The Walt Disney Archives Celebrates “50 Years of Preserving the Magic”

By The Walt Disney Archives

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Walt Disney Archives, pixie dust has transformed the department’s Reading Room into “50 Years of Preserving the Magic,” an exhibit showcasing rarely-before-seen historical objects that trace the beginnings of The Walt Disney Company to today.

Upon entry, Guests are transported back to 1937 and the premiere of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Walt’s first animated feature film and cornerstone of his studio’s artistic legacy. Among the unique pieces on display are a program and police pass from the film’s premiere at the Carthay Circle Theatre. Also featured is one of the oldest costumes in the Archives collection, the bodice worn by Marge Belcher Champion, Snow White’s live-action reference model and Disney Legend. Theme park lovers can even say “hello” to a few of their favorite Audio-Animatronics® Dwarfs from Snow White’s Scary Adventures at Walt Disney World Resort, but beware of the Witch… she could be close-by!

The bookshelves have been studded with some of the collections’ most prestigious film and television prop books—representing films from The Sword in the Stone (1963) to Inspector Gadget (1999), television series such as Once Upon a Time (2011–18) and All My Children (1970–2011), and even some 20th Century Studios favorites such as How I Met Your Mother (2005–11) and The Devil Wears Prada (2006).

Above the prop books, a trail of pixie dust highlights some of the most significant dates in Company history, and showcases assets that help bring the dates to life. Tim Taylor’s toolbelt from Home Improvement (1991–99) and Dreamfinder’s hat and goggles from Journey Into Imagination at Epcot are just a few of the treasures you may recognize.

The exhibit wouldn’t be complete without paying homage to the department that’s been preserving the magic for 50 years, the Walt Disney Archives. To commemorate the founding of the group on June 22, 1970, by Disney Legend Dave Smith, a portion of the new exhibit contains documents and memorabilia from both the Archives and Dave’s personal collections—including the proposal presented to Roy O. Disney that led to the creation of the whole collection.

Employees of The Walt Disney Company and their guests may visit the Walt Disney Archives Reading Room during regular weekday hours (9 a.m.–5 p.m.) and D23 Gold and Gold Family Members can visit the Archives exclusively through The Official Walt Disney Studios Tour—Presented by D23.

 

How Pixar Created Its Own Brand of Magic in Onward

By Zach Johnson

In Disney and Pixar’s Onward, opening in U.S. theaters on March 6, two teenage elf brothers embark on an extraordinary quest to find out if there’s still a little magic left in the world. Because it’s set in a suburban fantasy town—one where unicorns are vermin and dragons are pets—the magic in Onward needed to feel both original and familiar. So, director Dan Scanlon and producer Kori Rae tasked the talented team at Pixar Animation Studios with reinventing the rules of magic. “When Dan and Kori came to me about the magic for Onward, I was super excited and equally terrified at the same time,” effects supervisor Vincent Serritella admitted on a visit to Pixar Animation Studios. “In the real world, when a magician does magic, it’s invisible if it’s done right. In our film, we had to realize it. For something that’s so abstract, you can see how tricky that could be.”

For story artist Louise Smythe, who’s “loved fantasy” since childhood, “getting to work on this film has been like magic to me,” she said. But she, too, realized they had a lot of work ahead of them. “We all have ideas in our heads about what magic is based on past films, or books we’ve read, or legends we’ve heard that have been passed down from generation to generation. So, we wanted to try to make our own version of magic.”

Onward

To achieve that, the story team began by creating a set of rules. First, Smythe said, “Every spell requires heart’s fire, which is like reaching deep down in your soul and finding that confidence and that belief that the magic is going to work—and saying it with gusto!” The next necessity is a “magic decree,” which is “a mental and emotional exercise,” she explained. “You almost have to be in a certain state of mind when you’re doing that.” Early in the movie, Ian (voice of Tom Holland) and Barley (voice of Tom Pratt) use a phoenix gem to conjure their dad, but an “assist element” isn’t always required, Smythe added. “These are for very advanced level spells. It’s usually an ingredient of some kind that helps the magic to become stronger. It doesn’t have to be a phoenix gem; it could be any magical property.” Lastly, Smythe said, “We need components to do spells. The components in this film are emotional, verbal, material, and movement. Movement was a really fun one for us, because we were trying to think of ways that awkward, shy, in-his-shell Ian could be in awkward poses that really took him out of his comfort zone and made him a bit embarrassed. He needs that in his life!”

