In Remembrance: Peter Ellenshaw

     Peter Ellenshaw, the special effects matte artists whose work expanded the visual vistas of such films as Spartacus (1960) and Mary Poppins (1964), has passed away on February 12, 2007 in Santa Barbara, CA. He was 93.

     Born May 24 1913 in Essex, England, Ellenshaw was hired by London Film Productions to serve as an apprentice to matte painter W. Percy Day. As an assistant matte painter, Ellenshaw learned the art of painting on glass landscapes that, when positioned in front of a camera or combined with previously shoot footage, expand a film’s visual scope beyond its physical sets. He worked with Day on such films as The Ghost Goes West (1935), the science-fiction class Things To Come (1936), Fire Over Drum (1937), The Four Feathers (1939) and The Thief Of Bagdad (1940). Following World War II, he continued to work for various studios on such films as Black Narcissus (1947) and The Red Shoes (1948).

     In 1947, Ellenshaw crossed the Atlantic to work for Walt Disney Studios as a full matte artist, starting with the studio’s first full-length live-action film, Treasure Island (1950). His work was also featured in numerous other classic Disney films of the 1950s and 60s including 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1954), Old Yeller (1957), Pollyanna and Swiss Family Robinson  (both 1960) He also worked on a few non-Disney films, supplying matte paintings for the historical epics Quo Vidas (1951) and Spartacus.

     Through his tenure at Disney, Ellenshaw also worked in Disney’s special effects department for such films as Son Of Flubber (1963) and The Love Bug (1968). He won an Academy Award for his visual effects work for Mary Poppins and received an additional Oscar nomination for 1971’s Bedknobs And Broomsticks, the only film for Disney for which he served as art director. He received a third Oscar nomination for his work as production designer for The Island At The Top Of The World (1974). Ellenshaw also contributed to the designs of several rides at California’s Disneyland.

     Although Ellenshaw retired in 1968, he came back to Disney Studios when they requested his help on the science-fiction film The Black Hole (1979). He would ultimately serve as a production designer and miniature effects supervisor on the film, earning an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects. He came out of retirement one last time to contribute some uncredited matte work on Dick Tracy (1990).