Hey, kids, welcome to the Phile on a Monday from Walt Disney World... he greatest company to work for... ever. How are you? I went to the doctor and said, "Doctor, every time I stand up quickly, I see Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy." He said, "How long have you been getting these Disney spells?" Hahahaha. Okay, let's be sensible and see what is going on in the real world, shall we?
Singer Bebe Rexha has been killing it lately. When she was nominated for two Grammy Awards, she didn't think twice about reaching out to designers to dress her. Considering most designers are eager to dress celebrities for famous awards, it seemed ridiculous when some people opted against designing for her, not because of her music, style or beliefs, but because of her "size." Now, if we're all looking at the same person, does she look too "big" to wear a designer brand? I'm confused.
Were they worried about being able to fit all her badass personality into a couture gown? Was there not enough fabric in the universe to cover all of her glam? We'll never know. Rexha took to her Instagram about the snub in January. Luckily, when she rolled into the Grammy Awards looking like a beautiful Valentine's Day Barbie dream girl, she proved everyone wrong. Honestly, absolute goals right here. The best part, though, was when she had another message for every designer that refused to dress her. Turning to the camera, she said, "You wish you would've dressed my fat ass." And she's right. Well done, Bebe. You looked stunning and don't need any of those old-school waifish beauty standards and curve-hating fashion snobs dressing you anyway.
I can't remember the last time I consciously exercised. Sure, walking around at city and dancing alone in my room burn calories, but I haven't started sweating in... years? It might honestly be years at this point. So imagine how impressive I found the athletic feats of Miles Taylor, weightlifter. As someone with cerebral palsy who weighs ninety-nine pounds, his achievements are even more incredible. Miles recently deadlifted 200 pounds and documented it on Instagram, where the clip's been viewed over 350,000 times. His post even attracted the attention of weightlifting icon Arnold Schwarzenegger. Yes, before he became an international film star and eventually Governor of California (plus Chris Pratt's future father-in-law!), 'Ah'nold was a professional weightlifter who won the Mr. Olympia contest seven times. Miles is now inspiring people the world over with his athletic prowess.
Despite having the perfectly good option to just say nothing, Michelle Rodriguez decided to comment on Liam Neeson's casual confession of previously wanting to commit a racist hate crime. Neeson, the new poster-boy for Keeping Your Damn Mouth Shut, said in an interview about his latest action movie Cold Pursuit that after a loved one was allegedly raped by a black man, he wandered around the city wanting to kill a black man. Any black man. Cool cool. Now Rodriguez is defending her Widows co-star with the hottest of takes. "Neeson can't be racist because he made out with Viola Davis in their movie." As reported by Vanity Fair, Rodriguez told the outlet at the amfAR gala in New York that Neeson can't be racist because he kissed Davis real good. "His tongue was so far down Viola Davis’s throat. You can’t call him a racist ever. Racists don’t make out with the race that they hate, especially in the way he does with his tongue... so deep down her throat. I don’t care how good of an actor you are." The comment raises the question: are you dumb? Why are you talking? Why are you doing this? Here is the kiss in question, which, uh, proves nothing.
People are saying that Rodriguz's comment isn't just extremely dumb, but also extremely ignorant. Even though social media has a habit of making people feel like they need to comment on everything ever, you really don't have to, Ms. Rodriguez. I promise.
There's a new highly anticipated crossover event, and it doesn't join the Avengers with the Guardians of the Galaxy, but unites Twitter's favorite civilian clapback queen with the holder of the title in the House of Representatives. That's right, Chrissy Teigen tweeted about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and it instantly went viral, because the supermodel had never been more relatable. Teigen retweeted the viral video of Rep. Ocasio-Cortez using her rhetorical skills to illuminate the rampant corruption in the American political system, demonstrating that she is as good at Congressional hearings as she is on Twitter. Calling her her hero (that's a lot of "her" for one sentence), Teigen invited AOC over to her house to watch the Grammys with the Legend family. John and Chrissy skipped the Grammys this year because he already has so many. Rep. AOC, truly a public service, gave the people what they wanted at replied.
