What we have here my fellow geeks is a honest-to-god, real live feature story... some damn fine journalism, and Father Geek isn't going to muddy it up with some longwinded intro... If you love the Mouse... If you hate the Mouse... If you could care less about the Mouse... it doesn't matter because this story is for you all... If your on this site this story is for you...
Hey, Kids !
Moo Cow here. I was kind of surprised by the reaction to my "Emperor's New Groove" story last week. A lot of AICN readers seemed to like the piece. But more than a few accused me of being a mouthpiece for the Mouse. Ha Ha. It is to laugh.
While I will admit that I have been inside Disney's snazzy Feature Animation building in Burbank ( Snazzy maybe for architecture fans. The actual animators who work there have been complaining about how poorly the building is designed. It seems that master architect Robert Stern -- after being commissioned by Eisner to design a showplace for Disney Feature Animation -- never actually talked to any animators about what their work needs might be. Consequently, though the Feature Animation building Stern designed may look great from the outside, it's not much fun being stuck on the inside. Its high ceilings and huge open space make the place difficult to heat and light. Its hard concrete floor play hell with the animators' backs. Worst of all, Stern didn't design enough rooms in the place to hold every member of Disney's animation staff. Even though the whole point of building this multi-million 'Sorcerer Mickey' hat topped place was that Disney would once again have all their California artists together under one roof, the place is woefully under-sized. The Mouse still has to rent office space all around Burbank and Glendale to house its overflow feature animation staff. All in all, the Feature Animation building fiasco was a typical Disney operation for the 1990s. It may have looked great from the outside. But the people on the inside have a very different story to tell. Anyway ... ), I've never been anywhere near Tom Schumacher's desk -- let alone let him edit my copy.
Why I write these pieces isn't because I'm doing damage control for Disney. It's because I have friends who work for the Mouse. Average joes who toil away in animation, trying to the best they can under some very difficult circumstances. Folks who don't appreciate it when films they've worked on for four years get slammed by dweebs who haven't seen frame one from the flick.
Plus there are stories that I really think need to get out. I mean would I dare to reveal the following tale :
With apologies to the makers of "Inside John Malkovich," let's now go ...
INSIDE ROY DISNEY
Ever wonder what it would be like to stroll around inside the mind of a big-time studio executive? Well, come on, then! Let's lift the lid of this Hollywood legend and take a peek, shall we?
Okay, watch your step ... So far, so good ... No surprises here ... Loving family man ... Likes to sail ... Proud of his work ... Enjoys a drink or two ... Hey, what's with all the emotional baggage?
Animation insiders have been intrigued as of late by numerous very public appearances of Vice Chairman of the Walt Disney Company, Roy E. Disney. Normally a behind-the-scenes guy, Roy became very visible during the roll-out of "Fantasia 2000." He was featured prominently in the film's trailers. He made personal appearances at each of "Fantasia 2000" 's premiere performances at Carnegie Hall. Hell, as part of the promotion of the film, Roy even served as the grand marshall of this year's "Tournament of Roses Parade."
What gives? Why did this normally shy, soft-spoken guy turn into such an extrovert? Could it be that he's extremely proud of "Fantasia 2000" and wants as many people as possible to see the project? Well, there is that ... But the truth is actually a little more complicated than that.
By stepping out of the shadows and taking some of the credit for the creation of "Fantasia 2000," Roy E. Disney is out to prove something to himself. To the world. To a lot of the old timers who used to work at Disney Studios. But mostly to his long-dead uncle.
You see, Walt Disney was not actually the kindly old gent that the Disney Company keeps insisting he was. Undoubtedly a visionary when it came to the world of entertainment, Walt could also be a very tough guy to work for. Sometimes charming and caring. But Walt could be downright petty and cruel. A real prick.
You won't find mention of this side of Walt's personality in any of the authorized Disney biographies. The worst thing you'll ever hear in the sanitized version of the story was that the grand old man sometimes drank and smoke ( Though try and find a picture of Walt with a cigarette in his hand. The guy was a chain smoker, for God's sakes. It was lung cancer that did him in. But the Disney PR people have discreetly edited out or airbrushed away any evidence of Walt's all-too-human addiction. Anywho ... ) or that he could sometimes be demanding of his staff. You'll never hear any of the stories about what a dark and moody cuss, what a complete bastard he could be at times.
