A new two-part, four-hour documentary film examines Walt Disney’s complex life and enduring legacy on the PBS series American Experience. It will feature rare archival footage from the Disney vaults, scenes from some of his greatest films, and interviews with biographers, animators and artists who worked on early films, including “Snow White,” and the designers who helped turn his dream of Disneyland into reality.
To say I’m excited about this is an understatement. Makers of this film have had unprecedented access to Disney archives and interviewed many of the best biographers and historians, including those who worked on early Disney films.
The list includes: Rolly Crump, Robert Givens, Don Lusk, Floyd Norman and Ruthie Tompson, Imagineer Marty Sklar, Disney producer Don Hahn, costume designer Alice Davis, composer Richard Sherman, son-in-law Ron Miller, and academics and authors who have written extensively about Walt Disney including Neal Gabler, Susan Douglas, Richard Schickel, Steven Watts, Ron Suskind, and Carmenita Higginbotham.
“Walt Disney is an entrepreneurial and cultural icon,” said American Experience Executive Producer Mark Samels. “No single figure shaped American popular culture in the 20th century more than he.”
“Walt Disney” premieres over two nights, Monday-Tuesday, September 14-15, 9-11 pm ET. I’ll be watching, tell your friends and be sure to tune in.