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No! No! Go away.
No! No!
I drift between knowing and not knowing,
knowing what is real and not real.
Go away.
And let me return to Marceline,
when I was young and every day was magical
and where dreams come true.
Marceline, a Magic Kingdom. Soul of America.
Where every day was magical and dreams come true.
When I hear the sound of a train,
I think of Marceline
and the trains chugging through our little railway junction town.
It's been so long since I've been here.
And yet nothing has changed.
Perhaps not for Roy and Walt, for them nothing ever changes.
But for me everything has changed,
which is why I drove here all the way from Los Angeles,
to witness and try to understand our myth of origin.
The birthplace of wonder and innocence.
Or what's left of it.
I worked for Walt for years.
I saw him most every day
but if I go up to him right now
he will stare right through me
as if he never saw me.
Whenever I've been, in Los Angeles, New York or Rome,
there hasn't been a day when I haven't thought of Marceline.
And those early days listening to the train.
Choo choo Choo choo
The Super Chief, The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe
from Springfield and Kansas City westward through La Junta, Colorado,
from Albuquerque, New Mexico
to Flagstaff, Arizona and Needles, California.
And always, at the end of the line, Los Angeles and Hollywood
where every day is magical and where dreams come true.
Everything that I have and always wanted to have,
comes from Marceline.
The simple manners, the endless love for all living creatures
shaped and informed me, and gave me the courage
to offer Marceline to the rest of humanity.
Marceline,
the fire station, the barber shop,
the town hall and candy shop.
The little movie house, the circus.
Main Street, U.S.A!
I saw my first film in Marceline:
"The Life of Christ"
I remember the apple pie.
- And the barn. - And the giant elm trees.
And trapping fish in Wolf River with our bare hands.
And the lonely call of the owl.
So sad it would threaten to break my heart.
On the pond where we learned to make the call of the ducks.
Quack Quack! Quack Quack!
Dressing the ducks,
and the rabbits, and the little piglets
in funny wool pants and shirts.
Our precious world, the world of our origins.
Everything that I've become has its roots in Marceline.
There was no crime there.
Or demonstrations.
Or drug-taking hippies.
We'll always be country boys
hiding behind a mouse and a duck.
It is my great and humble honor
to dedicate the new Marceline swimming pool,
right next to the farm of my childhood
where I grew up.
The soul of America. The America I will always belong to.
Marceline, Magic Kingdom, peace, health and faith.
Folklore and apple pie.
Main Street, U.S.A.!
It's the waiting.
The not knowing.
My whole life, the life that I created
allows me to never wait.
To always know. To always have my eyes and hands on everything.
But now all I think of, is that
every one of us must die.
Where is everybody? Why am I so alone?
Hazel, my precious, my Snow White. What would I do without you?
Promise that you'll never leave me.
How many times must I remind you I will never leave you?
Snow White. You are my one and only.
Please hold me. I'm so afraid.
There is nothing to fear.
You'll live many years more than your brother.
He's seventy two. You're not sixty five.
I love my brother, Roy. He always does the right thing.
He always plays it safe. Without him I would be lost.
You have your wife and daughters.
I suppose.
And your friends.
Well, yes my friends. Whoever they are.
They come to me now like a dream,
back and forth from the past to the present.
Look at me when I talk to you.
My poor baby.
Lately I've been feeling that my name isn't my own.
It belongs to the company.
Tell me, Snow White. Am I me, or a company?
You're both.
In fifty years no one will know
that Walt Elias Disney started the company.
Disney will be just another name or a brand.
Like Campbells, or Westinghouse,
or Ford, or Howard Johnson.
I'm afraid that my whole empire will collapse when I'm gone.
At least Mickey and Donald are immortal.
Like Moses or Zeus or Jesus. Like Mohammed or Buddha.
Did you know that more children know Mickey than Christ?
I wasn't aware of that.
Please help me, Snow White. Can't you see I'm freezing to death.
My jugular feels like an icicle.
A shadow. Something dark.
There is nothing to be afraid of, no one is waiting for you.
You're wrong. That's what they do.
They wait for me in my dreams.
All of them. All the time.
I want you to swear that you will help me.
That you will respect my wishes.
If I should die, don't bury me in a graveyard.
