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Dusty Horner was
born in Rochelle, Illinois, in 1974. His early interest in
animation and films began as a child when his parents would rent
filmstrips of classic Disney cartoons and silent 8mm films from
the local library for special occasions. "No matter what my
parents would bring home from the library I always gravitated
toward the Disney film strips -- I was just fascinated by them."
When Horner was 15 years old, his fascination was enhanced when
his family took a vacation to the Walt Disney World in Florida
and visited the Disney-MGM Studios. "I remember going through
the exhibit and seeing all the animators working, and thinking
to myself that someday I just had to be a part of this amazing
process."
Horner graduated in
1996 with a major in Figure Sculpture and a minor emphasis in
Illustration from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design in
Wisconsin. In 1997, he relocated to California and took a
position at DreamWorks SKG Animation Studios in the Los
Angeles suburb of Glendale. Beginning as a Production Assistant,
Horner was introduced to the medium of animation maquettes
(three-dimensional sculptures used as a guide for lead
animators).
In 1999,
Horner became a freelance sculptor, eventually being hired as a
sculptor for the Walt Disney Classics Collection.
Horner's first sculpting assignment for the Walt Disney Classics
Collection was of Mickey and Minnie Mouse entitled "Hooray
for the Holidays!." Quickly Horner was
assigned larger, more detailed sculptures such as the signature
series sculpture of Cinderella and her coach entitled "Off
To The Ball," and the 2001
Disneyana convention sculpture of
Monstro the Whale.
Currently residing
in Sherman Oaks, California, Horner states "I would love to do
any characters from the Disney Theme Parks, such as 'Pirates of
the Caribbean,' 'The Haunted Mansion,' or, one of my all-time
favorites, 'The Carousel of Progress,'" says Horner.
"Additionally, I would like to do more villains, such as the
witch from 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs;' -- I never liked
her, and to this day I don't like witches!"
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