Walt Disney Records:
Biography of George Bruns
During his 22-year stint with Walt Disney, composer and conductor George Bruns (1914 - 1983) received three Academy Award® nominations. The gifted Bruns has enhanced some of Disney's most successful pictures and TV shows, and Bruns' Oscar®-nominated Babes in Toyland, Sleeping Beauty, and Sword in the Stone won the love and respect of millions worldwide. Bruns joined the Disney Studio in 1953, and his work spans more than 13 films, together with major contributions to TV's "Wonderful World of Disney," "Disneyland," "Walt Disney Presents," and the original "Mickey Mouse Club."
An accomplished musician who played 15 instruments, Bruns came to Los Angeles in 1950 to arrange and conduct for Capitol Records and UPA. In 1953 Bruns was asked by Walt Disney to adapt the Tchaikovsky ballet score Sleeping Beauty for a full-length animated feature. His faithfulness to the original music and its success led to the many ensuing television and feature-film assignments.
Perhaps Bruns' greatest success came in 1955, when his score and song for "The Legend of Davy Crockett" sold 8 million copies and remained number one on the Hit Parade for six months. This was soon followed by his theme for the popular "Zorro" series, which sold another million copies. Bruns' other credits feature the themes and scores to numerous hit films, including 101 Dalmatians (original animated version), The Jungle Book, The Absent-Minded Professor, The Love Bug, and many more.