“Walt Disney: Genius. Period.”
This documentary, Walt: The Man Behind the Myth (produced by Walt Disney’s grandson and narrated by Dick Van Dyke) was riveting. Disney was a truly extraordinary man and a gifted visionary. He basically revolutionized the entertainment industry, especially when it came to animated films – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first feature-length animated film in the US. He risked everything to get that movie made, and there was a big chance it would fail.
But it didn’t.
And thus began the legend that is Walt Disney.
The documentary contains a lot of interviews with friends, colleagues and family of Walt Disney’s. They all talk about him with incredible fondness and admiration. I guess that’s not really surprising, considering all that he accomplished in 65 years.
There are a couple of rumors that I’ve heard all my life in reference to Disney. The first is that he was very anti-semitic and prejudiced. According to the documentary, that is completely false. All the interviewees insisted that Disney treated everyone equally and was not at all prejudiced.
The second rumor that seems to have been around forever is that Disney had his body cryogenically frozen so that if, in the future, they discovered a cure for death, they could revive him.
Seriously, how do these things get started?
Anyway, it’s a really fantastic documentary for anyone who’s interested. Disney is probably one of the biggest entertainment companies in this country today – the company made $31.9 billion in 2005. It’s sort of fascinating to see that all of that started with one man from Missouri with a highly active imagination.
Tags: man behind the myth, snow what and the seven dwarfs, walt disney