News, announcements and information about Disney

Actually you pretty much had to avoid anything the Walt Disney Company itself was doing yesterday - since, other than being used as a rather heavy handed marketing tool for the parks this year, the 100th anniversary of company founder Walt's birthday sort of got lost in all the sales hype.

No, if you wanted to see a touching, honest and heartfelt tribute to the guy, you had to visit with his long time friend, Oscar™, at his home in Beverly Hills. Now in case you're wondering who Oscar™ is - and that trademark symbol didn't give you a clue - we are talking about the rather wonderful event the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the Academy Foundation (yes, the folks who hand out the Oscars™) presented last night (Dec. 5, 2001) at their home in the Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Program art © AMPAS

Hosted by Leonard Maltin, and open to the public for the astounding admission price of $5 a seat (now you KNOW the Disney company didn't put this together) it not only was a memorable evening, but one that had you (and the audience it seems, by their response) wondering just what had gone so off track in the past few years at the Disney Company.

Before I recap the events for those of you who couldn't make it, I must say something about the evening's host, Leonard Maltin. If you know him only from his appearances on Entertainment Tonight, you can be forgiven for thinking he may have been a lightweight choice. But if you've attended as many events as I have over the years, and seen him really in the middle of something he loves such as this, well - this truly can be a guy in his element. He was the perfect host, gently prodding his subjects to their best stories, and having enough of a historical perspective through his extensive research to properly frame each segment in the correct context.

Also special thanks must go to Scott McQueen (the guy at Disney in charge of restorations / the vaults) and Howard Green (basically someone who keeps watch over Walt's legacy at the studios) who assisted Maltin with the presentation - it is a massive undertaking assembling all the film clips that were shown. How wonderful it was to watch scenes from Sleeping Beauty for example, in the proper widescreen presentation, with the quality sound and projection the Samuel Goldwyn Theater always has. This theater is truly the movies "home" - it is the state of the art, period.

(Before I forget, there also were quite a few special guests in the audience last night, what a joy to see Glynis Johns (best known as Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins), James MacArthur (from Swiss Family Robinson, among other Disney films, but better remembered for Jack Lord saying to him, "Book Him Dano" on Hawaii Five-O), Disney composer Richard M. Sherman and Marc Davis' widow Alice, among many others.)

Goldwyn Theater promotional photo © AMPAS

As Maltin had indicated just afterwards, he wanted the program to both open and close with Walt himself, and because of various film clips he was able to accomplish that and more. Thankfully there was a lot of footage of Walt Disney, due to the many TV and promotional appearances he made.

The first clip was to me the most amazing - listed in the program that was handed out (shown above) as "Disneyland: The Fourth Anniversary Show (9/11/57)" it has Cubby, Bobby, Annette and some of the other Mouseketeers pulling Walt away from his TV show to surprise him in celebrating what they say is the third anniversary of Disneyland. It was uncanny how well this clip worked last night, Walt was his usual charming self, and the kids looked natural as ever. Setting a pattern that was felt all night, you wanted to see more of the program itself, but the clips alas had to be made brief.

The lights came on, and Maltin emphasized that there was really no way he could cover everything Disney had done in only one presentation, which proved amply true as the evening went on. For every ever- so- short clip he included, there were five or more you wished you could also see, and since the whole event was based at the Academy, it of course pretty much precluded any discussions of Disneyland itself. You came to understand there really was a lot that Walt Disney accomplished, and thanks to the expert handling of this event, it only left one hungering for more.

Promotional photo © Disney

Maltin then introduced the next three clips, one in particular that was a real gem. The first was a short done in early Technicolor® for the 1932 Academy Awards banquet, Parade of the Award Nominees. (Disney was honored that year with a special award for the creation of Mickey Mouse.) Made available in the past as part of the laserdisc box set Mickey Mouse: The Black & White Years, this is the first time Mickey was seen on the screen in color - although none of the colors we associate with the characters now are used here.

