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Wednesday, December 15, 2010 at 10:00AM In observance of the passing of Walt Disney on Deecember 15, 1966, we asked Academy Award® winning Pixar director Pete Docter to share his thoughts about Walt's enduring influence and legacy.
The Wonderful World of Disney!
To this day, those words increase my heart rate. I didn’t care much for the Lawrence Welk show, but I’d routinely sit through a half hour of The Lennon Sisters to be certain not to miss a minute of what was to come. Once Tinkerbell appeared over the Disneyland® castle, I would start the incantation: “Please be animation, please be animation, please be animation… Aww, ‘Charlie, The Lonesome Cougar’? Part one of two?!?” Of course, I watched and loved Charlie anyway, but it was animation I was waiting for.
Back in those pre-VHS days, the only way I had to preserve what I’d seen was to tape record the audio for playback throughout the week. This operation required strict silence from my sisters and parents, since the microphone dangling in front of the T.V. speaker would also pick up room chatter. Thus, I conditioned my family to a strict code of silence during animation – none of that unnecessary laughing or clapping! – a habit they, unfortunately, continue even today as they watch my own films.
Come summer, my family would drive from Minnesota to California to visit relatives, and the trip was never complete without a stop at Disneyland. After one such visit, I discovered my grandparents had bamboo growing in their backyard. Somehow I talked my dad into hauling a bundle on the roof of our van back to the Midwest so I could recreate “The Tiki Room” in my bedroom.
I doubt I’d have become an animator if it weren’t for Walt Disney. I remember seeing Dumbo and Pinocchio at the movie theater and marveling at the amazing craftsmanship. It was only after watching non-Disney films that I realized what Walt brought to his films beyond that amazing technique: compelling stories and engaging, entertaining characters that stuck with me long after the lights came up.
There’s something almost mythic about Walt’s vision and confidence in what he was after. He had an uncanny ability to understand what audiences would enjoy, while challenging them to keep up as he pushed the medium to levels of artistry.
I’m still learning from him today.
Pete Docter
Academy Award winning director for Pixar's "UP"
Reader Comments (7)
There isn't a day that goes by that I am not touched by Walt Disney. From the decorations I choose to put out in my home, the movies I watch, the many web sites I visit, and all the wonder and excitement I feel when we visit the parks, any and all of them. I believe Walt to be one of the top three men in the world for the happiness he brings to so many people, of the life he brings to so many, to the ability to raise the hopes of nearly anyone that is a fan, and of his positive influence on life itself. His belief that dreams can, and do, come true is an amazing legacy he has left for us all. You are missed, Walt, but your legacy continues through all those that carry on the vision!
Dear Pete,
Love your opening paragraphs. I feel as if I have written them myself. Although, I DID want to be a Lennon sister! How many nights did my sister & I sit with a tape recorder microphone looped through the t.v. set console door to get recordings of our favorite shows? Too many to mention, and a few of those still are floating around in storage. Thank you for bringing me back to a moment in time of childhood, but mostly, thank you for your comments about Mr. Disney, his legacy, the "Wonderful World of Color," and of course, hoping the night's episode would be animation (or even 'Toby Tyler'). Regards.
Bravo - thanks for Sharing your story Pete, I still have my audio cassette recordings of Puff 'n Stuff and the Brady Bunch (in Color) however my family never stayed quiet! Great photo of Walt too, thanks.
We all have had our moments with the world of animation. Through the TV, we became unknown friends of Mr. Walt Disney. Remember the splashes of color that Tinkerbell would start the show? I married my wife on December 5th, that was by design. It was my way of keeping a memory of him. We celebrated 40 years, this months. Thank you Walt and thanks to his family and unknown friends for every conversation that started with "Have you seen what Disney has done now?" There's too much to even begin to think about, so this will be short. - take care. Del
You do know that some day someone will be saying similar words about Pete Docter, right? The Pixar world has reinvigorated the stagnating animation market. Wonderful stories, wonderful characters - much of what classic Disney was made of.
I really enjoyed reading this! Thank You!
I always knew what would be on "The Wonderful World of Disney" (or "Color") from the previous week's previews, so I was never surprised. And I made sure to watch the inevitable 30-second commercial for the current Disney film (or re-release) in theaters. But I also started collecting TV Guide magazines in 1965, so I had years of show summaries and credits for reference. As far as audio is concerned, I recorded a few TV specials in the late '60s on our Craig reel-to-reel tape recorder ("How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas"), but I didn't record any Disney shows until 1973. By then I was using a Panasonic cassette recorder, and I recorded two shows commemorating the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney Productions, namely, "50 Happy Years" and an ABC 90-minute special hosted by Dean Jones (which aired, believe it or not, at 11:30 on Saturday night). I wish those two shows were available on DVD today.