Naming the incantations was just as fun, Smythe said. “We got some rules from Dan: It needs to be short; you can guess what it is just by hearing it aloud; it doesn’t sound too silly or too young; and it’s not just gibberish.’ There’s an actual method to the language.”

Onward

Smythe and head of story Kelsey Mann sent an e-mail around the office, asking for volunteers to join their “spell squad” and brainstorm ideas. “We had so much fun! We would get together on an almost weekly basis and go over spells and ideas we might have had over the weekend. It was a good way to bond with different departments, too, because we weren’t all from story,” Smythe said. Often, the “spell squad” would play word association games to get their creative juices flowing. “We went crazy! We had whiteboards filled with ideas and different words and meanings. We started to narrow it down, and once we were satisfied, we met with Dan and had him draw our names out of a wizard hat—and it wasn’t just our names! It was our wizard names.” (Smythe was Louise the Lionhearted, for example.) “We thought it would be fun to have him draw our names out of a hat, then pitch spells to him and have him guess what it did. It was a great way to road-test it and see if it worked—and if it didn’t, we’d go back to refining it.”

Meanwhile, the effects team worked closely with Mann “to understand magic’s role in the film.” They ranked the spells on a scale of one to 10 to get a sense of perspective. “If it’s a level-one spell, it probably appears smaller; an apprentice could do this spell. It probably means it’s going to have simpler elements,” Serritella said. “Level 10 is fuller and more complex, and so we support that idea by making it richer and more energetic.”
Onward

“For every sequence, we came up with this ‘magic theory’ packet where we would track and plot the intensity of the spell—and the success rate of the spell—and accompany it with how much visual screen space it occupies,” Serritella further explained. “Once other departments heard about it, they started asking, ‘Hey, can we get a copy of that?’ Because then they could support these ideas through animation, camera, lighting, etc.”

Nearly everyone who worked on the film said Onward is a “collaborative” labor of love. But the movie itself—and the idea to make magic a character—is inspired by Scanlon’s life, as he was one year old when his father passed away. “Growing up not knowing my dad, there was something sort of magical about him,” he recalled. “He felt like a legend or something of yore, and that’s really what led us to this world.” So, Rae said, “We needed to figure out a way to bring Dad back—and we wanted to use magic to do that.”

To see all the magic come alive, catch Onward when it opens in theaters March 6!

5 Dazzling Details to Discover in Frozen 2

By Beth Deitchman

To create the beloved characters and breathtaking visuals in Frozen 2, a collection of teams ventured into the unknown together, bringing with them disparate skill sets that include model-making, character design, and writing code. In any other workplace, these experts in their chosen fields might never even meet—but at Walt Disney Animation Studios, it’s a vital partnership. As Disney Animation’s Chief Technology Officer Nick Cannon says, “We really want the art to challenge the technology and the technology to inspire the art.”

D23 recently talked to some of the incredible technologists who worked on Frozen 2. They gave us a behind-the-scenes look at how they built an enchanted forest, designed costumes for Arendelle royalty, and, together with the animators, created new Disney magic. As Frozen 2 comes to Digital HD today (and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on February 25), here are some details you’ll want to keep an eye out for.