For those of you younger types there who did not recognize the parade's celebrity participants who were gussied up in their costumes for their nominated roles, here's the listing: First was Wallace Beery with Jackie Cooper (he was the little blonde kid) from the original The Champ, then Lynn Fontaine & Alfred Lunt (the famous acting couple) from The Guardsman, followed by Helen Hayes from The Sin of Madelon Claudet, then Frederic March for Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, and finally Marie Dressler for Emma.

The second clip was the gem I talked about - the only known footage of Walt doing Mickey for the 1940 cartoon Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip. This was also released on laserdisc in the past, as part of the 50th anniversary edition of Fun and Fancy Free. What we got in the theater was actually only a portion of what is on the laserdisc - mostly focusing on Walt really acting the part of Mickey as he does the voice. (You can clearly see that he really was Mickey, as most people have commented.)

The laserdisc gives you more of his performance, and oddly enough, in a few of the takes you can hear the cartoon director giving tips, although Maltin mentioned the recorded audio from the original session was lost. (They probably should have just shown the laserdisc footage, it was more complete.) Maltin also mentioned they had just found out that even though Walt had stopped doing Mickey in the 40's, he did one last recording session for the new animated segments for the Mickey Mouse Club TV show. A closer listen will reveal a more husky voice for Mickey.

The third clip shown was the only complete presentation of the night - the 1933 Mickey Mouse cartoon Mickey's Gala Premiere. Still entertaining after all these years, today's audiences may have not known some of the actors shown. For every Garbo or Laurel & Hardy they recognized, Joe E. Brown, Eddie Cantor or Harold Lloyd went by without a hint of familiarity, I heard one person who was confused when they saw four Marx Brothers (with Zeppo), instead of the more remembered three. They used a print that had new title cards edited onto it in the fifties (to removed the original "distributed by United Artists" lines) - it would have been nice if they had utilized a copy with the originals, especially since the cartoon that is premiered on the theater screen within the short itself does have the correct title cards used.

Promotional photo © Disney

Maltin then came back up on stage and introduced Robert Stack - who at 82 looks remarkable for his age - and asked him about playing polo with Walt. Stack rambled a little bit, but finally went on to tell a wonderful story about Walt learning how to play Polo. Walt wanted to make sure he would have a clear line to the ball (as per the rules) - but he was told that he would have to yield to anyone in the way. Apparently he never did according to Mr. Stack, making for some very brutal games.

Among his many Polo companions Maltin noted was Darryl Zanuck, who at that time was heading up 20th Century Fox. He talked about how Walt later used this network of acquaintances to get started in the live action end of the business - many of the first films employed Fox talent as he got going.

It was time for more clips, and this time we got scenes from Pinocchio (where his nose grows), Bambi learning to ice skate and finally the title song from The Three Caballeros. The last clip in particular was a stunning color riot up on the screen - it had been ages since I had watched it in a theater with this kind of quality. At the end of this assembly, Maltin introduced Ollie Johnson, Ward Kimball and Frank Thomas to enthusiastic applause.

It was a wonderful moment, yet also it was a very poignant one too, as it is no secret that all three are not getting any younger. Maltin handled this segment beautifully, showing us that even if they were a little slow in getting to their seats on the stage, they still had vibrant minds and quips to offer the assembled crowd. Johnson discussed how he learned so much working with Walt and how he missed that, Thomas described how even though they have live animals on hand at the studio for Bambi, he still felt it was better to watch the animals do "dumb" stuff on film. There was also a few comments from both Thomas and Johnson about how Walt hated long talking snouts on the deer (although Bambi's snout was short and cute enough). They mentioned how Walt wanted the mouth movements obscured with snow, mist or fog.

Kimball was his usual slightly off kilter self - discussing how he was initially upset he didn't have a storyboard for Three Caballeros, but then ended up finding out that he really enjoyed the freedom that the segment provided him. Maltin also touched on the railroading hobby they shared with Walt, and then finally mentioned the Firehouse Five (Plus Two) Dixieland jazz combo they formed. (It was at this point that Thomas got in a great gag about Kimball playing a note that stopped his heart, then having to hear that horrible note over and over again for many years afterwards. It got a wonderful laugh from everyone.) At the conclusion of this segment, the three got up to leave to a well deserved standing ovation.

