Ginni Mack obit

Remembering Ginni Mack 

She was not on the list.

We are sorry to report that Ginni Mack, who brought her expert eye for color to The Walt Disney Studios’ Ink & Paint Department for many years, and who served as the original model for Tinker Bell, has passed away. She was 90.

The Oklahoma-born Helen Virginia Gilliland moved to California with her family at age 10. She grew up just a few miles from the Disney studio, in Glendale, where she honed her artistic talent and excelled academically, earning the highest SAT score in her class for mechanical aptitude—higher than any of her male classmates.

Ginni came to work at The Walt Disney Studios in 1946. The 18 year old began as a painter in the Ink & Paint Department, and her keen color sense soon landed her an assignment in the Paint Lab—otherwise known as the “Rainbow Room.” Ginni specialized in Mix & Match and lent her artistry to many Disney animated films of the post-war era and early 1950s.

During development of the characters for the animated feature Peter Pan, legendary animator Marc Davis called upon Ginni for a special assignment: With her signature blonde bun and side-swept bangs, Ginni served as inspiration for the film’s iconic pixie, Tinker Bell. She would not be officially identified as the original model for the character until many years after the production of the film.

In 1958, Ginni married Brice Mack, who also worked for the Disney studio as a background painter and story artist. After leaving Disney in 1952, Ginni worked for several other animation studios and dedicated herself to her family.

When production for Pete’s Dragon got underway, Ginni joined a select group of talented Ink & Paint artists and returned to the Company in the late 1970s. As Paint Supervisor, Ginni oversaw the color and artistry of many Disney animated films of this era, and also took part in the early development and testing of CAPS, Disney’s Computer Animation Production System for digital Ink & Paint. She retired in 1991.

Ginni continued to be part of the Disney family; she shared fond memories of her Ink & Paint days at a wide range of events, including D23’s Destination D in 2012 and The Art of Animation Featuring Pinocchio in 2015, when Ginni revealed that of all the animated classics she worked on, Cinderella—and its adorable mice—was her personal favorite.

Mack’s death on August 23 was reported by Disney historian and family friend, Mindy Johnson, who spotlights the late artist in her soon-to-be-released book Ink & Paint: The Women of Walt Disney’s Animation.

Mack made important contributions to the classic era of Disney animation. Hired in her late teens as a painter, “Ginni” (short for her middle name, Virginia) quickly proved her artistic worth and keen color sense, and was appointed to the legendary “Rainbow Room” Legendary animator Marc Davis used her as his muse for Peter Pan’s pixie pal in 1953. In 1958, she married Disney background painter and story artist Brice Mack. Having worked for other studios and raised a son (Oscar-winning VFX artist Kevin Mack), Mack was one of a select group of I&P artists asked to return to Disney for Pete’s Dragon, and she later helped develop and test the studio’s digital ink and paint system before retiring in 1991.

Ginni is survived by her son, Kevin, and his wife Martha; grandsons Jonathan and Ray; stepsons Brice and Greg; and step-grandson Dan Mack.

Animation Department

House of Mouse (2001)

Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse

6.6

Video

painter (segment "Mickey's Christmas Carol", uncredited)

2001

 

Charlie Adler, Wayne Allwine, Tony Anselmo, Arthur Burghardt, and Bill Farmer in The Prince and the Pauper (1990)

The Prince and the Pauper

7.1

Short

painting supervisor (uncredited)

1990

 

Jodi Benson in The Little Mermaid (1989)

The Little Mermaid

7.6

painting supervisor

1989

 

Bette Midler, Cheech Marin, Roscoe Lee Browne, Billy Joel, Joey Lawrence, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Richard Mulligan in Oliver & Company (1988)

Oliver & Company

6.6

painting supervisor

1988

 

Vincent Price, Val Bettin, Eve Brenner, Candy Candido, Diana Chesney, Barrie Ingham, Melissa Manchester, Susanne Pollatschek, Frank Welker, and Alan Young in The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

The Great Mouse Detective

7.1

painting assistant

1986

 

Nigel Hawthorne, Grant Bardsley, John Byner, Phil Fondacaro, and Susan Sheridan in The Black Cauldron (1985)

The Black Cauldron

6.3

painter

1985

 

Wayne Allwine, Dick Billingsley, and Alan Young in Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983)

Mickey's Christmas Carol

8.0

Short

painter (uncredited)

1983

 

Corey Feldman, Jack Albertson, Pearl Bailey, Richard Bakalyan, Pat Buttram, Candy Candido, Keith Coogan, Clarence Nash, Jeanette Nolan, Paul Winchell, and 'Squeeks' the Caterpillar in The Fox and the Hound (1981)

The Fox and the Hound

7.2

painter (uncredited)

1981

 

Sean Marshall, Clarence Nash, and Hal Smith in The Small One (1978)