Frozen 2 Tech

1. The newest film from Disney Animation found inspiration in a Disney animated classic.
The artistry of Disney Legend Eyvind Earle, whose best-known work for Disney might be his designs for Sleeping Beauty, influenced the shape language within the world of Frozen. Audiences might not actually recognize shape language in any given animated film, but Gregory Smith, Frozen 2’s Head of Characters and Technical Animation, emphasizes how critical it is to defining a character and making them recognizable to the viewer. “We want [viewers] absorbed in the story, but it does define the characters in terms of silhouettes and other things,” he says. He points to Elsa’s signature braid, or Kristoff’s tousled ’do as examples. “Kristoff’s hair has four points that kind of create an almost rectangular shape that the oval his face sits within. If you lose those breaks of those little wings that kind of come out over his ears, if they’re not there, it doesn’t feel like Kristoff,” he says.

While Kristoff’s shape language leans into the rectangular, Elsa’s main design stems from triangles (which, Smith notes, can be found throughout the world of Frozen) with trapezoidal or diamond shapes, and Anna’s adds circles to triangles. That circle and triangle motif can be spotted in the wheat pattern on the dress Anna wears when we first see her in Frozen 2, and in the scallop patterns on her ballgown. Though Anna may say goodbye to pigtails in Frozen 2, her new hairstyle still creates a rounded frame of her face and leads into the triangles that can be found in the design of her costumes.

Frozen 2 Tech

2. Cutting-edge technology enabled the course of nature.
An animated film is typically years in the making—and that’s without the prospect of having to place 20,000 trees in a forest. To create efficiencies—and allow the artists to spend more of their time on the intricate details of Frozen 2—Disney Animation developed a tool called Disney XGen, which enables artists to build hair, fur and groundcover such as trees and shrubs. When building a forest, for example, the tool allows an artist to place groups of trees within a given scene. Disney XGen essentially creates a virtual brush that artists can paint with, stamping down groups of trees, rocks, or any asset that is in the Disney Animation stockroom. This “nested proceduralism” would even make it possible for the animators to place large groups of Elsas in the ultimate “let it go” moment, since Elsa technically exists as a digital asset. Once the brush stroke lays down a swath of trees, the artists then have the ability to adjust and make minute changes within a frame.

The filmmakers use an additional tool called Bonsai to actually grow the trees. Through Bonsai they’re able to create a “recipe” for a tree, defining a tree’s trunk in terms of width, height, gnarl, shape, and more properties; as well as creating nodes that instruct the computer to grow additional branches and leaves off of that initial foundation.

Frozen 2 Tech

3. In an Arendelle autumn, color is everywhere—not just overhead.
The filmmaking team visited Scandinavia in the fall, and returned with the knowledge that the ground cover in Frozen 2 would need to be as vibrant as the canopy overhead. “That makes our job harder because that’s where our characters are,” notes Sean D. Jenkins, Head of Environments. The team had to clear paths to create “ease of interaction” as Elsa, Anna, and the gang ventured through the Enchanted Forest—because every leaf or branch they touch would be impacted by their steps—and they also used the Bonsai tool to manipulate the color of the leaves on the forest floor. “To make things look very natural is hard,” Jenkins says. “But stylized nature, where you need it to still look real but also have the stylization is even harder.”

Frozen 2 Tech

Frozen 2 Tech

4. Real-world tailoring techniques were incorporated into digitally designing Anna and Elsa’s costumes.
To design an animated dress for Elsa, visual development artists needed to essentially create a sewing pattern, the kind that tailors might use to create an item that a person would wear in the real world. Using a software program called Marvelous Designer, the artists were able to define separate panels that would then be stitched together digitally to create the ensemble. Additional detailing, like sequins and beadwork, could then be added onto the panels through both digital tools and hand-placement by the artists, who would then adjust the fit of the garment as needed. This marked a leap forward from the first Frozen film, Smith explains, noting, “We reimagined our cloth pipeline along the idea of the panel. The panel is the thing, not the garment.”

