Retta Scott made history as the first woman to receive an official animator credit in the end titles at Walt Disney Studios. Her journey to this achievement led through years of underappreciation, gender bias, and constant struggle for recognition in the male-dominated film industry of the 1930s and 1940s.
An Extraordinary Talent
Born in 1916 in the small town of Omak, Washington, Retta Scott demonstrated exceptional artistic abilities from an early age. As early as fourth grade, she received a scholarship from the Seattle Art & Music Foundation, opening ten years of intensive art education. This early support shaped her sensitivity and technique, laying the foundation for her future career in animation.
After finishing high school, the young artist earned a three-year scholarship to the prestigious Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles. It was there, in sunny California, that she discovered her true passion.
She spent every spare moment at the nearby Griffith Park zoo, sketching wild animals with remarkable precision and dynamism. Her drawings radiated life and motion—qualities that could not be learned from textbooks.
Initially, Scott dreamed of a career in fine arts and was not interested in animation. However, the institute’s director Vern Caldwell saw something unique in her work. Knowing about the production of a feature-length film about a young deer, he urged her to apply to Disney Studios. Though she initially hesitated, disdaining short comedic films, the prospect of working on such an ambitious film project convinced her to change her plans.
A Breakthrough in the Male World of Animation
In 1938, Scott joined the team working on Bambi, first handling storyboards. Her task was to develop scenes featuring the main character, his mother, and hunting dogs.
She spent weeks on the last element, creating images of beasts full of fury and menace. The outcome exceeded the wildest expectations, even among the studio’s most experienced team members.
The men at the studio were astounded when they learned who was behind these intense, tension-filled sketches. It was widely assumed that only a man could have created such highly technical and emotionally charged drawings.
Walt Disney himself took notice of her work, resulting in an unprecedented promotion. Scott was entrusted with animating the chase scene of the hunting dogs after Faline, working under director David D. Hand and learning from legendary animator Eric Larson.
This promotion marked a real breakthrough in Disney’s corporate culture. At that time, women were relegated solely to the tedious and repetitive task of painting cels, considered women’s work precisely because it required patience and precision, not creativity. Scott, along with other pioneers like Bianca Majolie and Sylvia Holland, proved that talent knows no gender. By spring 1941, she was already recognized as a specialist in animal sketches.
The Later Years of a Remarkable Artist
Scott’s career at Disney spanned several iconic productions, including Fantasia and Dumbo. She also contributed to the adaptation of The Wind in the Willows, which ultimately became part of the 1949 anthology.
Despite her artistic successes, her position at the company remained uncertain. In 1941, she was laid off during an animators’ strike, even though she did not participate. She was, however, quickly rehired for educational film projects.
In 1946, Scott left the studio after marrying submarine commander Benjamin Worcester. The couple moved to Washington, where she continued her career as a children’s book illustrator. Her work for publishers—including illustrations for the book version of Disney’s Cinderella—captivated new generations of artists. Jonas Rivera, producer of the Oscar-winning film Up, remarked that although her illustrations don’t look like film frames, they perfectly capture its atmosphere.
After her divorce in 1978, Scott returned to professional animation, working for the Luckey-Zamora Moving Picture Company. Even in her advanced age, she continued to impress colleagues and eagerly shared her expertise with younger artists.
She passed away in 1990. A decade later, the Walt Disney Company posthumously awarded her the Disney Legends award. Her original sketches can be seen today at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, where they inspire new generations of female animators to break down barriers in this demanding industry.
Rory Thornfield
Rory's grandfather left behind a wartime diary filled with accounts of a minor Burma skirmish that history books never mentioned. Reading it, Rory realized: behind every famous battle are dozens of forgotten struggles, each with its own human drama.
His preferred topics: The overlooked corners of military history – secondary campaigns, shadow battalions, local conflicts that never made headlines. From medieval sieges to twentieth-century expeditions, he focuses on the soldiers, not the generals. The people who faced impossible choices and carried those experiences forever.
Rory strips away the romanticism without losing respect for those who served. He combines tactical analysis with personal stories, examining human endurance and moral complexity rather than celebrating warfare. His writing is balanced, thoughtful, and deeply researched.
Outside work, Rory visits forgotten battlefields (now quiet farmland), photographs war memorials nobody tends anymore, and interviews veterans' families.