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1966
EPCOT
EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) was destined
to be Walt's most ambitious project and a lasting testimony to
his genius and versatility. Conceiving of the project as a true, working city,
Walt wanted to apply all he had learned in the development of
parks and attractions to develop a better urban environment, filled
with the latest technology from American industry. The city would
act as an example for urban planners and civic communities nationwide
and around the globe. Walt had acquired vast tracts of land in
Florida and was fully immersed in planning EPCOT when he passed
away in December, 1966. Roy, who had planned to retire, continued
the Florida project as a theme park development. EPCOT became
a series of international pavilions, not unlike a world's fair.
But we can only wonder what Walt's futuristic city would have
looked like had he lived. This picture is a 3-D rendering based
on early sketches of the city. (More
about EPCOT).
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1966
THE LAST FAMILY VACATION
In the summer of 1966, Walt rented a large yacht and took the
whole family along for a leisurely cruise to British Columbia.
It was a memorable trip, and an occasion for Walt and Lilly
to celebrate their 41st wedding anniversary. When Walt wasn't
playing with the grandchildren, he could be found in a deck chair, immersed in one of the many books on city planning he had
brought along. Walt was once again thinking of his next challenge:
EPCOT.
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1966
FAREWELL
Walt and Roy in front of a storyboard for "The Jungle Book" -- one
of the last official portraits of the Disney brothers. "The Jungle
Book" was the last film project with which Walt was involved.
He died in December, 1966, of lung cancer, and was mourned all
over the world. (More
about Walt's last years)
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1971
CALARTS
In addition to EPCOT, Walt had one more passion: to create a school
where creativity would not be taught as one individual discipline,
but in the context of all creative endeavors, including music,
dance, art, and drama. In the 1960s, he developed a plan to combine
the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music with the Chouinard Art Institute
to create just such a school. Walt was so devoted to the idea
that in his will, he left half his estate to fund the project.
In 1971, his dream became a reality when the combined schools,
now known as the California Institute of the Arts or "CalArts,"
moved to their new location in Valencia, California. The school endures
to this day as a major international arts institution and lasting
legacy to the vision of Walt Disney. (More
about CalArts)
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2001
A FOND REMEMBRANCE
In March, 2001, many of Walt's old friends and collaborators
came together for a rare reunion to reminisce about the man and
his legacy. The occasion was the Los Angeles premiere of the film
"WALT: The Man Behind the Myth," produced by the Walt
Disney Family Foundation. The party featured many legends, including
Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, Joe Grant, and John Hench, as well
as film critics and historians Leonard Maltin, Charles Solomon,
John Canemaker, and many more. The film aired on ABC on Sunday,
September 16, 2001, and on A&E on December 8, 2001.
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