AOC and Chrissy T. may have similar social media skillz, but the congresswoman admits to being less of a chef than the cookbook writer. This may seem like nothing, but to Twitter, it is everything. This is the superhero team-up we need.
Even the most staunch Trump supporters usually know to steer clear of overtly praising Hitler, which is a bar so low it's actually located underground in hell. However, apparently not all Trump supporters have gotten this memo, because the Conservative commentator Candace Owens is currently facing backlash for a clip where she claims "nationalism isn't bad" and that Hitler's main problem was globalism (apparently the genocide was chill with her). She said, "If Hitler just wanted to make Germany great and have things run well, Okay, fine. The problem is that he wanted, he had dreams outside of Germany. He wanted to globalize. He wanted everybody to be German, everybody to be speaking German, everybody to look a different way. To me, that's not nationalism." There is truly too much cognitive dissonance here to fully unpack, but it appears that Owens is either erasing the genocide of six million Jewish people, or considers it a side effect of Hitler's "problem with globalism." Either way, her issue seems to not be with politics of hate and ethnic cleansing, but rather, the idea of communing with other countries (whether through hate, economic trade, or open immigration laws). Needless to say, it would be a grave understatement to say the Internet has noticed Owens' terrifying stance and is responding in kind. American history is full of terror, but this current moment of discourse still manages to stick out as despairingly regressive and bleak. On top of the fact that her comments both normalize the violence of Hitler and nationalism, they are also politically inaccurate. At this point, I think the entire Internet could use a long nap, far away from Hitler apologists.
Instead of doing this blog I should be watching this movie...
I have no idea what language that is though and I don't have a laserdisc. That's what they are called, right? If I had a TARDIS I would go to the Magic Kingdom in the 70s and watch a band on Main Street.
Why is there a Guest Relations chick standing with them? She's cute anyway. Wonder if she still works here. Moving on... I was thinking of getting another tattoo but someone had the same idea I had.
Hahahaha. So, "Game of Thrones" is returning soon and I think that Disney might have something to do with the show.
Over at Disney's Hollywood Studios there's this Toy Story Land and in it there's a ride called Alien Swirling Saucers. I kinda thought it was odd with the ad for the ride...
Ha! So, there's a new live action Aladdin movie coming out. I wonder of they are gonna include this scene from the original animated movie...
There's a new Avengers movie coming out and I have an exclusive screen shot from it that wasn't in the trailer...
"Do you want to build a snowman?" Frozone replied, "No, I'm a grown ass man." Hahaha. Ever freeze a Disney movie on Blu-ray or DVD? You should. Look...
That's so funny. Did you see that movie on Netflix called Bird Box? Do you know it was filmed here at the Magic Kingdom? No? I'll prove it...
Told ya! So, in The Little Mermaid movie this is how Ariel looks...
Shouldn't she look like this though?
Much more realistic I think. She looks so much better. So, I wonder what Belle from Beauty and the Beast is up to now?
Poor thing. Toy Story 4 is coming out soon and I have a pic of what Woody looks like in it.
Hahahahahahahahah!!! I love it. So, they tell me not only are their rides at Disney World but there are rides at Walmart as well. I didn't believe it until I saw this...
Looks like fun, right? So, one of the best things about the Internet is you can see porn free and so easily. But if you're at work I don't want you to get in trouble, so I came up with a solution.
As Maui says in Moana, "You're welcome." He also said, or sang, "Well, come to think of it, kid, honestly I can go on and on I can explain every natural phenomenon. The tide, the grass, the ground... that was Maui just messing around." I love that bloody song. Okay, let's laugh for a minute...
