- Xavier Atencio
Francis Xavier Atencio (born July 1919 in
Walsenburg, Colorado ), [U.S. Census,1 January 1920 , State of Colorado, County of Huerfano, enumeration district 83, p. 27-A.] also known as X Atencio, is a former animator and Imagineer forThe Walt Disney Company .He was a Disney artist from 1938 until 1965, when he became an Imagineer to help design the
Disneyland Railroad 's Primeval World diorama segment. He then contributed to various Disney attractions. He wrote the script for bothAdventure Thru Inner Space andPirates of the Caribbean , for which he also penned the lyrics to the theme song, "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me) " and provided the voice of the talking skull early on in the attraction. He also wrote the script for theHaunted Mansion , including the lyrics to that attraction's theme song, "Grim Grinning Ghosts (The Screaming Song)." His voice can also be heard emanating from the coffin in the Haunted Mansion's conservatory ("Hey! Let me out of here!") and, in theDisneyland mansion, when the attraction comes to a temporary stop it is his voice which announces, "Playful spooks have interrupted our tour. Please remain seated in your Doom Buggies."Atencio retired from
The Walt Disney Company in 1984 and was named aDisney Legend in 1996.He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces from 1941 to 1945 during
World War II , reaching the rank of captain.References
* [http://legends.disney.go.com/legends/detail?key=X+Atencio Official Disney Legends Website]
Further reading
* Surrell, Jason. (2003). "The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies". New York: Disney Editions. ISBN 0-7868-5419-7. Describes X Atencio's contributions to The Haunted Mansion.
* Surrell, Jason. (2005). "Pirates of the Caribbean: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies". New York: Disney Editions. ISBN 0-7868-5630-0. Describes X Atencio's contributions to Pirates of the Caribbean.External links
*
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