James Algar
James Algar (June 11, 1912 – February 26, 1998) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He worked at Walt Disney Productions for 43 years and received the Disney Legends award in 1998. He was born in Modesto, California and died in Carmel, California.
Also recorded as Jim Algar · James Nelson Algar
James Algar

Daniel Davis · Grand Canyon National Park: The Geology of the Colorado River shoreline and a rescue plan for emergencies along the river Lee's Ferry to Lake Mead · Public domain
- Name
- James Algar
- Born
- 11 June 1912
- Birthplace
- Modesto, California, United States
- Died
- 26 February 1998
- Place of death
- Carmel, California, United States
- Occupation
- Film director, screenwriter, film producer
- Nationality
- United States
- Education
- Stanford University · Modesto High School
- Honours
- Disney Legends
- Languages
- English
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Documentary summary
James Algar (June 11, 1912 – February 26, 1998) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He worked at Walt Disney Productions for 43 years and received the Disney Legends award in 1998. He was born in Modesto, California and died in Carmel, California.
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wikidata · Q715807 · wikipedia · James Algar
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — James Algar • Born — 11 June 1912 • Birthplace — Modesto, California, United States • Died — 26 February 1998 • Place of death — Carmel, California, United States • Occupation — Film director, screenwriter, film producer • Years Active — 1934–1977
Controversy
Controversy
In 1958, Algar directed an Oscar-winning documentary White Wilderness, which contains a scene that supposedly depicts a mass lemming migration, and ends with the lemmings leaping into the Arctic Ocean. In 1982, the CBC Television news magazine program The Fifth Estate broadcast a documentary about animal cruelty in Hollywood called Cruel Camera, focusing on White Wilderness, as well as the television program Wild Kingdom. The host of the CBC program, Bob McKeown, discovered that the lemming scene was actually filmed at the Bow River near Canmore, Alberta, and further that the same small group of lemmings was transported to the location, jostled on turntables, and repeatedly shoved off a cliff to imply mass suicide. McKeown interviewed a lemming expert, who claimed that the particular species of lemming shown in the film is not known to migrate, much less commit mass suicide.
Selected filmography
Selected filmography
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 - animator) • Fantasia (1940 – director) • Bambi (1942 - director) • Victory Through Air Power (1943 – director) • Seal Island (1948 – director) • The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949 – director) (The Wind in the Willows segment) • In Beaver Valley (1950 – director) • Nature's Half Acre (1951 – director) • The Olympic Elk (1952 – director and writer) • Bear Country (1953 – director and writer) • Prowlers of the Everglades (1953 – director and writer) • The Living Desert (1953 – director and writer) • The Vanishing Prairie (1954 – director and writer) • The African Lion (1955 - director and writer) • Secrets of Life (1956 – director and writer) • White Wilderness (1958 – director and writer) • Grand Canyon (1958 – director) • Jungle Cat (1960 – director and writer) • Ten Who Dared (1960 – producer) • The Legend of Lobo (1962 – director, producer and writer) • The Incredible Journey (1963 – writer) • The Gnome-Mobile (1967 – producer) • The Best of Walt Disney's True-Life Adventures (1975 – director, producer and writer) • Fantasia 2000 (1999 – director)
Identity and overview
Identity and overview
The canonical record carries the following identifying particulars.
Places
Named by the record
Places
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Modesto.
Birth place
Carmel-by-the-Sea.
Death place
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Disney A to Z: The Official Encyclopedia (Dave Smith) pàg.15-16
- 2.30th Academy Awards (1958).
- 3.31th Academy Awards (1959).
- 4.PRIZES & HONOURS 1951. berlinale.de.
- 5.PRIZES & HONOURS 1954. berlinale.de.
- 6.PRIZES & HONOURS 1955. berlinale.de.
- 7.PRIZES & HONOURS 1956. berlinale.de.
- 8.PRIZES & HONOURS 1957. berlinale.de.
- 9.PRIZES & HONOURS 1959. berlinale.de.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
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Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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