Q: On a visit to Disneyland in March 1994 I noticed that the Oscar given to Walt Disney for his creation of Mickey Mouse was no longer on display in The Walt Disney Story exhibit. A cast member told me that Lillian Disney removed the Oscar after Touchstone Pictures released Down and Out in Beverly Hills as a protest of the kind of adult-oriented movies being made by the new Disney-owned studio. Is this true?
Brad, Palmyra, Virginia
A: That is incorrect. The awards presented to Walt Disney personally were always deemed his private property. As part of a 1984 agreement whereby the Disney Company gained the exclusive rights to the Walt Disney name and image, the awards and other Walt Disney property were returned to the family. This was two years before Down and Out in Beverly Hills.
Dave Smith