Promotional photo © Disney

The next three clips were selected by Maltin to show that Disney did a lot of different things, he really did have a breadth of interest, and that most importantly, he always wanted to innovate. "They begged him to make sequels to Snow White, but he refused." Maltin said. The audience heartily agreed with this statement. Personally I think this was Maltin's very diplomatic way of questioning some of the seemingly idiotic sequels we are now endlessly subjected to by current management (among other things).

First up was a segment from the True Life Adventures short Secrets of Life, consisting of glorious time lapse photography of exotic flowers blooming. (Choosing this segment also probably avoided any of the questionable animal "manipulated" footage used in some of the True Life series, which many people now are very sensitive about.)

Next we got a clip from the TV show where Walt explained to the audience how Sleeping Beauty was filmed in widescreen, and it was followed by a scene from the film (yes, in glorious widescreen) where fairies Flora, Fauna and Merryweather have the wand fight in the cottage, changing Aurora's dress back and forth from pink to blue.

Maltin then came back up on stage to introduce three more clips, illustrating the work of the next three guests - matte painter Peter Ellenshaw (with the main titles from Westward Ho the Wagons), director Ken Annakin (the archery tournament scene from The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men) and Cinderella's voice, Ilene Woods.

This time the focus was on quality - and how Walt many times told the three guests up on the stage to not worry about the budget involved, that he just wanted the best from them. Ellenshaw told a story about Walt being concerned he wasn't taking enough time to produce quality scenic paintings, and asking him to take his time to get it right. Annakin discussed how when he was behind schedule (and over budget) on Third Man on the Mountain (the movie that inspired the Matterhorn ride at Disneyland by the way), he proposed a simpler scene to save a few bucks, then Walt contacted him about it, and when told it was to save money he was reminded that was not what Walt wanted and to please do the scene as originally storyboarded.

Promotional art © Disney

Woods described Walt as always treating his talent with respect, and insisting they do another take "just to see it if can be done differently." "He never had a negative thing to say," Woods concluded. All three also agreed Walt was a good friend too - and Maltin remarked he was always amazed at how nice everyone who he chose to work with was, even as he met them over the years much later as he was working on various Disney projects. Maltin thanked the three, and then went on to introduce the following segment.

Next up was something that will probably never see the light of day again in any way shape or form, a clip that shows Walt at his most natural, and it was contrasted with another clip seven years later that showed him at his most studied in front of the cameras. Maltin did a masterful job of preparing us for what to look for, and the clips did not disappoint.

In the many years I have been attending these types of special presentations, I've pretty much seen just about every clip they can haul out of the vault on Walt, and they have been judiciously releasing much of this material here and there as supplements on laserdisc and now DVD.

So you can imagine my surprise to see a promotional / in house kinescope Disney and ABC made in 1954 for Peter Pan peanut butter parent company Derby Foods, that actually shows Walt as many had only up to this point described him - as someone with a million things a minute crossing his mind, and (as Maltin put it) "not suffering fools gladly."

Promotional art © Disney

ABC's Robert Kintner hosts the presentation, made to sell the yet to be produced Disneyland TV show to Derby Foods, and he is to put it bluntly here, a huckster type. He falls all over himself to compliment Walt as Walt gets increasingly impatient with just sitting there. Walt's hands are what Maltin suggests we watch here, but also his facial expressions become increasingly honest, as he quite literally "forgets about the camera" as Maltin puts it.

As Kintner drones on the audience sees with Walt what up to now only has been described by people that worked with him closely - a gruff manner and an impatience with the current situation that is remarkable in its honesty up on the screen. It literally brought the house down, and made you wonder just how many other fools the poor guy had to suffer to get to where he was in life.

