Robert “Bob” Stanton, a background artist and art director who worked at Disney throughout the 1990s, died on August 13. His death was announced on Facebook by Waysun, the video game company where he was working.
Hailing from L.A., Stanton graduated from California’s Orange Coast College with a degree in illustration and animation in 1983. He did stints at a number of studios including Filmation, where he drew backgrounds for Ghostbusters and She-Ra: Princess of Power, before joining Walt Disney Feature Animation in 1988.
Stanton arrived the studio just in time for its second golden age. He went on to produce backgrounds and color scripts for its greatest films of the period, such as The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, The Lion King, Mulan, and Lilo & Stitch (by which point he was serving as background supervisor). He was also art director on the 2000 short John Henry.