Roy Disney: The Unsung Hero of the Disney Empire
September 13th, 2009 . by Tim Babb (TANcast's #1 Host/Editor Fan)30 Days and 30 Blogs: Day 13
Do you know who that is? No...not Minnie Mouse, smarty pants, the guy sitting with her. That's Roy Disney. You don't hear his name a lot, but his is quite an amazing story that I will not come close to doing justice to in the next few paragraphs...
As I mentioned in previous blogs, I was at the D23 Expo today. While I did not hear any news about Captain EO (grrrrrrr) I did get to listen to Roy P. Disney speak. He's the grandson of Walt's brother, Roy O. Disney (the statue in the picture).
He told stories of his memories of Walt, his experiences in the parks, and his time working for the Disney company. But what I was most struck by is the thing that seems to fly under the radar. The Walt Disney company wouldn't be where it is were it not for Roy. Sure Walt had the vision and the creative genius...but Roy made that happen. Roy was Walt's partner (and apparently it used to be called the "Disney Brother's Studios" until Walt decided to change it one day...ouch) he was the one who had to figure out how to pay for Walt's wild ideas. He was the Scott Mosier to Walt's Kevin Smith...only less donkey shows.
Also the company was constantly on the verge of bankruptcy until Disneyland opened. To give you some idea, Mickey first showed up in 1928...Disneyland opened in 1955. That is a long and stressful time to be "Teetering on Disaster" (to borrow a phrase from Michaela Renee.) No one else but Roy would have stood by Walt through this. If he hadn't, there would never have been a Disneyland and most of you reading this would have never heard of me. (see how I bring it all back to myself?)
Wait...I'm not done! Walt Disney World had not yet begun being built when Walt died. So Roy CAME OUT OF RETIREMENT to build the park for his brother. He had retired. He was done. He was in his 70's. He'd spent half his life being on the edge of financial ruin. The man had earned a rest...but no! He came back, got the park built and opened, and sadly died shortly thereafter.
While it's true that Roy shunned the limelight and didn't want to be the public figure Walt was, I would like to see the Disney company throw a little more love Roy's way. The Disney Company is as much his life's work as it is Walt's.
You go, Roy!
Related posts:
September 13th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
Amen.
September 13th, 2009 at 4:52 pm
Awesome post Tim. I have always been a fan of the unsung Disney brother.
You should read the biography: Walt Disney Triumph of The American Dream. While it is mainly about Walt, the book does a great job of including Roy’s work and importance to the history of Disney.
September 14th, 2009 at 4:49 am
thank god for Roy. he was the glue that held it together.