Ernie Nordli
Birth : 1912-06-15, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Death : 1968-04-22
History
American animation designer and layout artist, most notably for Disney. He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah to Norwegian immigrant Hans Magnus Nordli (1884-1975) and Hedvig Charlotte Esterblom (1888-1976) of Swedish parentage.
Nordli, nicknamed "Ernie", was a talented artist whose work had an appealing modern sensibility. He started at Disney in 1936 and served as an art director/layout artist on Dumbo and Fantasia, and worked on many of the studio's shorts through the mid-1940s, including such Donald Duck shorts as The Plastics Inventor and Donald's Double Trouble. He left Disney and in the 1950s became the layout artist for Chuck Jones, in the absence of Maurice Noble. He was the layout man on eight Jones shorts, including some memorable films like Broom-Stick Bunny and Rocket-bye Baby (both 1956).
After his short stint with Jones, Nordli returned to Disney where he worked on Sleeping Beauty and One Hundred and One Dalmatians, on which he was a layout stylist. He played an important role in designing the background drawing style on Dalmatians.
Nordli continued working until his death. His later credits include The Alvin Show, Gay Purr-ee (1962), Hey There, It's Yogi Bear! (1964), The Man from Button Willow (1965) and the show Johnny Cypher in Dimension Zero. Nordli also designed many comic book covers for Dell in the early-1950s.
He died in April 1968 in San Francisco, California, aged 55. Fellow layout artist Walt Peregoy said that he committed suicide. -Wikipedia
Production Design
In 1869, Justin Eagle lives on his ranch called "The Eagle's Nest" near the town of Button Willow, California. In addition to being a rancher, Juston is a trouble-shooter for the U. S. Government which calls for him to act as an undercover operative and thwart the forces of evil in the rapidly-growing West. He is sent to San Franciso to find missing U. S. Senaator Freeman, who has disappeared while fighting the efforts of Montgomery Blaine, a villain who has been, with the aid of his henchman, "The Whip," forcing settlers to sell their land to him, not knowing that the land is in the path of a proposed railroad, from Utah, that will link the western United States to the East. Senator Freeman is the leader of an effort to veer the railroad southward to bypass Blaine's land and, for his efforts, is kidnapped by Bliane's henchmen and shanghaied from the San Francisco waterfront. Justin Eagle's job is to find and return him safely.
Production Design
Mewsette is a starry-eyed cat who grows weary of life on a French farm and heads for the excitement of 1890s Paris. Her tomcat suitor, Jaune-Tom, and his furry cohort, Robespierre, chase after Mewsette, but she's already fallen under the spell of a feline modeling-school racket run by Madame Rubens-Chatte and her slimy assistant, Meowrice.
Production Design
Sea Captain Windwagon Smith hits Westport, Kansas, the starting point of the old Oregon and Santa Fe Trails, and is quickly the laughing stock of the town; instead of traveling in the usual oxen-drawn covered wagon, he is at the helm and wheel of a Contestoga-type wagon with a full set of sails. He plans to go to Oregon by taking advantage of the prairie winds. First, he wins over the town mayor, falls in love with the mayor's beautiful daughter, Molly Crum, and then secures financial backing from the townspeople. He sets sail across the plains, with Molly Crum as a covered-wagon stowaway, and a Kansas twister looming on the horizon. And, then, the wind hits the sails. And the fan, too, if he had had one.
Layout
J.J. Fate again shows us how accidents aren't his fault, but instead are the result of carelessness. Donald is Mr. Careful at home, but at work, he starts right off by falling down the stairs. He has run-ins with a punch press, flammable paint, a conveyor belt, loose clothing, a monkey wrench, and other problems.
Layout
The city of Anyburg decides its traffic situation has gotten out of hand, so it puts the automobile on trial. The trial (conducted in rhyme) starts with a car that was in a hit-and-run accident, followed by a sports car whose sins are peeling rubber and general hot-rodding, followed by a heap, on trial for lack of safety. Next, a number of safety equipment designers testify that, despite their best efforts, the accident rate keeps rising. Through all this, the defense lawyer declines to ask questions. A highway designer bemoans the problems on his beautiful roads. At last, defense. He shows a number of scenarios, pointing out that the real problem isn't the car but the driver. Everyone left the courtroom, declaring the car not guilty, and drove politely again, for a little while.
Layout
It's a peaceful day in a local city when suddenly, duck J.J. Fate appears to lecture us on how "fate" isn't to blame for accidents, people are! He uses Donald Duck as an example. Donald is extremely accident prone. He lights his pipe in a room with a gas leak, slips on a throw rug while carrying a fish bowl, overloads electrical outlets, and continually falls down the stairs. Finally, Donald has had enough and fixes his house guaranteeing no more accidents. That's good for Donald but the rest of the accident prone city still has to learn "not to blame fate for your carelessness".
