Q : I have a 60th anniversary edition DVD of Dumbo that I’ve had ever since I was little. One of the bonus features promotes the sequel Dumbo 2. When I was little, I thought that this movie would be released on DVD, but it never was. I think that it was shelved, but I would like to know why, and why it was promoted if it never came about?
Linda, Alva, Oklahoma
A: The 60th anniversary Dumbo DVD came out in 2001. At that time, Disney was planning a direct-to-video Dumbo 2. However, John Lasseter, who became the chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios in 2006, felt that such sequels tarnished the classics, so he put a stop to this one, as well as several others that were being considered.
Q : Hi Dave, well after going to the D23 event a couple of weeks ago, I am confused.  They mentioned that Marc Davis drew the first Tinker Bell. And after going to a lot of events and meeting with Margaret Kerry she said she is the first model for Tinker Bell. So was she the first or did Marc draw the first since D23 never mentioned Margaret Kerry.
Joann, Kildeer, Illinois
A: Marc Davis was the artist who developed and refined the character of Tinker Bell; Margaret Kerry was the actress who modeled for him. Marc was not the first to draw the character—other artists, including Bianca Majolie, were doing concept work on her by the early 1940s.
Q : Dear, Dave. I noticed that Charles Muntz, the villain in Disney-Pixar’s Up, shares a name remarkably similar to that of Walt Disney’s Universal distributor, Charles Mintz. Is there any direct relationship is this sheer coincidence? Also, is it true that the character was based off of Errol Flynn?
Jared, Terre Haute, Indiana
A: According to designer Albert Lozano, “If you were to blend Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, Howard Hughes, and Walt Disney into one heroic 1930s man” you would come up with Charles Muntz. I have never heard that the name was based on Charles Mintz.
Q : Is the rumor that Snow White’s prince’s name is Ferdinand true? If not, do you know how the rumor started?
Alex, Austin, Texas
A: The rumor is untrue. It may have started way back in 1939 when Shirley Temple presented a special Academy Award to Walt Disney in honor of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. In her speech she called Walt, “…the daddy of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Mickey Mouse, Ferdinand, and all the others…” But that Ferdinand which she was referring to was not the Prince but Ferdinand the Bull, star of a 1938 cartoon of the same name, which also received an Academy Award.
Q : In the 1930s my grandparents owned a movie theater and when they pass on I was left a copy of a 1929, 16MM, B/W copy of a Mickey Mouse film call Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The film is in the original can and still on the original reel but missing some of the leader. The film is still in one piece and needs some cleaning and correct care and that why I’m sending you this message. I can’t find anyone who can help me with the proper care or what to do with this film.
Michael, Fredericksburg, Virginia
A: “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” is actually a shortened version (for home use) of the theatrical cartoon Mickey’s Mellerdrammer. Hollywood Film Enterprises released such home versions of the Disney cartoons on 8mm and 16mm, usually with new titles. All the cartoons have now been released on DVD, in their complete form, so these early films have little or no value.
Q : There was a cartoon, probably an early Silly Symphony, which I think might have been titled Candyland. There were gumdrop trees and gingerbread houses and the characters were dressed much like the bakers that dance around Goofy’s float in the Christmas parade. I might be misremembering some of this because I haven’t seen the cartoon since I was a little girl, but I would love to know where I can get a copy of this, one of my favorite Silly Symphony cartoons.  I would dearly love to see it again, at least one more time.
Mary, Torrance, California
A: You are perhaps thinking of The Cookie Carnival (Silly Symphony, 1935). It was released on the Walt Disney Treasures DVD, vol. 3: Silly Symphonies.
Q : I was wondering why there is a Disney/Pixar and a Disney. What’s the difference? And what started Pixar? Did Walt Disney start it, or is it recent?
Nicolas, Silver Spring, Maryland
A: Pixar Animation Studios, created to produce computer-generated animated films, was founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1986 and jointly produced with Disney several animated features that were labeled Disney-Pixar. Pixar was purchased by Disney in 2006. The current Pixar studio is located in Emeryville, California.