Cover illustration for mid-century children's book publisher Merrill
Publishers. Signed lower right. Unframed. Retta Scott or Retta Worcester
was (February 23, 1916 – August 26, 1990) was an pioneering Female
Illustrator / American artist. She was the first woman to receive screen
credit as an animator at the Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Scott
worked on storyboards to develop scenes of Bambi, his mother, and the
film’s hunting dogs, on which she spent weeks to develop them into
“vicious, snarling, really mean beasts.” Male artists in the company
were stunned who initially assumed that only a man could create drawings
with such intensity and technical skill. Her sketches caught the eye of
Disney, so when the film went into production, she was assigned to
animate scenes of hunting dogs chasing Faline. She worked under the
film's supervising director, David D. Hand,and was tutored by Disney
animator Eric Larson. This was a significant coup for the young woman,
since at the 1930s-era Disney studio, women were considered only for
routine tasks: "Ink and paint art was a laborious part of the animation
process, and was solely the domain of women..." Her promotion to
animator was in part thanks to the success of herself and other women
such as Bianca Majolie, Sylvia Holland, and Mary Blair as storyboard
artists. Even after receiving a promotion to animator, she and her
animations continued being under appreciated in the industry. Though the
most recognized Walt Disney female artist is Mary Blair, it is Retta
Scott who opened up the doors for women in the animation industry. She
became the first woman to receive screen credit as an animator. By the
spring of 1941, Scott was also considered a "specialist in animal
sketches."

Scott helped produce Fantasia and Dumbo, as well as an adaptation of
The Wind in the Willows that was later cancelled. She also made an
appearance in The Reluctant Dragon, and worked independently with
colleague Woolie Reitherman on a cancelled children’s book called
B-1st.Despite being laid off in 1941, Scott was quickly rehired in 1942,
assisting in educational videos and other smaller-scale shorts.Her
brief time laid off was partially due to a Disney animators' strike in
the summer of 1941, despite Scott being one of only a few animators not
involved in the strike. She retired on August 2, 1946 after marrying
submarine commander Benjamin Worcester, becoming Retta Scott Worcester.