David Pacheco, a Disney artist/animator for over 25 years, is a key member of the creative team at Disney Consumer Products lending his talents and expertise to several categories including Disney art and collectibles. His considerable knowledge of Disney animation has been utilized throughout the development process of the award-winning Walt Disney Classics Collection to help translate beloved Disney characters from two-dimensional drawings into gallery quality three-dimensional porcelain sculptures. For over fourteen years the popular Walt Disney Classics Collection and the Walt Disney Collectors Society have continued to achieve worldwide success, thanks in no small measure to the invaluable contributions of David Pacheco. From the inception of the Collection, David has contributed his extensive, and first-hand, knowledge of Disney animation, thus ensuring the accuracy and artistic integrity of every sculpture. Born and raised in the Los Angeles, California, David has been a passionate Disney fan and collector since childhood. As a young artist, he made a hobby out of critiquing the fidelity of Disney characters in figurines and books he received as gifts from family and friends. He was even known to bring out his own pen and paint set on occasion to "correct" some of the character images to make them more on model...a sign of a true art director. Naturally, his innate artistic abilities led him to the Walt Disney Studios in nearby Burbank, California. In 1980, David realized his lifelong dream of becoming a Disney animator. Over the next decade he worked on some of the most popular and ambitious Disney films of the 1980s including The Fox and the Hound (1981), the featurette Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983), The Black Cauldron (1985), The Great Mouse Detective (1986) and the blockbuster hits Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) and The Little Mermaid (1989). During the 1980s David Pacheco's animation work was also seen in numerous Disney television specials featuring the beloved Disney characters. Additionally, he contributed animation sequences to several attractions at Epcot® at the Walt Disney World ® Resort in Florida, including segments for the popular Journey Into Imagination attraction featuring the characters of Figment and Dreamfinder. More of his work was featured in the live action films Three Men and a Baby and Three Men and a Little Lady.

In 1987, he worked on one of his favorite projects, the restoration of "lost" scenes for the 50th anniversary theatrical re-release of Walt Disney's animated masterpiece Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Using his knowledge of Disney animation and sheer persistence, David was able to literally reconstruct such legendary scenes as the "bed-building" sequence featuring the Seven Dwarfs and a wedding sequence initially planned for the film. In 1989, David's talents led him to the position of Creative Director for Disney Publishing, overseeing the art direction, visual character integrity and accuracy of all illustrations for Disney's popular line of books based on classic animated films and characters. "My goal as the Creative Director for Disney Publishing was to ensure that the character illustrations maintained a consistent look from the screen to the printed page," he states.

In 1990, while working for Disney Publishing, David was asked to also lend his talents to the creation of an all-new line of collectible porcelain sculptures based on Walt Disney's timeless animated films and characters called the Walt Disney Classics Collection. "Although it was really demanding, holding down what amounted to two full-time jobs, I absolutely loved being a part of the initial team that brought the Walt Disney Classics Collection to life in 1992," says David Pacheco. "It was quite a challenge because I had to learn how to translate flat animation art into intricate and beautiful three-dimensional porcelain sculptures from scratch - - there were no 'how to' books or guidelines - - we all had to simply learn as we went along." David straddled the two worlds of Disney Publishing and Disney Collectibles until 1996 when Walt Disney Art Classics (then the art and collectibles division of The Walt Disney Company) was formed. He then officially became the Creative Director for the Walt Disney Classics Collection, the Walt Disney Collectors Society, the Disney Showcase Collection and all of the limited edition and poster artwork published or licensed by Disney Consumer Products. From the Walt Disney Classic Collection's premiere sculptures in 1992 to today's impressive releases, David has been a major contributor in ensuring that any likeness of a Disney character is faithfully executed, not only in overall design but also in personality, integrity and style as well. With countless sculptures and artwork releases created under his watchful eye, David's attention to detail or passion for the product has not waned through the years.

"We have a terrific team of people who collaborate on the creation of each sculpture in our Collection - - from skilled animators and sculptors to expert painters and production people - - I am very happy to be a part of that team," he says. "It's been very satisfying to see the collectors accept and fully embrace the Collection over the past decade and it continues to be a big thrill for me every time we release a new sculpture and see it greeted with great enthusiasm by the collectors - - that's a great reward." More recently, David designed a series of United States Postal Service postage stamps released in salute of The Art of Disney depicting some of Disney's most celebrated animated characters – two sets have released to date the first of which sold out its complete run. The set featuring Mickey, Donald and Goofy has become one of the best selling stamps in US postal history.