Early life Jackson was born in
Chicago,
Illinois, but his family moved to
Glendale,
California. At a young age, he attended a screening of
Jack and the Beanstalk (1917), starring
Francis Carpenter. In 1924, he graduated from
Glendale High School in 1924. After graduating, Jackson wanted to attend college, but his parents could not afford it. Wanting to pursue a career in animation, Jackson compromised with his father to attend an art school for two years. To pay for his tuition at Otis Art Institute (now called
Otis College of Art and Design), Jackson recalled he "spent a year working at odd jobs, mostly gardening, things like that, and got enough saved up."
Career Seeking an animation job, Jackson learned that most animation studios were on the
East Coast but he was unable to relocate. Through an acquaintance from a close friend, Jackson called
Walt Disney at his Hyperion studio, asking to speak with him. He soon arrived at the studio and showed Disney his portfolio. After examining his portfolio, Disney felt Jackson was not ready to be an animator, to which Jackson volunteered to work unpaid for him. Disney agreed, and Jackson was assigned to help John Lott, a studio janitor, wash paint off the
animation cels. Several of the
Silly Symphony shorts he directed, including
The Old Mill (1937), won
Academy Awards during the 1930s. In 1937, he made his directorial film debut with
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He then directed sequences in many of the major Disney animated features up to
Lady and the Tramp in 1955, including all of the animated sequences in
Song of the South (1946). He later moved into television, producing and directing for Disney's
Disneyland series. After continuing health issues, he retired in 1961. ==Personal life and death==