Dalí, Disney and Destiny

The Inside Story of Destino

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by Jordan R. Young

Type

Essays

Subject

Others persons > Walt Disney

Keywords

Walt Disney

Publishing date

2012

Publisher

Past Times Publishing

Collection

Past Times Film Close-Up

Language

English

Relative size

Physical desc.

Ebook • 42 pages

ISBN

-

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Book Presentation:
Of all the strange liaisons made in Hollywood, the coupling of Salvador Dalí and Walt Disney was perhaps the oddest. But the flamboyant Spanish painter and the Chicago-born animation pioneer were both dreamers who were not always pragmatic, and both relentless self-promoters.
When Disney commissioned Dalí to make a short film based on a Mexican love ballad in 1945, he got far more than he bargained for. To Disney, “Destino” was "just a simple love story—boy meets girl." But to Dalí, it was "a magical exposition of the problem of life in the labyrinth of time," in which limp watches fell from heaven, telephones sprouted legs, sculptures sprang to life and a trickle of ants became a swarm of bicycle riders.
Sadly, the studio’s finances were precarious at the time, and Disney was forced to scrap the project. More than 50 years passed before his nephew, Roy E. Disney, decided to finish “Destino” when he discovered the company did not actually own Dalí ’s artwork—worth some $10 million—until the film was completed.
“Dalí, Disney and Destiny: The Inside Story of Destino” is the most comprehensive account ever written on this amazing work of art, with unrestricted access to studio achives. Longtime Disney studio artist and designer John Hench, who worked with Dalí on the project, vividly recalled the aborted film and its creator an exclusive in-depth interview.
Hench lived just long enough to see “Destino” nominated for an Academy Award early in 2004. With the film’s recent home video release, aficionados of both Dalí and Disney were finally able to appreciate the fruits of one of the most unusual collaborations in the annals of motion picture history.

About the Author:
Jordan R. Young is an entertainment historian and playwright whose work has appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other publications. His books include "The Beckett Actor: Jack MacGowran, Beginning to End," "The Laugh Crafters: Comedy Writing in Radio and TV's Golden Age," and "Spike Jones Off the Record: The Man Who Murdered Music." He has written special material for the Grammy Awards and has served as a consultant for BBC Radio. His plays have been produced in Hollywood and Off Off Broadway.

Press Reviews:
"Kudos. An excellent piece of work! I love your writing and really enjoyed reading the Dali series."
-- Roger Berkowitz, editor, Zooba.com

"You are one of the reasons I took this job at Zooba. When I first applied, I was given a selection of pieces to read, to give me an idea of what Zooba was all about. Your Dali series was not only included, it was the one the editors used most often as a sample: 'Here's a perfect example of the kind of thing we're looking for...' "
-- Claudia Sorsby, editor, Zooba.com

See the complete filmography of Walt Disney on the website: IMDB ...