The Small One

7.5

Short

painter (uncredited)

1978

 

Charlie Callas and Sean Marshall in Pete's Dragon (1977)

Pete's Dragon

6.3

painter (uncredited)

1977

 

Eva Gabor, Joe Flynn, Jim Jordan, James MacDonald, Bob Newhart, and Geraldine Page in The Rescuers (1977)

The Rescuers

6.9

painter (uncredited)

1977

 

Peter Ustinov, Brian Bedford, Pat Buttram, Ken Curtis, Andy Devine, Monica Evans, Phil Harris, Roger Miller, Carole Shelley, and Terry-Thomas in Robin Hood (1973)

Robin Hood

7.5

ink and paint (uncredited)

1973

 

Angela Lansbury, Dal McKennon, Bob Holt, Cindy O'Callaghan, Roy Snart, David Tomlinson, Ian Weighill, and Lennie Weinrib in Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)

Bedknobs and Broomsticks

7.1

painter (uncredited)

1971

 

Scatman Crothers, Eva Gabor, Sterling Holloway, Hermione Baddeley, Pat Buttram, Dean Clark, Gary Dubin, Liz English, Phil Harris, Lord Tim Hudson, George Lindsey, Roddy Maude-Roxby, Thurl Ravenscroft, Vito Scotti, and Paul Winchell in The Aristocats (1970)

The Aristocats

7.1

painter (uncredited)

1970

 

Dad... Can I Borrow the Car? (1970)

Dad... Can I Borrow the Car?

6.7

TV Movie

painter (uncredited)

1970

 

Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968)

Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day

7.9

Short

painter (uncredited)

1968

 

The Jungle Book (1967)

The Jungle Book

7.6

painter (uncredited)

1967

 

Sterling Holloway, Clint Howard, Barbara Luddy, Junius Matthews, Bruce Reitherman, Hal Smith, and Ralph Wright in Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966)

Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree

8.0

Short

painter (uncredited)

1966

 

Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins (1964)

Mary Poppins

7.8

painter (uncredited)

1964

 

Junius Matthews, Rickie Sorensen, Karl Swenson, and Martha Wentworth in The Sword in the Stone (1963)

The Sword in the Stone

7.1

painter (uncredited)

1963

 

The Saga of Windwagon Smith (1961)

The Saga of Windwagon Smith

6.4

Short

ink and paint (uncredited)

1961

 

Rod Taylor, Sandra Abbott, Cate Bauer, Barbara Beaird, Lisa Daniels, Lisa Davis, David Frankham, Betty Lou Gerson, Mimi Gibson, Barbara Luddy, Mickey Maga, J. Pat O'Malley, Tudor Owen, Thurl Ravenscroft, Rickie Sorensen, Martha Wentworth, Mary Wickes, Frederick Worlock, and Ben Wright in One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)

One Hundred and One Dalmatians

7.3

ink and paint (uncredited)

1961

 

Goliath II (1960)

Goliath II

6.7

Short

painter (uncredited)

1960

 

Clarence Nash in Donald in Mathmagic Land (1959)

Donald in Mathmagic Land

7.8

Short

ink and paint artist (uncredited)

1959

 

Sleeping Beauty (1959)

Sleeping Beauty

7.2

inker

painter (uncredited)

1959

 

Paul Bunyan (1958)

Paul Bunyan

6.9

Short

ink and paint (uncredited)

1958

 

Barbara Luddy and Larry Roberts in Lady and the Tramp (1955)

Lady and the Tramp

7.3

ink and paint (uncredited)

1955

 

Mel Blanc, June Foray, Kathryn Beaumont, Tony Butala, Paul Collins, Hans Conried, Bobby Driscoll, Robert Ellis, Connie Hilton, Margaret Kerry, Tommy Luske, John Wilder, Jeffrey Silver, Stuffy Singer, and Anne Whitfield in Peter Pan (1953)

Peter Pan

7.3

ink and paint (uncredited)

1953

 

Mel Blanc, Sterling Holloway, Heather Angel, Kathryn Beaumont, Lucille Bliss, Jerry Colonna, Pinto Colvig, Verna Felton, Larry Grey, Richard Haydn, Joseph Kearns, Bill Lee, Queenie Leonard, Doris Lloyd, Tommy Luske, James MacDonald, Marni Nixon, J. Pat O'Malley, Thurl Ravenscroft, Max Smith, Bill Thompson, Dink Trout, Ed Wynn, Norma Zimmer, The Mellowmen Quartet, and Bob Hamlin in Alice in Wonderland (1951)

Alice in Wonderland

7.3

ink & paint (uncredited)

1951

 

Beulah Bondi, Bobby Driscoll, Burl Ives, and Luana Patten in So Dear to My Heart (1948)

So Dear to My Heart

6.7

painter (uncredited)

1948