What's particularly interesting and/or ironic is Walt seemed to get a perverse pleasure out of tormenting his older brother, Roy O. Disney. Roy O. was the financial brains behind the outfit. He was the guy who begged, borrowed and pleaded for the funds necessary to keep the doors open at Walt Disney Productions. Walt almost drove the company into bankruptcy on three separate occasions. Only Roy's financial savvy managed to keep the place afloat.
Was Walt grateful for all his brother's hard work on behalf of the company? Maybe. But it was hard to tell that -- particularly based on Walt's behavior during the early 1960s. During that time, the Disney brothers had a terrible falling out ( Walt felt that Roy hadn't been very supportive during the creation of Disneyland. Roy was offended that his brother had created a separate company within Walt Disney Productions to design the park. Why this offended Roy was that Walt alone benefited from the profits and proceeds of WED ). As a result, the brothers didn't speak to each other for nearly a year.
Walt didn't dare to publicly bad-mouth his brother -- the chief financial officer of their company. If word of his feelings about his sibling were ever to hit the financial press, it could have a horrifying effect on Disney Productions' stock. Still, all that bad feeling and bile Walt felt toward Roy O. had to bubble out somewhere. Kindly old Uncle Walt opted to vent his spleen toward a relatively new employee at the company : his nephew, Roy E. Disney.
Now, you have to understand that this was circa 1962 - 63. And it wasn't like Roy E. was occupying a position of high authority at the company. He was just starting out in the business -- paying his dues as an assistant editor on those nature films the company used to run on "The Wonderful World of Disney." Still, Walt went out of his way to constantly say nasty things about the guy. Which is how Roy E. became known as the "idiot nephew."
Again, you won't see a word of this mentioned in any of the authorized Disney biographies. But pick up a few of the unauthorized books that are floating around out there -- particularly those that were written in the late 1970s and early 1980s by guys who used to work at the studio -- and you'll hear some awfully cruel stories about things Walt said or did to Roy E.
Anyway ... 20 years go by. Walt and Roy O. are long gone. And all those studio old timers ( the folks who used to snicker behind their hands about the "idiot nephew" ) have damn near driven the place to the ground. I won't recap the story here about how Michael Eisner and Frank Wells ended running the Mouse Works. But you should be aware that it was Roy E. and his friend & financial advisor who was responsible for saving the company from Saul Steinberg & the rest of the green mailers by installing Disney's new management team.
When Eisner asked Roy E. what he wanted in return of getting Eisner the top spot at Disney, Roy E. asked to be put in charge of feature animation. Now, you have to understand that this was back in 1984. A time when Disney feature animation was at its absolute nadir. The "nine old men" were all either dead, ill or retired. The next generation of Disney artists -- while long on talent -- were adrift, working without a rudder. They desperately needed inspiration and/or direction. ( Anyone who's ever seen the film that was produced during this period can clearly see this was a part of the company that was in serious trouble. )
Anyway, Roy E. wades into this mess and slowly but surely gets things turned around. In spite of the hellacious reviews "Black Cauldron" received, he persuaded Eisner and Jeffery Katzenberg that the studio should still go forward with a new animated feature. ( These days, Katzenberg will tell anyone who'll listen that he alone brought about the second Golden Age of Disney Feature Animation. He loves to tell the story about how he brought the animation unit back from the brink of death. Well, that's not what folks who worked at the studio back in 1984 remember, though. Back then, Jeffery was just another greedy suit fresh over from Paramount. It was he who supposedly asked Eisner "Why do we have to keep making cartoons? We've already got 25 of these things in the can. Couldn't we just shut down the unit and keep re-releasing the old stuff?" Hardly the words of a savior, eh? ) That fall, Roy personally escorted Michael and Jeffery to Feature Animation one Saturday morning to see Ron Clements and John Musker's storyboards for "Basil of Baker Street." With a little arm twisting ( And some budget concessions), he got the project green-lighted ...
And the second golden age of Disney Feature Animation quietly got underway.
Roy E. isn't exactly what you'd call a "hands-on" executive. He'd really much prefer to be sailing or vacationing in Ireland. But insisted that Disney Feature Animation finally make the leap into the computer age in the early 1990s by installing CAPS ( Computer Animation Production System ). Eisner initially balked at this computer system's price tag ( $10 million, which quickly escalated to $30 million). But Roy E. exercised his clout ... and Eisner eventually caved.
Roy E. also actively campaigned for beefing up the staff of Disney's animation department. With enough artists on board, Roy E. hoped that Disney Studios would finally be able to do something that Walt had always dreamed of but could never pull off : turn out a brand new Disney animated feature every year.
