Walt Before Mickey
Walt Before Mickey | |
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Directed by | Khoa Le |
Screenplay by |
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Based on | Walt Before Mickey: Disney's Early Years, 1919–1928 by Timothy S. Susanin |
Produced by |
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Starring |
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Cinematography | Ian Dudley |
Edited by | Khoa Le Lauren Young |
Music by | Jeremy Rubolino |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Voltage Pictures
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Release date |
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Running time | 120 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Walt Before Mickey is a 2015 American
The film covers Walt Disney's early years in business, during which he started various businesses including Laugh-O-Gram Studio and The Walt Disney Company with fellow animator Ub Iwerks and his brother, Roy Disney.
Plot
The film is narrated periodically by
Walt and Iwerks found their own business, Iwerks-Disney Commercial Artists, located in an old barn. They are joined by animators
Walt moves to Los Angeles in 1923, living with his relatives, relying on Roy for financial support. Walt finishes work on the original Alice film, which is approved by Winkler and her husband Charles Mintz. Walt and Roy found the Disney Brothers Studio in 1923, hiring Iwerks and the other animators. Lillian Bounds is hired as an ink artist, Walt eventually falling love with her, and they marry in 1925. Roy also marries Edna. The Alice Comedies are produced, starring Virginia Davis, distributed by Mintz. Mintz, unconfident in Walt's abilities, sends his brother-in-law, George Winkler, to supervise the studio. It also becomes apparent that Mintz continues to own the rights to all of the studio's creations.
The Alice Comedies come to an end, and Walt and Iwerks create
On the train back to Los Angeles, Walt is inspired to create a new character which he owns the rights to. He and Iwerks subsequently create Mickey Mouse. In 1928, Mickey's first short Plane Crazy is screened, and met with a round of applause. Walt, Roy, and Iwerks exit the theatre in celebration, Walt spotting the mouse from the Laugh-O-Gram Studio, reminding him of how far he has come. Insertions during the end credits detail the success Walt, Roy, Iwerks, and the other animators would go on to have in their own careers.
Cast
- Thomas Ian Nicholas as Walt Disney[1]
- Owen Teague as Young Walt Disney
- Demitri Vardoulias as Young Walt Disney
- Jon Heder as Roy Disney[1]
- Noah Forgione as Young Roy Disney
- Armando Gutierrez as Ub Iwerks
- Rudy Ising
- Taylor Gray as Friz Freleng
- Jodie Sweetin as Charlotte Disney
- Hunter Gomez as Hugh Harman
- Ayla Kell as Bridget
- Arthur L. Bernstein as Frank L. Newman
- Kate Katzman as Lillian Disney
- Frank Licari as George Winkler
- Conor Dubin as Charles Mintz
- Flora Bonfanti as Margaret Winkler
- Briana Colman as Ruth Disney
- Beatrice Taveras as Virginia Davis
- Maralee Thompson as Dawn Paris
- Natasha Sherritt as Edna Disney
- Timothy Williams as Fred
- Sheena Colette as Dessie
- Randy Molnar as Uncle Robert Disney
- Donn Lamkin as Elias Disney
- Nancy J. Barber as Flora Call Disney
Production
The majority of the filming took place in
Soundtrack
The song "Just a Wish" was written and recorded especially for the film. It appears at the end of the film and over the credits, sung by
Release
The film premiered at AMC Theatres Downtown Disney in Orlando and continued its nationwide release in AMC, Cobb, Harkins, Marcus, Logan, and other theatre chains.
Critical reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 17% based on 6 reviews, with an average rating of 2.87/10.[4]
Cameron Meier of the Orlando Weekly gave the film one out of five stars. He praised the filmmakers' intentions, but criticized the production's rather low budget and execution, remarking, "...[the film is] conceived nobly but executed poorly by people who fell short of their dream."[5] Scott Renshaw of the Salt Lake City Weekly gave the film one and a half stars, criticizing the creative team for "the decision to douse everything in a twinkly, romanticized tone that probably struck the filmmakers as apropos for Disney's life, but in fact loses all that was spiky and determined about the man".[6]
Common Sense Media gave the film two stars, remarking that, "Few visionaries are as fascinating as Walt Disney, so it's particularly frustrating that this drama is so uninspired. It seems more like an adaptation of a student's book report than a compelling look at one of the most influential men of the 20th century."[7] Pop culture site NukeTheFridge, which gave it an 8/10 rating, proclaimed, "Where this film does great at is the fact that it's relatable. Let's face it, most or none of us have our own billion dollar companies but the fact that Walt and his animators struggled financially and failed to have others believe in their dream, is something we can all relate to."[8]
See also
- Saving Mr. Banks, another film dealing with Disney history, specifically about the making of Mary Poppins.
- Walt: The Man Behind the Myth, a 2001 documentary on the life of Walt Disney.
References
- ^ a b Jen Yamato (September 9, 2014). "Hot Trailer: 'Walt Before Mickey' Shows Down-On-His-Luck Disney". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
- ^ Butler, Robert. "'Walt Before Mickey' is a small film about Disney's Missouri and Kansas City years". Kansas City Star. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
- ^ "Walt Before Mickey – Soundtrack". 4 August 2015.
- ^ "Walt Before Mickey (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
- ^ Meier, Cameron. "'Walt Before Mickey': Local production can't capture essence of Walt Disney". Orlando Weekly.
- ^ Renshaw, Scott (14 August 2015). "Walt Before Mickey". Salt Lake City Weekly.
- ^ "Walt Before Mickey – Movie Review".
- ^ Salce, Chris (August 25, 2015). "WALT BEFORE MICKEY Review: Inspiring and Relatable". Archived from the original on June 25, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
External links
- Walt Before Mickey at IMDb
- Walt Before Mickey at Rotten Tomatoes