Hired on the spot in 1935 by Walt Disney himself after presenting her portfolio at a casual lunch, Bianca Majolie became the first female storyboard artist for Walt Disney Studios. Drawing from her challenges as the only woman in her department, Bianca wrote a 13-page script that eventually became Elmer Elephant, one of Disney’s Silly Symphonies. Her tender story was highly praised by legendary animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, who were taken aback by her affectionate approach to storytelling, remarking: “We could not have made any of the feature films without learning this important lesson: Pathos gives comedy the heart and warmth that keeps it from becoming brittle.”

Bianca went on to contribute to several more Silly Simphonies, as well as translating Carlo Collodi’s novel “Pinocchio” into English for Walt, and working on the film Bambi. Near the end of her time with Disney, Bianca wrote several outlines and provided visual development artwork for early versions of Peter Pan and Cinderella, as well as conceptual artwork for Fantasia.