A pioneering force in animation with roots in Manitoba is being remembered as a trailblazer whose work touched generations and helped shape the animation industry.
Jane Shattuck-Takamoto-Baer born Oct. 30, 1934 and passed away Feb. 16, 2026 at the age of 91 years
Jane Shattuck-Takamoto-Baer passed away Feb. 16, 2026, at her home in Van Nuys, Calif., at the age of 91, leaving behind a legacy that impacted countless lives through her work.
Born Oct. 30, 1934, in Winnipeg, Baer was raised in Stony Mountain, where her passion for art took hold early. She loved to draw and followed in her father’s artistic footsteps. Her father, Theodore “Ted” Shattuck, was a letter artist with Brigdens in Winnipeg who worked on projects including the Eaton’s catalogue before losing his job after 20 years due to advancing technology.
From a young age, Baer was known for her independent nature. Described by family as “a going concern,” she attended St. Mary’s Academy for Girls but was expelled before graduating after being caught sneaking out — an early glimpse of the bold personality that would define her life.
After high school, Baer travelled west to Vancouver, where she worked before heading to California. Following a summer spent travelling across the United States and meeting extended family — many for the first time — she returned home and convinced her father to send her to art school.
Recognizing her talent, he agreed.
Baer enrolled at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, launching what would become a groundbreaking career in animation.
“She was always drawing and designing posters,” recalled her brother Gerald Shattuck, who also remembered visiting her in California and witnessing firsthand the life she built through her art.
In 1955, Baer entered Walt Disney Productions as an assistant animator on Sleeping Beauty (1959), working under legendary animator Marc Davis on Princess Aurora. She worked alongside members of the famed “Nine Old Men” and was trained to the highest standards of draftsmanship and performance-based animation.
While at Disney, she met her first husband, fellow animator Iwao Takamoto.
She later expanded her career into television and commercial animation, working with Ed Graham Animation and Pantomime Studios in the layout department, contributing to productions including Skyhawks, Speed Racer and Hot Wheels.
At Filmation, she continued layout work on animated series including Aquaman (1967) and Journey to the Center of the Earth (1967), before returning to Disney in 1975, where she worked as an assistant animator on the villain Medusa in The Rescuers (1977) alongside renowned animator Milt Kahl.
Her Disney credits also included The Fox and the Hound (1981), Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983) and The Black Cauldron (1985).
During the 1980s, Baer also freelanced as a storyboard artist for Hanna-Barbera on television series including The Smurfs and The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang.
In 1984, she co-founded Baer Animation with her second husband, Dale Baer. Based in Studio City, Calif., the company became one of the most respected independent animation studios in Hollywood and one of the few fully self-contained animation facilities in the United States, housing departments for animation, digital ink and paint, compositing, sound recording, effects and camera services.
Among its most notable achievements was its work on Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), where Baer served as supervising character animator for Benny the Cab and oversaw the creation of the entire Toontown sequences.
The studio’s camera department handled sequences for The Little Mermaid (1989) and The Prince and the Pauper (1990), as well as work on Rover Dangerfield (1991), FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992) and The Swan Princess (1994), in addition to numerous Warner Bros. and Hanna-Barbera projects.
Baer’s work extended beyond animation roles. She served as an animation supervisor or producer on films including Fletch Lives (1989), Tummy Trouble (1989), Last Action Hero (1993) and The Beautician and the Beast (1997), wrote and was executive producer of Annabelle’s Wish (1997), was an animation producer on Tom & Jerry: The Movie (1992), managed important sequences on The Lion King (1994), and worked as a character designer on Aladdin and the Magic Lamp (1982), along with many other credits.
Her company also designed the animated canopy for the Fremont Street Experience in Las Vegas in 1995 — a pioneering example of large-scale “light animation.”
Throughout her career, Baer remained deeply involved in the animation community. She was a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Women in Film and The Animation Guild. She was a founding member of Women in Animation and later served on its advisory board.
After retiring in the early 2000s, she continued to be active as a speaker at panels, festivals and in classrooms, where she loved to tell her stories, answer questions and share how animation had evolved over the decades.
Her contributions were widely recognized. She received a Golden Award honouring her 50-year career in animation, the Inkpot Award in 2022, and was featured in Mindy Johnson’s Ink & Paint: The Women of Walt Disney’s Animation. She also appeared in the documentary Pencils vs. Pixels (2023) and travelled on book tours with Johnson, meeting audiences and sharing her story.
Colleagues remembered her not only for her talent, but for her warmth and spirit.
“Jane had a remarkable career that spanned decades. I will truly miss her,” said longtime colleague Floyd Norman.
Animation historian Mindy Johnson described her as “one of our brightest lights of animation” and “a true trailblazer,” whose work and personality inspired generations.
Despite her international success, Baer never forgot her Manitoba roots.
She and Dale Baer co-wrote and illustrated The Easter Bunny Gang (1983), dedicating it to the students of Stony Mountain Elementary School, where her nieces attended. Inside each book was the inscription: “For the Children of the Stony Mountain Elementary School.”
Her niece, Lauri-Jane, recalled a visit when the couple returned to the school to teach students how to draw Disney characters.
“They showed us step by step how to draw Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. The kids loved having them there. I was so proud of my aunt and uncle,” she said.
“I know that I’ve probably missed some things,” she added. “She had a wonderful and intriguing life — the things she has done, the people she has met, and the childhoods she has made special because of her talent.”
Baer is survived by her son Michael (Beth) of Van Nuys, her brother Gerald (Marlene), nieces Lauri-Jane (Jason) and Erin, great-niece Lily-Jane and great-nephew Justin, along with extended family in Stony Mountain.
She was predeceased by her parents, Ted and Lillian Shattuck of Winnipeg, and her grandparents, David and Ester Good of Stonewall.
A celebration of life will be held at a later date at The Smoke House Restaurant in Burbank, Calif., where family and friends will raise a toast in her honour with her favourite drink — a Bombay Sapphire martini with two olives.
She loved her animals. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to the Best Friends Pet Adoption Center in Los Angeles or Feral Friends Sanctuary in Winnipeg.
Remembered as smart, funny and endlessly creative, Baer leaves behind a legacy that lives on in everything she has done — and in the many lives she touched through her art.