An old country preacher was fishing one afternoon when he noticed a frog sitting next to him. The frog said, “Mister, I’ve had a spell cast on me. If you’ll kiss me, I’ll turn into a beautiful princess and I’ll make you happy for the rest of your life.” The old preacher smiled, picked up the frog, and put it in his pocket. After a while, he looked into his pocket to see how the frog was doing. The frog said again, “Mister, I’ve had a spell cast on me. If you’ll kiss me, I’ll turn into a beautiful princess and I’ll make you happy for the rest of your life.” The preacher just smiled and kept on fishing. When he checked on the frog again, it said, “What’s wrong with you, fella? I said I’ve been bewitched. Just kiss me and I’ll turn back into a beautiful princess and make you the happiest man on earth for the rest of your life!” The old preacher just smiled and said, “Frog, I’m sorry to tell you this… but at my age, I’d rather have a talking frog than a beautiful princess!”
Pixar is the version of Disney that just wants to tell the story without people singing every ten minutes.
Hahaha. If you spot the Mindphuck let me know. Now for some brief sad news...
Albert Finney
May 9th, 1936 — February 7th, 2019
Deady Warbucks
John Dingell
July 8th, 1926 — February 7th, 2019
Dingell buried.
It has happened once more. Donald Trump has hastily written a collection of words on Twitter that have resulted in a serious case of foot-in-mouth, and the Internet has dutifully taken notice. For this installment of Trump's endless Twitter abyss, the 72-year-old attempted to relate to black people in America, but in the most Trumpian way possible. Rather than admitting the ways he has ushered in a fresh wave of white supremacy, decrying the many times he's defended nazis, or suggesting anti-racist policies, Trump simply wrote a tweet stating how he believes black people feel about the black face photos of Virginia Gov. Ralph Norpham.
This tweet is essentially the trifecta of faux pas. Firstly, Trump made a declarative statement about how a whole demographic (he's not a part of) feels. Secondly, his declarative statement still doesn't manage to say anything, or suggest where Trump's allegiances lie. Thirdly, Trump has an extensive history of racism, both as president and long before, so even if he had something substantial to say about the double standards of blackface, he wouldn't be the ideal mouthpiece. Needless to say, Trump got a thorough and well deserved dragging for his incomprehensible hypocrisy. There are endless receipts of Trump being anti-black, and all around racist. It would be very prudent if Trump would stop speaking for others, since it hardly goes over well when he speaks for himself.
The 93rd book to be pheatured in the Phile's Book Club is...
Jann will be on the Phile next Tuesday. A week from tomorrow. Now for some Disney....
Phact 1. There’s an alternate ending to The Lion King, where Scar defeats Simba by throwing him off Pride Rock to his apparent death. A fire then consumes Scar who stands there, laughing manically, while he burns to death. It was deemed “too dark” for a Disney film.
Phact 2. At night, Disneyland becomes overrun by stray cats. Disney embraces them because they keep the mouse population under check and treat them like pets, including spaying, neutering them and giving them shots.
Phact 3. Walt Disney decided to put the trash cans no more than thirty steps apart in Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom after observing guests in other parks and averaged out how many steps a person will take before dropping trash on the ground
Phact 4. Disney was so eager to persuade Robin Williams for the voice of the genie in Aladdin that before approaching him, they animated and lip-synced the genie doing a performance from Robin’s album "Reality." Williams was impressed and immediately accepted the role.
Phact 5. Robin Williams only made $75,000 for voicing the Genie in Aladdin, which went on to gross over $200 million domestically. Disney later sent him a Picasso painting as a way of thanking him for his work.
Okay, this is very cool... today's pheatured guest is an American animator, writer, and comic book artist. Over the course of his career, Norman has worked for a number of animation companies, among them Walt Disney Animation Studios, Hanna-Barbera Productions, Ruby-Spears, Film Roman and Pixar. In 2016 a really good documentary came out about him called Floyd Norman: An Animated Life. Please welcome to the Phile... Floyd Norman!
