DISNEY CARTOONS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 77, Issue 35, 10 February 1934, Page 11

DISNEY CARTOONS

I LARGE STAFF OF ARTISTS. KEENNESS OF CREATOR. Six years ago Walt Disney, a 26-y earold commercial and newspaper artist, arrived in Hollywood with 27 dollars. Finding it impossible to get a job or interest producers in his ideas, he borrowed a few hundred dollars from his brother and produced his first cartoon. It created no stir, and he sold it through a minor distributor From this humble start, and despite every sort of discouragement, he has gone on to create the long series of Mickey Mouse cartoons and Silly Symphonies that have taken the world by storm. Mr. Disney now employs from 125 to 150 artists, * l animators,” musicians and other technicians, with an overhead charge of about a million dollars a year, he sells his work to 8000 of the 12,000 theatres which are still operating in the United States (3000 are closed), and on the average every man, woman and child in the United "States secs his work six times a year. In foreign countries he is just as popular. So sensational is his vogue that it has become smart in New York to see “Three Little Pigs’ ’ (containing the marvellous “Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf?”) at least a dozen times. Bach Mickcv Mouse cartoon consists of some .12,000 drawings, and costs about £5OOO. The Silly .Symphonies (in colour) cost about £6000.' Mr. Disney’s cartoons ordinarily bring in at least as much revenue as the average programme picture made with well-known flesh-and-blood actors, and cost a sixth as much. Mr. Disney has put back into the business all his profits except; £4O a week. He still arrives at. the studio at 8.30, draws the key pictures (assistants fill in the gaps), and does all the talking for his Mouse. Australia and not the Amazon, as was first proposed) is to bo the next subject for the camera of Robert Fiahcrty, the globe-trotting film-maker, who has just completed “Man of Aran." Mr. Flaherty will sail for the Commonwealth early in the New Year. John Balderston. author of “Berkeley Square” ami “The Mummy,” is to adapt “The Ninth Guest,” a mystery play, for Columbia. Donald Cook will plftiy the leading part. “The Crime Dealer,” a storv bv Israel Zangwill. is to be filmed bv Radio, with Richard Dix in the leading role. Ihe marriage is exported to take, place of Franchot Tone ami Joan Crawford, whose divorce from Douglas Fairbanks, Junr., will shortly become final.