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Treasure Island

The Greatest Adventure...Long John Silver

For several years Walt had wanted to make an exclusively live-action film. But his distributors -- who saw him as fundamentally a cartoon maker -- made it difficult for him (only one of many instances in which distributors made Walt miserable). Though he chafed, they insisted that he add cartoon footage to "So Dear to My Heart" -- his first effort to break entirely free from the golden handcuffs of animation. "Treasure Island," released in 1950, was his first all live-action film. It was an ideal vehicle; it had a strong story and interesting characters -- just the kind of thing he had always looked for in feature-length cartoons. Walt loved the relative ease with which live actors could be made to work -- as opposed to animated characters. "You give 'em the lines and they rehearse it a couple of times, and you've got it on film," he told his animators back at home. The cast was mostly British -- led by a broad portrayal of Long John Silver by Robert Newton. One exception was a Walt Disney discovery -- young actor Bobby Driscoll, whose efforts held up very well as he played against the experienced Newton.

The CastWalt on the set

Walt was prepared to spend big bucks on his first venture into live action; "Treasure Island" was budgeted at $1.8 million, a reasonable figure for a major feature in 1950. But he didn't spend the money on big salaries for his stars. Instead, in the words of the trade, the money all went on the screen. Lush, rich sets livened the look of the film, as did beautifully rendered matte paintings, done by a young artist named Peter Ellenshaw. "Don't forget, guys, we don't need to go on location, because Peter, here, he can paint an island." Walt filmed in England in order to utilize funds that had been earned there but which postwar British restrictions wouldn't allow him to spend elsewhere. During filming, Walt took the opportunity to take his family on a European vacation, during which time his daughters, Diane and Sharon, had the opportunity to visit the set. Reports Bob Thomas in his biography of Walt, one of the animators saw what was coming. Said he, "We realized that as soon as Walt rode on a camera crane, we were going to lose him."

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