Remembering Peter Ellenshaw : 1913 - 2007

re: Remembering Peter Ellenshaw : 1913 - 2007

Jim Hill — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 08:18:06 GMT

He was very talented and sounded like such a nice man. May he rest in peace.

re: Remembering Peter Ellenshaw : 1913 - 2007

Jim Hill — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 08:57:10 GMT

Let him rest in peace. A true Legend.

re: Remembering Peter Ellenshaw : 1913 - 2007

Jim Hill — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 10:34:48 GMT

After 40-50 years, Mr. Ellenshaw's work still blows 99% of the CGI stuff out of the water. In every field there are always those few who tower over everyone else, and Mr. Ellenshaw was truly a giant in his.

I believe I will be watching 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, May Poppins, and The Black Hole tonight to remind me of the mastery of Mr. Ellenshaw.

re: Remembering Peter Ellenshaw : 1913 - 2007

Jim Hill — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 10:36:36 GMT

I just finally finished watching the "walt" DVD, and found Ellenshaw's commentary and comments on Walt to be some of the most intriguing and genuine of the bunch.

Well, his work will continue to live on.

re: Remembering Peter Ellenshaw : 1913 - 2007

Jim Hill — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 11:50:21 GMT

Very nice tribute Jim.

Thank you.

re: Remembering Peter Ellenshaw : 1913 - 2007

Jim Hill — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 12:11:37 GMT

Very nice, Jim. Thank you.

re: Remembering Peter Ellenshaw : 1913 - 2007

Jim Hill — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 14:37:35 GMT

Back in the early days of The Disney Channel there was a wonderful series called "Disney Family Album" that showcased various longtime creative personnel. There were still seven of the Nine Old Men still around at that time and all of them were covered on this show. But artists from other realms would be showcased too, including an episode that profiled Peter Ellenshaw and his son, Harrison.

Much of Peter's fine work was shown in clips from the live-action films he had contributed to, and it was amazing to me just how much of what was on the screen was a painting! I recall from seeing all of these films when I was young that I always had sensed a certain lush, painterly quality to the grand vistas on display, but I never knew that the reason for that rich quality was the hand of a master artist like Mr. Ellenshaw's at work.

The other thing that struck me while watching the "Disney Family Album" show was how quick and sophisticated a wit Peter had. In fact, both he and Harrison joked with each other in such a manner that it was obvious that there was a real affection between father and son, in addition to their admiration for each other's achievements. In short, Peter Ellenshaw came across as a thoroughly likeable and delightful man. He has left an incredible legacy on film and he will be much missed.

re: Remembering Peter Ellenshaw : 1913 - 2007

Jim Hill — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 16:24:19 GMT

I have always enjoyed Mr. Ellenshaw's work. His talent and personality will be greatly missed.

Rest in peace.

re: Remembering Peter Ellenshaw : 1913 - 2007

Jim Hill — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 17:38:16 GMT

Thank you Jim. The Company portal has yet to make any mention of Peter Ellenshaw's passing. It is amazing how difficult it is to communicate to many of my co-workers at the studio the importance of Disney legends when they die. It is shocking and very discouraging to know that so many of the people who work for Disney now do not have an appreciation for the company's history. And they do not realize were it not for these pioneers and legends they would not have jobs with Disney themselves.

Oh well, once again with the passing of another of Disney's finest I have the opportunity to educate those that I work with everyday.

re: Remembering Peter Ellenshaw : 1913 - 2007

Jim Hill — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 21:05:19 GMT

You might like to read my own little tribute to Peter Ellenshaw on <a href="http://briansibleysblog.blogspot.com/2007/02/glass-worlds-of-peter-ellenshaw.html">Brian Sibley - My Blog</a>.

re: Remembering Peter Ellenshaw : 1913 - 2007

Jim Hill — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 21:09:02 GMT

Sorry...