Frozen 2 Tech

Because the filmmakers so closely simulate the real-world process of designing a garment, they’re able to determine that it would take nearly eight yards of fabric just to create Elsa’s dress. And if you laid out all of the clothing panels that were used to design the wardrobe for all of the major characters, it would cover two and a half Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Frozen 2 Tech

5. Advancements allowed the filmmakers to take embroidery to a new level in Frozen 2.
Embroidery is an important and intricate part of the detailing on both Anna and Elsa’s dresses in Frozen 2. Technologists relied upon Disney XGen to create highly detailed, realistic embroidery—taking into account such parameters as the thickness of the thread or the transparency levels for the stitches. Anna’s opening scene dress featured what would translate to 82,000 real-world stitches. And while a computer could create perfectly straight lines, the filmmakers’ attention to detail is so great that they incorporated a “noise module” to make something that appears to be more lifelike and, thus, a little less perfect.

The important thing that Walt Disney Animation Studios’ technologists emphasize is that every innovation in Frozen 2—whether that’s a more intricate hairstyle for Anna or the creation of a new character that consists only of wind—is driven by story. “Our goal is to try to achieve what Visual Development is pushing for, and they’re always pushing to make the most spectacular thing possible,” Smith tells D23. “We all take pride in the fact that anything they can dream up, no one wants to be the one to say we can’t do that—so we always find a way.”

How The Conners Is Going Live (Twice!) with the New Hampshire Primary

By Zach Johnson

On February 11, ABC will broadcast The Conners live—and the cast will perform twice in one night! The special episode of the top-rated comedy will coincide with the New Hampshire primary, airing at 8 p.m. on the East and West coasts. ABC News’ coverage of the political event will be incorporated into the story in real time as the results roll in throughout the evening. Actress Jayden Rey, who plays D.J.’s daughter, Mary, explains, “We only get one shot, so we’re going to make the most of it, even if we mess up!”

“I love that we’re going to be mixing the votes in,” adds Emma Kenney, who plays Harris. “People won’t have to choose one or the other to watch that night.” In between the East and West coast tapings, she adds, “We’ll all be watching the primary together.”

The special episode will find Mark (Ames McNamara) watching the primary for a school report with Harris (Kenney), who is critical of the electoral process and thinks money’s influence in politics stifles genuine change. The rest of the Conner family will share their conflicting opinions about why they think everybody should vote—even if they don’t agree with a candidate on every issue. “People are going to see how the family comes together over what’s going on in the world,” says Micahel Fishman, who plays D.J. “It’s not really going to be tilted toward one side or the other; it’s really going to be about how the family deals with it. I hope people at home will be having the same conversations we are. It’s going to be going on in real-time, live on both coasts, so there will be a different feel to it each time.”

All of this happens against the backdrop of romance when Louise (guest star Katey Sagal) gets an opportunity that might send her away from Lanford, Illinois. So, the family throws her a surprise going-away party… creating major tension between Dan (John Goodman) and his daughters Darlene (Sara Gilbert) and Becky (Lecy Goranson).

No matter how the New Hampshire primary turns out—or whether Louise stays in Lanford—the episode will hopefully remind viewers that it’s OK to want different things. “Families don’t always agree, right? Sometimes that’s the best thing that can happen to you, because it changes your viewpoint or it opens your mind,” says Fishman. “It’s about finding a place where you can come together and laugh, even in difficult times.”

 

ABC’s For Life Isn’t Just a TV Series—It’s a Wakeup Call

By Zach Johnson

Incarcerated for a crime he didn’t commit, Aaron Wallace (series lead Nichols Pinnock) is determined to prove his innocence in order to reunite with his family and reclaim the life that was stolen from him. To do so, Aaron becomes a lawyer, litigating cases for other inmates while also fighting to overturn his own life sentence. This is the premise of the new ABC drama series For Life, inspired by the life of Isaac Wright Jr., premiering February 11 at 10|9c.

The fictional serialized drama hails from creator Hank Steinberg and executive producers Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Doug Robinson, Alison Greenspan, and Wright Jr. For Jackson in particular, the series’ themes hit close to home. “I know more people who found themselves in situations where the logical result was to take the plea rather than to go to trial,” he says. “Maybe they couldn’t afford to actually fight or get the right representation. Maybe they were simply afraid to go to jail, so they kept stalling and stalling and stalling until they ended up in trial proceedings and were hung out to dry.”

