Clito "Clyde" Geronimi (June 12, 1901 – April 24, 1989), known as Gerry, was an American
animation director. He is best known for his work at
Walt Disney Productions.
Biography
Geronimi was born in
Chiavenna,
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, 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 City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
. 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, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
for
Best Animated Short Film. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, he directed several propaganda films, like ''
Education for Death'' (1943) and the feature film ''
Victory Through Air Power'' (1943).
Geronimi moved into directing feature-length animated films after the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, mainly working for
Walt Disney Productions. He was one of the directors on ''
Bambi
''Bambi'' is a 1942 American Animated film, animated Coming of age, coming-of-age drama film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Loosely based on Felix Salten's 1923 novel ''Bambi, a Life in the Woods'', the ...
'', ''
Cinderella
"Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...
'', ''
Alice in Wonderland'', ''
Peter Pan'', ''
Lady and the Tramp
''Lady and the Tramp'' is a 1955 American Animated film, animated Musical film, musical romantic comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Film Distribution. Based on Ward Greene's 1945 ''Cosmopolitan (magazine) ...
'', ''
Sleeping Beauty
"Sleeping Beauty" (, or ''The Beauty Sleeping in the Wood''; , or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess curse, cursed by an evil fairy to suspended animation in fi ...
'', 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 in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
'' series. He retired from animation sometime in the late 1960s, and provided illustrations for children's books.
Geronimi received the 1978
Winsor McCay Award from the International Animated Film Society,
ASIFA-Hollywood, 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.
Geronimi died on April 24, 1989, at his home in
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach is a coastal city of about 85,000 in southern Orange County, California, United States. Located about southeast of downtown Los Angeles, Newport Beach is known for its sandy beaches. The city's harbor once supported maritime indu ...
, 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)
* For the Love O' Pete (assistant director) (1926)
* Pete's Haunted House (assistant director) (1926)
* Pete's Party (assistant director) (1926)
* Lunch Hound (animator) (1927)
*
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...
(Short) (animator) (1930)
* Alaska (Short) (animator) (1930)
*
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
(Short) (animator) (1930)
*
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
(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
A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. It results from the event of ''shipwrecking'', which may be intentional or unintentional. There were approximately thre ...
(Short) (animator) (1931)
*
College
A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...
(Short) (animator) (1931)
* China (Short) (animator) (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 (Short) (animator – uncredited) (1932)
*
Santa's Workshop (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 (animator – uncredited) (1932)
*
Mickey in Arabia (Short) (animator – uncredited) (1932)
*
Mickey's Revue (Short) (animator – uncredited) (1932)
* The Duck Hunt (Short) (animator – uncredited) (1932)
*
Giantland (animator – uncredited) (1933)
* The Steeple Chase (Short) (animator – uncredited) (1933)
*
Old king Cole
"Old King Cole" is a British nursery rhyme first attested in 1709. Though there is much speculation about the identity of King Cole, it is unlikely that he can be identified reliably as any historical figure. It has a Roud Folk Song Index numbe ...
(Short) (animator – uncredited) (1933)
*
Mickey's Mechanical Man (Short) (animator – uncredited) (1933)
*
Father Noah's Ark (Short) (animator – uncredited) (1933)
*
Mickey's Mellerdrammer (Short) (animator – uncredited) (1933)
*
Birds in the Spring (Short) (animator – uncredited) (1933)
*
Building a Building (Short) (animator – uncredited) (1933)
*
The Dognapper (Short) (animator – uncredited) (1934)
*
The Goddess of Spring (animator – uncredited) (1934)
*
Peculiar Penguins (Short) (animator – uncredited) (1934)
*
The Wise Little Hen
''The Wise Little Hen'' is a 1934 Walt Disney produced ''Silly Symphonies'' animated short film, based on the fable ''The Little Red Hen.'' The film features the debut of Donald Duck, dancing to "The Sailor's Hornpipe". Donald and his friend Pet ...
(Short) (animator – uncredited) (1934)
*
The Big Bad Wolf (Short) (animator – uncredited) (1934)
* Shanghaied (Short) (animator – uncredited) (1934)
*
Cock o' the Walk (Short) (animator) (1935)
*
Music Land
''Music Land'' is a ''Silly Symphonies'' animated film, animated short film produced by Walt Disney and released in 1935.
Plot
The short begins by showing a map of Music Land, before zooming in to show the Land of Symphony, a massive classical ...
(Short) (animator – uncredited) (1935)
*
Pluto's Judgement Day (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 (Short) (animator – uncredited) (1936)
*
Three Blind Mouseketeers (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 (animator – uncredited) (1938)
*
Society Dog Show (animator – uncredited) (1939)
*
Mickey's Parrot (director) (1938)
*
The Ugly Duckling (director) (1939)
*
Beach Picnic (director) (1939)
*
Officer Duck (director) (1939)
*
The Pointer (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 Wallac ...
(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 (director) (1943)
*
Chicken Little (director) (1943)
*
Victory Through Air Power (Deputy director) (1943)
* Pluto and the Armadillo (director) (1943)
* The Big Wash (director) (1948)
*
Susie the Little Blue Coupe (director) (1952)
* The Story of Anyburg U.S.A. (director) (1956)
Feature films
* ''
Dumbo'' (assistant director – uncredited) (1941)
* ''
Bambi
''Bambi'' is a 1942 American Animated film, animated Coming of age, coming-of-age drama film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Loosely based on Felix Salten's 1923 novel ''Bambi, a Life in the Woods'', the ...
'' (assistant director – uncredited) (1942)
* ''
The Three Caballeros'' (director) (1944)
* ''
Make Mine Music
''Make Mine Music'' is a 1946 American animated Musical film, musical anthology film produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Radio Pictures on April 20, 1946.
During World War II, much of Walt Disney's staff was drafted into the United Stat ...
'' (
Peter and the Wolf
''Peter and the Wolf'' ( rus, Петя и волк, Pétya i volk, p=ˈpʲetʲə i volk) Op. 67, a "symphonic tale for children", is a Program music , programmatic musical composition written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936. The narrator tells a ...
, 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 Legend of Sleepy Hollow segment) (director) (1949)
* ''
Cinderella
"Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...
'' (director) (1950)
* ''
Alice in Wonderland'' (director) (1951)
* ''
Peter Pan'' (director) (1953)
* ''
Lady and the Tramp
''Lady and the Tramp'' is a 1955 American Animated film, animated Musical film, musical romantic comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Film Distribution. Based on Ward Greene's 1945 ''Cosmopolitan (magazine) ...
'' (director) (1955)
* ''
Sleeping Beauty
"Sleeping Beauty" (, or ''The Beauty Sleeping in the Wood''; , or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess curse, cursed by an evil fairy to suspended animation in fi ...
'' (1959)
* ''
One Hundred and One Dalmatians'' (1961)
TV
* Mister Magoo (TV series) (direction) (1960)
*
The Dick Tracy Show (TV series) (direction) (1961)
** The Big Seal Steal
** The Bird Brain Pickers
** The Onion Ring
** The Parrot Caper
** The Platterpuss Plot
** The Retouchables
** Rocket 'n' Roll
** The Skyscraper Caper
** Trick or Treat
*
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
(TV series) (direction) (1967)
*
Disneyland (TV series) (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
{{DEFAULTSORT:Geronimi, Clyde
1901 births
1989 deaths
Walt Disney Animation Studios people
Italian animators
American animated film directors
Italian film directors
Italian animated 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
American fantasy film directors
American propaganda film directors
Bray Productions people
Walter Lantz Productions people
People from Chiavenna
Disney Legends