
Here are Walt's Thoughts on the theme of this month's edition,
the Disney pictures shot in England after World War II. Simply
click on a question, then read the answer or click on the Audio
link to hear Walt's own words.
Just ask Walt a question:
... then click on the audio button to
hear Walt's voice!
Why
did you decide, after World War II, to make films in England?
After the war we still had the frozen, er, funds situation in Europe,
so in order to get the funds out of England, they wanted me to go
to England and do something. My first thought was that I start a
cartoon studio there.
Why didnt
a cartoon studio work out?
I didn’t think I could because you have to train artists for it,
or else import them. And if I have to import them, it’s not helping
me with the fund situation. So I had this story called "Treasure
Island" that I wanted to do. So I suggested that we go over and do
"Treasure Island."
Was that a
big change for you, working in England?
No... no, I just took a few people from the studio, and then I
did everything else with English people. I brought in a writer,
one of the first writers I ever had. He didnt have too much
experience, he was an author. Lawrence Watkin, he had written an
original book on "Borrowed Time," that they made a play
out of, you know. And he was out in Hollywood working around here,
Columbia, different ones, so I brought him in on this "Treasure Island"
thing. That was the first script he did for me.
Who
else did you bring along?
I took him, a boy who had grown up with me in the
cartoon business, so I put him on as a producer, Perce Pierce, and
an American director, Byron Haskin, and this little boy I had under
contract then, Bobby Driscoll. We all went to England. Did the picture.
And it was very successful.

What
prompted you to make a live-action picture?
I wanted to get into live, I wanted to diversify,
as much as I could, and I thought if I can get into live theres
things in there that I could do that would be in line with what
we should do. That sort of adventure thing like "Treasure Island,"
you know, that I thought would be right for Disney to present. So
that started our production in England.
 
What
was the first picture after "Treasure Island"?
Following that I did "Robin Hood" with an
all-English cast, including an English director. On that one I just
took my production manager, my writer, and my producer.

How
many did you make over there?
I made four in England. Almost one every year. I did
them in the summer, that gave me a chance to get away, and I spent
three months over there on it.

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