For Life

Through Aaron’s ferocious struggle and complicated relationship with progressive prison warden Safiya Masry (Indira Varma), For Life will also examine the flaws and challenges in the penal and legal systems. “I’m personally interested in how much corruption there really is and how much of a shakeup there needs to be,” says Varma. “I think politics comes into it—and sometimes it shouldn’t. And race is a massive thing.”

“There are a lot of people in prison who don’t belong there,” adds Emmy® Award-winning actor Timothy Busfield. “There are a lot of people in prison only because the district attorney had to put somebody there, so they manufactured a case. My character, Henry Roswell, knows that—because he himself did that. Hopefully, this will awaken people to the fact that there are a lot of people who are now in prison and shouldn’t be.”

While it’s not a docu-series, For Life deals with real-world issues—issues Varma and her co-stars hope spark a broader discussion. “The people we want to affect and touch might not necessarily read about corruption in the penal system,” the actress explains. “But through entertainment we might be able to educate people and teach compassion.”

For Life

In addition to Busfield and Varma, the cast of For Life includes Joy Bryant as Marie Wallace, Mary Stuart Masterson as Anya Harrison, Boris McGiver as D.A. Maskins, Glenn Fleshler as Frank Foster, Dorian Missick as Jamal Bishop and Tyla Harris as Jasmine Wallace. Jackson has a recurring role as an “institutionalized” inmate, Cassius Dawkins. “He’s been incarcerated since he was 16 and never really got to begin his life,” he says. “He prides himself more on his reputation in jail than in the things he experienced before he got there. You get into the prison system and you’re around bad guys, then you start doing bad things, and then you just become so comfortable with it that it’s the new you.” He adds, “He’s almost the polar opposite of Isaac, who’s working so hard to get home.”

Being a part of For Life has caused even the actors themselves to reconsider how people behind bars are seen and treated. “If somebody is given a criminal record, they become a ‘criminal.’ But actually, they might be a father. They might be a lawyer—or have the potential to be a lawyer,” Varma says. “I think this reminds us that human beings are nuanced. Just because you have a criminal record, it doesn’t mean you’re not human.”

“Or,” as Busfield points out, “that you’re even a criminal.”

Awoo! Meet the Werewolves in Disney Channel’s ZOMBIES 2

By Zach Johnson

Cheerleaders, and zombies, and werewolves… oh, my!

In the Disney Channel Original Movie ZOMBIES 2, the highly anticipated sequel to ZOMBIES, a group of mysterious teenage werewolves head to Seabrook in search of an ancient life source: the moonstone. Their arrival spells trouble for human and zombie relations, which were just repaired after Addison (Meg Donnelly), Zed (Milo Manheim), and their friends convinced the city council to repeal its anti-monster laws.

Of course, fans can count on kind-hearted Addison to welcome the werewolves with open arms. “Addison wants them to be accepted and to feel liked. She wants to learn about where they’re from,” says Donnelly. “The history books in Seabrook don’t reveal what actually happened; the werewolves were there first, and then Seabrook kind of pushed them out. Addison really wants to help them, just like she did with the zombies.”

Before ZOMBIES 2 premieres Friday, February 14, at 8 p.m., we spoke to the cast to find out everything we could about who the werewolves are—and what they really want.

Zombies 2

Willa (Chandler Kinney)
“The werewolves are not afraid to bend or break the rules. We definitely shake things up, for sure,” says Kinney, who describes her character as “a very strong, passionate, aggressive, outspoken, determined force to be reckoned with.” As the leader of the pack, Willa distrusts Addison’s intentions… at least initially. “We’ll have to wait and see.”

Zombies 2

Wyatt (Pearce Joza)
“The first thing that struck me about Wyatt is how much he cares about his pack,” says Joza. “He’s so caring. He goes on this crazy journey to find the moonstone. Our pack is in trouble because we don’t have our power source, so Wyatt goes to Addison for help and some answers. That definitely causes a little bit of a rift between Addison and Zed.”

