(Image courtesy of http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1617469#post1617469)
Over the weekend, I was browsing through Netflix and came
across Walt Before Mickey. I had
never seen the movie before and thought it would be interesting to learn more
about Walt Disney’s life, especially for this class. So, I watched the movie
but was thoroughly disappointed. The movie gets most of its facts right and the
lighting and editing are above average, but the positives end there. The
dialogue, storyline, and acting jobs were poor and unentertaining. Unfortunately,
I wish I had spent my two hours watching something else.
Before watching the movie, I had heard of Walt Disney’s
difficult path to success. For this reason, I was expected an inspiring story
that makes you want to jump off the couch and do something. I imagined Walt’s perseverance
and hard work would motivate me to accomplish my goals. Although Walt Disney is
still an inspiring figure, this movie was not. I actually felt bad for Walt Disney
at the end of the movie. He had such an amazing life and this movie did not do
him justice. As Cameron Meyer, the author of the article, points out, the film
was shot in only twenty-five days and features mostly indoor scenes, which is
characteristic of a low budget film. Additionally Meyer states that there was
also no acknowledgement of the time period. Most quality films make a point to
give the viewer a since of time and place, but this was missing in Walt Before Mickey. I believe the
producers and directors should have taken more time, acquired more money, and
done this film the right way or not at all.
If the poor production was not enough, they even botched the
credit biographies. One of the pictures that they claim is Roy Disney is in
fact his son, Roy E. Disney.
I was also very disturbed by one of Walt’s lines during the
film. His animation company was running low on funds and as a solution to the
problem he proposes hiring women because they are in desperate need of jobs and
will work for anything. While this may be a sign of the time period and may have been an acceptable view point
in the 1920’s, I was in disbelief when he said it. It made me mad and upset
that Disney or any man would think that they should be paid more than a woman
simply because of his gender. I realize that this is still a problem today, but
would prefer if we did not relapse to the way things were, even if it is in a
movie. I feel like that line did not add anything to the movie as a whole and
only tarnished Disney’s character. It also does not bode well for Disney the
company, who has been trying to escape the reputation of being antifeminist in
their films.
Although Disney the man is very inspiring and interesting, Walt Before Mickey does not acknowledge
his character or convey his perseverance and dedication.
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