Clito "Clyde" Geronimi (June 12, 1901 – April 24, 1989), known as Gerry, was an American

animation director An animation director is either the director in charge of all aspects of the animation process during the production of an animated film or television, and animated segment for a live action film or television show, or the animator in charge of co ...

. He is best known for his work at

Walt Disney Productions The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October 1 ...

Biography

Geronimi was born in

Chiavenna Chiavenna ( lmo, Ciavèna ; la, Clavenna; rm, Clavenna or ''Claven''; archaic german: Cläven or ''Kleven'') is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Sondrio in the northern Italian region of Lombardy. It is the centre of the Alpine ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, immigrating to the United States as a young child. Geronimi's earliest work in the animation field was for the J.R. Bray Studios, where he worked with Walter Lantz. Upon the dissolution of the Bray Studio in 1928, Geronimi followed Lantz to his own studio, Walter Lantz Productions, producing Cartoons for

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

. Geronimi left Lantz in 1931 to join Walt Disney Productions, where he remained until 1959. Geronimi started off in the shorts department as an animator, eventually becoming a director. His 1941 short, '' Lend a Paw'', won the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for

Best Animated Short Film The Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film is an award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as part of the annual Academy Awards, or Oscars, since the 5th Academy Awards (with different names), covering the year 1 ...

. Geronimi moved into directing feature-length animated films after the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, mainly working for

. He was one of the directors on ''

Bambi ''Bambi'' is a 1942 American animated drama film directed by David Hand (supervising a team of sequence directors), produced by Walt Disney and based on the 1923 book ''Bambi, a Life in the Woods'' by Austrian author and hunter Felix Salten ...

'', '' Cinderella'', ''

Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatur ...

'', ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythi ...

'', ''

Lady and the Tramp ''Lady and the Tramp'' is a 1955 American animated musical romance film produced by Walt Disney and released by Buena Vista Film Distribution. The 15th Disney animated feature film, it was directed by Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and ...

'', ''

Sleeping Beauty ''Sleeping Beauty'' (french: La belle au bois dormant, or ''The Beauty in the Sleeping Forest''; german: Dornröschen, or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess cu ...

'', and '' One Hundred and One Dalmatians''. After Geronimi left Disney in 1959, he worked in television for a number of years (mostly at UPA), including directing many episodes of the 1967 animated ''

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the Si ...

'' series. He retired from animation sometime in the late 1960s, and provided illustrations for children's books. Geronimi received the 1978

Winsor McCay Award The Winsor McCay Award is given to individuals in recognition of lifetime or career contributions to the art of animation in producing, directing, animating, design, writing, voice acting, sound and sound effects, technical work, music, profession ...

from the International Animated Film Society,

ASIFA-Hollywood ASIFA-Hollywood, an American non-profit organization in Los Angeles, California, United States, is a branch member of the "Association Internationale du Film d'Animation" or "ASIFA" (the International Animated Film Association). Its purpose is to ...

, for his lifetime of contributions to the animation field. The award was presented by his long-time friend and colleague Walter Lantz. Geronimi was also posthumously inducted as a Disney Legend on July 14, 2017. In 2019, ''Sleeping Beauty'' was selected by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...

for preservation in the

National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception ...

for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Geronimi died on April 24, 1989 at his home in

Newport Beach, California Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island draws v ...

, aged 87.

Filmography

Shorts

Walter Lantz Productions period

* The Pied Piper (Short) (assistant animator) (1924) * The Giant Killer (Short) (assistant animator) (1924) * The Magic Lamp (Short) (assistant animator) (1924) * Dinky Doodle in a Restaurant (Short) (assistant animator) (1925) * Dinky Doodle in the Circus (Short) (assistant animator) (1925) * How the Camel Got His Hump (Short) (assistant animator) (1925) * Dinky Doodle in the Hunt (Short) (assistant animator) (1925) * How the Bear Got His Short Tail (Short) (assistant animator) (1925) * Dinky Doodle and the Bad Man (Short) (assistant animator) (1925) * How the Elephant Got His Trunk (Short) (assistant animator) (1925) * Just Spooks (Short) (assistant animator) (1925) * The Babes in the Woods (Short) (assistant animator) (1925) * Three Bears (Short) (assistant animator) (1925) * Robinson Crusoe (Short) (assistant animator) (1925) * Magic Carpet (Short) (assistant animator) (1925) * Peter Pan Handled (Short) (assistant animator) (1925) * The House That Dinky Built (Short) (assistant animator) (1925) * Cinderella (Short) (assistant animator) (1925) * Little Red Riding Hood (Short) (assistant animator) (1925) * The Cat's Nine Lives (Short) (animator) (1926) * The Pig's Curly Tail (Short) (animator and writer) (1926) * Dinky Doodle in the Army (Short) (assistant animator) (1926) * Dog Gone It (Short) (assistant director) (1926) * The Magician (Short) (assistant animator) (1926) * Dinky Doodle's Little Orphan (Short) (assistant animator) (1926) * Dinky Doodle's Bed Time Story (Short) (assistant animator) (1926) * Wild-West (Short) (assistant animator) (1926) * The Ostrich's Plumes (Short) (assistant animator) (1926) * Dinky Doodle in Egypt (Short) (assistant animator) (1926) * The King of Beasts (Short) (assistant animator) (1926) * The Arctic (Short) (assistant animator) (1926) * Dinky Doodle in Lost and Found (Short) (assistant animator) (1926) * Dinky Doodle in Uncle Tom's Cabin (Short) (assistant animator) (1926) * How the Giraffe Got His Long Neck (Short) (assistant animator) (1926) * The Goat's Whiskers (Short) (assistant animator) (1926) * Hyena's Laugh (animator) (1926) * Lunch Hound (animator) (1927) * Mars (Short) (animator) (1930) * Alaska (Short) (animator) (1930) *

