Tag Archives: walt disney

The 1941 Walt Disney Animators Strike

The Walt Disney Corporation has such a good family-friendly image.  It really styles itself as an ideal place to work.  We can only imagine that things were even better in Disney’s golden era, when the man himself was still running things.  But that wasn’t always the case; in fact, in 1941 hundreds of Disney animators went on strike. The Business Insider has some fantastic photographs of and other images from the strike, and of the materials the strikers were circulating.  But it’s a bit lacking on the specific details of why animators would go on strike, especially so soon after … Continue reading →

Walt Disney and the U.S. State Department

About a month ago I learned of the most interesting rumor about “Saludos Amigos” and “The Three Caballeros.” The little-known 1940s flicks, which feature Donald Duck traveling to Central and South America, meeting, and having adventures with Brazilian parrot Jose Carioca and Mexican rooster Panchito Pistolas, were supposedly commissioned by the U.S. State Department. As soon as I read this, I instantly had to know more. I really wanted to learn the real story, if one existed, behind the rumor and share it with you here. I couldn’t do that, however, until I was able to find at least some … Continue reading →

Mary Blair’s Disney Legacy

Last year for Women’s History Month I introduced the women of the Pen and Ink Department in the Golden Era of Walt Disney Animation. Today, on the 100th anniversary of Women’s History Day, his year I want to take a look at a woman who stands out in the following generation of Disney work in the 1940s. One of the most notable of these female Disney animation trailblazers is Mary Blair. Inducted into the Disney Legends Hall in 1991, Mary Blair revolutionized the artistry of the Disney Company. Her biography on the Legends website has the scoop on Mary Blair’s … Continue reading →

The Walt Disney Family Museum

To keep many of his animators from being drafted, Walt Disney struck a deal with the government to create promotional material during the Second World War. I’ve written twice now about things relating to The Walt Disney Family Museum, but I realized that I’ve never covered details about the museum itself. Before it opened it was examined here on the families.com Disney blog, but now that it’s been in operation for over a year let’s look at the institution again. The Walt Disney Family Museum was co-founded by Diane Disney Miller, eldest daughter of Walt Disney, and Richard Benefield in … Continue reading →

Turner Classic Movies Film Festival

Fans of Disney and classic films alike should consider attending this year’s Turner Classic Movies Classic Film Festival. Stitch Kingdom reports that for 2011 TCM joined up with D23, the official Disney fan group, to dedicate a portion of the festival to the works of Walt Disney. The Disney films and shorts presented all fit into this year’s theme of Music and the Movies. Thus the only feature length Disney movie shown at the festival will be a recently restored copy of 1940’s “Fantasia.” The four-day event will also include a screening of select Silly Symphonies shorts introduced/curated by film … Continue reading →

Snow White’s Secret Green Streak

For my wrap-up to environmental week, I’m going to explore whether or not Walt Disney was, in part, responsible for the modern environmental movement. According to a book by a Cambridge University scholar, Disney films, particularly those produced between 1937 and 1967 and 1984 and 2005, are responsible for making viewers respond to and care more for the natural world. “The Idea of Nature in Disney Animation” by Dr. David Whitley, an English literature professor, argues that the eras of Walt Disney and Michael Eisner produced films which made young viewers in particular aware of nature and the issues surrounding … Continue reading →

Women’s History at Disney

In recent years more credit and accolades have gone to those behind the birth of animation, through the many acknowledgments (including a 2005 documentary) to Disney’s famous “Nine Old Men,” the main animators responsible for Disney’s golden age. But these Nine Old Men were backed by more than their mostly-male animation department. For the glory years of Disney’s early animation, from the first cartoon shorts to the feature films leading up to World War II, the department in charge of all the inking and painting of the drawings was staffed almost exclusively by women. In honor of Women’s History Month, … Continue reading →

The Disneyfication of the Olympics

Thousands of people around the world cram into their local roads, to contribute to the joyous roar of the crowd as a runner pounds past, bearing a flickering flame above their heads. Athletes become celebrities, grinning at the world first from a podium amidst a colorful snowstorm of confetti, then from orange cereal boxes under the fluorescent glow of the grocery store. Today the Olympics are synonymous with fanfare. I’m sure we’ll be seeing plenty tonight at the opening ceremony in Vancouver. What few people know is that before the 1960 Winter Olympics, and Walt Disney’s involvement in them, the … Continue reading →

Happy Birthday, EPCOT!

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I know, I know. The acronym EPCOT was dropped back in 1994 for the simple non-word Epcot. EPCOT originally stood for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. It was Walt Disney’s dream that EPCOT would be a real city. Walt’s dream was to create the perfect city with a central commercial area surrounded by a residential community. The plan was to have 20,000 residents who would try out new ideas and materials that would eliminate the social ills found in other American cities. There would be schools, preschools, community centers, and churches but no unemployment, retirees, land ownership or voting rights. … Continue reading →

The Disney Blog Week in Review June 24 – 29

What a great week it’s been for Disney with Walt being honored as an inspiration to another generation and the launching of Disney/Pixar’s Ratatouille in theaters nationwide yesterday. So let’s do a quick run down of the articles for this week: Saturday, June 24 Disney Announces Prince Caspian Fan Art Contest and there’s a few days left until the deadline on July 6th, so if you’re an artist, digital artist or graphic artist – here’s a chance to strut your stuff for Disney. Sunday, June 25 Walt Disney World Agrees to 3-Year Contract With Union which is good news for … Continue reading →