Nationality American Name Xavier Atencio | Role Animator | |
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Occupation Imagineer, writer, lyricist, animator, voice actor Movies The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree Similar People Buddy Baker, George Bruns, Paul Frees, Ken Anderson, J Pat O'Malley | ||
Education Chouinard Art Institute | ||
Xavier Atencio
Francis Xavier Atencio, also known as X Atencio (September 4, 1919 – September 10, 2017), was an animator and Imagineer for The Walt Disney Company.
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American animator Xavier Atencio passed away at 98
Biography
Atencio was born in Walsenburg, Colorado, in 1919. He was a Disney artist from 1938 until 1965, when he became an Imagineer to help design the Disneyland Railroad's Primeval World diorama segment. He then contributed to various Disney attractions. He wrote the script for both Adventure Thru Inner Space and Pirates of the Caribbean, for which he also penned the lyrics to the theme song, "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" and provided the voices of various characters within the attraction, including the talking skull. He also wrote the script for the Haunted Mansion, including the lyrics to that attraction's theme song, "Grim Grinning Ghosts (The Screaming Song)." Atencio's voice can also be heard emanating from the coffin in the Haunted Mansion's conservatory. In addition, in the Disneyland mansion, when the attraction comes to a temporary halt it is his voice that provides the emergency spiel. Another brief voice-over Atencio provided was for the Submarine Voyage Thru Liquid Space where he is addressed as "Bridge." He also wrote the lyrics to Buddy Baker's music for the retired Magic Kingdom attraction If You Had Wings.
Atencio served as a photo interpreter in the U.S. Army Air Forces from 1941 to 1945 during World War II, reaching the rank of captain in the 2nd Photo Tech Squadron. Stationed in England, he was part of team that would analyze aerial surveillance for military intelligence. He retired from The Walt Disney Company in 1984 and was named a Disney Legend in 1996. Atencio died on September 10, 2017, at the age of 98.