Try:

http://briansibleysblog.blogspot.com/2007/02/glass-worlds-of-peter-ellenshaw.html

re: Remembering Peter Ellenshaw : 1913 - 2007

Jim Hill — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 22:51:42 GMT

How nice to have Brian Sibley pop in here for a visit! His book, "The Disney Studio Story" is one of my favourite Disney reference books. In fact, it often gets a good workout when I'm looking for film stills to refer to when I'm illustrating a project for Disney merchandise. Now that I know Mr. Sibley has a blogsite too, I'll be checking that out quite regularly from now on. I've just looked at a couple of his archived articles and I'm happy to see he's a fellow Ronald Searle fan.

re: Remembering Peter Ellenshaw : 1913 - 2007

Jim Hill — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 23:06:35 GMT

He was, simply the best.

re: Remembering Peter Ellenshaw : 1913 - 2007

Jim Hill — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 23:42:58 GMT

In 1996, I was fortunate to have met this outstanding artist and person. I celebrate his and his fellow artists’ creative works, and I shall always celebrate their legacy as well as what they stand for. Great artists don’t go away, they just glow brighter. Respectfully RM

re: Remembering Peter Ellenshaw : 1913 - 2007

Jim Hill — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 03:09:17 GMT

Whoa... At first glance, I thought that picture with the trees in the desert was a photograph! And, I absolutely loved the backstory behind it, where he painted it for Mr. Disney.

I had not heard of Mr. Ellenshaw before this day, but from this article, I can tell that he was a kind and hard-working man. I only wish that more people in the world were like him.

Next time I watch some of those old classic Disney live-action movies, I'll have to pay careful attention and try to find some more of Mr. Ellenshaw's excellent works.

re: Remembering Peter Ellenshaw : 1913 - 2007

Jim Hill — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 15:12:42 GMT

One of the things that is most impressive about Ellenshaw's work is that it is realistic enough to be taken as part of the live action, yet artistic enough to convey a stylized vision. Along with his humbleness is that fact that he put every bit as much genius into the brilliant San Francisco backgrounds that accompanied Dean Jones' frantic search for a suicidal Herbie as he did for the breathtaking London aerial views in Mary Poppins.

Not only that, but he inspired the song, "Step in Time" when he shared (and performed) the English Music Hall favorite, "Knees Up, Mother Brown" for Walt and the Shermans (he even reenacts it with his son Harrison on the same "Disney Family Album" show).

Truly a master of masters.

re: Remembering Peter Ellenshaw : 1913 - 2007

Jim Hill — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 19:07:17 GMT

The magic of his art will enchant people forever as kids are introduced to his work in the classic Disney films. Thanks you for your work, Mr. Ellenshaw.

re: Remembering Peter Ellenshaw : 1913 - 2007

Jim Hill — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 22:32:17 GMT

I never even met the man and I almost want to cry. Such a humble and appreciation man will be sadly missed for both his spirit and talent. May he rest in peace.

re: Remembering Peter Ellenshaw : 1913 - 2007

Jim Hill — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 02:18:53 GMT

I'm like Heart of Flame. I've seen many of those classic movies, but had not heard of Mr. Ellenshaw until today, or didn't think I had until I read Ponsonby Britt's entry. Then memories came back of those great programs - I was so young when those programs were on that I don't remember much, but even then I was a Disneyphile. I'm particularly impressed by the first picture, and touched by the story - I thought it was a photograph too. What an amazing talent, and from the sounds of it, a great man. Thanks Jim for the nice article.

re: Remembering Peter Ellenshaw : 1913 - 2007

Jim Hill — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 07:01:12 GMT

Nice thoughts of a man, whose works have yet to be equalled by a computer.

Wish I could read all of the comments, but your advertising space obliterates the right hand side of them....

re: Remembering Peter Ellenshaw : 1913 - 2007

Jim Hill — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 11:29:01 GMT

Sorry about that. I've changed the ads, hope it's easier to see now.

It wasn't a problem when I viewed it, probably because I have my display set differently. (I have my monitor resolution set to 1152 x 864 and everything fits.) Thanks for letting us know.

Again, I apologize, let me know if it's still a problem.