Don Ernst, a movie, sound and music editor and producer who labored on many hits throughout each live-action TV and movie and animation over greater than 50 years, died Sunday at age 89. Information of his passing was shared with Animation Journal by animation historian and former Disney colleague Tom Sito, who labored with the late producer on and off on the studio from Aladdin (1992) via Fantasia 2000 (1999).
“Don had a prolific profession modifying basic TV sequence like Gunsmoke, Gilligan’s Island and Hill Avenue Blues,” Sito wrote. “He was a mainstay for Ralph Bakshi, reducing Heavy Site visitors, Coonskin, Lord of the Rings and extra. At Walt Disney function, he labored on Again to Neverland and Fantasia Continued, later Fantasia 2000.
“He could possibly be gruff, however he was at all times truthful. I can nonetheless hear his deep gravely voice within the hallway calling out, ‘Lois! Lois!’ for Lois Freeman-Fox, Fantasia‘s lead editor.
“A loyal father and grandfather. Peace and luxury to Stacy, Darci and all of the Ernst household. RIP.”
Born January 25, 1934, Donald William Ernst reduce his tooth in live-action TV within the mid-Fifties, and went on to win two Primetime Emmy Awards (and a number of other extra nominations via the ’70s and ’80s) for his sound modifying work, taking residence the prize for the particular Raid on Entebbe and sequence Hill Avenue Blues.
His earliest work in animation was with the auteur New York director Ralph Bakshi, engaged on his adults-only darkish comedies Heavy Site visitors , Coonskin and Hey Good Lookin’ in addition to the fantasy epic Wizards and adaptation of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. He additionally edited for Steven Hahn’s 1985 house opera, Starchaser: The Legend of Orin, notable for being the primary animated function produced in 3-D, and Jerry Rees’s 1987 fan favourite The Courageous Little Toaster.
On the shut of the ’80s, Ernst edited shorts primarily based on Disney hits Peter Pan (Again to Neverland) and Tummy Hassle (Who Framed Roger Rabbit), shifting roles to supply the early ’90s shorts Curler Coaster Rabbit, Mickey’s Audition and, later, the Goofy outing Easy methods to Hang-out a Home (1999). He additionally served as story supervisor on the Oscar-nominated Disney-Dalí quick Destino.
Ernst was co-producer on Disney’s animated Aladdin and a producer on the musical anthology Fantasia 2000, in addition to the Walt Disney Photos English-language dub of Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar-winning function Spirited Away (2002). He additionally government produced the favored live-action comedy-adventure Homeward Sure: The Unimaginable Journey (1993).
