Who was Alice Davis? Tributes pour in as Disney legend dies aged 93

On Friday, November 4, 2022, popular costume designer Alice Davis passed away at the age of 93. She gained recognition for her work with Walt Disney and created costumes for their films, television, and theme parks.

The Walt Disney Family Museum paid tribute to her on Twitter and wrote:

“It is with great sadness to hear of the passing of Disney Legend Alice Davis. To the world, Alice Estes Davis was best known for her work as a costume designer. To us, Alice was an inspiring collaborator, kind-hearted benefactor, and cherished friend.”

Alice’s cause of death has not yet been revealed by her family members.

---

Alice Davis gained recognition for her work with Disney

Born on March 26, 1929, Alice Estes Davis received a scholarship from the Long Beach Art Association to enroll at the Chouinard Art Institute. Although she wanted to study animation at the institute, there was a two-year waiting list, and Chouinard helped her get into the only opening they had for the next semester, which was costume design.

She graduated and started her career by designing women’s lingerie for the Beverly Vogue & Lingerie House in Los Angeles. Alice was the designer of two lines of fashion lingerie. Moreover, being an expert in various exotic fabrics, she was known for her pattern-making skills.

Alice Davis developed costumes for the projects of Disney (Image via PTFilm/Twitter)

Alice met her future husband, Marc Davis, when he was a teacher in a night class in animation. Marc called her in the mid-1950s when he was searching for a costume for Helene Stanley for the latter’s live-action performance as Princess Aurora in Sleeping Beauty. While he and Alice collaborated on this project, they developed a close relationship and tied the knot in June 1956.

Walt Disney spotted the pair at a restaurant in Los Angeles and loved Alice’s work. She was then hired as a costume designer for the 1960 drama film Toby Tyler. Walt Disney asked Alice to assist Mary Blair in designing costumes for the Audio-Animatronic children of Disney’s 1964/1965 New York World’s Fair attraction “it’s a small world”.

While working on the “small world” project, Alice developed an AA figure costume manufacturing area, quality control system, and refurbishing techniques at WED Enterprises. Moreover, they continued to be used by the Imagineers and the maintenance staff of the Disney theme parks. She also created costumes for the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction and the revamped Flight to the Moon attraction.

Alice Davis retired from WED in 1978 but continued to consult on other projects at The Walt Disney Company. She also appeared at Disney-related events and fan meet-and-greets. The costume designer was a recipient of the Disneyana Fan Club Disney Legend award in 1997 and was inducted as a legend at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, in 2004.

Alice was also honored with a window at Disneyland next to her husband’s window in May 2012. Moreover, she was a recipient of the June Forey Award in 2014.

---

Netizens on Twitter pay tribute to the late costume designer

Alice Davis became a popular name in the entertainment industry in recent years for her work with Disney. However, following her recent demise, Twitterattis took to the platform to pay tributes to her.

Alice was married to Marc Davis, who passed away in 2000. She is survived by her family members.