View source for Riley Thomson

{{about||the American baseball player|Riley Thompson|}}
{{Short description|American animator and comics artist}}
{{Infobox person
| name        = Riley Thomson
| image       = 
| alt         = 
| caption     = 
| birth_name  = Riley A. Thomson Jr.
| birth_date  = {{Birth date|1912|10|05}}
| birth_place = [[Alhambra, California]], U.S.
| death_date  = {{Death date and age|1960|01|26|1912|10|05}}
| death_place = [[California]], U.S.
| other_names = Riley Thompson
| known_for   = 
| occupation  = Animator, comics artist
| years_active = 1930–1960
| employer           = [[Warner Bros Cartoons|Leon Schlesinger Productions]] (1935-1936)<br>[[Walt Disney Productions]] (1936-1950)<br>[[Western Publishing]] (1950-1953)<br>[[Walter Lantz Productions]] (1957-1960)
}}
'''Riley A. Thomson Jr.''' (October 5, 1912 – January 26, 1960) was an American [[animator]] and [[comics artist]] who spent most of his career working with [[The Walt Disney Company|Walt Disney]] films and characters. He directed six Disney [[short film]]s including ''[[The Nifty Nineties]]'' and ''[[Symphony Hour]]''.

==Career==
Thomson began his career in 1930 at the ill-fated studio of [[Romer Grey]]. In 1935, he joined [[Warner Bros. Cartoons|Leon Schlesinger Productions]] (Warner Bros.) as an animator. While there he worked on ''[[Merrie Melodies]]'' cartoons and focused on the character [[Porky Pig]]. The following year Thomson went to work at [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Walt Disney Productions]]. He was first an animator and worked on ''Mickey Mouse'', ''[[Silly Symphonies]]'', and ''Donald Duck'' short films. He also worked on the feature-length film ''[[Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs]]'' (1937) and "''[[The Sorcerer's Apprentice]]''" segment of ''[[Fantasia (1940 film)|Fantasia]]'' (1940).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lambiek.net/artists/t/thomson_riley.htm|title=Riley Thomson}}</ref>

After working on ''Fantasia'' Thomson moved to the story department where he became a writer and director. He directed the short films ''[[Put-Put Troubles]]'' (1940), ''[[The Little Whirlwind]]'' (1941), ''[[The Nifty Nineties]]'' (1941), the 1941 remake of ''[[Orphan's Benefit#Remake|Orphans' Benefit]]'', ''[[Mickey's Birthday Party]]'' (1942), and ''[[Symphony Hour]]'' (1942). He also received story credits for ''They're Off'' (1948) and ''[[Dude Duck]]'' (1951). (The latter misspells his surname as "Thompson.")

In 1950, Thomson moved into the field of comics. He worked for [[Western Publishing]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lambiek.net/artists/t/thomson_riley.htm|title=Riley Thomson}}</ref>
from 1950 to 1953 drawing for several different comic books. His work mainly included [[Disney comics]] featuring  [[Mickey Mouse]], [[Donald Duck]], [[Pluto (Disney)|Pluto]], [[Chip 'n' Dale]], [[Duck family (Disney)#Grandma Duck|Grandma Duck]], and [[List of Disney's Cinderella characters#Jaq and Gus|Jaq & Gus]]. He also drew [[Woody Woodpecker]] comics.

Throughout the 1950s, Thomson drew comic strips for the Disney Studios including ''[[Uncle Remus and His Tales of Br'er Rabbit]]'' (based on the 1946 film ''[[Song of the South]]'') and the ''[[Mickey Mouse (comic strip)|Mickey Mouse]]'' daily newspaper strip.

Thomson returned to animation in 1957 and worked for [[Walter Lantz Productions]] until 1960.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lambiek.net/artists/t/thomson_riley.htm|title=Riley Thomson}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*{{IMDb name|0860640}}
*[http://coa.inducks.org/creator.php?c=RTh Riley Thomson] at [[INDUCKS]]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomson, Riley}}
[[Category:1912 births]]
[[Category:1960 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American artists]]
[[Category:American animators]]
[[Category:American comics artists]]
[[Category:American animated film directors]]
[[Category:Walt Disney Animation Studios people]]
[[Category:People from Alhambra, California]]
[[Category:Film directors from California]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. Cartoons people]]
[[Category:Disney comics artists]]


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