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The new Disney Studios in Burbank
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With
the cash that "Snow White" generated, Walt began building a new studio in
Burbank. It was a $3 million investment, and Walt was personally involved in virtually
every element of its design. And what a design: a beautiful campus for artists
and other staffers to enjoy when they weren't working; offices with outside
views, many of which had the north light that artists prefer; a snack shop
that delivered to employees' offices. It would even have air conditioning, in
a day when that was something of a luxury. Walt's artists had grown accustomed
to calling screening rooms "sweatboxes," because the small enclosed rooms were
often unbearably hot. But in the new studio they'd be comfortable, even in
the heat of the summer. (Of course, they continued to be called sweatboxes --
given Walt's proclivity for making his artists sweat when he was reviewing their
work.)
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As
the studio was being constructed, work moved ahead on three more feature films:
"Pinocchio," "Fantasia," and "Bambi." Each of these projects was to bring the studio
forward in a different way. "Pinocchio" would encourage and enable artists to
create an animated world of startling detail and design; "Fantasia" would be a
giant leap forward in using animation to picture in a totally new way, via various pieces
of classical music; and "Bambi" would bring a new level
of realism to the screen, portraying animals with a true-to-life quality that
was far more difficult to animate than the cuddly critters that populated Snow
White's universe. As work progressed, however, some of Walt's staffers were
less than happy. They were working incredibly hard and still weren't being
very well paid. Meanwhile, the expense of the new studio and the success of
"Snow White" convinced some that Walt had endless resources. He didn't.
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A scene from Bambi
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Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket
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In
fact, Walt had no extra cash left over, given the large sums he was spending
on his new films. When Nazi Germany invaded Poland, thrusting Europe into
war, his foreign markets were cut off, and that left him extremely hard up.
Matters weren't helped by the fact that Walt never saw a budget he couldn't
go over. His yearning for artistic realism slowed down the creation of "Bambi"
until it was far behind schedule. Production on "Pinocchio" was stopped when Walt
decided he just didn't like the character enough. Solution: Add Jiminy Cricket
to the film, as the puppet's conscience and friend. Though "Pinocchio" was a critical
success, the loss of foreign markets and a weaker-than-expected reception in
the United States meant it didn't bring in as much revenue as anticipated. "Fantasia"
had problems at the box office too. With 1,500 people on the payroll,
the studio soon was $4.5 million in debt.
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Then
a union stepped in to organize Walt's workers and demand higher wages (they
could hardly demand better working conditions than those they already had).
Walt saw this as disloyalty from people he regarded as family. He handed over
relations with the unions to others -- notably lawyer Gunther Lessing. Intransigent
union heads clashed with Lessing. Anger and mistrust mounted on both sides.
On February 10, 1941, Walt spoke to his staffers, trying to win them over. It
was too little, too late. In late May, Walt was hit with a strike. He was deeply
hurt by the cruel taunts of picketers. So sick was he of "this god-awful nightmare"
that he escaped on a goodwill mission to South America. While away, Elias passed
on. By the time he returned, the strike had been settled. But never again would
Walt consider his staff an extended family. Business, he now understood, was
business.
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Strikers outside the Disney studio
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