Director
Ben Sharpsteen
Born 4 November 1895 · Tacoma, Washington, USA — died 20 December 1980
Ben Sharpsteen (1895–1980) was an American animator, director and producer who spent decades at Walt Disney's studio. He supervised early feature classics such as Pinocchio and Dumbo, and directed many Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck shorts. He later retired to California's Napa Valley, where he helped found a local history museum.
Key films
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938)
Disney's first full-length animated feature, a landmark of animation on which he worked as a senior studio figure.
Pinocchio (1940)
Acclaimed second Disney feature, which he helped oversee as a supervising director.
Dumbo (1941)
Compact, heartfelt feature that he supervised as director, made on a tighter budget than earlier Disney features.
Clock Cleaners (1937)
Celebrated slapstick short starring Mickey, Donald and Goofy, showing his skill with Disney's classic cartoon comedy.
Water Birds (1952)
Nature short from Disney's True-Life Adventures series, reflecting his later move into live-action documentary.
Key awards
No major awards are documented here.
On Cinespective
Full filmography · 50
- 1920The BootblackDirector
- 1934Two-Gun MickeyDirector
- 1935On IceDirector
- 1935Mickey's Fire BrigadeDirector
- 1935The Cookie CarnivalDirector
- 1935Mickey's Service StationDirector
- 1935Broken ToysDirector
- 1935Cock o' the WalkDirector
- 1936Donald and PlutoDirector
- 1936Moving DayDirector
- 1936Mickey's CircusDirector
- 1936Orphan's PicnicDirector
- 1937Clock CleanersDirector
- 1937Hawaiian HolidayDirector
- 1937Don DonaldDirector
- 1937Moose HuntersDirector
- 1937The Worm TurnsDirector
- 1937Pluto's Quin-pupletsDirector
- 1937Mickey's ReviewDirector
- 1938Snow White and the Seven DwarfsDirector
- 1938Mickey's TrailerDirector
- 1938Boat BuildersDirector
- 1938Polar TrappersDirector
- 1938The Fox HuntDirector
- 1940PinocchioDirector
- 1940FantasiaDirector
- 1941DumboDirector
- 1942The New SpiritDirector
- 1942Out of the Frying Pan Into the Firing LineDirector
- 1952Water BirdsDirector
- 1954The Disneyland Story · as SelfActor
- 1955SwitzerlandDirector
- 1956SamoaDirector
- 1956SardiniaDirector
- 1957PortugalDirector
- 1957LaplandDirector
- 1957Alaskan Sled DogDirector
- 1958Ama GirlsDirector
- 1959Mysteries of the DeepDirector
- 1959Cruise of the EagleDirector
- 1960Escape to Paradise/Water BirdsDirector
- 1960JapanDirector
- 1960The DanubeDirector
- 1967Walt Disney MasterpiecesDirector
- 1980Mickey Mouse DiscoDirector
- 1984Donald Duck's First 50 YearsDirector
- 1984DTV: Rock, Rhythm & BluesDirector
- 2000Celebrate Christmas With Mickey, Donald & FriendsDirector
- 2023Mickey & Minnie 10 Classic Shorts (Volume 1)Director
- 2023100 Years of Disney Animation: A Shorts CelebrationDirector
Filmography data from TMDB. The profile text is a draft written for Cinespective.