Zombies 2

Wynter (Ariel Martin)
A sheep in wolf’s clothing? When it comes to her wolfpack, Martin (aka Baby Ariel) says Wynter “is all love.” However, her devotion can sometimes make her “emotional” and “passionate,” she adds. “She’s outgoing and she’s eccentric, but at her core, she cares.”

To see the electrifying dance numbers and bold new original songs, tune in for the television debut of ZOMBIES 2 this Valentine’s Day, only on Disney Channel.

7 Most Magical Moments from the 2020 Oscars®

By Zach Johnson

The 92nd Academy Awards® aired live on ABC Sunday, and The Oscars® was filled with magical moments for Disney fans of all ages. From a once-in-a-lifetime Frozen 2 performance to history-making wins, we’re celebrating those highlights and more below:

1. A Warm and Colorful Welcome
Janelle Monáe opened the Oscars® broadcast with a musical tribute to some of the year’s biggest films. Joined onstage by Billy Porter, Monáe—who voices Peg in the Disney+ original movie Lady and the Tramp—involved the crowd in her act, getting a handful of stars, including Captain Marvel’s Brie Larson, to sing along. Monáe’s spirited performance resulted in standing ovation, with Adam Driver, Charlize Theron, and more applauding.

 2. Frozen Fractals All Around
Because Walt Disney Animation Studios’ record-breaking movie Frozen 2 has been dubbed in 45 different languages, actor Josh Gad, who voices Olaf in the English language version, introduced a special performance featuring the global voices of Elsa: Maria Lucia Heiberg Rosenberg (Denmark), Willemijn Verkaik (Germany), Takako Matsu (Japan), Carmen SarahÍ (Latin America), Lisa Stokke (Norway), Kasia Łaska (Poland), Anna Buturlina (Russia), Gisela (Spain) and Gam Wichayanee (Thailand). As Gad explained, “These dubbed versions provide kids and adults everywhere their own special connection to the story and its characters, which means there are so many great versions of Elsa.” The international group joined Idina Menzel, who voices Elsa in the English language film, and AURORA to sing the Oscar-nominated “Into the Unknown.”

 3. Toy Story 4 Takes Over
Mindy Kaling presented Toy Story 4 director Josh Cooley and producers Mark Nielsen and Jonas Rivera with the Oscar for best Animated Feature Film. “We are so, so grateful for this honor,” Nielsen said. “On behalf of our incredible cast and our crew up at Pixar Animation Studios, we just want to thank the Academy for honoring our film alongside so many beautiful animated films this year. We are just proud to be among them.” Rivera called Toy Story 4 “a love letter to our families,” while Cooley said, “We want to thank the moviegoing audience so much, especially those that grew up with Toy Story. We hope your adventures with Woody and Buzz made growing up a little bit easier.”

Later on, Disney Legend Randy Newman brought a smile to Toy Story 4 fans’ faces when he performed his Oscar-nominated original song “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away.” The stage was designed to look like the wallpaper in Andy’s room—and if you look closely, you might see Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Bo Peep, and Forky in the clouds!

4. A Lucky Rabbit
Jojo Rabbit’s Taika Waititi won the award for best Adapted Screenplay, making the Māori filmmaker the first indigenous New Zealander to win an Oscar. "I dedicate this to all the indigenous kids in the world who want to do art and dance and write stories," Waititi said onstage. "We are the original storytellers and we can make it here as well."

 5. A Breakthrough Performance
Actress Chrissy Metz took to the stage to perform the Oscar-nominated, Diane Warren-penned ballad “I’m Standing with You” from Breakthrough. Backed by a gospel choir, Metz’s moving performance elicited cheers from the crowd and brought Warren to tears.

