Peter Ellenshaw was born in London, England on May 24, 1913. He soon moved with his parents to Essex, England. At the outbreak of World War I, he learned to draw when his mother would put him and his sisters under the kitchen table and keep them busy with pencils and paper. Ellenshaw quickly took to sketching airplanes and Zeppelins, his talent rapidly becoming apparent. His mother remarried after Ellenshaw’s father had died when he was three. To help support the family, he dropped out of school and worked in a garage. During this time, Ellenshaw continued to draw and paint. His talents were so great that they drew the attention of Walter Percy, an artist working at nearby London Film Studios. Percy hired Ellenshaw to assist him as a matte artist – someone who generated paintings on glass that, when superimposed or positioned in between the camera and actors on a set, giving the illusion of environments too costly or even impossible to accomplish for real. From 1935 through 1941, Ellenshaw did uncredited work on such films as “Thief of Baghdad” (1940) and “Major Barbara” (1941).
During World War II, Ellenshaw joined the Royal Air Force. After his stint, he returned to his film work, providing matte paintings to “Quo Vadis,” (1951), “Stairway to Heaven” (1946) and others. In 1947, he was approached by an art director for Walt Disney Studios who was impressed with his work, and offered Ellenshaw a job on “Treasure Island” – then in the pre-production stages. Ellenshaw accepted, and began what became a lifelong association with the studio. Thanks to his realistic yet fanciful depictions of such sights as a old-time London Harbor filled with schooners, merchant vessels and other sailing ships, the company’s first live-action film retained the sense of wonder that had always been associated with Disney films, and which would continue to be, for decades.
In 1953, he moved from London to California, and helped design Walt’s own magnum opus, Disneyland. In addition to rides and other attractions, Ellenshaw painted the first map of the park, reproduced for postcards, souvenir books and countless memorabilia over the decades. He next worked on the follow-up Disney feature, “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” (1954). A veritable special effects extravaganza of its time, Ellenshaw ultimately contributed shots of the island of Vulcania, Captain Nemo’s secret base. His footing with Disney secure, Ellenshaw went on to contribute matte shots and a variety of special effects for over 30 films and television shows for the studio, including the films, “Darby O’Gill & the Little People” (1959), “The Absent-Minded Professor” (1961), “Pollyanna” (1960) and “Swiss Family Robinson” (1960), as well as the series “Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier” (ABC, 1955) and “Zorro” (ABC, 1957-59).
In 1964, Ellenshaw contributed effects for “Mary Poppins,” for which he won his only Oscar after four nominations. The film was not the first to combine animated characters and live action actors, but it was among the more memorable and stylish. Ellenshaw also supervised a team for the highly unique sodium vapor process, whereby different visual elements could be combined onto one piece of film. Although a fairly standard procedure in the modern world of green screens and computer compositing, the process was highly complex and remarkably advanced at that time. The efforts paid off, and unlike the usual blue screen method of the day, there were very few noticeable “matte lines” around the performers, making the visual trick a stunning feat.
He continued to provide work on “The Happiest Millionaire” (1967) and “The Love Bug” (1968) and served as an art director on the visually spectacular “Bedknobs & Broomsticks” (1971). Throughout his life-long career at Disney, Ellenshaw continued to paint on his own, rendering beautiful landscapes and seascapes. After completing effects and matte shots for the 1974 Disney fantasy, “The Island at the Top of the World,” Ellenshaw joined his wife Bobbie and moved to Ireland for a few years, where he continued to paint landscapes. He moved back to California and reunited with Disney to oversee the visual effects for 1979’s “The Black Hole.” Effects artists labored to make the film competitive on a visual level with 1977’s “Star Wars.” In some ways, the visuals were more imaginative, if not superior. Foreshadowing the use of computer graphics years later, Ellenshaw’s matte paintings were used extensively to expand sets, often extending even mundane hallways and ceilings, as well as rendering the terrifying beauty of the swirling black hole itself.
After supervising some matte shots for the deplorably bad “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace” (1987), Ellenshaw came out of retirement to do matte shots for Warren Beatty’s vanity project, “Dick Tracy” (1990), helping to successfully portray the colorful world of a nourish city straight out of a comic book. The film was, sadly, to be his last. Ellenshaw passed away on Feb. 12, 2007, at his home in Santa Barbara, CA at the age of 93.