It has been a while since I have done a column on Walt quotes that have not been recorded elsewhere. You can check out my previous columns (“In Walt’s Words,” September27, 2006) and “A Word From Walt,” April 25, 2007).
Sometimes it is difficult to determine whether Walt quotes are from Walt himself or Walt-approved quotes coming from the publicity department, but it is fun for me to discover these “lost” quotes of Walt and share them with you. This column I will spotlight a few instances where I know these are Walt quotes because they are from letters that he wrote.
Walt corresponded with a lot of his old friends in Marceline, Missouri. For the September 23, 1938 Golden Jubilee edition of the Marceline News, Walt wrote a letter titled “The Marceline I Knew”:
“I was extremely glad to receive your letter asking me to write some impressions of Marceline as I remember it from childhood days.
“To tell the truth, more things of importance happened to me in Marceline than have happened since—or are likely to in the future. Things, I mean, like experiencing my first country life, seeing my first circus parade, attending my first school, seeing my first motion picture! I know you’ll agree with me that such childhood ‘firsts’ as those are of utmost importance in any human being’s life.
“I went with my family to live in Marceline when I was 5 years old, and I stayed there until I was 9.. I clearly remember the day we arrived there on the train. A Mr. Coffman met us in his wagon and we rode out to our house in his wagon and we rode out to our house in the country just outside the city limits. I believe it was called the Crane Farm. My first impression of it was that it had a beautiful front yard with lots of weeping willow trees.
“The Taylors lived on one side of us, and Doc Sherwood lived on the other. One of my fondest childhood memories is of Doc Sherwood. He used to encourage me in my drawing, and give me little presents for my efforts.
“One time I think he must have held a horse of his nearly all day so that I could draw it. Needless to say, the drawing wasn’t so hot, but Doc made me think it was tops.
“My brother Roy reminds me of another flyer I took in the line of art at the time. I painted one side of our house with black pitch. The outcome must have been slightly frightening, to say the least, and I wasn’t thanked for my efforts by the family.
“I can remember the big red brick school house as if it were yesterday. Maybe if I saw it today it wouldn’t look so immense, but it did to my young eyes. My first teacher’s name was Miss Brown.
“And what fun we kids used to have after school on winter days, going down the hillsides lickety-split on a sled!
“Everything connected with Marceline was a thrill to us, coming, as we did, from a city the size of Chicago. The cows, pigs, and chickens gave me a big thrill, and perhaps that’s the reason we use so many barnyard animals in the Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphony pictures today—who knows! You know what the psychologists say about the importance of childhood impressions.
“A special event in connection with my life in Marceline was the day I got to go down in the old No. 2 coal mine, which was just a short distance from our place.
“Before we left Marceline, we moved from the farm into town for awhile, where we lived between the Wheelers and the Moormans. Mr. Moorman was the high school principal, and Mrs. Moorman, I must confess, was my first ‘dream girl’. Of course, I was all of eight or nine at the time, but I can remember what pretty red hair she had.
“Other random remembrances include the fact that one of the prides of my life was my uncle, Mike Martin, who was an engineer on a train running from Marceline to Fort Madison, Iowa. After all, if you can’t be an engineer yourself, the next best thing is to have a relative who is one.
“I’m glad I’m a small town boy and I’m glad Marceline was my town. Thanks a lot for letting me write my impressions, and say hello to all the folks. In addition, here is wishing you all congratulations and success in connection with your Golden Jubilee.”
About a year earlier, on August 17,1937, Walt sent a letter to Miss Irene Gentry of the Kansas City Library in Missouri:
“Dear Miss Gentry,
“Thank you for your letter of August 11. It gives me pleasure to tell you how highly I regard the services offered by the Public Libraries and especially that of the Kansas City Library.
“All during the early years of my youth, and a long time before I had given a career any thought, the Public Library has always held a tremendous interest for me. Needless to say, any book that offered information on drawing was likely to be found listed on my card, and over-due books were the chief reason for my usually depleted bank account.
“Later, in Kansas City, when I became seriously interested in cartooning, I gained my first information on animation from a book written by H.C. Lutz (actually it was E.C. Lutz) which I procured from the Kansas City Public Library. I feel the Public Library has been a very definite help to me all through my career.
“While we have established a sizeable library of our own, nevertheless we are constantly calling upon the local Public Library to supplement our needs from its vast resources.
“Mickey joins me in sending greetings to you and all the members of the American Library Association.
“Sincerely yours, Walt Disney”
Before the opening of Disneyland on July 17,1955, Walt was worried that there wouldn’t be enough people scattered throughout the park for the television cameras to make it look popular. Not only did he invite employees from the Disney Studios but others who assisted on the creation of the park. Here is the letter Walt sent out on June 28,1955, roughly two weeks before that historic opening:
“As we come down the homestretch in the building of Disneyland, I knew you are as happy as I am with the way in which this dream of ours is coming to full life.
“Your contribution to the construction, the development and the details of the park has made it possible for us to foresee that we will open Disneyland, virtually completed.
“The few days remaining before our television preview on Sunday, July 17th, will be all important to us, but I know that we can count on you and every one of your fellow employees to do your utmost to meet our schedule.
“I would like to cordially invite you and your family to participate with us in the thrill of the Disneyland premiere. Within the next few days, we will have your preview tickets available. They will be distributed to you at Disneyland and will assure you and your family of a wonderful afternoon, as our guests, on all the rides and amusements in Disneyland.
“I am sure your family will be as proud of your effort as all of us are.