Me: Wow. Welcome, sir, to the Phile from Walt Disney World. How are you?
Floyd: I am fine, and this is a great day where there's nothing going on.
Me: What do you do mostly, sir? I know you still work, right?
Floyd: Every day I find myself at the Walt Disney Studio, the DCP campus. That's the campus that's over in Glendale. Separate from the movie studio which is in Burbank. I divide my time between both campus' although more often than not I'm often at the Glendale campus. That does everything except film, the main lot is mostly motion pictures and television.
Me: When did you first fall in love with animation?
Floyd: I fell in love with animation when my mother took me to see Dumbo. This had to be in the early 40s when I was a little kid. I saw that wonderful motion picture with all the images on the screen and the artwork, the music, I was just enchanted by all of this. I think many of my colleagues felt the same way. They all fell in love with animation when they were children and it was something they wanted to do with their life.
Me: Dumbo was the first movie I saw in the theatre when I was little in London. It wasn't in the 40s though. Haha. Was Dumbo a big success for them?
Floyd: Dumbo was made in a difficult time, if you don't know Disney history. There was a lot of pressure on Disney and Walt Disney in particular. The studio was under siege, they had lost half their income because of the war in Europe. They were also suffering from a strike. The studio really faced closing or at least bankruptcy and it was Dumbo really that saved them.
Me: When did you first realize you can draw so good, sir?
Floyd: Well, like most kids as I was drawing in school. I like to joke and tell people that the kids who become artists, who become professionals, are the ones who do not stop drawing and painting. That seems to make a difference. I just kept drawing and painting, so that meant we either were unusual or meant to be an artist.
Me: How old were you when you first started working for Disney?
Floyd: I was probably 19 or 20-years-old, I was in my third year of art school. Keep in mind I first came to Disney at age 17, right out of high school with my little portfolio. Disney gave me good advice. He said, "Go to school, learn how to become an artist, and then come back and apply for a job." Well, I took their advice, it was good advice. I enrolled at Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, a four year course, and when I was in my third year at Art Center I received a call from Walt Disney Studio asking me if I still wanted to work for them. I said yes I did. So I dropped out of school and began immediately to work for Disney.
Me: Were you the youngest one in the art department?
Floyd: No, I think all of my what I call it, my class, what they would do is being in a dozen or half a dozen kids right out of school. So we were all approximately the same age, nineteen or twenty. Early twenties was pretty much the age range when they let young people in. All of my colleagues, both men and women were all around the same age. We were all newbies, most of us right out of school, many of us have not even completed school yet but Disney needed artists so much of us were called.
Me: I was 20-years-old when I first started working at Disney World in Epcot. What was the first thing you worked on for Disney?
Floyd: Well, that's really easy because the first project I worked on was the daily ABC show, you probably heard of it, it was called "The Mickey Mouse Club."
Me: What did you do for it?
Floyd: Well, what they would do back in those days with the young artists our position would be the Apprentice Inbetweener. That was the lowest rung on the animation ladder. It was a tedious and malicious job, a mundane job bu a very necessary job and important job in the animation process. All of us would start of as Apprentice Inbetweeners and that is doing in-betweens. Most people ask me what is an in-between so I will tell your readers. In in-between is a drawing that goes in-between two other drawings. That's the easiest way to describe it. The in-between smooths out the action. In animation the animator is drawing key poses, the key poses that express o describe the action. In order to smooth all that out to get it to flow effortlessly you have to have those drawings in-between the other drawings. Those drawings are called in-betweens. Some of us became lay out artists, writers, background painters, but we all started out as Apprentice Inbetweeners.
Me: You worked on Sleeping Beauty, right? What did you do for that film?
Floyd: In-between work. Matter of fact that was the main reason most of us were called. Sleeping Beauty was in production, it was behind schedule, it was over budget and Walt Disney needed to get that film completed as quickly as possible. That was the reason for Disney's big tiring surge back in the 50s, it was to get Sleeping Beauty completed.
