Disney artist Peter Ellenshaw dies

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Feb. 15 (UPI) -- Peter Ellenshaw, whose special effects work in "Mary Poppins" earned him an Oscar, has died at his Santa Barbara, Calif., home at the age of 93.

The British-born Ellenshaw's began his more than 30-year association with Walt Disney Studios in 1947 when he was hired in London to do matte paintings for "Treasure Island," Disney's first live-action film, the Los Angeles times said Thursday.

In 1953, Disney brought him to California to work on "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." Ellenshaw did matte paintings and other special effects for more than 30 Disney films, including "Pollyanna," "Swiss Family Robinson," "The Happiest Millionaire," "The Love Bug" and "The Black Hole," as well as for Disney television shows.

"He's one of the titans of visual effects in an era before people took visual special effects for granted," film critic and historian Leonard Maltin told the Times.

Ellenshaw retired in 1974, turning his artist's eye to sea and landscapes and occasionally returning to a film studio for matte work. His last matte paintings were for the 1990 film "Dick Tracy."

Ellenshaw, who died Monday, is survived by a son, a daughter and two grandchildren.