Roy E. Disney
Animation Executive
About This Interview
Roy E. Disney (1930-2009) was interviewed for two-and-a-half hours plus in Burbank, CA. He described the early history of the Disney company and the role that his father, Roy O. Disney, and uncle Walt Disney, had in its creation and early years. He related his childhood recollections of some of Disney's work including the company's first feature-length animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He talked about his first job out of college, in guest relations at NBC. He then described his work as an editor, starting with his apprenticeship on the 1950s television police drama Dragnet. He chronicled his work from assistant editor to producer/director of Disney's "True-Life Adventures" series, explaining the approach to these documentary films. He recalled the opening of the Disneyland theme park and its coverage for television. He outlined Disney's entrance into television series with Disneyland on ABC, and touched on a number of the projects he worked on under the show's banner. He described the turmoil in the executive suites at Disney in the 1980s and the company's return to glory in animation movies, for which he played a large part. He talked about his efforts in 2003 to change the direction the studio was headed and the 2005 appointment of Robert A. Iger as President and CEO. Finally, he expressed his views of both his father and Walt Disney's legacy to the Walt Disney Company. The interview was conducted by Jennifer Howard on November 5, 2007.
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Highlights
Roy Disney on realizing the power of animation when seeing a rough scene from Snow White
Clip begins at: 17:34, Duration: 01m 42s
Roy Disney on the concept of Disneyland
Clip begins at: 19:36, Duration: 01m 50s- Roy Disney on the transition of Disney's True Life Adventures nature features to television
Clip begins at: 14:52, Duration: 04m 44s - Roy Disney on ABC's part-ownership of Disneyland
Clip begins at: 19:36, Duration: 01m 50s
Interview
- Part 1
- On his early years
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On his father Roy O. Disney, his uncle Walt Disney, and the beginnings of the Disney company
Clip begins at: 03:15 - On his early interests, seeing TV for the first time, his education, and his first jobs as an NBC page and as an apprentice editor on Dragnet
Clip begins at: 15:14 - Part 2
- Continuing on his brief work on Dragnet
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On his work on Disney's True Life Adventures nature feature films
Clip begins at: 02:35 - Part 3
- On Walt Disney's management and his public persona
Clip begins at: 0:23 - On working on Zorro before beginning to produce his own shows
Clip begins at: 03:55 - On producing "An Otter in the Family", "Mustang", "Call it Courage", and "The Flight of the Grey Wolf"
Clip begins at: 06:07 - On the death of Walt Disney
Clip begins at: 13:54 - On the completion of Disneyworld and on the toll it took on his father, Roy O. Disney
Clip begins at: 16:27 - On the fate of Disney company after his father's death; leaving the company and founding Shamrock Holdings
Clip begins at: 21:42 - Part 4
- On Shamrock Holdings and his feature sailing documentary Pacific High
Clip begins at: 0:23 - On resigning from the Disney board in 1984 and the change in leadership at the Walt Disney Company
Clip begins at: 03:20 - On becoming the head of Walt Disney Animation and some of the projects and technologies produced during his tenure
Clip begins at: 11:52 - Part 5
- On the Disney company and the animation department after Frank Wells' death
Clip begins at: 0:23 - Roy Disney on Disney's acquisition of ABC in the 1990s
Clip begins at: 06:53 - On some of his projects including The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit, Fantasia 2000 and Destino
Clip begins at: 09:34 - On the attempt to oust Michael Eisner from the Disney board, the acquisition of Pixar, and his then-current feelings about the company's future
Clip begins at: 20:11 - Part 6
- On Disney's acquisition of Pixar
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On the Disney legacy and then-current state of the company
Clip begins at: 03:30 - On summing up his career
Clip begins at: 12:45
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Ihave been looking at the disney story on the internet..have visited LA disney anaheim in 1990..back again in 1993..and a really big tour of orlando fla in 1993 ..without these guys vision,and the backing of business,It is a true credit to all American's that these places of FUN,and creativity,are there. you can take your young child along to a world of mystery and Imagination,in 3D,and I don't mean just the 3D movies. You can see that with the 3 of them,and no doubt, there wives, built and created some wonderful things. I take my hat of to all these fantastic Givers to the people of the World at large.
This guy is awesome! Thanks for posting.
Enjoyed this interview.
wish they left the 3d to toystory. i dont even bother to check up the new films 3d is too cliche
I really enjoy this.
Worked there. He was a nice man.
:). R.I.P. Roy. 'nuff said
@BrendoGames - dec 16. 2009 :(
@muffles12 Absolutely, I couldn't agree more with your gibberish.
Thank you so much for posting this interview. It is always amazing to remember that such a huge company came from essentially a few brothers who used imagination and hard work. Interviewing Roy Jr. shows that the real success of the Disneyland Parks is that even to this day, long after these men have passed, people still get a feeling of going home and visiting your family , feeling safe and carefree before all your cares and bills came along.
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