Mickey's All Stars! A 90th Tribute

Just published, a marvelous birthday gift, to celebrate an exceptional mouse!

A few top panels for the new collection by Mike Peraza

On November 18, 1928, the movie going public first got the opportunity while viewing a new cartoon from Walt Disney titled, "Steamboat Willie" to enjoy a new character who suddenly squeaked his way into hearts across the country and eventually around the world. He was a spunky little fellow dressed in a buttoned shorts that would revolutionize popular culture for decades to come: Mickey Mouse! Ninety years later, that superstar mouse is being celebrated with great fanfare by bringing together exceptional guest artists!

Front cover of the book

To honor this special event, the premiere Disney Art publisher Glénat Editions extended an invitation to 50 leading artists of contemporary comics and animation from around the world to create 50 original unpublished stories in one page each. The same simple instructions were given to each participant to follow when creating their comic book page. "First box: Mickey enters through a door; in the last box: he goes out". Between the two: anything and everything is possible! From this imposed postulate, each author/artist has been allowed to express his creativity and deliver his artistic vision of the character in a tribute to his life.

Mike Peraza chose to tell his story from the golden age of Disney animation of the 1930s. He drew his Mickey as he looked in those early years as well as other characters including a couple of famous animators who were well known for their stellar work with the mouse. A lot of research went into his backgrounds as he wanted to include a tribute to the Hyperion studio of that time period both interior and exterior detail where under Walt's guidance, so much of the magic took place.

Mike Peraza in front of a vintage Disney Animation Studio storyboard with some of his concepts for the Mickey All Stars

50 international talents including Bertollucci, Brüno, Camboni, Cestac, Clarke, Dab's, De Poortere, Domecq, Keramidas, Lapone, LeDessineux, Munuera, Nesme, Parma, Peraza, Pirus, Supiot, Tebo and Zanzim and many others have been assembled in an exceptional tome for their collective tribute to the one and only ... Mickey Mouse!

Happy Birthday Bill Peet!

Bill's (and mine) layout desk

It’s a particular honor to pay tribute to hands down one of the greatest story men and concept artist ever to work at the Walt Disney Studio, Bill Peet. I met Bill a couple of times when he came to the studio in the 1970s to visit Don Griffith because he certainly wasn’t there to see a gangly little kid like me. However he always made me feel like part of the “gang” when he was around. We would go out to “Sloppos”, which was the nickname we all used for a Mexican Restaurant across from Warners that Don and many of his Disney compatriots used to haunt. It was unfortunately demolished and turned into a parking garage back in the 1980s.

Ironically, I met many of the "old guard" that were no longer working at Disney at restaurants like Sloppos than at the studio. You can bet when any of the Disney "vets" came visiting in the 1970s, they almost certainly made stopping by to say hello to Don Griffith an important stop. He was that kind of wonderful man.

Bill creating more magic

I really enjoyed Bill and his colorful stories about the old days at Disney. He is also one of my biggest influences as to technique. I used to try to emulate his work, never knowing much about the artist who created them until Don shared some of his personal stories of Bill with me.

My love of working in charcoal was due directly to Bill and to a great friend and teacher Ken O’Connor. Don also clued me in about Bill’s vast library of children’s books he not only wrote but illustrated in the same lively style he had used for years at the mouse factory. If you don’t own any Bill Peet books, I suggest you make amends and buy an armload of em. Two of my favorite momentos from the old studio days are a couple of Bill's books personalized for Patty and I as birthday gifts by the master storyteller himself. If I can figure out a way to hang them without breaking the binding one day they'll be framed and up on one of the studio walls next to his other work.

One of Bill's stunning Song of the South story sketches

Eric Larson, one of the 9 old men also shared his appreciation of Bill’s talent by allowing me to study the pastel and charcoal story sketches from "Song of the South" he had framed and hanging directly behind his chair in his office. One time when I dropped in on Eric he even offered in his chuckling voice, “Are you here to see ME Mike, or just look at my etchings?” meaning Bill’s sketches. If you study the little banner I made, you’ll see evidence of the immeasurable talent Bill had and the effect he poured into so many classic Disney films. 

Ready for the pitch!

