Burny Mattinson

Burnett "Burny" Mattinson (May 13, 1935 – February 27, 2023) was an American animator, director, producer, and story artist for Walt Disney Animation Studios, where he was employed from 1953 until his death in 2023. Mattinson was honored as an inductee of the Disney Legends program in 2008. Mattinson was the longest serving employee of The Walt Disney Company, with a career that spanned seven decades. Early life Mattinson was born in San Francisco in 1935. His father, Bernie Mattinson, was a jazz drummer who toured with Horace Heidt's big band. His mother had resided in San Jose, California and was working at a theatre there, where she met the drummer. Both parents were of British heritage. Before he was six, his mother took him to see Pinocchio (1940) at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco. Mattinson became enamored of animation and began practicing drawing Disney characters throughout his school years. In 1945, the family moved to Los Angeles once his father's band had ended. After graduating high school, his mother had asked what he wanted to do professionally. Mattinson replied, "Maybe I will try Disney. I will go over there and see about getting a job." His mother dropped him off at the studio gate, where Mattinson handed his portfolio to a security guard. Impressed, the guard immediately called Ken Seiling, the head of Personnel. At the time, there were no available job positions in the studio's animation department, but Mattinson took a job in the traffic department.