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

(Short) (animator) (1930) * Mexico (Short) (animator) (1930) * The Navy (Short) (animator) (1930) * The Fowl Ball (Short) (animator) (1930) * The Detective (Short) (animator) (1930) * The Singing Sap (Short) (animator) (1930) * Cold Feet (Short) (animator and writer) (1930) * Snappy Salesman (Short) (animator and writer) (1930) * Henpecked (Short) (animator and writer) (1930) * Spooks (Short) (animator and writer) (1930) * Not So Quiet (Short) (animator and writer) (1930) * My Pal Paul (Short) (animator and writer) (1930) * Hells Heels (Short) (animator and writer) (1930) * Hot for Hollywood (Short) (animator and writer) (1930) * The Prison Panic (Short) (animator and writer) (1930) * The Hunter (Short) (animator) (1931) * Kentucky Belles (Short) (animator) (1931) * Radio Rhythm (Short) (animator) (1931) * The Stone Age (Short) (animator and artist) (1931) * Northwoods (Short) (animator) (1931) * The Bandmaster (Short) (animator) (1931) * Country School (Short) (animator) (1931) * Sunny South (Short) (artist) (1931) * The Fireman (Short) (animator) (1931) * The Farmer (Short) (animator) (1931) * What a Doctor! (Short) (animator - uncredited) (1931) * Shipwreck (Short) (animator) (1931) * College (Short) (animator - uncredited) (1931) * China (Short) (animator - uncredited) (1931)

Disney period

* The Ugly Duckling (animator - uncredited) (1931) * Mickey's Orphans (Short) (animator - uncredited) (1931) * Mickey Cuts Up (Short) (animator - uncredited) (1931) * The Beach Party (Short) (animator - uncredited) (1931) *

Mickey's Good Deed ''Mickey's Good Deed'' (also called ''Mickey's Lucky Break'' and ''Mickey Plays Santa'' in certain home media releases) is a 1932 animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by United Artists. Set during the Christmas ...

(Short) (animator - uncredited) (1932) *

Santa's Workshop Santa's Workshop is the legendary workshop where Santa Claus and his elves are said to live and make the toys and presents given out at Christmas. The exact "location" of Santa's workshop varies depending upon local culture. There are at least ei ...

(animator - uncredited) (1932) * The Klondike Kid (Short) (animator - uncredited) (1932) * Trader Mickey (Short) (animator - uncredited) (1932) * Flowers and Trees (Short) (animator - uncredited) (1932) *

Just Dogs ''Just Dogs'' is a 1932 Silly Symphonies animated film, directed by Burt Gillett. It marked the first solo appearance of Pluto. Plot The film opens with a group of dogs in the dog pound, howling Vernon Dalhart's "The Prisoner's Song". Pluto's ...

(animator - uncredited) (1932) *

Mickey in Arabia ''Mickey in Arabia'' is a 1932 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Columbia Pictures. This was also the final cartoon in the Mickey Mouse series to be released by Columbia Pictures. Walt Disney pla ...

(Short) (animator - uncredited) (1932) * Mickey's Revue (Short) (animator - uncredited) (1932) * The Duck Hunt (Short) (animator - uncredited) (1932) *

Giantland ''Giantland'' is a 1933 animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by United Artists. The film is an adaptation of the fairy tale " Jack and the Beanstalk" with Mickey Mouse in the title role. Mickey is voiced by ...

(animator - uncredited) (1933) * The Steeple Chase (Short) (animator - uncredited) (1933) * Old king Cole (Short) (animator - uncredited) (1933) *

Mickey's Mechanical Man ''Mickey's Mechanical Man'' is a 1933 animated short cartoon created by Walt Disney. It was the 57th Mickey Mouse short film, and the seventh of that year. Plot Mickey finds out about a new boxing match involving "Kongo the Killer". So what Mick ...