Put me on ice or freeze me in liquid nitrogen.
Until death has been abolished.
Oh, God, that's so painful.
That spot there. A little higher.
But listen to me.
Don't stop. Listen, Snow White.
When science cures every disease
the miracle of cryobiology will thaw me out
and I will be back, even if it takes fifty,
or a hundred or five hundred years.
I will survive.
I'll become a Messiah.
So that everyone who is afraid of death
will never say die.
That's enough of all that nonsense.
Now shut your eyes and stretch out
so we can enter the laughing room together.
Good boy. Now name the first animal you see.
A squirrel. With white fur.
Follow the squirrel as it slides down your throat to your chest.
And what do you see?
A beating heart with open veins and capillaries.
- And the lungs? - The lungs are cloudy.
I don't like this game, Snow White.
I'm so cold. Can't you see that I'm freezing?
Look!
Your family and friends have come to see you!
Welcome, dear brother, my loyal wife and beautiful daughters!
And my wonderful friends!
Your presence reminds me of the purpose
that as long as we stand together
we will exist as one body
and all that we have created will never die.
Have a magical day.
Dreams can really come true,
as long as we stand together,
all we have created will never die.
I would like to share a wish with you.
The deepest wish I've ever had.
Swear to me with heart and soul
that if I die my wishes will be respected.
We swear to you with heart and soul
that if you die
all your wishes will be respected,
all that you've created will never die.
Swear by the Flag of the United States of America,
that you will never say die.
We swear by the Flag of the United States of America,
that we will never say die.
We should have bought more land!
We tried.
We should have bought up all the orange groves of Anaheim,
then we would have grown and this never would have happened.
We did our best.
All these restaurants, hotels, motels,
photo shops, clothing stores,
snack bars, beauty parlours and gas pumps
they surrend us like a cancer!
Calm down, Walt. We have other land
and other worlds to find and create.
Calm down?
Can you see that I am made of the same rock
as Edison and Ford?
Those boys never calmed down.
No, I suppose they never did.
And what about Ronald Reagan? Let's hope he never calms down.
For years he's been taking my advice:
how to present himself, how to speak, how to walk.
Ronny used to be a democrat but I talked him out of it.
I helped him become governor
and if he continues to listen to me,
one day he will be president.
That would be nice.
I'm a favored son, a genius.
In the tradition of the wealthiest,
greatest, most beautiful nation on the planet.
In Brazil I'm now more famous than Santa Claus.
Yes. So I've heard.
From Japan to Mongolia, Nepal to Portugal,
Greenland to Peru,
billions of people know of Walt Disney.
But we must do better, we must do more.
Look at the government and the war.
I'd rather not.
With marijuana and ***
and the New York Times undermining everything.
Is it any wonder that no one can do a good job
when we're being squeezed from all sides?
No wonder at all, not even in Wonderland.
Never mind, Roy. The important thing is to go on.
Always on. Like Mickey and Donald and Snow White.
They will live forever. Like the Greek gods in legends.
Like Moses or Zeus or Jesus.
We must never forget Disney was the first
to give character to cartoons.
The first to produce a full length animation feature.
The first to win thirty Oscars.
Six hundred and thirteen awards, distinctions,
honorary doctorates, prizes and medals from all over the world.
My name isn't even mine any longer.
It belongs to the company.
The company is all that matters.
That is the most hurtful thing of all!
Who said that?
I did.
It's amazing that a man like you
could achieve such lasting significance.
Who are you?
I'm a human being who has worked and created for you,
who has given you everything I have, only to be fired.
Without cause or explanation.
I have no idea who you are,
but if what you say is true,
first thing you were told when you came to work for me...
Before you signed your contract.
We're pleased that you've come to work for us.
But we insist on your bearing one thing in mind.
One name only is being sold here.
And it isn't yours.
Everything belongs to me and the Studio.
The Walt Disney Studio.
What comes out of your Studio
belongs to everyone!
If you think you are the king of all that you see and do,
then I pity you.
Good news, Walt!
The doctor says that your blood and lungs have stabilized.
But he wants you back in the hospital for more tests.
Not today I hope.
Of course not today! Today is your birthday!
You did it! You're sixty five. And you're going to be fine!
I guess. I mean if you say so.
I do say so!
