Archive Interviewee Peter Ellenshaw, Disney's Legendary Matte Artist, Has Died
Peter Ellenshaw, a matte artist whose work was seen in many projects for Walt Disney, has died at age 93. Mr. Ellenshaw's interview can be viewed at Television Academy headquarters in North Hollywood.
Interview description:
Mr. Ellenshaw described his long association with the Walt Disney Studios where he became a preeminent matte artist. He discussed the craft of the matte artist and how a matte is incorporated into a film. He talked about Disney’s foray into television with the Disneyland series, and mentioned his work on such segments of the show as Davy Crockett. B-roll consisted of Ellenshaw voicing-over descriptions of mattes done for various projects, as well as a few photos from his Disney years. Additionally, a 30-minute interview was conducted with his son, Harrison Ellenshaw, who talked about his father as well as the work that he has done as a special effects artist in his own right, which includes the feature film Star Wars. The interview was conducted by Karen Herman on September 11, 2003.