(Short) (animator - uncredited) (1933) *

Father Noah's Ark ''Father Noah's Ark'' is a 1933 Walt Disney ''Silly Symphonies'' animated film. It is based on the story of Noah's Ark. The short's musical score is an adaptation of the first dance in Ludwig van Beethoven's ''12 Contredanses''. The cartoon wa ...

(Short) (animator - uncredited) (1933) *

Mickey's Mellerdrammer ''Mickey's Mellerdrammer'' is a 1933 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by United Artists. The title is a corruption of "melodrama", thought to harken back to the earliest minstrel shows, as a film s ...

(Short) (animator - uncredited) (1933) *

Birds in the Spring ''Birds in the Spring'' is a ''Silly Symphonies'' animated Disney short film. It was released in 1933. Plot Various birds are seen building nests and caring for eggs. One pair anxiously awaits the hatching of three eggs, then joyfully summon a ...

(Short) (animator - uncredited) (1933) * Building a Building (Short) (animator - uncredited) (1933) *

The Dognapper ''The Dognapper'' is a 1934 animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by United Artists. The cartoon stars Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck as police officers who chase Pegleg Pete after he dognaps Fifi, Minnie Mouse's ...

(Short) (animator - uncredited) (1934) * The Goddess of Spring (animator - uncredited) (1934) * Peculiar Penguins (Short) (animator - uncredited) (1934) * The Wise Little Hen (Short) (animator - uncredited) (1934) *

The Big Bad Wolf The Big Bad Wolf is a fictional wolf appearing in several cautionary tales that include some of ''Grimms' Fairy Tales.'' Versions of this character have appeared in numerous works, and it has become a generic archetype of a menacing predatory ...

(Short) (animator - uncredited) (1934) * Shanghaied (Short) (animator - uncredited) (1934) * Cock o' the Walk (Short) (animator) (1935) * Music Land (Short) (animator - uncredited) (1935) *

Pluto's Judgement Day ''Pluto's Judgement Day'' is a ''Mickey Mouse'' cartoon released theatrically in 1935. Although labeled a Mickey cartoon, the main star is Pluto. It was the 78th short film in the ''Mickey Mouse'' series to be released, the seventh of that year. ...

(Short) (animator) (1935) * Who Killed Cock Robin? (Short) (animator - uncredited) (1935) * Mickey's Kangaroo (Short) (animator - uncredited) (1935) * The Band Concert (Short) (animator - uncredited) * Mickey's Man Friday (Short) (animator - uncredited) (1934) *

Mother Pluto ''Mother Pluto'' is a Silly Symphonies cartoon released on November 14, 1936, directed by David Hand. The cartoon features Pluto. Plot The cartoon starts out in a farmyard with a hen in Pluto's doghouse. She notices a butterfly and goes after it ...

(Short) (animator - uncredited) (1936) *

Three Blind Mouseketeers ''Three Blind Mouseketeers'' is a Silly Symphonies cartoon based on the nursery rhyme ''Three Blind Mice'' and the 1844 novel ''The Three Musketeers'' by Alexandre Dumas. Directed by Dave Hand and Jack Cutting, it stars Billy Bletcher. Plot The ...

(animator - uncredited) (1936) * Mickey's Rival (animator - uncredited) (1936) * Lonesome Ghosts (Short) (animator - uncredited) (1937) * Moose Hunters (Short) (animator - uncredited) (1937) * The Fox Hunt (Short) (animator - uncredited) (1938) * Mickey's Trailer (animator - uncredited) (1938) *

Boat Builders This is a list of boat builders, for which there is a Wikipedia article. Motorboats (<50 feet)

American Skier

* ...

(animator - uncredited) (1938) *

Society Dog Show ''Society Dog Show'' is a 1939 ''Mickey Mouse'' cartoon short produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The animated short was directed by Bill Roberts and animated by Al Eugster, Shamus Culhane, Fred Moore, John Loun ...

(animator - uncredited) (1939) * Mickey's Parrot (director) (1938) * The Ugly Duckling (director) (1939) * Beach Picnic (director) (1939) * Officer Duck (director) (1939) *

The Pointer ''The Pointer'' is a 1939 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures on July 21, 1939. The short was directed by Clyde Geronimi and animated by Fred Moore, Frank Thomas, Lynn Karp, Seamus ...

(director) (1939) *

Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip ''Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip'' is a 1940 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The film was directed by Clyde Geronimi and features original music by Leigh Harline and Oliver Wallace. T ...

