Q : In an episode of Disneyland entitled “The Fourth Anniversary Show,” Walt tells the story of a visit to the studio by Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev who proceeds to play Peter and the Wolf for Walt, inspiring him to make the animated version that appeared in Make Mine Music. Is there any truth in this story, or was it just staged for television?
Templeton, Louisville, Kentucky
A: The TV show version was staged, but the meeting did actually happen. Prokofiev visited the Disney Studio on February 28, 1938, with his lawyer Randolph Polk, to play the piano score of Peter and the Wolf for Walt Disney and Disney composer Leigh Harline. Supposedly Prokofiev had written the piece with Walt in mind. It took a while, but a contract was finally signed three years later, and our Peter and the Wolf came out in Make Mine Music in 1946.
Q : Has Disney ever released a DVD of Season 1 of the TV series on ABC of The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, which had 32 episodes?
Steve, Gladstone, Missouri
A: While entire seasons of The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh have not been released on DVD, many episodes have been released through the Growing Up with Winnie the Pooh DVD series: Volume 1 (“A Great Day of Discovery”), Volume 2 (“Friends Forever”), Volume 3 (“All for One, One For All”), Volume 4 (“It’s Playtime with Pooh”), and Volume 5 (“Love & Friendship”).
Q : I remember many entertainment specials through The Wonderful World of Disney. One in particular which I found in Disney A to Z is The Boy Who Talked to Badgers, which was aired on TV as a two-part special. My question is, is this movie lost forever or may Disney someday put this out so others can see it again?
Richard, Boynton Beach, Florida
A: While The Boy Who Talked to Badgers has never been released on video cassette or DVD, that does not mean that it is lost forever. All Disney films are preserved in its film vaults, and with new technologies becoming available, we might see a release someday.
Q : In an episode of Disneyland entitled “The Story of the Animated Drawing,” there is a brief dramatization of Charles-Émile Reynaud working with his various inventions, including his Théâtre Optique. The Théâtre Optique that appears in the episode looks as though it’s fully functional. Was this a re-creation of Reynaud’s invention built by Disney staff? Or was it borrowed from a museum? Does this Théâtre Optique still survive today?
Bradley, Laconner, Washington
A: Disney licensed footage from a 1947 film, Animated Cartoons—The Toy That Grew Up, produced by Les Films du Compas and Roger Leenhardt, for that television show. The Walt Disney Archives has no further information on that film, so they do not know if the Théâtre Optique still exists.