Editing John Hench

{{Short description|Disney artist (1908–2004)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = John Hench
| image              = JohnHenchDisney.jpg
| caption            = Hench (left) with [[Walt Disney]]
| birth_date         = June 29, 1908
| birth_place        = [[Cedar Rapids, Iowa]], U.S.
| death_date         = February 5, 2004 (aged 95)
| death_place        = [[Burbank, California]], U.S.
| occupation         = Artist, designer, director
| years_active       = 1939–2004
| spouse             = Lowry Hench (m. 1939)
| employer           = Walt Disney Imagineering
}}
'''John Hench''' (June 29, 1908 – February 5, 2004) was an American artist, designer and director at [[The Walt Disney Company]]. For 65 years, he helped design and develop various Disney attractions and theme parks.<ref name="d23.com">{{cite web|url=https://d23.com/john-hench/|title=John Hench|publisher=D23|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

== Early life ==
Hench was born on June 29, 1908, in [[Cedar Rapids, Iowa]], and raised in [[Southern California]]. He attended the [[Art Students League |Los Angeles Art Students' League]]. Hench attended further art and creative schools in the United States, including the [[Otis College of Art and Design]] in Los Angeles,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.otis.edu/alumni/john-hench|title=John Hench|website=Otis College of Art and Design|access-date=23 March 2019}}</ref> the [[San Francisco Art Institute]] in San Francisco, and the [[Chouinard Art Institute]] in Los Angeles.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2004/feb/13/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries1|title=Obituary: John Hench|last=Holland|first=Steve|date=February 13, 2004|work=The Guardian|access-date=23 March 2019|issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

== Career ==
In 1939, Hench started as a [[storyboard artist|story artist]] in the [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|animation department]] working in areas including [[Traditional animation#Backgrounds|backgrounds]], [[Traditional animation#Layout|layout]] and [[Art direction#In film|art direction]], [[Traditional animation#Special effects animation|effects animation]] and [[special effect]]s. Hench was respected by [[Walt Disney]] as one of the studio's most gifted artists and worked him and [[Salvador Dalí]] on the animated short ''[[Destino]]'', a project which began in 1945 and not completed until 2003.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/hollywood/walt-disneys-wild-ride-with-surrealist-salvador-dali-1.1533379|title=Walt Disney's wild ride with surrealist Salvador Dali|website=Gulf News|date=June 11, 2015 |access-date=23 March 2019}}</ref>

Afterwards, he moved to [[Walt Disney Imagineering|WED Enterprises]] (now known as [[Walt Disney Imagineering]]). In 1954, Hench was in the studio's [[Walt Disney Pictures|live action department]], as lead developer of the [[hydraulic]] giant squid in ''[[20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954 film)|20,000 Leagues Under the Sea]].'' The film won an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] for [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects|Best Special Effects]] in 1954.<ref name=":0" /> Hench was also Disney's official portrait artist of [[Mickey Mouse]], painting the company's portraits for Mickey's 25th, 50th, 60th, 70th, and 75th birthdays.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.designingdisney.com/content/john-hench|title=John Hench|date=March 22, 2012|website=Designing Disney|access-date=23 March 2019}}</ref>

Hench led the design for various attractions: [[Tomorrowland (Disney Parks)|Tomorrowland]], the [[Adventureland (Disney)|Adventureland]] buildings and walkways, [[New Orleans Square]] and the [[Snow White]] Grotto. He also designed [[Space Mountain (Magic Kingdom)|Space Mountain]], and [[Cinderella Castle]] at the [[Magic Kingdom]] and [[Tokyo Disneyland]]. He also contributed to attractions such as the [[Mickey Mouse Revue]], [[Carousel of Progress]] and [[It's a Small World]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-feb-06-me-hench6-story.html|title=John Hench, 95; Disney Artist Helped Design Theme Parks|last=Solomon|first=Charles|date=February 6, 2004|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=21 October 2015|issn=0458-3035}}</ref> Hench was often mistaken as Walt Disney, therefore, theme parks guests would often ask him for an autograph or photo.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.themainstreetmouse.com/2013/03/21/the-minds-who-built-disney-john-hench/|title=The Minds Who Built Disney: John Hench|website=The Main Street Mouse|date=March 21, 2013 |access-date=23 March 2019}}</ref>

One of Hench's most recognizable work is his design for the [[Olympic Torch]] for the [[1960 Winter Olympics]] at [[Squaw Valley, Placer County, California|Squaw Valley]], California, which subsequent torches have been based on.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/john-hench-37978.html|title=John Hench|date=February 12, 2004|website=The Independent|access-date=23 March 2019}}</ref> The design is modeled after the torches of the 1948 and 1956 Olympiads.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalhen.co.uk/news/uk-13424048#content-2012s|title=Digital Hen recycling – Uk 13424048}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.waltdisney.org/storyboard/look-closer-olympic-torch|title=Look Closer: The Olympic Torch &#124; the Walt Disney Family Museum|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140527212929/http://www.waltdisney.org/storyboard/look-closer-olympic-torch|archive-date=May 27, 2014|url-status=dead|access-date=26 May 2014}}</ref> In 1990, he received the [[Disney Legend]] award, the company's highest honor, presented by then-CEO [[Michael Eisner]]. Hench remained at Walt Disney Imagineering in [[Glendale, California]], until 2004.

