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Harrison Ellenshaw is acknowledged as one of the key creative forces behind the use of high-tech computer imaging in filmaking. He was introduced to the industry by his father, Peter, an Academy Award-winning legend who died last year at the age of 93. —Spectrum photo by Stephen Baetge

Disney Filmmaker Travels in Footsteps of Legend

By Michael A. Piekarz
Staff Writer

Harrison Ellenshaw had no intention of following in the footsteps of his Academy Award-winning father, Peter Ellenshaw. After all, his father was a legend.

With an artistic career spanning over seven decades, Peter Ellenshaw became a Hollywood icon for his mastery of matte painting.

Peter’s skills as a special effects artist, motion picture production designer and concept illustrator earned the respect and admiration of the filmmakers he worked with including Walt Disney, Stanley Kubrick, Michael Powell and W. Percy Day, O.B.E., — the British film industry’s foremost special effects artist and matte painter.

Peter’s work on films included “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” “Spartacus,” “Darby O’Gill and the Little People,” “Mary Poppins” and “The Love Bug.” He won an Academy Award for Best Special Visual Effects in “Mary Poppins.” He was also nominated for an Academy Award for his production design work on “Bedknobs and Broomsticks” and “The Island at the Top of the World” as well as for his effects work on “The Black Hole.”

Peter became an official Disney Legend in 1993.

While living in California, Peter became enamored with the ocean and began painting seascapes. A stint in Ireland led to an expansion of his landscapes to include the Irish countryside. He also began painting Disney-themed scenes, often featuring the trademark “Cinderella’s Castle.”

Peter quickly became the premier seascape and landscape artist of his generation. His work was soon highly prized by collectors. He also began a lifelong association with the prestigious Hammer Galleries in New York.

While art had occupied much of his son Harrison’s life, Harrison had other ideas about his career calling. He had earned a degree in psychology from Whittier College and served as an officer in the U.S. Navy.

While Harrison was trying to find work in his chosen career of corporate administration, his father told him that he might want to apply for a temporary position in the matte department at Walt Disney Studios.

“My father mentioned that they were looking for artists,” Harrison recalled.

Harrison met with Alan Maley of Disney Studios. Maley had worked with his father, and he’d earned an Academy Award, as well.


After talking with Maley, Harrison still wasn’t certain about working in the movies. “Alan and I agreed that I would try it for six months,” he explained.

Six months later, Harrison was still working as an apprentice matte artist for Disney. “I found film work very interesting,” he said, adding that he quickly became hooked on movies.

While working with Maley, Harrison soon established himself as a respected matte artist. While working on Nicolas Roeg’s “The Man Who Fell to Earth,” Harrison was approached to work on “Star Wars.”

After the production of “Star Wars,” Harrison returned to Disney to collaborate with Peter on “The Black Hole,” a film known more for its production design and special effects than for its story. The film earned the duo an Academy Award nomination.

Harrison later rejoined Lucasfilm to contribute to George Lucas’ “The Empire Strikes Back.” He later worked on the Disney film “Tron” and was acknowledged as one of the key creative forces behind what has become a landmark use of the then-revolutionary digital technology computer-generated imager used to create a highly visual world inside a computer.

Harrison had no difficulty introducing high-tech computer imaging techniques to his artistic folio. “It wasn’t that difficult to change from matte painting to computer graphics, because the visual effects were similar,” he said.

Other notable projects followed: a 3-D theme park film by Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas, “Captain Eo”; the effects-laden “Superman IV” and the blockbuster film, “Ghost.” Harrison also found time to direct an independent feature length comedy, “Dead Silence.”

Soon, after completing “Dead Silence,” Harrison worked on his favorite film, “Dick Tracy.” The film became known for its stunning backgrounds and cityscapes.

What made this film fun for Harrison was the artistic challenges it presented. “‘Dick Tracy’ was a great opportunity to do matte painting that didn’t have to look natural but still had to be believable,” he said.

Other successes quickly followed. Disney asked Harrison to head up a new effects facility, Buena Vista Visual Effects (BVVE). During its six years of existence, BVVE became highly regarded throughout the industry, contributing to over 40 films including work for outside studios: Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox, MGM and Sony.

In addition to his film work, Harrison has also been able to concentrate on a fine art career, producing one man shows for several galleries. In 2002, he began collaborating with his father, creating a number of spectacular Disney giclée’s — a form of art print noted for its quality and fidelity to the artist’s vision.

Harrison’s artistic collaboration with his father lasted until February of 2007, when Peter passed away peacefully at his Santa Barbara home at age 93.

Harrison continues to create his own Disney giclées. He also creates fine art paintings of unique cityscapes, the landscapes of New Zealand, the American Southwest, as well as scenes from England, France and Asia.

Unlike his art in films, Harrison has no favorites among his paintings. “They’re like children,” he explained. “I love them all.”

The artwork of Peter Ellenshaw and Harrison Ellenshaw may be viewed locally at the “Going Hollywood” exhibit of the California State Fair. It may also be found in the Art Vault of the State Nine Entertainment Store located in Old Sacramento.

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