James Macdonald
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Notes
From The Hollywood Reporter obituary (February 7, 1991): "He used a wooden berry basket that he crumbled to get the effect of falling timber, springs in a box mounted on roller-skate wheels to simulate a railroad car and dried peas in a wooden keg for rainfall. He also was a master of improvisation. He once blew through a condom to create the sound of a buzzing bee."
Biography
Legendary Disney sound effects wizard, discovered by Walt Disney wile drumming with a cruise ship band, who was responsible for creating and assembling one of the largest and most impressive sound effects libraries in motion picture history. Also an accomplished voice actor, Macdonald succeeded Walt Disney as the voice of Mickey Mouse from 1946 until the early 1980s, when he passed the torch to his protege, Wayne Allwine. Over the course of his nearly five-decade association with the studio, Macdonald provided voices and sounds for numerous Disney characters. His improvisational coups included using dried peas in a wood barrel to simulate rainfall and blowing through a condom to mimic the buzzing of a bee.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Music (Feature Film)
Sound (Feature Film)
Cast (Short)
Life Events
1934
Visited the Disney studio with his band to record a soundtrack for a Mickey Mouse cartoon
1937
First major credit, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"; yodeled for the dwarves, sneezed for Sneezy, and whistled for the calliope
1946
Succeeded Walt Disney as the voice of Mickey Mouse for Disney short subjects beginning with "Mickey and the Beanstalk"
1950
Provided the voices for Jaq and Gus, two mice in "Cinderella", Disney's biggest hit until "Mary Poppins"
1951
Performed the voice of the Dormouse in "Alice in Wonderland"
1976
"Retired" from active status at the Disney studio
1977
Provided the voice of Evinrude, the dragonfly, in "The Rescuers"
1982
Assisted Disney musical director Irwin Kostal with the digital rerecording of "Fantasia"
Companions
Bibliography
Notes
From The Hollywood Reporter obituary (February 7, 1991): "He used a wooden berry basket that he crumbled to get the effect of falling timber, springs in a box mounted on roller-skate wheels to simulate a railroad car and dried peas in a wooden keg for rainfall. He also was a master of improvisation. He once blew through a condom to create the sound of a buzzing bee."
