Joyce Carlson | Disney artist, 84

Joyce Carlson, 84, a Disney artist who helped create the idyllic universe of singing children at "It's a Small World" rides across the globe, died Wednesday at home in Orlando, Fla., after a long battle with cancer.

In a 56-year career with Disney, Ms. Carlson went from delivering paints and brushes to animators to inking films herself, but it was her work on "It's a Small World" that is witnessed by millions of visitors each year. She was among the creators of a miniature prototype of "It's a Small World" for the 1964 World's Fair in New York and subsequently helped bring the attraction to each of its permanent locations: Florida, California, Tokyo, Paris and Hong Kong.

Within six months of joining Walt Disney Studios, she was working on

Cinderella,

Peter Pan

and other animated features. She retired in 2000 and was given a window in her honor on Main Street at Walt Disney World in Florida. It reads, "Dolls by Miss Joyce, Dollmaker for the World."

- AP