Don Bluth is not married despite the success he enjoys as a movie maker with skills in animation, directing, and production. Through his career exploits, the El Paso native has contributed to works like The Sound of Music, The Secret of NIMH, and The Land Between Time.
For a man who has come full circle and even challenged his former employer Walt Disney Production, there is much to learn about him.
Don Bluth is Not Married
86-year-old Don Bluth is not married at the time of writing. Having lived for as long as he has, the movie maker and character illustrator is known for keeping a low profile, especially when it comes to his love life. While a lot of celebrities are known to focus their attention on their careers like he is doing, some are known to leave traces of their love lives either on social media or through interviews.
In his own case, he has done none of the above and as such we may not be wrong to assume that he is not involved with anyone at the moment.
Other Facts About Don Bluth
1. He was Born Into a Well Grounded Mormon Family
Donald Virgil Bluth was born on September 13, 1937, to Emaline Prath and Virgil Roneal Bluth in El Paso Texas. His ancestry can be traced back to Sweden, England, Ireland, and Germany.
Through his mother, he is linked to the Pratt family, which played a significant role in the development of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His maternal grandfather Rey Prath, and maternal great-grandfather, Helaman Pratt were some of the earliest leaders of the church. In addition to his strong links to the Mormon church, he also has links to US politician Mitt Romney through Helaman.
Bluth had several siblings, including his brother Toby Bluth, who also became an animator. He developed a passion for drawing characters at a young age, inspired by the film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He would visit the local movie theatre repeatedly and sketch the characters he saw on the screen. This early interest would later shape his future career.
2. He Started His Career as an Assistant at Disney
Bluth started his career in 1955 as an assistant at Disney. He worked with John Lounsbery on Sleeping Beauty. He soon started getting the praise and admiration of colleagues who told him he would become the next Walt Disney.
On his own, Don wanted to bring characters to life while doing what he loved doing. However, his rise at the movie company was cut short when he left two years later.
3. Bluth Briefly Left Movie Making to Do Missionary Work in Argentina
In 1957, Bluth left Disney and moved to Argentina as a missionary. While there, Bluth concentrated on promoting the works of the Mormon faith which he grew up practicing. While there Don continued to use Disney scenes to explain things. He remained there for two and a half years before returning to the US.
4. He Returned to Animation a Decade After He Left
In 1967, Bluth returned to animation after ten years of being away. One would wonder what he was doing with his life after he returned from Argentina. It turns out that he founded a theatre in Culver City, The theatre is remarkable for the production of musicals like The Music Man and The Sound of Music.
Also, he went back to school to further his education. He returned to Brigham Young University, where he had initially dropped out after a year. He earned a degree in English literature.
Moving on, he worked on The Archie Show and the Teenage Witch. Yet he had a strong pull to go back to Disney, where he had made a name for himself as a standout animator. After he returned, he worked on Robin Hood in 1973, and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too in 1974. Notably, he grew through the ranks and reached the position of director by 1977.
5. The Movie Illustrator Had a Messy Fallout with Walt Disney Productions in 1979
Having made a name for himself as a master craftsman at Disney, he made waves by leaving Disney in 1979. Apparently, he had clashes due to creative differences and the corporate nature of the company. This eventually forced him together with about 10 others to resign from the company. In fact, the impact of their leaving was so great that it stalled the release of Disney’s The Fox and the Hound.
Subsequently, he collaborated with Gary Goldman and John Pomeroy to found the Don Bluth Productions. Reportedly, the company was later joined by 14 former Disney employees. They released Banjo the Woodpile Cat in 1979 after working on it for four years and The Secret of NIMH.
Other productions followed but they did not make much at the Box office and Bluth had to finally file for bankruptcy in the early 80s. Despite this setback, he made several collaborated with movie makers like Steven Spielberg and through this, he continued to release works through several production companies.
6. Is Don Bluth a Father
Like his love life, Bluth has not divulged information about having children or not. Yet, his profile on Wikipedia says he is the father of one child. Notwithstanding, no other source verifies his having children, so it would not be surprising if he has a child or children whom he chooses to protect their identities.
See Also: Who Is Elliott Gould? Is He Married And Does He Have Children?
7. The Texas Born Animator Started Writing his Memoir at the Age of 83
Bluth has come full circle as a successful entertainer and to mark some of the milestones in his life, he decided to write a memoir. He started writing Somewhere Out There: My Animated Life at the age of 83 and the book was released on July 19, 2022. Bluth revealed that he made the decision to do this for people who don’t know a lot of things about him. In the book, Bluth gives details about his faith as an influential part of every decision he takes.
Prior, he had released many books for students of animation but it was mostly about his career.