Me: That's one of my favorite Disney animated films, but it wasn't a success when it opened, right?
Floyd: That's sadly true. It opened in 1959 to very poor reviews and had a real lackluster audience reaction as well. It took decades really for the film to find itself or audiences to discover the film. It is now regarded today as a Disney classic.
Me: There's one thing I found out that I didn't know when I was researching for this interview was that you wrote some of the story for The Jungle Book. Is that true?
Floyd: That's the reason I was on the film, that is correct. As a matter of fact I had purposely avoided The Jungle Book. It's really interesting the film that probably defines my career is the film that I decided to avoid. I honestly did not want to work on The Jungle Book and purposely chose other projects to work on so I wouldn't have to be on that particular feature. Well, low and behold back in 1965, '66 the film ran into trouble with Disney. Walt was unhappy with the direction of the film, he didn't like the story, he felt it was too dark, too mysterious, too murky, he wanted a film that was more lighthearted, more upbeat. He got into a big argument with Bill Peet who was one of Disney's finest story tellers, and he and Walt could not to an agreement with the direction on the film so Bill Peet quit the film and Walt wanted a new story crew to rewrite the movie. Well, I was part of that new story team brought on board to rewrite The Jungle Book back in 1966.
Me: You didn't get credit though, right? Your name is not on the screen.
Floyd: Just because you worked on a film that did not mean necessary you were going to receive a screen credit. Screen scripts had to be earned in the old days and simply working on a movie was not enough to earn you a screen credit. We had to prove ourselves as a competent story teller over a series of motion pictures and only then might we receive a screen credit. It was much more rigorous in those days. Today everybody gets a screen credit because I think it's required by the unions. You have caterers, drivers, anybody and everybody gets a screen credit.
Me: Disney did not put the voice actors credits in the credits either, is that true?
Floyd: Some of them did. I do recall I think our main voice actors did get credit for The Jungle Book, but there was a time when actors did not receive a credit on a film. There were many people that did not receive a screen credit.
Me: What was it like working with the Nine Old Men?
Floyd: Well, I often tell people, especially my students when I'm teaching a class, that I was privileged to work with Disney's finest. Keep in mind, these were the men and women, that's important to point out to, who made the Disney classic films I saw as a child. So, think about that. I had the opportunity to work with the very same people and now they were my mentors. Now I would learn from them and they were tough taskmasters to for sure. I tell people don't think because I was at the Walt Disney Studio it was all fun and games, these artists were the top in their field. They were the first, they were the best and they demanded my best. So when I went to work for guys like Milt Kahl, Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, Eric Larson, Ward Kimball, Wolfie Reitherman, Les Clark, John Lounsbery, and Marc Davis, I had to deliver the goods. They expected me to be at my best and they did not accept second best. It was pretty rigorous training for us as kids but it was the best training we could receive because we were learning from the best in the business. Who better to learn from than the people who had created the Disney classics.
Me: What was it like the first time you met Walt?
Floyd: Well, a lot of us when we first came to the Disney Studio as kids we never expected to have any dealings with Walt Disney. He was the boss, he was the big man, his name was on the studio. We never expected any kind of interaction with Walt Disney. We might see him walking around the studio lot or we might observe him in the hallway but most of us were so intimated. Keep in mind Walt Disney even then was a living legend so it was quite intimating to see him walk our way. It's quite difficult to describe what it was like, especially those of us that were young and just coming into the business being to work for someone like Walt Disney who was already an icon in the entertainment business. I honestly to say it was a decade before I had the opportunity to speak with Walt Disney. I had been at the studio for ten years until I finally worked up the nerve just to say, "Hi, Walt." Honestly waiting that ten years was well worth it, because after that decade with Disney I was granted that opportunity and it was a very BIG opportunity to work with Walt Disney. Something I need expected in my wildest dreams to work with Walt Disney. Yes I had one day I might work FOR Walt Disney but I never imagined I would work WITH Disney.