“Sincerely, Walt Disney”
Speaking of Disneyland, one of my fondest childhood and teenage memories was going to the Golden Horseshoe Revue in Frontierland and watching Wally Boag perform. Wally was involved in a lot of other Disney related activities. He helped script and provide a voice for the Enchanted Tiki Room. He did live-action reference footage for the butler going down stairs in the animated feature The Aristocats. He worked on many Disney projects like Disneyland’s proposed Chinese restaurant with a talking dragon and the first human Audio-Animatronics figure that was never realized.
He was also involved with the entertainment for the 1960 Winter Olympics and it was related to that project that Walt sent Wally this letter in 1959:
“Dear Wally
“I am happy to know, through Tommy Walker, that you are all set to be with us for another three years.
“I can’t remember how many times I’ve seen the show, but I always find it stimulating to be there and watch the responses of the audience—although I practically know the routine by heart it’s always new and exciting.
“I appreciate what you have done to make the Golden Horseshoe a success and I am glad to know you are happy in your association which is evidenced by the new contract.
“The thing I spoke to you about in the Winter Olympics, is still on but there will be no need for us to get together to formulate the show until late December or early January when we will have a better idea of who will be a part of it. Anyway, I’m looking to you to help me with it.
“Best wishes to you and yours always.
“Sincerely, Walt”
To finish off this column, here are some Walt quotes that may have been massaged by other hands but since they went out under Walt’s name, they were obviously approved by Walt himself.
Discussing the in-development Alice in Wonderland project in a magazine (that I have regrettably misplaced the title) dated August 11, 1946, Walt said the following:
“No story in English literature has intrigued me more than Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. It fascinated me the first time I read it as a schoolboy and as soon as I possible could after I started making animated cartoons, I acquired the film rights to it.
“Carroll was revolutionary in the field of literature. He violated the serious Victorian tradition by writing Alice in a vein of fantasy and nonsense. In fact, he was a pace-setter for the motion picture cartoon and the comic strip of today by the style he introduced in his fantasy.
“People in his period had no time to waste on triviality, yet Carroll with his nonsense and fantasy furnished a balance between seriousness and enjoyment which everybody needed then and still needs today.”
One of the treasures in my personal collection is the spiral-bound book, Walt Disney’s Tips on Animation Guide from Disneyland’s Art Corner and only available in the “Walt Disney Animation Kit.” Supposedly, Walt wrote the preface:
“Animation is a form of Art with many possibilities. It can afford the artist a great deal of enjoyment and, at the same time, give him the satisfaction of creating a form or character in action—a thrill not possible in most graphic arts.
“While animation, as we see it on the motion picture screen, requires consideration practice and training, anyone who likes to draw will enjoy seeing his ideas and drawings come to life on his own animation board.”
From the first Disneyland souvenir book in 1955 is this introduction by Walt:
“Welcome to Disneyland. We hope you will have fun here, and that this souvenir will long recall happy, carefree hours in a place dedicated to your enjoyment.
“The first edition illustrations on these pages show buildings and exhibits in artist rendering stage. That was so we could have the booklet ready for our early visitors. But Disneyland will always be building and growing and adding new things…new ways of having fun, of learning things and sharing the many exciting adventures which may be experienced here in the company of family and friends.
“What you see in Disneyland represents the combined efforts of hundreds of artists, architects, scientists, expert craftsmen and engineers who have helped us carry out a long-cherished dream.
“The park-playground fulfills a wish that those of us who like the same things might more closely share the pleasures I have had in exploring the paths of fable and folklore, of nature and science and historical legend on the screen and television.
“So, the opening of Disneyland, where visitors of every age and circumstance can learn joyously from fact and live closely with fantasy, has been for me—as I hope it has been for you—a most happy event—a dream come true.
“Walt Disney”
And from one of the first Disneyland training manuals are these thoughts from Walt to Disneyland cast members:
“Your every action (and mine also) is a direct reflection of our entire organization.
“So it’s vitally important all of us thoroughly understand our responsibilities…particularly our responsibility for guest relations and safety.
“Think of it this way. For our guests from around the world, the curtain goes up on an all new show at Disneyland every day and you, as a host or hostess, are truly “on stage”.
“I know you will give a courteous and friendly performance.
“Walt”
Finally, from the March 1931 issue of American Magazine, Walt talks about Mickey Mouse and some of the early lessons that he and his animators learned:
“I can’t say just how the idea came. We wanted another animal. We had had a cat; a mouse naturally came to mind. We felt that the public–especially children–like animals that are ‘cute’ and little. I think we were rather indebted to Charlie Chaplin for the idea. We wanted something appealing and we thought of a tiny bit of a mouse that would have something of the wistfulness of Chaplin…a little fellow trying to do the best he could. Did I realize that I had hit upon an idea that would go round the world? Well, we always thought every new idea was a world-beater. And usually found out that it wasn’t.
“We were enthusiastic over the idea of ‘Mickey Mouse’ but we had been just as enthusiastic over ‘Alice’. In the beginning we thought we had to make the mouse very small in order to win the sympathy of the audiences. We have learned that we can make him as big as a horse. Sometimes we do. Another mistake we made was in thinking that American audiences always want brand-new gags—surprises and cute turns. We have found out that they want most to laugh. They easily forget the original turns but if a picture has given them a good laugh, whether by old gags or new, they always remember it and tell other people.
“We learned after hard lessons, too, that the public wants its heroes. In some of the pictures we tried to let other animals steal the honors from Mickey. There was an immediate reaction against this. Mickey has to be the whole thing, especially in the matter of brains. No one must outdo him. Most of all we learned that the American public loves dance music. It also demands villains with human characteristics.”