== Personal life ==
Hench and his wife were longtime devotees of the [[Hindu]] saint [[Ramakrishna]], were initiated by [[Swami Prabhavananda]], and were members of the Vedanta Society of Southern California, Hench serving as the society's board president for a short time.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eLUtDwAAQBAJ&q=%22john+hench%22+vedanta&pg=PA396|title=God's Dog:Memories, Confessions, Dreams & Revelations of a Modern Mystic|last=Schindler|first=William|date=February 13, 2016|publisher=lulu.com|isbn=9781329901131}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vedantawritings.com/HVS7.pdf|title=Ramakrishna-Vedanta in Southern California: From Swami Vivekananda to the Present|last=Stavig|first=Gopal|publisher=vedantawritings.com}}</ref>

== Death and legacy==
Hench died of heart failure on February 5, 2004, after a brief hospitalization in [[Burbank, California]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.awn.com/news/disney-legend-john-hench-dies|title=Disney Legend John Hench Dies}}</ref>

The John Hench School of Animation at the [[University of Southern California]]'s [[USC School of Cinematic Arts|School of Cinematic Arts]] in Los Angeles, California is named in his honor. He was a major contributor to the animation school. The school motto, "''Art Makes Us Human''", is a quote from Hench when he visited the school to inspire students.

==Selected works==

{| class="wikitable"
|+
Animation
!Year
!Title
!Role
|-
|1940
|''[[Fantasia (1940 film)|Fantasia]]''
| rowspan="3" |Artist
|-
|1941
|''[[Dumbo]]'' 
|-
|1945
|''[[The Three Caballeros]]''
|-
|1946
|''[[Make Mine Music]]''
|Art Supervisor
|-
|1947
|''[[Fun & Fancy Free]]''
|Artist
|-
| rowspan="2" |1949
|''[[The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad]]''
|Art Supervisor
|-
|''[[So Dear to My Heart]]''
|Animation Effects
|-
|1950
|''[[Cinderella (1950 film)|Cinderella]]''
| rowspan="3" |Art Supervisor
|-
|1951
|''[[Alice in Wonderland (1951 film)|Alice in Wonderland]]'' 
|-
| rowspan="2" |1953
|''[[Peter Pan (1953 film)|Peter Pan]]'' 
|-
|''[[The Living Desert|True-Life Adventure The Living Desert]]''
|Animation Effects
|-
|1954
|''[[20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954 film)|20,000 Leagues Under the Sea]]'' 
|Special Effects
|-
|1957
|''[[Our Friend the Atom]]'' 
|Art Supervisor
|-
|1977
|''[[The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh]]''
|Special Effects
|-
|2003
|''[[Destino]]''
|Story
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+Architect / Designer
!Year
!Attraction
|-
| –
|''Disneyland [[Tomorrowland (Disney Parks)|Tomorrowland]]''
|-
|1971
|''[[Walt Disney World]]''
|-
|1982
|''[[EPCOT]]'' Center 
|-
|1983
|''[[Tokyo Disneyland]]'' 
|}

==Awards==
*[[Themed Entertainment Association]] Lifetime Achievement Award 1998<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.teaconnect.org/thea-recipients |title=Thea Recipients &#124; Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) |access-date=25 April 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120502054010/http://www.teaconnect.org/thea-recipients |archive-date=May 2, 2012 }}</ref> 
*[[Disney Legend]] (Animation & Imagineering) 1990<ref name="d23.com"/>
*[[Academy Award]] for [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects|Best Special Effects]], [[20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954 film)|20,000 Leagues Under the Sea]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Okcsd-PfyS0|title=Walt Disney Studios Wins Special Effects: 1955 Oscars – YouTube|website=[[YouTube]] }}</ref>

==Further reading==
*Ghez, Didier, ''Walt's People Volume 1: Talking Disney with the Artists Who Knew Him'', Theme Park Press, 2005.
*Hench, John, ''Designing Disney: Imagineering and the Art of the Show'', Disney Editions, 2003 Hardback/2009 Paperback.
*Kurtti, Jeff, ''Walt Disney's Imagineering Legends and the Genesis of the Disney Theme Park'', Disney Editions, 2008.
*{{cite book |author1=Hench, John  |author2=Van Pelt, Peggy | year = 2003 | title = Designing Disney: Imagineering and the Art of the Show | publisher = Disney Editions | isbn = 0-7868-5406-5}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110609182054/http://legends.disney.go.com/legends/detail?key=John+Hench Disney Legends: John Hench]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060911164841/http://www.startedbyamouse.com/archives/JohnHench.shtml Remembering John Hench by Matthew Walker]
*[https://archive.today/20130104043456/http://www.mouseplanet.com/articles.php?art=fm040210sh John Hench: Foundations of Magic]
*{{IMDb name|id=0376245|name=John Hench}}

{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for John Hench
|list =
{{Disney Legends Awards 1990s}}
{{Winsor McCay Award 2000s}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hench, John}}
[[Category:1908 births]]
[[Category:2004 deaths]]
[[Category:American animators]]
[[Category:Artists from Cedar Rapids, Iowa]]
[[Category:Otis College of Art and Design alumni]]
[[Category:Disney imagineers]]
[[Category:Disney Legends]]
[[Category:Walt Disney Animation Studios people]]