Bill himself enjoyed the fact that I was using HIS desk while working for Don Griffith in those days. Bill used a story desk in his early days but gravitated to the larger layout model in later years due to the built in cork board and extra shelving. I told him the trouble I had opening the drawers that seemed to be stuck. I pulled and pulled until finally the big one on the lower left flew open. Inside were over a hundred smashed story sketches from Alice to Junglebook. I had torn quite a few of them in the process of getting  it open. When I took a handful of the sketches over in the next room to Don he told me who had drawn them. Over lunch Bill told me the rest of the story. 

He had a falling out of sorts with Walt over some story development ideas on Jungle Book. It wasn’t the first time he had a disagreement with Uncle Walt but unfortunately it would be the last. Bill wasn't the type to mince words and he was in fine form on this day. It happened upstairs in Walt’s favorite sweatbox on the 3rd floor. It was on a Wednesday January 29, 1964. I was surprised Bill remembered the date but when he related that it happened on his birthday of all days it of course made sense. Of course Walt wasn’t the sort to back down to anyone and didn’t have to. Still, for this to happen on his birthday! Not the sort of gift one wants.

The end result was that upon returning to his desk that afternoon in 1964, he was understandably upset and slammed his drawers into the desk which were full to over flowing with his drawings. Apparently those stuffed drawers hadn’t been opened since that fateful day.

But don’t make the mistake of thinking Bill was a hot head, far from it. He was simply an incredibly talented artist who worked extremely hard at his craft and was ready to take up for his solid ideas, even with Walt. Thank goodness for all of us, that passion can be found throughout the great Disney classics for generations to enjoy. Happy Birthday Bill and thanks everything!

WARD KIMBALL, Genius!

Ward Kimball holding court at his
"Grizzly Flats" next to Chloe

March 4, 1914 gave us one of the most talented, one of the biggest cutups and one of the most beloved artists in the Walt Disney Studio stable- Ward Kimball. Ward was so many things it’s hard to put a label on him- jazz trombonist, fine artist, toy collector, imagineer, train buff, animator… well let’s just use the moniker that Walt Disney himself bestowed on Ward- GENIUS! 

One of Ward's endless model sheet spoofs

As with many of the Disney “old timers” (Now that my dark hair has for some reason gone gray, I'm not sure I like that phrase). I first met Ward at Cal Arts back when I was enrolled in the Disney Animation program back in the mid 1970s.  He made quite an impression on me and others in the brief time he was there but what I noticed was that he really stood out from the other fellows, not just because of his owlish oversized spectacles but his big grin and voice to match it. Ken O'Connor, who was our Basic Drawing and Perspective teacher was a close friend of Ward's and had worked in the Kimball Unit on many of his popular projects at Walt Disney Studio and was able to help set up the visits.

For those who might be unfamiliar with Ward's work he brought to life with his magic pencil many famous delightful Disney characters including Jimminy Cricket, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, Mad Hatter and Cheshire Cat and oodles more. He was an inspiring director and was responsible for the Academy Award winning short, "Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom" and a series of shows about outer space working with other Disney legends like Ken O'Connor that helped Americans understand our "race into space."

I was quite the practical joker at Disney and probably spent too much time planning out gags to play on my co-workers (The soap bubbles incident, re-arranging rest room labels, setting a For Lease sign in front of the studio, etc.) when I suddenly found myself loaned out  to WED. (they did that frequently, I should have developed an inferiority complex). On one of those “loan outs” I was assigned to work on EPCOT with Ward on “World of Motion” with GM as the sponsor. If they thought it would quiet me down management was mistaken because it was more akin to pouring gasoline on a fire. 

Walt and Ward

Ward was patient as I was trying to get my head around the job and he made the time fly by giving some of the “suits” the business, one fellow in particular was an ongoing target for Ward’s humor. The ride was a send up of the history of transportation and with Ward in charge it was a funny one to be sure. I did a few gag sketches on Leonardo Da Vinci attempting flight and quite a few doodles and a pastel for the turn of the century traffic jam. Ward was turning out stunning train sketches that were not only amazing, but the guy wasn't using any reference!

We had a song, "It's Fun to Be Free" written by X Atencio with music by Buddy Baker. Ward would half hum and half sing, "It's Fun to be Me..." while doodling madly at his desk. Unfortunately I can't print his memorable version of the lyrics here. Within our sketches and even the models, Mickey would wind up pounded by a caveman, flattened as a traffic jam victim or tied to a train track with a steam loco on its way. Moments before a presentation there would be a hilarious sign or two added amidst the "official" traffic signs and let me tell ya they wasn’t there to clear up any traffic jam sister!  While adding his hijinks to the process, we still turned out a ton of work, maybe even because of it. Ward just made it a joy rather than a job.

