RONALD NIELSEN

Alberto’s Funny Animal Artist Gallery No. 3

RONALD NIELSEN

Ronald Frederick M. (Ron) Nielsen nasce nel 1919 a Prestwich, Lancashire. Si trasferisce poi a Manchester North, dove nel 1937 sposa Leah Daniels.

Lavora a lungo in pubblicità come disegnatore e copywriter, poi si dedica all’animazione. Subito dopo il Secondo Conflitto Mondiale è sceneggiatore nello studio di Ernest Anson Dyer (1876-1962) a Stroud, Gloucestershire. Del piccolo studio, oltre a Dyer e Nielsen, fanno parte anche Harold Whitaker, Kay Pound, Dennis Gardiner e Len Kirley.

Ancora come sceneggiatore e ancora sotto la direzione di Dyer, Nielsen è successivamente nello staff della Stratford Abbey Films, dove crea cortometraggi pubblicitari per il lucido da scarpe Cherry Blossom. Tony Guy e Harold Whitaker sono i principali animatori della Stratford Abbey.

Lasciata l’animazione, Nielsen si dedica ai fumetti. Il Mickey Mouse Weekly lo accoglie nel suo staff e dal 1950 fino al 1953 Nielsen è sceneggiatore e illustratore di varie storie serializzate sul settimanale disneyano. Con tecnica pittorica, realizza infatti splendidi adattamenti dei lungometraggi Cenerentola,  Il vento tra i salici – L’avventura di Mister Taddeo, Alice nel Paese delle Meraviglie e Peter Pan, oltre a creare una originale versione fumettata di Alice attraverso lo specchio. Nel 1951 reintroduce il personaggio di Eta Beta nel serial Once Upon a Time!, poi lo affianca a Topolino in una serie di divertenti avventure pubblicate a episodi nel 1952-53.

Lasciato il  Mickey Mouse Weekly, Nielsen si accasa presso la casa editrice Fleetway. Come sceneggiatore, disegnatore e colorista, contribuisce a diverse serie pubblicate su Jack and Jill, Playhour e i loro supplementi annuali.

I suoi ultimi lavori a fumetti conosciuti appaiono nel 1961. Secondo alcune fonti, in seguito torna ad occuparsi di pubblicità.

Nielsen scompare nel 2005 a Kings Lynn, nella contea di Norfolk.

Ronald Frederick M. (Ron) Nielsen was born in Prestwich, Lancashire, UK in 1919. He later moved to Manchester North, where he married Leah Daniels in 1937.

After working in advertising as an artist and copywriter, he entered the animation field. After WW2 he was a story man at the studio run by Ernest Anson Dyer (1876-1962) in Stroud, Gloucestershire. Besides Dyer and Nielsen, other studio members were Harold Whitaker, Kay Pound, Dennis Gardiner, and Len Kirley.

Still under Dyer’s direction, Nielsen was later on the staff of Stratford Abbey Films, where he wrote animated commercials for Cherry Blossom Boot Polish. Tony Guy and Harold Whitaker were the main animators at Stratford Abbey.

After leaving animation Nielsen turned his attention to comics. Mickey Mouse Weekly was glad to have him on staff and from 1950-53 Nielsen wrote and illustrated several stories which were serialized in the Disney weekly. He painted great adaptations of such animated features as Cinderella,  The Adventures of Mr. Toad and Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan, also providing an original comic version of Alice Through the Looking Glass. In 1951 he reintroduced Eega Beeva to the comics in the serial Once Upon a Time!, then he had Eega co-star with Mickey Mouse in a series of funny adventures which were serialized in 1952-53.

After leaving Mickey Mouse Weekly, Nielsen went to work for Fleetway Publications. As a writer, artist, and painter he contributed to various series which ran in Jack and Jill, Playhour, and in their respective annuals.

His last comic efforts apparently appeared in 1961. According to some sources, he later went back to working in the advertising field.

Nielsen passed away in Kings Lynn, Norfolk, in 2005.

FILMOGRAFIA / FILMOGRAPHY

Studio: ANSON DYER/CHALFONT PRODUCTIONS c. 1947

Sceneggiatore / Story

04/1948 Cartoonland [aka Make Believe].

Studio: STRATFORD ABBEY FILMS c. 1948-1950

Sceneggiatore / Story

00/1949 Cherry the Boots [Short].

06/1951 Very Good Sergeant [Short].

FUMETTI / COMICS

Editore/Publisher: WILLBANK/ODHAMS

Mickey Mouse Weekly

[Mickey Mouse] #526 (June 10 1950).

Cinderella #530-548 (July 8 1950-Nov 11 1950).

The Magnificent and Fabulous Mr. Toad #549-563 (Nov 18 1950-Feb 24 1951).

Once Upon a Time! #566-577 (Mar 17 1951-June 2 1951).

Stage-Struck! #568 (Mar 31 1951).

Alice in Wonderland #584-609 (July 21 1951-Jan 12 1952).

Alice Through the Looking Glass #610-621 (Jan 19 1952-Apr 5 1952).

NOTA: Il titolo cambia in Alice dal n. 615 del 23 febbraio 1952 / Title becomes Alice as of #615 (Feb 23 1952).

Mickey and Goofy in The Shadows on the Wall #621 (Apr 5 1952).

Mickey Mouse in “Super-Salesman!” #622 (Apr 12 1952).

Mickey’s Nephews in “Two’s Company!” #624 (Apr 26 1952).

Mickey Mouse in “No Place Like Home!” #625 (May 3 1952).

Mickey and Goofy in “Window Pains” #630 (June 7 1952).

Mickey Mouse: The Reluctant Pirate #642-668 (Aug 30 1952-Feb 28 1953).

Mickey Mouse: The House of Magic #669-692 (Mar 7 1953-Aug 15 1953).

Peter Pan #673-682 (Apr 4 1953-June 6 1953).

Mickey Mouse: The Hungry Ghost Mystery #693-707 (Aug 22 1953-Nov 28 1953).

Editore/Publisher: AMALGAMATED PRESS/FLEETWAY

Jack and Jill

Dagwood Duck (c. 1958).

The Duck Who Wanted to Sing (June 21 1958).

Harold Hare (1960-61) [solo colori per Hugh McNeill / color only for Hugh McNeill  1960, solo mezzetinte per Hugh McNeill / halftones only for Hugh McNeill 1961]

Jack and Jill Annual Book

Bibby and Bobby 1958 (1957); 1959 (1958); 1960 (1959).

Little Red Squirrel 1961 (1960).

Rip, Tip and Pip 1961 (1960).

Playhour

Dicky and Dolly (1957-59).

The Nursery Rhymes of Katie Country Mouse (Jan 31 1959-1959).

Peter Puppet (1957) [Storia e schizzi / Script and sketches].

The Story of the Water Babies (1957) [solo colori per Hugh McNeill / color only for Hugh McNeill].

Bibby and Bobby 1958 (1957).

Leo Lion Finds a Job 1962 (1961).

Tiny Tots

The New Nursery Rhymes (1958).

Tavola di Leo the Friendly Lion firmata da Nielsen (in basso a destra)

Leo the friendly Lion page signed by Nielsen (lower right corner)