Roy saw to it that Disney Feature Animation got the bodies it needed. And he stood by proudly as the newly beefed up organization turned out "The Little Mermaid " and "Beauty and the Beast," changing forever how modern audiences viewed Disney animated films. No longer would Disney's cartoons just be considered tame matinee fare ( Like the studio's pale 1970s era projects, "Robin Hood" and "Pete's Dragon"). Now adults were flocking to night-time showings of the studio's animated films. Hell, "Beauty and the Beast" even got a Best Picture nomination for the 1992 Academy Awards.
It was in the wake of that film's Oscar nomination that Roy E. called in another marker with Eisner. He wanted to tackle another project that Walt had dreamed of but could never pull off: new sequences for "Fantasia." Eisner was understandably reluctant about allowing Roy E. to go forward with the project. This meant tampering with a film that had been recognized as a classic. Hell, the Library of Congress had just asked for a copy of the original version of "Fantasia" to add to their archives. Who were they to screw with a national treasure?
But Roy persisted ... and persisted ... And finally, Eisner -- after getting Roy to promise that he'd keep production costs down -- relented, okaying production of "just a few" new animated sequences for "Fantasia."
Well, nine years and $120 million dollars later, we've got a new "Fantasia." Not one with "just a few" new scenes, but a radically refurbished film with seven brand new sequences. Folks who have seen the IMAX version of the film have just raved.
Which brings us back to Roy E. stepping out into the spotlight. Why's he doing that? Roy's just shaking off 30 years of bad juujuu. He's accomplished two things that Uncle Walt never could :
1) Disney Studios now cranks out at least one brand new animated feature every year. ( In 2000, we'll actually see two : "Dinosaurs" and "the Emperor's New Groove." The last time Disney was able to do that was 'way back in 1940, when the company released "Pinocchio" as well as the original "Fantasia." Speaking of which ... )
2) The studio was finally able to produce new sequences for "Fantasia." So who's the "idiot nephew" now?
Look for Roy to remain in the spotlight right up through July of this year, when "Fantasia 2000" begins its run in regular theaters nation-wide. After that ... Well, while animators are already asking him when they can begin work on new sequences for the next version of "Fantasia," look for Roy E. to slip back into the shadows ... then maybe pack it in entirely at Disney.
After all, Roy E. ain't no spring chicken. Having turned 70 this year ( and having finally exorcised a few personal demons ), this is a man who wants to enjoy the rest of his days on the planet. Roy doesn't want to waste any more time in animation production meetings ( Though he still regrets that he never found a way to talk Eisner out of going forward with an animated version of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." To Roy's way of thinking, that movie was just too damn dark ). He longs to climb onto his boat and leave the nonsense of Hollywood behind him.
More power to you, Roy E. Just be sure to leave all that emotional baggage on the dock before you sail off into the sunset.
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Okay. Let the slings and arrows fly.
Just in case someone wants to accuse me of building Roy E. up by tearing Walt down in the above story, let me be clear here : While I may respect everything Walt Disney accomplished in his lifetime, it's important to remember that the man was not a saint. Walt could make mistakes. Hell, he even admitted it himself. Take the quote below :
"We all make mistakes ... I shall now rededicate myself to my old ideals."
Who was Walt talking to? Everyone attending the 1941 Academy Awards. He said this during his acceptance speech for the Irving Thalberg Award.
What was he apologizing for? Creating the original "Fantasia" ?!
I'm serious, folks. Get yourself a copy of Mason Wiley and Damien Bona's great book about the Academy Awards, "Inside Oscar : The Unofficial History of the Academy Awards" ( Ballantine Books ). There you can read how David Selznick presented Walt a bust of Irving Thalberg for the creation of "Fantasia." Once Walt got to the podium, he started weeping, then said :
"Thank you so much for this. Maybe I should have a medal for bravery. We all make mistakes. 'Fantasia' was one but an honest one. I shall now rededicate myself to my old ideals."
That's Walt's comments in full. Of course, you have to understand that Walt was under a lot of pressure. "Fantasia" had just flopped at the box office. His studio was on the brink of bankruptcy -- again.
But isn't it strange that -- while the Walt Disney Company is still happy to list the Irving Thalberg award as one of the many trophies Walt won in his life-time -- you never heard word one about this particular acceptance speech.
Your comments?
Moo Cow