Beautifully contrasting this very honest appearance, was a 1961 clip from the first NBC color telecast of the Wonderful World of Color, where Walt much more cheerfully hawked RCA color TV sets - and obviously he was on his best behavior here. Maltin mentioned more than a few times that night what an actor Disney could be, never was it demonstrated more clearly as it was here last night. I think it's a real shame the Derby Foods film will most likely never be seen in public again.

The last guest of the evening was Diane Disney Miller, Walt's surviving elder daughter. (His other child, Sharon has passed away, as has his wife Lillian.) Miller in the past has more than demonstrated she truly is of Lillian's stock - she had been a little cool and the charm never quite flowed as easily for her as it did for her father. Last night though seemed to offer up a more relaxed and warm personality - which could probably be due to her increased public interaction with her work these past few years on several projects about her father (including the documentary Walt: The Man Behind the Myth which was broadcast on ABC, and will be rebroadcast this Saturday on A&E in case you missed it - and the CD-ROM bio Walt Disney: An Intimate History of the Man and his Magic).

Miller seemed to really enjoy the Derby Foods clip in particular and mentioned that it was really her father up on the screen there. Maltin asked her if Walt ever read her and her sister any bedtime stories, to which she replied "No, he just wanted to know what we were reading before we went to bed."

Miller also discussed how the second house (in Holmby Hills) was designed the way Walt wanted it (he didn't believe in hallways apparently, so all the rooms of the house emptied out into a big living room), and they discussed his interest in trains and miniatures - mentioning the barn out back where his shop was (now moved to Griffith Park, as shown below).

Somewhere during this segment Maltin noted that as Walt grew more prosperous, so did Mickey. "He grew up from a barnyard animal to be the host of the shows" Maltin observed, and Miller agreed, "sort of like he grew up and moved to the suburbs."

This led to a wonderful home movies segment, which Miller from the side of the stage did a voice over to. Some of these clips had been seen before on the CD-ROM bio (including the one where Miller takes a tumble out of a playhouse window) but a lot of them were shown for the first time to an audience. Miller commented on an early clip how Walt even walked like Mickey a bit when he was young, and how he had a habit of tipping his hat to the camera when he saw it.

There were also shots of him playing with his daughters, and some rather enthusiastic kissing of wife Lillian. "Walt adored my Mother" Miller added. The last clips, showing the last trip the family all took together, the summer before Walt passed away, were especially touching. They ended with a freeze frame of Walt sitting on a log waving goodbye - I think a lot of people besides Miller that night wiped away a tear since it was such a very human moment captured there.

Maltin escorted Miller off the stage and then made his closing remarks - again saying he felt we didn't even begin to scratch the surface that night due to the depth of Walt's accomplishments. He then led off the final two clips - the first of which is the famous (and familiar) Canadian Broadcast Corporation's 1963 Telescope show interview with Walt, where he is asked if he would do it all over again, (he would) but then asks if he has to - and the final scene from Snow White, where the prince's kiss awakens her and they head off into the sunset. (Maltin had earlier commented that this movie caused a bigger sensation on DVD this fall than most of last summer's blockbusters, because "it was, even after all these years, much better than all of them.")

Goldwyn Theater promotional photo © AMPAS

In closing here I just wanted again to say how wonderful an event like this is for people who were lucky enough to be able to attend. Everything presented was first rate, and the tribute even managed to show us another little bit of Walt Disney we hadn't seen before. (Only the lack of material on Disneyland stood out, and that was understandable considering the venue.)

Leonard Maltin was the perfect host - which only increased my admiration for him. (Believe it or not, I first met the man briefly when he used to write the blurbs for the backs of the RCA Select- a- Vision videodiscs way back when! Who knew?)

It's quite a legacy Walt left them, don't you think? I'm glad the Academy allowed the public to attend this very special event, and at such a reasonable cost.

I'll keep my closing comments brief here: I just think (after last night's event) that it is kind of sad that the Disney Company seems incapable of doing something of this quality and with this much care for its founder on its own.

I can only hope that Maltin would be contacted by the company in the near future to try and make some kind of permanent record of it for broadcast on one of the many Disney owned TV channels. Time moves on as we all well know, and many of the people we enjoyed hearing from last night may not be around that much longer. It would be nice to document their special memories of Walt Disney.