- Maybe we should celebrate? - You bet! Of course we'll celebrate!
We'll take a trip. Just the two of us!
An ocean liner! From Long Beach through the Panama Canal!
We'll go to Venice and Florence and Rome.
- Then a week in Paris! - At the Ritz!
Maybe we should tell everyone.
Do you think they forgot?
You know how people are about birthdays and holidays.
- But I mean! - Surprise!
Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Walt!
On this magical day when all dreams come true.
Can one of you get the door?
Who is it?
It's me.
And, who are you?
I'm Lucy.
- What do you want? - Trick or treat.
But it's not even Halloween. It was a month ago.
Trick or treat!
- Where do you live? - On Colonel Clark Street.
That's strange. I've never heard of that street.
- How old are you? - Eight and a half.
Would you please take off that hideous mask?
Where are your parents?
Do they know you're wandering around on your own?
- She thinks today is Halloween. - Oh dear. That was a month ago.
A special treat just for you.
Aren't you going to say thank you?
Do you know who the nice man is who gave you that?
Have you never heard of Walt Disney?
- Or Donald Duck? - No.
- Please, go away. - No.
You have to leave. Right now!
Didn't you hear me? I don't want you here!
Why on earth did you do that?
Was it because she didn't know who you are?
She will soon enough. They always do.
Long ago. When I was seven,
I was standing under a tree
when an owl landed on me.
I was terrified.
When the owl beat its wings and started to claw me,
I threw it to the ground and stamped on it.
It was the only thing that I ever knowingly killed.
After that I promised myself...
Never mind.
Birthdays are always hard for me.
Lucy was a birthday gift that released me from a demon.
- Then may I ask? - No. You may not.
What seems to be the problem?
The controls aren't working, Sir. And he keeps repeating himself.
I've tried fixing him, but you're the only one that can do it.
I'll handle it. I've told you a hundred times,
never call me Sir. I'm Walt. Never forget that.
Yes Sir? ah Walt.
Mister President. Not long ago
I undertook a pilgrimage to Washington D.C.
There I stood before your marble effigy
and cried like a baby.
To see you sitting there! On your throne! So upright and proud.
Your words are carved on my very soul.
When I was nine I recited your Gettysburg address by heart.
I am nothing. But truth is everything.
And with God's help I shall not fail.
Shall not?
Stop it here!
All right, Mr. President. Let me begin again.
We come from the same background. Both sons of simple folks,
we both grew up on farms in great poverty.
When were boys we heard the cry of the panther,
the roar of the hunting bear, the grunting of the wild boar.
As boys, we caught trout with our bare hands.
We watched squirrels and deers.
We helped our anxious fathers sow and reap.
We had a gift for acting,
we mimicked teachers and ministers.
In spite of every obstacle
we made something of ourselves.
We changed the world.
We're folk heroes, but we have enemies.
You were the savior of the Union, the great liberator.
Slavery is a fundamental ill.
An injustice?
Mr. President, we cut that line some time ago.
You were a supporter of the *** Race.
That's a big difference between us.
Martin Luther King? Eldridge Cleaver?
Is that what you wanted?
Doesn't that go too far, even for you, Mr. President?
The black people's march in Washington.
Would you really agree with that?
Is that what you had in mind when you abolished slavery?
Destroy this spirit and you plant the seeds
of despotism around your own doors.
But where will this freedom lead?
Our youngsters grow their hair long,
their beards hang down to the chests.
They play uncivilized jungle music
swallow mind-bending drugs like lunatics,
fornicate like rabbits.
It's all going to end very badly.
When my men went on strike in 1941, I felt betrayed.
My friends became my enemies.
The most gifted became Communists,
repeating what the Unions told them.
Much as I revere you, Mr. President,
your views no longer tally with mine.
I've moved on. A man changes in the course of his life.
I ask you to come back to the truths
that are in the Declaration of Independence.
I beg you! Do not destroy that immortal emblem of humanity.
May freedom become the political religion of our nation.
Young and old, rich and poor,
all races, creeds and peoples
should offer continual sacrifice at the altars of freedom.
The pillars of the temple are threatening to collapse
unless the founding fathers of our nation
can replace them with new pillars of common sense.
We need to learn fresh ways of thought
to cut free of the past.
Only then can our country be saved.
