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Ted Sears

Writer · Died August 22, 1958, aged 58 · Pratt Falls, New York, USA

Grammy Award nominee

As his writing partner, Winston Hibler, once put it, "Perhaps Ted's greatest talent was his own unique brand of humor. It was warm, gentle humor; there was never a barb in it. And his was the key, to Ted's whole personality. He was the kindest man I ever knew. He lived with laughter and without malice. He was generous in all things. His talents could be had for the asking. No job was too small, none too big. And this all adds up to the fact that through his talents and his personal virtues. Ted was able to achieve two of the goals he set for himself in life: he made good pictures and he made good friends." Ted Sears was a man of multiple talents. Born in 1900, he spent most of his childhood in New York. As a teenager he attended a trade school in Manhattan where he learned a variety of lettering techniques - since he planned on becoming a sign painter. Even though art and drawing were his first loves, his most lasting interests, early on he convinced himself he would never be an exceptional artist, and he also knew he had to help support his parents and four sisters. However, trying out various jobs was not a problem; he was good at almost everything, and so he lettered title cards for silent movies, worked with trick photography, drew ads * and even made props for early two-reel comedies, joining silent comic Charlie Bowers's company, putting together many of the objects Charlie and the other actors used. While on the set, he came up with plot ideas and gags for Charlie's unscripted movies, since he had an innate sense of story that developed quickly. He was young, so were the movies - and he soon turned to an even younger field: the world of film cartoons. Ted had never stopped drawing, discovering that cartoons with their loose, zany characters came naturally to him. This led to work as an animator in various studios - eventually he joined the Max Fleischer organization where he contributed story ideas as well as animation to Betty Boop and many other characters. (In fact, "character" was his favorite word.) In 1931, Walt Disney hired Ted on a long term contract not as an animator but as a senior writer, (the Disney company's first) and in the twenty-seven years that followed no one ever challenged his position. He had found a niche that suited him, surrounded by the most talented and colorful personalities in animation, writing dialogue and story lines for virtually every important production the Disney Studio made: "Snow White," "Pinocchio," "Bambi," "Dumbo," "Fantasia," "Saludos Amigos," "Cinderella," "Alice in Wonderland," "Peter Pan" (for which he wrote song lyrics), "Lady and the Tramp," and "Sleeping beauty." As part of the Disney's company's original story department he is one of the men attributed in the creation of storyboarding now an industry standard for not just animated film but also live action. He also co-wrote narration for many of the Disney nature films with Winston Hibler, and later did a number of the Disney TV shows. He had writing credits on perhaps a dozen Oscar and Emmy winning productions. To amuse himself, Ted still drew for his friends and made props for the plays his daughter appeared in - he also produced his family's Christmas cards which employed his old love for trick photography an special effects - these holiday cards took months to prepare and were awaited with great anticipation by over three hundred recipients. (he lettered the envelopes individually, turning each name into calligraphy.) When Ted died in the summer of 1958, he left his mark on the Disney films, their quality in part springing from his belief in what he did, his many gifts, and the satisfaction that came from working with the finest talents in the animation business.

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Biography from IMDb.

Born
March 13, 1900
Died
August 22, 1958 (aged 58)
From
Pratt Falls, New York, USA
Works as
Writer
Titles
24 on MovieCove · 50 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 28% in 30 days

What are Ted Sears' films like?

Across their 24 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Society.

Genres

Animation20 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 72nd percentile
: browse their Animation movies
Documentary2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 79th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Family2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 81st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Family movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
28%
Society
21%
Self
17%
Ideas
13%
Morality
10%
Survival
10%
Power
1%
Family bonds11 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity8 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival5 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth4 titles, browse their movies with this themeNature4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 24 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 20 · Serious 4 · Dark 0

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 5 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 14

Gentle: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their gentle movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 20 · Charged 4 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 16 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 16 · Funny 4

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 18 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 1

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 22 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 22 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
19
Warm
8
Tense
7
Contemplative
5
Hopeful
5
Other
20

How their films linger

Feel-good19 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCozy3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy17
  • Bittersweet1
  • Ambiguous2
  • Cyclical3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Ted Sears' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 21 of their 24 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Disney+ (21).