Me: What was Disney like to work with? He could be very demanding, right?
Floyd: Walt Disney, no doubt about it, he was a taskmaster, he expected his people to deliver the finest, to do better than their best. He was not necessarily an easy man to work for and having said that I have no problem with the boss wanting the best. I don't see anything wrong with that. I didn't approach my job with fear, I was on board even though I was a kid, I was ready to learn from what I considered a master in the entertainment business. I took full advantage to learn from Walt Disney. As tough as Walt could be, if you were in that meeting with Walt Disney you were a very lucky person indeed.
Me: I have worked at Disney World for almost 31 years and one thing I heard over and over again, is a saying I hate... If Disney was alive today he'll be rolling in his grave. They have no idea what Disney would think of the parks today, and no one is rolling in any grave. Do you hear people say anything like that or act like they know what Disney would say?
Floyd: Sadly a lot of the stories we hear about Walt Disney often come from people who didn't know Walt Disney, didn't work for Walt Disney and some cases haven't met Walt Disney. They have all these opinions and attitudes about a man they never met. Well, for those of us that were there we met with Walt Disney, we worked with Walt Disney, we saw him on a day to day basis, we saw how he treated people. If you want a portrait of Walt Disney I would recommend you speak to people that knew him, not with people who simply heard of him or read something about him because they're to the experts. Their opinions are not well formed. It is just that, it is jus their opinion and those opinions are often wrong. Walt Disney was not a perfect man by any means, he drank to much, he smoked to much no doubt, but he treated people respectfully and I can honestly say he was the finest boss I ever worked for.
Me: Okay, so, I have interviewed author Jim Korkis a few times here on the Phile, and I interviewed him about his book about "Song of the South," which you wrote the forward on. What is our opinion on the movie? Do you think it should be rereleased?
Floyd: This has been going on for some time and it's kind of funny that you mentioned that because we recently published a book of "Walt Disney Holiday Stories," I think that's how the book is titled. I don't even have a copy, I have to go and pick up a copy from Disney publishing. During the holiday season we would often write Disney stories that would have a holiday theme and that would feature the Disney classic characters. I wrote more than a couple of those holiday stories myself and one of those stories I wrote was based on the wonderful fun and fanciful characters from Song of the South. Well, when that book of Disney holiday stories was published about a year ago Song of the South was supposed to be included in that book, a story I had written. It was a wonderful story staring Uncle Remus and Br'er Rabbit and all the wonderful critters from the Joel Chandler Harris stories. Well, Disney decided not to publish my story. They felt the story might in some way, I gather, be offensive. I'm thinking wait a minute, how could a Br'er Rabbit, Uncle Remus story be offensive if the story was written by an African-American? Whatever the case the Walt Disney Studios, Disney Publishing decided not to publish that particular story that I think was called "The Br'er Rabbit Christmas" because they think it might be racially insensitive. I don't know how it is, it's just a wonderful fun story that I wrote by the way, that tell's what happens at the plantation around holiday time when Johnny and Ginny celebrate Christmas they are regretting there's no snow, because after all it's the south, there wouldn't be snow. I created this fantastic story where they do get a snowfall at the end of the story. It got published in the 1980s I believe, that's when I wrote it but in this recent addition it was not published. That's sad, because it ties in with your original question, it turns out that Walt Disney's Song of the South remains a hot topic even to this day. It's sad because I think it's a wonderful motion picture. Have you ever seen it, Jason?
Me: The movie? Nope. Never have. Do you think the movie had a racist side?
Floyd: No, there isn't any. That's the irony of the controversy there's really nothing offensive about this story. It's sad, it' still regarded as such to this day. It is a hot potato, it is a topic that Disney choses to sweep under the rug because they don't want to deal with it.