6. A First Place Finish
Ford v Ferrari’s Michael McCusker and Andrew Buckland accepted the Oscar for Best Film Editing, while Donald Sylvester accepted the Oscar for Best Sound Editing. McCusker singled out James Mangold in his acceptance speech, saying, “It’s my great, great pleasure to have sat and watched you become one of the best directors in this business in the last 15 years.” He also praised the cast, led by Christian Bale and Matt Damon, as well as the producers and crew members. Sylvester also praised the team effort, saying, “Ford v Ferrari is a marriage of sound and picture, so while I really want to thank my fantastic sound team, I also want to thank my picture team and the mixers.”

7. A GENIUS Debut
During a commercial break, National Geographic and Fox 21 Television Studios released a first-look teaser promo for Genius: Aretha. Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo stars as Aretha Franklin in the third season of the critically acclaimed global anthology series. Genius: Aretha will premiere over four consecutive nights, beginning Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, at 9|8c. Genius: Aretha will be the first-ever, definitive and only authorized scripted limited series on the life of Franklin. The eight-part series will explore Franklin’s musical genius and incomparable career—and the immeasurable impact and influence she has had on music and culture around the world.

The cast also includes Courtney B. Vance as C.L. Franklin, David Cross as Jerry Wexler, Malcolm Barrett as Ted White, Pauletta Washington as Grandmother Rachel, Patrice Covington as Erma Franklin, Rebecca Naomi Jones as Carolyn Franklin, Steven Norfleet as Cecil Franklin, Kimberly Hébert Gregory as Ruth Bowen, Omar J. Dorsey as James Cleveland, Marque Richardson as King Curtis, and Shaian Jordan as Little Re.

What’s in a Name? – Peter Cushing

By Kevin Kern, Walt Disney Archives

Sometimes, the most interesting historical rediscoveries we make in the Walt Disney Archives come when you least expect it, usually while you’re not looking for what you find. Being a fan of all things Star Wars, I just about fell over when, while perusing a box of Disney studio Casting Department files from the 1950s and 1960s, noticed a very familiar name amidst the box’s folder titles, a name most space saga fans would immediately recognize – “Peter Cushing.” Unfamiliar with what his Disney credits may have been at that time (if any), I removed the folder from the box, and was greeted with small, but rather neat collection of documents outlining an interesting aspect regarding the development of a completely unrelated Walt-era Disney television project – The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh (1964).

A little less than two and a half years before the project would hit American airwaves for Walt, Cushing wrote to the Disney studio pitching himself as the potential lead – “Dr. Syn” – for the Scarecrow story. Along with his letter, he included a proposed story outline for the title, highlighting what he saw as the strengths of the character’s tale. Interestingly, this occurred only a few short months after Walt Disney Productions had obtained the story rights to eight of author Russell Thorndike’s Christopher Syn stories in early February 1961 from their original publishers, New York’s Abelard-Schuman and London’s Rich & Cowan.

While Walt had put the television project into development on February 9, 1961, he had already assigned screenplay work at the time Cushing’s letter was received. Given that the studio was still a long way off from beginning casting, let alone filming, there wasn’t much to do with Cushing’s impromptu, if not gracious, offer. As was standard studio policy at the time, when Walt assigned a writer to develop treatments and screenplay material, he frequently insisted that they take a fresh approach to the topic, refraining from citing or including pre-existing material – fresh-starts in this way usually were a “must” for the entertainment maven’s creative development process.

In light of Cushing’s kind correspondence, the studio responded in early October of the same year expressing gratitude for the thoughtfulness in contacting them. Eventually, the project would turn into a three-part television show for Walt, directed by James Neilson, and airing in February 1964 with actor Patrick McGoohan in the title role. All was not lost for Cushing’s hopes, however. George Lucas’ future Grand Moff Tarkin would go on to portray a character based on the same “Doctor Syn” source material in Hammer Film Productions’ Night Creatures in June 1962, about a year and a half before Walt’s staging would make it to the small screen. Charming to the last, indeed.