(director) (1940) * Pantry Pirate (director) (1940) * Billposters (director) (1940) * Tugboat Mickey (director) (1940) * Pluto's Dream House (director) (1940) * Lend a Paw (director) (1941) * Canine Caddy (director) (1941) * A Gentleman's Gentleman (director) (1941) * Pluto Junior (director) (1942) * The Army Mascot (director) (1942) * T-Bone for Two (director) (1942) * Pluto at the Zoo (director) (1942) * The Sleep Walker (director) (1942) * Private Pluto (director) (1943) *

Education for Death ''Education for Death: The Making of the Nazi'' is an animated propaganda short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released on January 15, 1943, by RKO Radio Pictures, directed by Clyde Geronimi and principally animated by Milt Kahl, Wa ...

(director) (1943) * Chicken Little (director) (1943) *

Victory Through Air Power ''Victory Through Air Power'' is a 1942 non-fiction book by Alexander P. de Seversky. It was made into a 1943 Walt Disney animated feature film of the same name. Theories De Seversky began his military life at a young age. After serving in ...

(Deputy director) (1943) * Pluto and the Armadillo (director) (1943) *

Susie the Little Blue Coupe ''Susie the Little Blue Coupe'' is a 1952 animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and originally released by RKO Radio Pictures on June 6, 1952. The eight-minute film was directed by Clyde Geronimi and based on an original short-s ...

(director) (1952) * Music Land (director) (1956)

Feature films

* ''

Dumbo ''Dumbo'' is a 1941 American animated fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The fourth Disney animated feature film, it is based upon the storyline written by Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl, ...

'' (assistant director - uncredited) (1941) * ''

'' (director) (1942) * '' The Three Caballeros'' (director) (1944) * '' Make Mine Music'' (

Peter and the Wolf ''Peter and the Wolf'' ( rus, Петя и Bолк, r="Pétya i volk", p=ˈpʲetʲə i volk, links=no) Op. 67, a "symphonic fairy tale for children", is a musical composition written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936. The narrator tells a children's s ...

, The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met segments) (director) (1946) * '' Melody Time'' (Little Toot, Blame It on the Samba, Pecos Bill segments) (director) (1948) * ''

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad ''The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad'' is a 1949 American animated anthology film produced by Walt Disney Productions, released by RKO Radio Pictures and directed by Clyde Geronimi, Jack Kinney and James Algar with Ben Sharpsteen as producti ...

'' (The Legend of Sleepy Hollow segment) (director) (1949) * '' Cinderella'' (director) (1950) * ''

'' (director) (1951) * ''

'' (director) (1953) * ''

'' (director) (1955) * ''

'' (1959) * '' One Hundred and One Dalmatians'' (1961)

TV

(TV series) (direction) (1967) *

Disneyland (TV series) The Walt Disney Company has produced an anthology television series since 1954 under several titles and formats. The program's current title, ''The Wonderful World of Disney'', was used from 1969 to 1979 and again from 1991 to the present. The p ...

(sequence director - 1 episode) ** How the West Was Lost (1967) (sequence director) * Funny Is Funny (Short) (animation director) (1966) * Linus the Lionhearted (TV Series) (animation director) (1964) ** Water Skiing (The Company) ** Macy's Thanksgiving Day Balloon (The Company) ** Hide and Seek (The Company) ** Musical Chairs (The Company) ** Swami Bird (Linus, King of Beasts) ** Rocky Road to Riches (Linus, King of Beasts) ** Birds Gotta Swim (Linus, King of Beasts) ** Bye, Bye, Bad Bird (Rory Raccoon) ** Make Someone Happy (Rory Raccoon) ** Vincent Van Crow (Rory Raccoon) ** So-Hi and the Bamboo Stalk (So-Hi) ** The Night Before Christmas (So-Hi) ** The Bear Who Danced Too Well (So-Hi) ** So-Hi and the Knight (So-Hi) ** The Princely Toad (So-Hi) ** Little Red So-Hihood (So-Hi) ** The Giant With Two Glass Jaws (So-Hi) ** The Business-Like Witch (So-Hi) ** The Wolf Who Changed His Spots (So-Hi) ** CinderSo-Hi (So-Hi) ** E.R. Jack Rumplestiltskin (So-Hi) ** The Poet Bandit (So-Hi) ** The Walrus and the Carpenter (So-Hi) ** The Cat Who Looked At A Queen (So-Hi) ** Truly Chewy (Lovable Truly) ** Truly Scarey (Lovable Truly) ** Be Kind To Dogs (Lovable Truly) ** Puncture Time (Lovable Truly) ** Flop Flop (Lovable Truly)

References

External links

*
Obituary at the New York Times
1901 births 1989 deaths Walt Disney Animation Studios people Italian animators American animators American animated film directors Italian film directors People from Newport Beach, California Italian emigrants to the United States Film directors from California Directors of Best Animated Short Academy Award winners Fantasy film directors Bray Productions people Walter Lantz Productions people People from Chiavenna {{US-animator-stub