Blaine Gibson, Disney Legend and master sculptor, has died at age 97.
Mr. Gibson was born in Colorado, and quickly showed an artistic brilliance. There weren't too many jobs in Colorado for a skilled artist, so his mother urged him to send some art to Disney Studios to see if they would be interested. They were, and Blaine soon found himself working as an inbetweener on several Disney classics. His first love was sculpture, a talent that would prove to be helpful for his boss when DISNEYLAND became reality.
Blaine worked on turning drawings into three dimensional figures, helping to create many of the adventures that DISNEYLAND guests enjoy to this very day. Mr. Gibson retired from the company in 1983.
Despite his retirement, however, Blaine picked up many projects at Walt Disney Imagineering, including one that was near and dear to his heart- the "Partners" statue at DISNEYLAND. Blaine carefully designed the statue that would honor his beloved boss who had given him the opportunity to follow his dreams. Mr. Gibson's work was placed in Disney Theme Parks around the world, a tribute to a very special man.
Today, Mr. Gibson's work continues to entertain and inspire millions. Most of those people will never know his name, but his work will live on.
