Wednesday with Walt: Walt’s Vision of EPCOT

“I don’t believe there’s a challenge anywhere in the world that’s more important to people everywhere than finding solutions to the problems of our cities. But where do we begin… how do we start answering this great challenge?” -Walt Disney Contrary to what many people think, Walt Disney’s EPCOT was

Keep Reading...

Wednesday with Walt: At the Ripe Young Age of 47

I turned 47 years old last month. As I have been contemplating life and making a mental inventory of what I have accomplished, all the while writing my weekly “Wednesday with Walt” articles, I began wondering what Walt was doing when he was 47. Well, he had certainly accomplished much

Keep Reading...

Wednesday with Walt: The Chosen Seven

“Let’s see what’s upstairs. Oh, what adorable little beds. And look, they have their names carved on them. Tubby, Sniffy, Gabby, Baldy — What funny names for children. Puffy, Tubby and Burpy.” This is obviously not how the scene ended up in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but what

Keep Reading...

Wednesday with Walt: Master of Sneakiness

With my youngest child graduating last week, I have been on an emotional roller coaster. I feel rather like Marlin in “Finding Nemo” or James in “College Road Trip” in that both of these dads had to learn lessons in letting go and letting their children grow up. Being a

Keep Reading...

Wednesday with Walt: The Gift of Mentorship

“A lot of young people think the future is closed to them, that everything has been done. This is not so. There are still plenty of avenues to be explored.” – Walt Disney Next week, my baby boy will graduate from high school. This is a bitter-sweet time for me

Keep Reading...

Wednesday with Walt: Just Daddy!

Walt and Lillian Disney tried very hard to keep their daughters unaware of their daddy’s fame. Few studio people were invited to the house and they never talked about the studio in front of the girls. They wanted a normal life for them. One day, after an afternoon party, little

Keep Reading...

Wednesday with Walt: Yep, That’s What It’s All About

I can easily say that ‘Disney’ is one of the best things in my life. I cannot imagine a world void of the influence of Walt Disney: a world with no Mickey Mouse; no example of eternal optimism and the importance of  a good attitude when I was a child; no Snow White

Keep Reading...

Wednesday with Walt: The Joy of Laughter

  It’s fun to find out information about our roots, isn’t it? Tracing back our ancestry, meeting long lost relatives, or actually visiting the places where our parents grew up are all great ways to learn about ourselves. Walt Disney had a curiosity and passion for his roots as well.

Keep Reading...

Wednesday with Walt: A Powerful Force

“We share, to a large extent, one another’s fate. We help create those circumstances which favor or challenge us in meeting our objectives and realizing our dreams. There is great comfort and inspiration in this feeling of close human relationships and its bearing on our mutual fortunes – a powerful

Keep Reading...

Wednesday with Walt: Poor Henpecked Father

I love reading old articles and transcripts from interviews with Walt or Lillian Disney about their family life. They had a love for each other that is refreshing to read about. In one of my favorite articles, which was printed in McCall’s magazine in February, 1953, Mrs. Disney talked openly, honestly

Keep Reading...

Wednesday with Walt: Music in Motion

“There is a natural hootchy-kootchy motion to a goldfish.”  – Walt Disney Alright, Disney friends, I have to admit I chose this quote today because it gave me a chuckle! Thank you, Mr. Disney, for still being able to make me laugh nearly 45 years after your passing. Walt was

Keep Reading...