Roy had a knack for naming things. Simplicity and clarity appealed to him. The Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio of 1923 became The Walt Disney Studio in 1926, at Roy’s request.
The 1964/65 New York World’s Fair represented a growth point for Walt in many different avenues of creative expression. Beyond being an opportunity to receive generous corporate sponsorships to develop new attraction technology, the Fair symbolized the pinnacle of Walt’s shared values of futurism and global cooperation.
Roy O. Disney sometimes acted as an advance man for Walt who was immersed in production details, storylines, and almost everything else at the Studios. Roy kept Walt abreast of developments in succinct, vivid letters and memos.
In celebration of the museum’s anniversary we will be screening our anniversary film, which gives a behind the scenes look at the creation of The Walt Disney Family Museum.
Roy Disney was a financial genius. But he was more than that in the same way that Walt Disney was more than a film producer. Here is a chance to learn more about him through his own words and recollections of his contemporaries. Even a small sample of his correspondence to Walt shows the caliber of person that was Roy Oliver Disney.
The Ugly Duckling was the only Silly Symphony to be remade.The second production of The Ugly Duckling, released in 1939, included all of the Studios’ innovations of the prior decade as well as lessons learned from the production process of their first feature film—Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs—released nearly a year and a half earlier. This resulted in a new subtlety and sophistication, rich Technicolor, and compelling character animation.
Jiminy Cricket, the loveable cricket who plays the role of Pinocchio’s conscience, had a very different storyline in the original story. Walt Disney had a keen eye for detail and story; he paid just as close attention to the minor characters as he did the lead. Look at Jiminy’s evolution, and how each piece of the story was equally important to ensuring the success of the characters and the film as a whole.
This multiplane camera was unlike anything ever used before at Walt’s studio, and in particular it was a favorite tool on his second feature film, Pinocchio (1940). Learn more about the foremost and often celebrated use of the multiplane’s wondrous ability in sequence two of Pinocchio, “Goes to School.”
Walt Disney’s fourth feature film, and perhaps one of his least known, The Reluctant Dragon was released in June of 1941, now 75 years ago. The film follows famed writer and humorist Robert Benchley (playing himself) as he ventures throughout the then brand-new Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, anxious to share a story with Walt that he thinks might make a good cartoon picture. Along the way he has many silly encounters with artists, animators, voice talents, and other employees, experiencing little stories at each new meeting.
This summer marks the 75th anniversary of Walt Disney and his hand-picked team’s Southern California departure for their “goodwill tour” of South America. The U.S. government was hoping Walt’s presence would help to quell budding Nazi sympathy, while Walt was eager to gather material for future films. By Walt being Walt, he managed to do both.