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Donald Virgil "Don" Bluth (born September 13, 1937) is an American animator and independent studio owner. He is best known for his departure from The Walt Disney Company in 1979 and his subsequent directing of animated films such as The Secret of NIMH (1982), An American Tail (1986),The Land Before Time (1988), and All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989), as well as his involvement in the laserdisc game Dragon's Lair. He is also often credited for providing competition to Disney, and forcing them to improve from their streak of lackluster film efforts to the films that would make up the Disney... MORE

Donald Virgil "Don" Bluth (born September 13, 1937) is an American animator and independent studio owner. He is best known for his departure from The Walt Disney Company in 1979 and his subsequent directing of animated films such as The Secret of NIMH (1982), An American Tail (1986),The Land Before Time (1988), and All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989), as well as his involvement in the laserdisc game Dragon's Lair. He is also often credited for providing competition to Disney, and forcing them to improve from their streak of lackluster film efforts to the films that would make up the Disney Renaissance. Bluth was born in El Paso, Texas, the son of Emaline (née Pratt) and Virgil Ronceal Bluth. His great-grandfather was Latter Day Saint leader Helaman Pratt, and politician Mitt Romney is his second cousin. He grew up with a brother and eventual collaborator, Toby Bluth. Bluth received a bachelor's degree in English Literature from Brigham Young University, and became an animator at The Walt Disney Company in the late 1950s/early 1960s. He started as an animator for Sleeping Beauty and 101 Dalmatians and as an assistant director on The Sword in the Stone, for all of which he was uncredited. LESS