GALLERY: Celebrate 75 Years of The Three Caballeros with These Totally Retro Promotional Stills

By D23 Team

Sing, samba, and shout, “¡ay caramba!” because this week we’re celebrating 75 years of three especially famous birds of a feather—The Three Caballeros (1945). In honor of this milestone anniversary, we’ve rounded up some promotional stills that are awesomely retro and full of summer fun, photographed at a specially constructed “beach” on The Walt Disney Studios lot during production! Check out the photos below, featuring our three favorite happy chappies, and check out the behind-the-scenes photography of how the “beach” was created on the lot!

Everything You Need to Know About ZOMBIES 2

By Zach Johnson

Is this the end of Zaddison?!

Premiering Friday, February 14, at 8 p.m., the Disney Channel Original Movie ZOMBIES 2 picks up a few months after the original in the town of Seabrook, where the newly united communities of humans and zombies are living in harmony… for now, at least. The story begins with Addison (Meg Donnelly) finishing up a cheer camp session and Zed (Milo Manheim) devising a way to ask her to Prawn, their school’s shrimp-themed prom. “It starts in a good place, really,” says Manheim. “Then the werewolves come out of nowhere. They cause chaos in Seabrook and nobody knows what to do.”

ZOMBIES 2

The teenage werewolves are searching for the moonstone, an ancient life source buried somewhere in Seabrook. But their unexpected arrival raises red flags, so the fearful city council reinstates its anti-monster laws, making it impossible for Addison and Zed to attend Prawn together. Their relationship is further tested when Addison befriends one of the werewolves, Wyatt (Pearce Joza), who believes she is the key to finding the all-important gem. Just seeing the two of them together can make Zed green(er) with envy.

“Zed’s a little bit frustrated with the werewolves. He doesn’t really like them,” Manheim explains. “And Addison, being the loving person she is, wants them to be accepted. She decides to help them, and I think Zed perceives her relationship with the werewolves to be something different than what it is, because he’s somewhat of a jealous guy.” Even the other werewolves—Willa (Chandler Kinney) and Wynter (Ariel Martin)—are worried about the two of them teaming up. “The werewolves are very skeptical,” Donnelly says. “And the only person who’s driving it is Wyatt. He’s like, ‘Addison, you have to help us!’”

ZOMBIES 2

Still determined to become the first zombie/cheerleader couple to go to the prom, Zed decides to run for school president against cheer captain Bucky (Trevor Tordjman) to change the rules. “These werewolves come into Seabrook and make everyone scared,” Manheim explains. “It’s awful for zombies because they’re set back to where they were.” Meanwhile, Kinney says the werewolves decide to capitalize on that “tension” as they pull Addison even deeper into their circle. Says Donnelly, “They are really pursuing her.”

In real life, the actors playing the cheerleaders, werewolves, and zombies were instant friends. “Pearce, Chandler, and Ariel are the sweetest people in the world,” Donnelly says. “We’re such a close family. I’m sure it was scary for them at first; it’s like going to a new school where everyone knows each other. Now, I can’t remember a time when they weren’t like our family.” Adds Manheim, “I can’t imagine this movie without them.”

ZOMBIES 2

Rest assured, ZOMBIES 2 includes show-stopping musical numbers, with “Call to the Wild,” “I’m Winning,” and “Like the Zombies Do” among some of the cast’s favorites. “I think what a lot of people loved about the first movie is that it was really entertaining to watch,” says Joza. “They could dance, they could sing along, they could connect with the characters—and that’s no different in the second one.” Adds Kinney, “The music and dance numbers in ZOMBIES 2 are bigger—and some might say better—than ever.”

Whether peace will be restored in Seabrook remains to be seen. However, Manheim teases, “Perseverance is a huge aspect of the movie, because none of these things would have happened—none of these changes would have been made—if somebody didn’t keep trying. It also shows that you can make mistakes and still make up for them.”

To see the electrifying dance numbers and bold new original songs, tune in for the television debut of ZOMBIES 2 this Valentine’s Day, only on Disney Channel.