Ward at his desk in the animation
building long before we met

They would usually limit my time on these WED excursions to two to three weeks per project and sure enough one day when I came in Ward told me I had been reassigned to the American Adventure pavilion. I was a bit upset about it but Ward tried to cheer me up and presented me with a cut out cardboard folder rendered like a traveling suitcase covered with his ridiculous made up stickers he had applied including with names including World of Notion, World of Potion, World of Lotion, well you get the idea. 

After a while you realized there
was no one on the other end

I opened that case to find a cel of a funky looking red bird from one of Ward’s Academy Award winning projects,”It’s Tough to Be a Bird”. He dedicated it,” From one bird brain to another! best wishes Mike, Ward Kimball”. I treasure that creepy little "boyd".

I really wish I could have worked with Ward at the animation studio on a feature but at this stage in his career he had moved on and spent most of his time for the company hanging out at at WED although he had just recently produced a show called “The Mouse Factory” in the early 1970s. Sadly that although I would run into Ward a couple of times later on (when they would get the Disney veterans together for photo shoots or publicity interviews at Grizzly Flats ) that brief team up at WED was to be the only time I would have the chance to work with that lovable legendary loonytoon. On a sour note I was ticked off that because of the animation strike I wasn't able to attend the wrap party for the ride. Ward, Dave Michener, Ed Hansen and Dick Lucas did sent me materials like booklets, pins and other souvenirs but it's not the same as being there. Then again I really didn't contribute much to the WOM ride when all is said and done outside of a few charcoal gag drawings and some pastels. It was Ward's baby from start to finish, and what he came up with was entertaining even if the mechanical side of the attraction had a nasty habit of breaking down.

Walt named him a genius so
who am I to argue?

Ward also founded the legendary Dixieland band, “Firehouse Five Plus Two” where he played one outspoken trombone. The reach he had with that elongated instrument among his fellow musicians like Disney animator Frank Thomas and Art Director/Imagineer Harper Goff was hilarious. Fire helmets would accidentally get knocked sideways at times as he would swing around. I want to be clear on something, as silly as he would act up there, he could really play that trombone as good as anyone and they performed a couple of lunchtime concerts for us at the old studio which were unforgettable. That band of his released no fewer than 13 LP records and toured clubs and jazz festivals with Walt's OK, as long as it didn't interfere with the animation production. Being a Naw'lins native and lover of Dixieland jazz, I have two of those records and scratch them up on my record player regularly.

One of Ward's "Art Afterpieces"

He also illustrated a famous series of paintings poking fun at famous masterpieces called “Art Afterpieces” which have been copied by some cheesy artists over recent years who pretended they came up with the idea (ironic ain’t it, copying a copy?). Those copies however never equaled Ward’s brilliance. 

In addition a lot of people don’t realize what a fine artist Ward was which evidenced in his life drawings, stills and paintings. He just rather enjoyed doing more comically inclined cartoon designs over realism. He married his best gal Betty and raised 3 talented kids, Kelly, Johnny and Chloe. I worked with John Kimball over in TVA while doing DuckTales and other series for the mouse. Betty by the way worked in Ink and  Paint in the 1930s and among her contributions to the Disney Studio was to develop the "dry brush" technique used on cels for a soft feathered rendered look used to great effect in "Fantasia". They married in 1936 and Betty left three years later to raise a family and manage the full size backyard train set of Ward's called "Grizzly Flats" which had to be seen to be believed and even then it was unbelievable!

One of the important lessons I learned from Ward was to be a chameleon and don't get pegged with one style. Another important thing he taught me was when I was working on a time machine design for a project. I was hitting a dead end creatively and happened by for a visit. He told me to collect every time machine photo and drawing I could find, pin them all up, ... then do something different! I did just that, and based mine on an Aztec Calendar of stone which when parts were rotated, stone segments rose to seat the time traveller. The other machines that had been designed for films were almost entirely of Victorian design and what we might call Steampunk these days so I opted for something much more ancient. The project was eventually shelved but the time machine design I came up with really impressed everyone at the meeting with its originality. I owe you for that one Ward, thank you!

Happy Birthday to a crazy and wonderful genius, Ward Kimball!

