The last weeks have been incredibly exciting ones. And we've got
some interesting news to share with you about the weeks to come.
But before we hit either of those topics, we wanted to point you
to two very special features you'll find just added to the Family
Museum. First, is an excerpt from John Canemaker's new book about
Walt's Nine Old Men - the incredibly talented group of people who
started with him in his early years, and continued contributing
astonishingly creative work for the remainder of his life (and,
in some cases, many years to follow).
Secondly, is an interview we're particularly pleased to bring to
the Museum. It's a chat with Ron Miller, Walt's son-in-law and close
associate at the studio. We've known Ron for about fifteen years
now, ever since we first started work on our book "The Man
Behind the Magic." Throughout that period of time, we've always
thought that Ron is a unique source of information about Walt. As
a close family member and a high level employee, his insights have
contributed a great deal to our understanding of Walt as expressed
in all we've written about him. Those of you who saw the documentary,
Walt: The Man Behind the Myth, on September 16, heard and saw some
of Ron's comments. But, as with most of the people in the documentary,
the few minutes we were able to bring to you on film were just a
small fraction of the material we gathered. So, in an effort to
make up for that, you'll find a bit more from Ron in the Museum
this month. Don't miss it. We guarantee you'll enjoy it.
And as long as we're talking about the documentary, we would be
remiss not to thank so many of you for the incredibly kind comments
we received after its showing. We must admit - and here we speak
just for ourselves, not necessarily for anyone else associated with
the project - after the events of September 11, we weren't sure
whether we hoped the film would be shown, as planned, or delayed.
ABC chose to keep to the original plan. And we're glad they did.
We've received dozens of e-mails from people who felt that Walt's
story, coming precisely when it did, couldn't have been timed better.
They've written that they were inspired by Walt's story and that
it helped to lift their hearts in a time of great sadness. This
was certainly unanticipated over the many months the film was in
production. But nothing could be more in keeping with Walt's legacy.
For those of you who missed the film - and we've also heard from
many of you who did - there's good news. For one thing, ABC has
told us that they plan to rebroadcast it at some point in the future.
We'll be sure to let you know as soon as that date is announced.
What's more a VHS version of the film is planned for early December,
to coincide with the 100th anniversary of Walt's birthday on December
5.
Around the same time, please be sure to visit the Family Museum
again. We've got some very special exhibits planned for you. Perhaps
the most exciting, as far as we're concerned, are excerpts from
an interview done with Lillian Disney about fourteen years ago.
Aside from some brief quotes that have appeared in books from time
to time, most of that interview has never been published.
In addition, we'll be bringing you photos from the recent 100th
birthday celebration held in Walt's honor in his hometown, Marceline
Missouri.
And of course, there'll be much more.
Before we sign off this month, we also wanted to mention yet another
new book about Walt, written by the director of the documentary,
Jean-Pierre Isbouts. It's called Discovering Walt, published by
Disney Editions, and is aimed at younger children. We must admit
that we're a bit biased, having worked happily with Jean-Pierre
on a variety of projects, including this website. But we think it's
a really good piece of work. And with Christmas coming up, it's
a perfect present for young friends and relatives.
Katherine and Richard Greene
Museum Curators
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