Layout
Wile E. Coyote unsuccessfully chases the Road Runner using such contrivances as a rifle, a steel plate, a dynamite stick on an extending metal pulley, a painting of a collapsed bridge (which the Coyote falls into while Road Runner passes right through), and a jet motor.
Layout
Baby-Faced Finster robs a bank, but the baby carriage with the money in it goes down Bugs' rabbit hole.
Layout
For some reason, Donald adopts a baby. It turns out not to be a duck, but a kangaroo. Donald takes little Joey home and tries to make him take a bath, with the help of the friendly lady of the adoption bureau on the telephone telling him what to do. After the bath, Donald's baby is scared by the rug made of a bear.
Layout
Donald Duck would never believe it, but he suffers from sleepwalking. In this blessed innocent state he makes a nightly call at Daisy's, as if it were the time of their romantic appointment; knowing one should not wake or contradict a sleepwalker, she plays along, but finds it increasingly difficult to follow Donald and prevent him coming to harm when he ignorantly strolls the most dangerous places, such as the lion's cage in the zoo, including impossible ones, such as up a wall and even upside down. When she finally gets Donald safely in bed, he wakes up and thinks, seeing her sneak out, she's the sleepwalker.
Background Designer
Donald Duck would never believe it, but he suffers from sleepwalking. In this blessed innocent state he makes a nightly call at Daisy's, as if it were the time of their romantic appointment; knowing one should not wake or contradict a sleepwalker, she plays along, but finds it increasingly difficult to follow Donald and prevent him coming to harm when he ignorantly strolls the most dangerous places, such as the lion's cage in the zoo, including impossible ones, such as up a wall and even upside down. When she finally gets Donald safely in bed, he wakes up and thinks, seeing her sneak out, she's the sleepwalker.
Background Designer
A snowy scene; Daisy would like a fur coat, so Donald filches a baby bear from its sleeping mother. But the mother awakens and tracks Donald (and her baby) down. Donald uses his own fur coat to disguise himself as a bear cub. The real cub returns, and Donald looks like he might be in trouble, but a jar of honey turns him into the bear's best friend instead.
Layout
A snowy scene; Daisy would like a fur coat, so Donald filches a baby bear from its sleeping mother. But the mother awakens and tracks Donald (and her baby) down. Donald uses his own fur coat to disguise himself as a bear cub. The real cub returns, and Donald looks like he might be in trouble, but a jar of honey turns him into the bear's best friend instead.
Layout
Donald re-paints his car, and a bird lands on it. In the mayhem that ensues, the car ends up covered with handprints, spotted a dozen different colors, stripped of paint, and covered with the stuffing from the seats so that it resembles a sheepdog.
Layout
Daisy tells Donald he has to improve his English and manners before she'll see him again. Fortunately, an exact double with an English accent, clear speech, and impeccable manners happens by. Donald talks him into posing as Donald, but grows increasingly jealous as Daisy hugs and kisses the stranger.
Layout
By accident, Cedric (Goofy), replaces his master, Sir Loinsteak, in the armor just before the joust with champion Sir Cumference.
Layout
Donald is a park ranger, assigned to protect the giant tree Old Sequoia from a pair of beavers that bear a striking resemblance in their tactics and speech to Chip 'n' Dale.
Layout
Donald visits Daisy. When he can't open a window, he flies into a rage and practically destroys her house. She won't see him again until he takes care of that temper. He orders a mail-order insult machine, which promises that if Donald can endure 10 minutes of abuse without losing his temper, he'll be cured. It proceeds to deliver physical and verbal abuse, and Donald is cured. He goes back and Daisy tests him on the balky window.
Layout
On the night he promised to take his girl-friend Daisy out, Donald Duck discovers he's skinned. Desperate for spending money, he gets it in the last place he knows: his three nephews' piggy bank. After the wild clubbing night, she thanks the 'rich' big spender, which only makes Donald remember how penniless and guilty he is. Images of merciless pursuit by the police and rotting jail finish him off, so he takes a dish washing job, all night, but will that make everything all-right?
Layout
Donald takes a job as a gift wrapper in a department store.
Layout
Donald is listening to a radio program that tells how to build an airplane from plastic, in a process much like baking a cake, cookies, and making toast. He takes it out for a test flight, still guided by the radio, and it works wonderfully. Until the radio interviewer asks if there's any problems: yes, it melts when it gets wet. Of course, Donald instantly flies into a rain cloud, and has to battle his plane as it disintegrates.