Amazing Al Dempster

A stunning John Hench and Al Dempster collaboration

There have been many amazing talents that have worked in the Disney background department and created stunning concept pieces over the years. Of course names like Mary Blair, Eyvind Earle, Claude Coats, Walt Peregoy and others spring to mind but there are others equally deserving of credit due their talented offerings. One that comes to my mind is Al Dempster. 

He was born July 23, 1911 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. After relocating to Los Angeles he got a job with the Disney Studio in 1939 and when Walt saw his painting skills first hand, he was quickly transferred to the background department. Those skills benefitted the studio on classic like Fantasia, Dumbo, Saludos Amigos, Victory Through Air Power, The Three Caballeros, Make Mine Music and Song of the South. 

Bill Justice-pencils, Al Dempster-paint

L-R  Don Griffith, Al Dempster

He left the studio in 1945 but came back in 1952 to create more lovely backgrounds for Walt’s Peter Pan. He stayed on to contribute to Lady and The Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, One Hundred and One Dalmations, Sword in the Stone, Jungle Book and more. He left a lasting mark when he teamed up with close friend Don Griffith to create the look for all of the Winnie the Pooh featurettes.

Al's take on Johnny Appleseed

At Walt’s personal request, Al translated many of the studio’s films into lavishly illustrated children’s books, usually with pal Bill Justice providing the pencils. He retired from the studio for various reasons but agreed to return to help with The Rescuers in 1973 which is how I met him albeit briefly.

I wasn’t working on that film but was attending the CalArts Art School (the Character Animation Program had not yet been created). Don Duckwall introduced me to Al and the rest of the small background department. His time on Rescuers was not an enjoyable one as there were a few bumps in the road during production and soon the same reasons he had left the studio before reared up again. Since Al had only committed to 6 months or so on that production, when the time was up, he skeedaddled back into retirement and did his own paintings, this time in oil. 

Al creates more magic with Alice

Walt choose Al's version of Jungle Book

Years later I did have a chance to spend more time with Al during our regular Thursday lunches at Sloppos with Don Griffith. I was a huge fan of his work and had a few of his spectacularly illustrated books for Disney. Al eventually signed my books and gave Patty and I a couple of his original oil paintings as a wedding present which we have hanging to this day over the stairway to the upstairs studio. 

So check your old Disney story books. If the illustrations have an extra special feeling of Disney magic like the images here, you may just own an Al Dempster collection. Happy Birthday Al!
#aldempster 

Patty, Queen of the Pixie Dust!

November is a very special month for most of us with the holiday season just peeking around the corner but for me it holds even more significance. My beautiful and talented wife Patty was born on November 10. 

I snapped this pic during one of our
visits to UCLA

I met Patty while in line at the CalArts bookstore purchasing some supplies for the first day of Character Animation classes back in the 1970s. She was a sweet thoughtful but determined young lady whose talent had already achieved a full scholarship at the school. She was the FIRST female to be hired by the Walt Disney Studios out of the new Disney Animation Program. Patty was hired in the Effects Department and never complained as she was often given the "worst" scenes to animate. By "worst " I mean scenes with lots of pencil milage and detail that other animators would purposely avoid to keep their footage looking good. Patty made up for it by taking those scenes home at night and over weekends in order to instill the quality she was demanding. Her effects creations can be found in Fox and Hound, Mickey's Christmas Carol, The Black Cauldron, Basil of Baker Street (Great Mouse), Beauty and the Beast, and numerous films for EPCOT, Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland, and even TV shows such as Duck Tales.

Patty in her office with a view of the
Ink and Paint building from her windows.

Patty 1979

While waiting for "Black Cauldron" to ramp up into production, Patty worked on short films for the various Disney Parks. These projects could be anything from the cartoons guests enjoyed while waiting in line or even effects within the attraction itself.  Patty got word from her Assistant Director that they were screening some of her full color scenes for a Tokyo Disneyland attraction called "Meet the World" in the 3rd floor sweatbox and when she snuck in to watch she was horrified to see only two figures sitting in the entire theater. As her eyes got accustomed to the dim light, she recognized Ron Miller sitting next to her director Dave Michener. Her scenes came on with earthquakes, volcanoes erupting spewing lava, steam gysers and floods of water. Ron asked Dave if McManus had animated the scenes and he said no it was Patty Peraza. "Is she an animator?" he asked. When Dave told him no, Ron replied, "She is now!" As Walt had done many times at this magical studio over the years, Ron Miller was giving opportunities to those willing to work hard to earn them.

