Art Stevens, 92; animator worked on 'The Fox and the Hound'

LOS ANGELES -- Art Stevens, a veteran Disney animator who launched his career at the studio working as an artist on the 1940 classic "Fantasia" and later co directed "The Fox and the Hound" and "The Rescuers," died May 22 at his home after suffering a heart attack, a Disney spokesman said. He was 92.

Among Mr. Stevens's credits as an animator are "Peter Pan," "101 Dalmatians," "Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day ," "Robin Hood," "Mary Poppins," and the underwater sequence in "Bedknobs and Broomsticks."

Born in Roy, Mont., on May 1, 1915, Mr. Stevens began his career as an in-betweener -- an artist who makes the drawings between the animator's key poses -- on "Fantasia .

He was an in-betweener on "Bambi" and several other features before becoming a full character animator on "Peter Pan" (1953).

Mr. Stevens also provided story concepts and did animation for three landmark television documentaries on space exploration for the "Disneyland" TV series in the 1950s: "Man in Space" (1955), "Man on the Moon" (1955), and "Mars and Beyond" (1957).

He also worked on the Academy Award-winning featurettes "Toot, Whistle, Plunk, and Boom" and "It's Tough to Be a Bird." And he helped design and animate the title sequences for the features "Freaky Friday," "No Deposit, No Return," "The Strongest Man in the World," and "The North Avenue Irregulars."

Mr. Stevens retired in 1983.

He leaves wife of 68 years, Penny; his sons, Craig and Kent; and four grandchildren.