The negatives of Walt
Hi,
I too have read all the stuff. One book (Hollywood's Dark Prince) mentioned a few things. Here they are and what I say to them,
Walt couldn't draw. - Yes he could, but he became a show director of his own company. His strengths were seeing perfection and knowing how to get there.
Walt never acknowledged the talents of his staff. - Think that he did. At the start/end of many films, there is a statement about 'grateful to the talents of the artists who made this possible' Walt was the kind of guy that would probably only speak about your work if it wasn't up to scratch. If he said nothing to you, that means you are doing your job well, and what you have been asked of. Depsite not believing this true for one minute, some managers and management styles are like that! Besides, he publically praised his staff in a number of projects he televised. The Disneyland 10th anniversary special for example, where he showed the DL Ambassador around talking about upcoming Pirates + Marc Davis, Small World + Mary Blair, and HM.
There was a particular story that got me. Speaking of Walt and watching a pencil test of an artist showing Mickey and Minnie in compromising circumstances. Afterwards, Walt applauded and congratulated the individual, "Who did this fine work?" When the artist proudly stood, Walt fired him. But wouldn't anyone! If I had created a character and my company was soley based on its success, working hard to achieve everything, wouldn't you be proud of it and nurture it wanting to protect it, especially the innocence of !?
The book shamingly talks about his obsessive habits. How cruel. In particular how he got to a stage where he was constantly washing his hands etc... It speaks of times when he became infuriated when things didn't go to plan, like openings and launches etc... again, all signs of a perfectionist and an artist! Is that is only crime???
Walt Disney was racist - So that would be why he created It's a Small World, and decided to just put White American dolls in there as animatronics would it?
Then there is his work for Hoover, that he was frozen on death, that he had studio affairs.....
Incidently the book does highlight a point about Disney family deaths all being in December. Trying to verify this with Sharon Disney-Lund's, whose memorial plate doesn't give a date but hints that her ashes may well be scattered in DL. It simply states that 'Ashes scattered in Paradise', a place he called DL to them when they were young.
If I am wrong in any of this please correct... I just found the book and everything else I hear bad and unsubstantiated and has no reason. I like Diane Disney Millers opening introduction on the Walt Disney CDRom. She blatenly acknowledges all this bad stuff written about him.
Simes
