Dusty Horner
WDCC Sculptor
Dusty Horner is an artist and sculptor whose career developed from an early fascination with animation into the creation of some of the Walt Disney Classics Collection's most ambitious sculptures.
His background in animation maquettes and character sculpture allowed him to work across everything from individual figurines to large, multi-character Signature Series scenes.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Discover the artist behind the sculptures
Born in 1974 in Rochelle, Illinois, Dusty Horner developed an early interest in Disney animation through films his parents borrowed from their local library. A childhood visit to Walt Disney World further strengthened that fascination.
Horner graduated from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design in 1996 and moved to California the following year.
He joined DreamWorks as a production assistant, where he was introduced to animation maquettes and the role three-dimensional models can play in character development. That experience helped lead him toward a professional career in sculpture.
Dusty Horner & WDCC
Work for the Walt Disney Classics Collection
In 1999, Dusty Horner began working as a freelance sculptor and was soon brought into the Walt Disney Classics Collection.
His first WDCC assignment featured Mickey and Minnie, but he quickly progressed to increasingly ambitious projects, including the enormous Monstro sculpture inspired by Pinocchio.
Horner became particularly associated with some of WDCC's large-scale and highly detailed releases, including Signature Series pieces such as The Curse Is Broken, Off to the Ball and Down the Rabbit Hole.
NOTABLE WDCC CREATIONS
A selection of sculptures created by Dusty Horner
BEYOND WDCC
Other projects and collectible lines
Before joining WDCC, Dusty Horner worked at DreamWorks, where his exposure to animation maquettes helped shape his interest in three-dimensional character art.
That connection between animation and sculpture remained central to his later work: studying characters as three-dimensional forms while preserving the expression, personality and movement established by their animated counterparts.
DID YOU KNOW?
A little story behind the artist
Dusty Horner sculpted one of the most ambitious releases in WDCC history: The Curse Is Broken from Beauty and the Beast.
The 2007 Signature Series release combined eight characters with two interconnected environments — the castle balcony and ballroom — which could be reconfigured for different displays.