The Donald Gledhill animation project collection spans the years 1936-1949 (bulk 1937-1940) and encompasses 1.5 linear feet. The collection consists entirely of material gathered by Gledhill in the late 1930s for an introductory book on the mechanics of animation. The book, whose working title was "How to Make Animated Cartoons," was never finished. The material consists primarily of sketches and animation cels from cartoons made by Walt Disney, Harman-Ising (for MGM), Fleischer Studios (for Paramount), Warner Bros., and Columbia. More than a dozen animated shorts are represented by pencil sketches, including THE BEAR THAT COULDN'T SLEEP (1939), THE FISHING BEAR (1940), FRAIDY CAT (1942), THE FRESH VEGETABLE MYSTERY (1939), THE LITTLE GOLDFISH (1939), THE MIGHTY HUNTERS (1940), THE NIGHT WATCHMAN (1938), ONE MOTHER'S FAMILY (1939), PAPA GETS THE BIRD (1940), PEACE ON EARTH (1939), and SHANGHAIED SHIPMATES (1936). GULLIVER'S TRAVELS (1939) is represented by a copy of a background sketch and LITTLE LAMBKIN (1940) by a model sheet. Sketches for THE MAD MAESTRO (1939) are signed by Jack Zander and those for A RAINY DAY (1940) by Bill Littlejohn. Of special interest are sketches for a scene cut from SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937) and original drawings for the first Tom and Jerry cartoon, PUSS GETS THE BOOT (1940). There are cels for nearly a dozen films, including ALADDIN AND HIS WONDERFUL LAMP (1939), FOR SCENT-IMENTAL REASONS (1949), GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS (1939), THE HAPPY TOTS (1939), THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT (1939), SCRAPPY'S RODEO (1939), SCRAPPY'S SIDE SHOW (1939), and TWEETIE PIE (1947). Popeye, Pepé Le Pew, Sylvester, and Tweety are among the drawn characters. A 1939 memo by Gledhill outlined the proposed book and page mockups show the work in progress.

Donald F. Gledhill (1905-1983) was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and graduated from Stanford University. Gledhill resigned his post as city editor of the "San Jose News" in 1929 to join the staff of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He married Margaret Buck (who later became Margaret Herrick) in 1931 and was dismissed, along with ten other staffers, by the Academy Board of Governors in 1933. Gledhill was quickly rehired, though, and in 1934 was named executive secretary of the Academy. He remained in that position until joining the U.S. Army in January 1943. During World War II Gledhill served with the Signal Corps and was stationed in China. After the breakup of his marriage and subsequent divorce in 1945, he did not return to the Academy and instead began to make training films for the U.S. Navy. He later worked for the State Department's Agency for International Development program in South Korea and Thailand.