Me: But there's a successful ride based on the characters. Okay, let's talk about your documentary, Floyd Norman: An Animated Life which I love by the way. You have to be the most hired and fired person from Disney. Is that true?
Floyd: Well, I have fun with that in the movie although I don't think I'm all that different from most Disney employees. We work in an industry that tends to expand and contract. Sometimes there's a need for artists and sometimes there's not a need because of production schedules and that type of thing. I did end myself in and out of Disney and had fun with it when I told that story being hired and fired and hired and fired. It made for an interesting story and a fun gag but my plight was not all that different from colleagues who often found themselves losing a job and then being called back to the studio to work on another job. It's the nature of the entertainment business where jobs tend not to be steady. I've always been lucky where if I did lose a job I immediately found another one. It's not a story of difficulty or hardship, it's just the nature of the entertainment business.
Me: Speaking of other jobs I did not know you worked on some of my favorite Saturday morning cartoons. What happened there? How did you get to work on those shows?
Floyd: Yeah, a lot of that stuff came as a result of losing my Disney job. What happened was I was animating on Robin Hood, around 1972, and I lost that job and went to Hanna-Barbera Productions, a company that did Saturday morning television.
Me: What were some of the biggest differences between working for Disney and Hanna-Barbara?
Floyd: I have to remind people that Saturday morning TV is not like doing classic Disney films. A Disney film takes a period of two or three years to complete. The TV shows that we did at Hanna-Barbera took two to three weeks to complete if that. It was indeed a much faster process, we didn't have the budgets to do stellar work, there were time restraints as the shows had to be delivered quickly, and so we had to basically hack out a lot of shows in a limited time. That was the nature of Saturday morning television back in the 70s and 80s when we did Smurfs, and Scooby-Doo, Super Friends, Captain Caveman, all of those shows that you probably saw as a kid. It was a fun job and I was still doing animation so we enjoyed the work we did knowing full well we weren't doing Disney quality work but we were still making cartoons.
Me: What do you do for Disney these days?
Floyd: Well, since I no longer work for the Disney Company and that's something I have to explain to people because I have this long relationship with the Walt Disney Company. I left the company officially around 2001 when I officially retired from Walt Disney Studios after many years. The last feature film I worked on was probably for Pixar, I did Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., I worked on a film called Home on the Range and a few other things. But I officially left the studio around 2001. Even though I left animation I managed to find work at Disney Publishing. Some of the artists over at Disney Publishing said I had worked on these Pixar films, they are doing a series of Pixar books, why don't I come and work with them on these Pixar books that they were doing here at Disney. So, after leaving the studio I find myself coming back to work at Disney in the publishing department. It's all still story telling regardless if I'm doing a book or a movie, I'm still telling a story.
Me: What was the highlight working at Disney for you, sir?
Floyd: I think what's wonderful about the product we create at the Walt Disney Studio it'll be liked by generations to come. Keep in mind I watched these Disney films when I was a little kid and then I grew up and was able to come to the studio to be part of the creative process. I know that when I'm gone a lot of the work that I created will be left behind for others to enjoy. That's my highlight.
Me: Nice. Thanks very much for being on the Phile. This is a true honor to have you here. Hope it was fun.
Floyd: It was great. Like I said and I like to remind people that I am only one of Disney artists. People often give me more credit than I deserve. I'm just delighted to be part of the team to create this magic and what's been more special is to have been a part of Walt Disney and to be able to work with Walt Disney on The Jungle Book. And boy, when you look at a career you can't do much better than that. Thank you, Jason.
Me: I didn't do anything. Good job, sir. Take care.
Man, that about does it for this entry of the Phile. Thanks to everybody who works at Walt Disney World and of course Floyd Norman. The Phile will be back Thursday with A Peverett Phile Valentine pheaturing Tracy Hightop from Jane Lee Hooker. Spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye.
I don't want you, cook my bread, I don't want you, make my bed, I don't want your money too, I just want to make love to you. - Willie Dixon
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