Born Deaf in 1957, Mark Fisher attended the Archbishop Ryan Memorial Institute in Philadelphia and later the Marie Katzenbach School for the Deaf in New Jersey. He holds a BFA from Gallaudet University. He is recognized as the first successful Deaf animator, working on several well-known films such as: The Land Before Time, The Little Mermaid, The Swan Princess, The Prince and the Pauper, and the King and I.
Fisher has also worked on animation that includes gestures and signing – a very difficult and time consuming process. Freddie Fish, later renamed Merboy, and his work for Deaf Way I and II, featuring Starman, are examples of this work. Animation including signs require many more illustrations than that of “talkies.” Fisher continues to work as an animator and in 2001 he won the grand prize for Elves and the Bat Beast, a one-minute short.