPA cartoons
- Disney-related SFX are included in Cartoon Trax, the Hanna-Barbera Sound FX Library and the International Sound Effects Library
References
- Obituary Variety, February 18, 1991.
External links
- James MacDonald at IMDb
- Biography at Disney Legends website
- Jimmy MacDonald at Find a Grave
- The Voice of Mickey Mouse at The Scotsman website
- The Voice of Mickey Mouse at BBC Radio Scotland
- Dundee honours the voice of Mickey Mouse at The Times
| Preceded byWalter Disney | Voice of Mickey Mouse 1947–1977 |
Succeeded byWayne Allwine |
.svg){kind=small} | This Disney-related article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |
 | This biographical article related to film is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |