Hench, John (b. 1908) - A
number of Disney
artists made the transition to theme park design,
and John Hench was one of the most successful.
Known for his sense of color, Hench was
frequently consulted about the color schemes for
Disney park attractions, hotels, and other
facilities. Before his WED work, he had been a
background painter at the Studio (notably the
"Nutcracker Suite" segment of "Fantasia"), and had
worked closely with surrealist painter Salvador
Dali on an aborted film project in 1946. It was
to Hench that Walt turned in 1953 for the first
"official portrait" of Mickey Mouse. Looking
somewhat like Walt Disney, Hench, to Walt's
consternation, was occasionally mistaken for the
boss at Disneyland.
