Winnie the Pooh: Milne vs. Disney

After contemplating the character of Mickey Mouse last month, I started to think about one of my favorite Disney characters: Winnie the Pooh. I realized I didn’t remember reading the original stories by A.A. Milne. Disney purchased the rights to Winnie the Pooh in 1960, so any Pooh I’d ever known belonged to Disney. I wanted to see how he compared to the original. Good news for fans of Disney and Pooh alike: much of what we love about the character is taken from the original stories. Many of the classic adventures of Pooh are lifted directly from A.A. Milne’s … Continue reading →

Happy Birthday Donald!

Maybe it’s the ageist in me, but Donald looks pretty snappy for 73 years old. Donald is a particular favorite of ours here at home – both my husband and I have always preferred Donald of the Disney characters featured in Mickey and the Gang. The Wise Little Hen Donald premiered in a Silly Symphony cartoon called The Wise Little Hen on June 9, 1934. My grandmother was just 14 years old and once upon a time, she told me about seeing the Disney cartoons featured in the theater. Donald’s hot temper made him an audience darling. In the 1940s, … Continue reading →

A Little Inspiration from Walt Disney

Walt Disney was a fantastic man and a pioneer in his field. He believed in his work, he believed in magic and he believed in so much more. His belief has given generations of Americans magical characters and places to love and to cherish. So this morning, I thought I’d start our week off right with a little inspiration from the creator of Mickey Mouse and much, much more. Enjoy! Walt Disney A man should never neglect his family for business. Adults are interested if you don’t play down to the little 2 or 3 year olds or talk down. … Continue reading →

How Was Mickey Born?

Early in his career, Walt’s studio got the contract to produce Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons. This gave Walt and Roy a sense of security. As the popularity of the cartoon grew, Walt decided to renew the contract, for a better price, and he and Lilly headed to New York to discuss a new deal. There was so much that Walt did not know as he headed back east though. Charlie Mintz and Universal Pictures legally owned the legal rights to Oswald. Charlie Mintz had also offered Walt’s employees more money and freedom if they’d leave Walt and come to … Continue reading →

Walt Disney’s History – The Alice Series

When Walt arrived in Hollywood, his first job was as an extra, in a western film, but Walt was replaced by the studio when it rained the day the scene he was in was supposed to be filmed. Walt decided that the role he didn’t get to play was the first and last of his acting career. Walt decided to turn to his one skill, animation. Walt set up a small studio, in the garage of his Uncle Robert’s home. Walt wrote a letter to a film distributor (M.J. Winkler) and announced that he was starting a studio in Los … Continue reading →