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Disney Artist Don “Ducky” Williams Drew Me a Minnie Mouse at Sea

There are certain Disney Cruise Line moments you know you’ll remember forever. Watching Don “Ducky” Williams draw a Minnie Mouse just for me—while we sat together in the dining room aboard the Disney Dream—is now one of mine.

Ducky has been a character artist for The Walt Disney Company for more than 30 years. He’s known for bringing Disney characters to life in everything from lithographs and brochures to artwork created for Disney Cruise Line. Donald Duck may be his favorite, but watching him draw any character feels like watching a little piece of Disney magic happen in real time.


The First Time We Met Ducky

We first met Ducky years ago when we sailed on the Disney Wonder’s very first five-night itinerary. We attended his lecture in the Buena Vista Theatre, where he shared stories about his path to Disney and demonstrated the kind of effortless-looking character art that only comes from a lifetime of practice.

That sailing gave our family two treasures. Mom won one of the sketches raffled off during his presentation, and it remains one of her most beloved possessions. She is quite literally decorating her entire Texas house around it.

I also signed up for a brief drawing session with Ducky, and he drew Mickey Mouse for me. I’ve treasured that sketch ever since.

A Surprise Reunion on the Disney Dream

All these years later, imagine how excited our group of art lovers was when we sat down for the concierge welcome lunch on the first day of our Disney Dream transatlantic and saw Pierre, the hotel director, escort Ducky to the table next to ours.

We didn’t bother him that first day. But lo and behold, when dinner rolled around that evening, Ducky and his traveling companion had been seated at the table next to Mom and the rest of our group. At that point, it felt like the universe was telling us: let the drawing begin!

Watching Minnie Come to Life

Mom asked Ducky if he would draw Minnie Mouse for me so she could take her place next to the Mickey he had drawn all those years ago.

On night four of the cruise, my bestie and I stopped to chat with him that morning. He told us to come see him in the dining room after his late dinner. We arrived around 9:30, just as he had finished eating, and he was ready for us.


We sat down and watched, completely enchanted, as Minnie began to appear on the page. Seeing Ducky work up close is truly magical. A few pencil lines become familiar ears, eyes and that unmistakable bow—and suddenly there she is, full of personality.

He personalized the sketch “To Shelley” and added little hearts around her. It could not be more perfect.



Hearing Ducky’s Story Again

On day five, we attended Ducky’s lecture and heard the story of how he came to work for The Walt Disney Company. He wrote to Walt Disney asking for a job when he was just 10 years old, and although the dream took time—and plenty of persistence—he eventually joined Disney and built an extraordinary career creating character art.

His story is every bit as inspiring now as it was the first time we heard it. I’m so grateful to have collected so many of his beautiful lithographs over the years and even more grateful for the memories attached to them.

Sadly, no one in our group won one of the sketches raffled off during this cruise. But that’s okay. I have my very own Minnie Mouse to bring home, where she will finally take up residence beside Mickey.


After all these years, the pair is complete.

Learn more about Ducky and see his artwork at DuckyWilliams.com and Disney Fine Art.

Location: Arlington, TX, USA

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