Al Lutz may be reached at al@mouseplanet.com - please keep in mind when writing that the volume of e-mail he receives may preclude his being able to personally respond to it all

Promotional photo © Disney

The kind folks at the Academy requested that NO PHOTOS or VIDEO (or any recordings) be taken / made at this special event. We honored their requests to the letter.

Below is the text of the press release for Disneyland's centennial event, offered as a comparison to the Academy event:

WALT DISNEY CENTENNIAL!

DISNEYLAND DESIGNER JOHN HENCH, 'IT'S A SMALL WORLD' COMPOSER RICHARD M. SHERMAN, RETURN TO DISNEYLAND® FOR DECEMBER 5 CELEBRATION OF DISNEY'S 100TH BIRTHDAY

ANAHEIM, CA, November 30, 2001 - Disney legends John Hench and Richard M. Sherman will return to DISNEYLAND on Wednesday, December 5, for a celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Walt Disney's birth.

The ceremony will mark the beginning of a yearlong program "Celebrating Walt Disney" at the DISNEYLAND Resort in Anaheim, California. Both DISNEYLAND and the new DISNEY'S CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE™ will offer a variety of special experiences for resort guests.

Hench and Sherman will be joined by Mickey Mouse and Cynthia Harriss, President of the DISNEYLAND Resort, in an 11:30 a.m. ceremony rededicating the statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse which stands in the DISNEYLAND Central Plaza. "Naturally we're thrilled to be celebrating this historic milestone at DISNEYLAND," Harriss said. "DISNEYLAND was Walt Disney's first, the world's original theme park, and it's the one park Walt was directly involved with from its Opening Day in 1955 until his death in 1966." At the ceremony, Hench and Sherman will share their recollections of working with Walt Disney during the creation of his beloved motion pictures and theme park attractions.

John Hench, now a senior vice president at Walt Disney Imagineering, has been a member of the Disney creative team for more than 60 years, starting as an artist on such films as Fantasia, Dumbo, Cinderella and Peter Pan. He led the team that created the Oscar®-winning special effects for "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." Beginning in 1954, he worked on the creation of the original Tomorrowland at DISNEYLAND, and went on to help develop "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln," "it's a small world" and numerous other attractions at Disney theme parks throughout the world.

With his brother Robert, Richard M. Sherman wrote the Oscar-winning songs for Mary Poppins and the unforgettable theme to the "it's a small world" attraction. Altogether, the Sherman Brothers wrote more than 200 songs for Disney films, television shows, theme parks and records, including "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers," the theme for the Enchanted Tiki Room, and Annette Funicello's first hit, "Tall Paul."

The December 5 birthday celebration will inaugurate a year's worth of special "Walt's 100th" extras at the DISNEYLAND Resort. Nostalgic photographs of Disney at DISNEYLAND will appear in shop windows along Main Street, U.S.A. Restaurants throughout DISNEYLAND park will highlight menu items that were Disney's favorites, and will add special Walt Disney menu items and desserts. Shops in DISNEYLAND and DISNEY'S CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE, along with the World of Disney shop in the DOWNTOWN DISNEY® District, will offer a variety of products and limited edition merchandise, including collectible pins, related to the "100 Years of Magic" created by Disney.

"One Man's Dream," a film celebration of Walt Disney's life and work, will begin an extended run in the Disney Animation Screening Room at Hollywood Pictures Backlot in DISNEY'S CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE on December 5.

On December 5 only, DISNEYLAND park guests may purchase a mini- anniversary cake with Walt Disney's image and a souvenir button at the Blue Ribbon Bakery on Main Street, U.S.A.

The DISNEYLAND Resort events observing Walt Disney's 100th Birthday on December 5 and throughout next year are part of a company- wide celebration of the anniversary. Walt Disney World Resort in Florida will inaugurate a major celebration of its own on the same date.

CONTACT: John McClintock - DISNEYLAND RESORT PRESS & PUBLICITY (714) 781-4500