John Lounsbery hadn't set out to become an animator, but there were few places where his artistic skills were welcomed back in 1935, so on the advice of his art teacher he applied for a job and was hired by Walt Disney himself to begin working as an assistant on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Mr. Lounsbery proved adept at animation and quickly began animating on his own, working on Gideon and Foulfellow in Pinocchio.
His work ethic and organizational skills soon found use as Mr. Disney's attention turned to other projects. John was promoted to animation director, a position he held on many movies right up until his untimely death in the 1970's. In fact, he was working on The Rescuers when he passed away from a heart attack.
Mr. Lounsbery's efforts allowed Walt Disney to focus on other projects, like live action films and a little park Mr. Disney was building down in Anaheim.