Patty's pastel and charcoal story sketches for "Black Cauldron"
were featured in "American Cinematographer Magazine"

So Patty became the first female Effects Animator in history at Walt Disney Studios. Volcanoes weren't the only things erupting as management soon realized Patty was the ONLY female animator at Disney Studios when during taping of "Good Morning America" that fact was brought up by GMA reporter Joan Lunden while interviewing Patty live from her room at Disney Studio.  The interview went fine but there seemed to be a slight underlying theme that they were trying to elevate about women not being treated equally at Disney Studios. Patty avoided that can of worms by concentrating her answers on current films in production and explaining how she accomplished the effects she was creating. Let's face it, Patty's promotion was itself proof that Disney was very interested in bringing about more equality between the guys and gals of Disney animation. We still have the VHS copy of that interview that the studio was gracious enough to give her.

After the interview Ron Miller and Ed Hansen (who was head of Animation Management) spoke to Patty and requested names of other females she thought deserved the promotion to further demonstrate the studio's goals. So less than 2 weeks after her promotion, 2 other ladies also were made full animators (one was a name she had even submitted). Of course Disney hasn't stopped there and continues this day to give responsibility to anyone willing to work hard and earn the right which is evident in the latest Disney film soon to be released this month, "FROZEN", with a talented young lady named Jennifer Lee as a Director.

The honor of being the first female animator at Disney Studios of course belongs to Retta Scott who opened the door, albeit all too briefly, for women in animation at Disney and through her talent was credited as animator on films such as the Disney classic "Bambi" when Walt saw her amazing story sketches and assigned her to animating the ferocious dogs chasing Faline. Until Retta came on the scene, women in those days were employed only in the nunnery... er... Ink and Paint Department whereas the Animation Department was the sole domain of men. Hey don't send me any letters, I'm just the messenger here ladies.

Art Stevens

My room during Black Cauldron was a corner one between directors Art Stevens and Ted Berman. Long story but Art "retired" during that project and it was one of those awkward events where no one had planned anything to celebrate his long tenure at the studio. I told Patty who rushed to the local grocery store to pick up bottles of Champagne, cups, cheeses, coldcuts and threw a retirement party for Art. We got quite a crowd, mainly of the Disney veterans who were still there to attend. Afterwards, Art found out Patty had put it together and thanked her with tears in his eyes. That's my Patty, always trying to make everyone happy!

"Black Cauldron" producer Joe Hale
and Patty at the wrap party

Patty went on to be hired as  "Project Lead" for a new animated film titled, "Beauty and the Beast" directed by Dick Purdum and I was now working for my wife doing a little early concept work on that picture. By the way, the studio planned it as non-musical at that point! Of course that was before "Little Mermaid" was released and became a hit thus providing a "blue print" or" formula" as to constructions of many of the future animated features.

When our daughter Kim was born, Patty decided she wanted to spend more time being a mother and after a lot of thought, sadly turned down the request from Disney Studios to move to London for pre-production on Beauty opting for work that was closer to home. Today she concentrates on volunteering her services to a variety of community projects, speaking on film and animation panels and attending Disney fan events. She is currently a Disney Master Artist designing art pieces that are shown and sold in Disney Galleries located in Disneyland and around the world. She is also a proud Legacy member of Women in Animation where she is a mentor to the younger generation of up and coming ladies. Happy Birthday to my favorite Disney gal, Patty!

Happy Birthday Donald!

Donald Duck made his first appearance today back in June 9, 1934 in Walt Disney's, "The Wise Little Hen." That role may have been his beginning however it was his second film, "Orphan's Benefit" that showed his temperamental foil for Walt's star Mickey Mouse. 

Clarence "Ducky" Nash

He would go on to appear in over 180 theatrical films, more than any other Disney character and is the fifth most published comic book character in the world. His distinctive voice was created by Clarence Nash who performed the role for 50 years and was a regular at the old Disney Studio when I started working there in the 1970s along with his custom made ventriloquist dummy of none other than Donald Duck. 

Tony Anselmo

When Clarence passed away he personally left the future of Donald's voice in the capable hands, or make that mouth, of Tony Anselmo who besides continuing Donald's squawks is also a fine animator.