Subscription and free streaming for Ted Sears' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

50 credits, 24 with a MovieCove page.

  • Pinocchio(2022)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Disney's Halloween Treat(1984)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The Best of Walt Disney's True-Life Adventures(1975)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Sleeping Beauty(1959)

    Songs · Story

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Seven Cities of Antarctica (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Writer

  • Tricks of Our Trade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Writer

  • Sardinia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Writer

  • Music Land (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Director

  • The African Lion(1955)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Siam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Writer

  • Operation Undersea (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Writer

  • The Vanishing Prairie(1954)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Ben and Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Adaptation

  • The Alaskan Eskimo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Writer

  • Peter Pan(1953)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • The Living Desert(1953)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Water Birds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Screenplay

  • The Olympic Elk (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Writer

  • Alice in Wonderland(1951)

    Lyricist · Songs · Story

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Nature's Half Acre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Script

  • Beaver Valley (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Writer

  • Cinderella(1950)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad(1949)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • The Wind in the Willows (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Story

  • So Dear to My Heart(1948)

    Adaptation

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Melody Time(1948)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Fun and Fancy Free(1947)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • The Three Caballeros(1944)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Aquarela do Brasil (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Writer

  • Saludos Amigos(1942)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • The Reluctant Dragon(1941)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Pinocchio(1940)

    Adaptation

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs(1937)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Elmer Elephant(1936)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • The Big Bad Wolf(1934)

    Storyboard

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Pied Piper(1933)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Three Little Pigs(1933)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Birds in the Spring (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Story

  • Babes in the Woods(1932)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Accordion Joe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Animation

  • Swing You Sinners! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Animation

  • Dizzy Dishes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Animation

  • A Wild Roomer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Writer

  • Nothing Doing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Writer

  • Many a Slip (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Writer

  • Now You Tell One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Writer

  • Fatal Footsteps (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Writer

  • He Done His Best (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Writer

  • Egged On (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Director · Writer

  • Monsters of the Deep (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Writer

Career shape

A full career of 44 titles, 43 of them dated from 1926 to 1975.

Biggest box office

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

$185M worldwide

Highest rated

Disney's Halloween Treat (1984)

Midcredits 94th

Most popular right now

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing2 of 44: 1 only directing, 1 with another roleWriting39 of 44: 36 only writing, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score73rdOther crew6 of 44: 4 only other crew, 2 with another role

44 titles, 3 with more than one role — writing and other crew overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

1920s7 · crew1930s10 · crew1940s9 · crew1950s16 · crew1970s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

Nominated for a Grammy Award in 1959, Best Soundtrack Album, Original Cast - Motion Picture or Television.

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Ted Sears' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 74th percentile, the median of all 24; across their 24 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 71st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

71stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 24

Approval · how many liked their films

75thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 24

Reach · how many have seen their films

85thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 24

Midcredits score across 24 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up12
  • 50th to 74th8
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

19 of their 24 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser19
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed1

Most divisive · writer

Pinocchio (2022)

63rd percentile spread · 38% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Disney's Halloween Treat (1984)

Midcredits 94th · 86% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 55/100 and the plot and story 44/100 in their films, across 23 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Ted Sears' work okay for kids?

Across up to 11 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity and profanity run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore11 titles23–33 · median 30 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity11 titles4–22 · median 8 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity11 titles0–29 · median 5 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs11 titles7–44 · median 32 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense11 titles27–54 · median 33 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Ted Sears work with?

People who share at least 2 of Ted Sears' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Walt Disney shares the most, 21.

Directors

  • Hamilton Luske11 titles    See all 11 shared titles with Hamilton Luske
  • Jack Kinney10 titles    See all 10 shared titles with Jack Kinney
  • Wilfred Jackson10 titles    See all 10 shared titles with Wilfred Jackson
  • Clyde Geronimi8 titles    See all 8 shared titles with Clyde Geronimi

Writers

  • Winston Hibler11 titles    See all 11 shared titles with Winston Hibler
  • William Cottrell11 titles · 10 as writer    See all 11 shared titles with William Cottrell
  • Erdman Penner10 titles    See all 10 shared titles with Erdman Penner
  • Webb Smith9 titles    See all 9 shared titles with Webb Smith

Actors

Composers and editors

Mixed roles