Description
AN EXTRAORDINARY FIND: WALT DISNEY’S PERSONAL ANNOTATED AND CORRECTED WORKING COPY OF THE CINDERELLA SCRIPT, SIGNED “WALT”
DISNEY, Walt. Typed Manuscript of Cinderella, Walt Disney’s Personal Copy, Signed. Burbank, California: no publisher, September 1, 1944. Quarto, 75 leaves, typed on rectos, three-hole punch along left margin.
An exceptional rarity: Walt Disney’s personal script for the classic animated feature Cinderella, with significant differences between this version of the script and the final film, signed “Walt” six years before the film’s release, with corrections and annotations in his hand—totaling 30 words and numerous cross-outs and editing marks, all by Disney. A rare opportunity to behold a genius at work.
Walt Disney’s Studio was at a crossroads in the 1940’s. Three productions were released with disappointing interest and financial results. Disney wanted to return to the genre he had had success in the feature length animated film however, the three to four million dollar outlay to produce one might put Disney Studios out of business if not a box-office success. For this reason, Walt Disney watched and tightly controlled all aspects of the production. Nothing was left to chance. In fact, according to Christopher Finch, author of “The Art of Disney”, “Disney insisted that all scenes involving human characters should be shot first in live-action to determine that they would work before the expensive business of animation was permitted to start.”
Walt Disney attended every story meeting. He insisted on a formal script rather than the use of storyboards which the animators preferred. Disney studied and edited the script. In fact, Disney’s copy of the 75 page script dated September 1, 1944, with “Walt” written on the cover in his hand, is penned by Disney with corrections and annotations making it quite rare. Examples include, Page 7: Cinderella is talking to her animal friends, considering going to the ball. Walt pens “HELP WITH WORK”; he wants the animals to help Cinderella with her chores while they chat. [The cat in this version of the script is named “Caspar”. It is later changed to Lucifer.] Page 8: Cinderella is remembering a parade she once saw as a little girl, “I remember a parade in town once before— when I was a little girl. I went with my father, and we watched all the beautiful horses… (she laughs remembering something). On one of them, there was a great big fat man…well, anyway, a wind came up—-(laughs again)—-and suddenly it blew his hat off— and when his hat came off— what do you think came off with it? His wig! He got so mad…” In the margin, Disney pens “Show?”, to add animation to the story of the man’s wig blowing off. Page 9: The stepmother and two step-sisters surprise Cinderella. The stepmother asks Cinderella (frigidly) “Where do you think you’re going?” The script has the stepmother poking at the cinder bucket with a parasol, but Disney writes in the margin “UPSETS BUCKET MUSSES UP PLACE”. Cinderella is told “Clean it up! —-All of it!” The mouse “uses this moment to dash across the floor toward a hole in the wall. He goes too fast for the women to realize who he is and thus to be startled.” In the margin with an arrow to this section of the script, Disney pens “DELIBERATE”. Page 18: Dialogue of Cinderella talking to the cat and some mice. Caspar says “Do we have to go into that again? Actor responds “No breeding!” Disney inserts “ASK TO HEAR STORY”. Cinderella says “I went there with my father”, to which Disney adds in margin “GOES TO GET TRINKETS”. Further down the page, a portion of the script meant for Cinderella is crossed through and Disney reassigns “MOUSE TROUBADOR” to the words. Page 19: Disney crosses out two paragraphs of script that have Cinderella “…open the lower door of a…bureau, revealing a small room fitted out in perfect scale to accommodate her mouse friends. On the walls hang tiny postage-stamp pictures…As the mice take their place inside, Cinderella starts the music box…” On another page Disney writes, “CINDERELLA MAKES COSTUMES FOR MICE.” Page 36: Three paragraphs of script are bordered off with an “X” in the margin.
Disney’s efforts and oversight paid off. When Cinderella was finally released February 14, 1950, it was one of the highest grossing films of the year, at over $4 million, and it was nominated for three Oscars. Even today, “Cinderella” is considered one of the biggest classic Disney films of all time. There are numerous differences between this version of the script and the final film. Disney’s Cinderella script with annotations and changes provides a rare opportunity to behold a genius at his work.
Fine condition.