Donald has been an important part of my life with the television series, "DuckTales"  for which I had an opportunity to reunite with comic book legend Carl Barks during the concept stage of the show. The man who headed up the original Disney program at Cal Arts in the 1970s was Jack Hannah, another incredible "Duckman" and a good friend to both Patty and I. I'm also proud to say that all four of my fellow "Duckmen" are also Disney Legends and deserved ones they all are!  Well toots, it seems that the irascible Donald has affected me in addition to many of us out there for which I am grateful.  Happy Birthday Donald!

Walter (Woody Woodpecker) Lantz

Walter Lance with his animated alter-ego Woody

April 27, is the birthday of another famous animation giant by the name of Walt. If you can recollect the laughing bird call of his most most famous cartoon creation Woody Woodpecker you would probably also recognize his poppa- Walter Benjamin Lantz. He was born of Italian immigrants who like many at the time arrived in New York to start a new life in America. 

A couple of Universal "birdbrains"

Although by the 1920s he had already worked for various film chieftains  such as George Bray, Frank Capra and Mack Sennett, his big break came in 1928. It was then that he was hired by Charles MIntz as the director of "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit", the property that Mintz had been able to swindle away from the original creator, a young genius named Walt Disney. Eventually Oswald, seemed to wane in popularity and according to legend, Walt Lance and his wife Grace had been pestered during their honeymoon by a woodpecker who constantly pecked on their roof and the tree outside their window. As Lillian offered Walt Disney encouragement during the birth of Mickey, Grace did likewise for her husband regarding the bird and the result was a brash new animated personality named "Woody Woodpecker". 

Walt Lance went on to create many more characters to keep Woody company and enjoyed a long relationship with Universal Studios only interrupted with a management change in the late 40s eventually reconciling in 1951 although with the phrase, "Faster Cheaper" in force by the new Universal Studios bosses. Walt and his wife Grace spent retirement painting and visiting children's hospitals where he would draw Woody while Grace did her famous Woody laugh to cheer the kids. Before he passed away in 1994 at the age of 94, he established a scholarship for animators at California Institute of the Arts while we celebrate the memories of a lifetime of animated creations.  BURBANK BUGLE-MP

Happy Birthday Uncle Walt!

Wonderful World of Color
1963 Christmas Show

Today we celebrate the birthday of a man who grew through his creativity, hard work and leadership to become a legend and inspiration to "children of all ages". His life overflowed with many "firsts". The first animated film with complete sound, starring Mickey Mouse of course. The first animated film to be produced in full color, the first full length animated feature, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", first major Motion Picture Studio to embrace television as a alternate production outlet and so on. And the name that comes first to so many minds when you think of good solid entertainment for the entire family... Walt Disney!

His "Three Little Pigs" gave Americans a jaunty little tune to help get them through the Great Depression and "Donald Duck's antics in "Der Fuehre's Face" offered much needed laughs during the second World War. Rather than attempting to place my own words into Walt's mouth as a few film historians will occasionally do, I'm simply including a few quotes below from Walt himself to offer a bit of insight into his mind and heart.

"We are not trying to entertain the critics. I'll take my chances with the public."

"You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality."

"You're dead if you aim only for kids. Adults are only kids grown up, anyway."

"To all that come to this happy place: welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America... with hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world."

"Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world."

"I only hope that we don't lose sight of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse."


As much as I would like to, I am going to stop right here. I won't go into a biography of Walt's life here for this birthday posting, as previous authors have accomplished that already at book length and most were well written and informative. I merely wanted to remind everyone of a very special man who never grew up thankfully and went on to touch many lives around the world.

As Eric Sevaried reported on the evening news while summing up Walt Disney:

"He was an original. Not just an American original, but an original. Period.  He was a happy accident, one of the happiest this century has experienced. And judging by the way it’s behaving, in spite of all Disney tried to tell it about laughter, love, children, puppies, and sunrises, the century hardly deserved him. He probably did more to heal - or at least soothe - troubled human spirits than all the psychiatrists in the world. There can’t be many adults in the allegedly civilized parts of the globe who did not inhabit Disney’s mind and imagination for at least for a few hours and feel better for the visitation.

"It may be true, as somebody said, that while there is no highbrow in a lowbrow, there is some lowbrow in every highbrow. But what Disney seemed to know was that while there is very little grown-up in every child, there is a lot of child in every grown-up. To a child, this weary world is brand-new, gift wrapped. Disney tried to keep it that way for adults." 

"People are saying we will never see his like again."

Walt Disney, born this day, December 5, 1901.