Arthur "Art" Stevens, illustrator, animator, and producer, was born in May 1, 1915, in Montana. Little is known of his formal art education, though he was talented enough to land a job with Walt Disney Studios in 1939 after submitting a portfolio of drawings on a whim, hearing that they would be animating one of his favorite stories, "Alice in Wonderland."

He began his career as an "inbetweener," an artist who assists main animators in making sure the transition from one key cell to another is smooth. His first self-directed scenes were in 1940's "Fantasia," and his first full character animation was in in the animated "Peter Pan" in 1953. The 1950s also saw the illustrator branch out into television work, providing concepts and animation for three landmark documentaries on space exploration, as the U.S. prepared to solidify its standing in the space race with the formation of NASA.

Later in his career he preferred to produce and direct. Included in his oeuvre is "The Fox and the Hound," which was the studio's highest-grossing film upon release in 1981. He died at his home in Studio City, California, on May 22, 2007.