Divine Providence! Furious struggles broke out!
Turn the *** power off!
The shepard drives the wolf away from the throat of his flock.
Shall we expect some Trans-Atlantic military giant
to step across the ocean and crush us a blow?
Never!
Crush us a blow? Never!
Crush us a blow?
Never!
Andy Warhol has come from New York to see Walt.
He says you'll know who he is.
Something about Campbell soup cans and flower prints.
Never heard of him.
He won't take no for an answer. He's very insistent.
Does he know that Walt is sick?
That he's not receiving visitors apart from his family?
I told him. But he insists.
I'll give him five minutes.
Forgive me, Mr? But I have no idea who you are.
I'm an American artist. Born the same year as Mickey Mouse.
1928, in Pittsburgh. My parents are from Czechoslovakia.
I love this country. It's fantastic.
In my art I represent The United States of America.
I like ordinary things the best.
I have a huge army of helpers who do exactly what I tell them to do.
I portray film actors and pop stars as well as myself.
I never criticize America.
And I don't show ugliness in my work.
I'm a true artist, like Disney.
I'll let my brother know you came to meet him.
I need to see him. I want to make his portrait
for my series on American superstars.
I'll let him of your wishes. Now, please excuse me!
Tell Walt that I love him. And that I love his work.
Tell him that we are one and the same.
Have a magical day.
And always remember
for all those that are one and the same
that dreams comes true,
and tomorrow is only a miracle away.
Choo choo Choo choo
Here we go, fast or slow all the way to L.A.
Where everything is possible and everything is doable.
Where the universe is a playground and every dream comes true.
Choo choo Choo choo
And now here she comes!
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe
from Springfield and Kansas City
to La Junta and Colorado
through Albuquerque and New Mexico
to Flagstaff, Arizona
and all the way to L.A.!
Where dreams come true.
And tomorrow is only a miracle away.
I suppose barging in on private property
is the new fashion.
Today is my birthday.
I thought I would celebrate by visiting you.
I remember now! You're a draftsman. I gave you a chance.
And even though my studio had a staff of a thousand,
you tried to start a union!
That's right. You gave me a chance and then you fired me.
Yes, I fired you
because your unpatriotic idiotic leftwing remarks
insult everything that Disney stands for!
I produced what you asked for.
My private opinions are my own.
But it was better than anything you could have done.
I'm asking you to leave my property right now
or I will have you thrown out.
One of your little rants. That's what I expect from you.
Perhaps you didn't hear me. I'm asking you to leave.
Why didn't you acknowledge me?
Why never a word of praise?
Why must it always be your way?
If I could have it my way,
I'd build a shiny new machine
that would replace all of you,
you Union Commies.
Then I'd wall myself in, like a fort.
I'm asking for satisfaction. Financially or otherwise.
I'm asking for credit for the work I've done.
It belongs to me.
Walt Disney is a magician. He is beyond credit.
He is innocence in action.
He is a child. He looks at the world with wonder.
Walt Disney is a magician. He is beyond credit.
He is innocence in action.
He is a child. He looks at the world with wonder.
He loves all living creatures, even those that creep and crawl.
Even the likes of you.
He is folklore. Apple pie and popcorn.
He's the song on everybody's lips.
A proverb from Mother Goose.
He is folklore. Apple pie and popcorn.
He's the song on everyone's lips.
A proverb from Mother Goose.
Well, call me Father Goose.
Well, Father Goose. Here are the things I've done.
You are not listening to me!
Everything you've done belongs to Disney.
You're nothing but a common thief.
You're the thief, Walt
Not one of those drawings used in your films
are by you. Not one.
Including the technique of animation and thousands of books.
Never in all my life have I been subjected to such vile attacks.
You're a nobody!
A ridiculous profane creature.
I have always been grateful to create dreams.
I never destroy them.
All you are is a moderately successful CEO.
Nothing more than that.
You're Walt Disney!
The man who makes animals talk!
Well. I suppose that's me. As far as I know.
Mister Disney, you're my hero!
Call me Walt.
I couldn't believe it, Walt, when mother told me
you are in the room next door.
Just wait until I tell my friends they'll never believe me!
And what's your name?
My name is Josh. I have a broken tail bone.
When the nurse asked me to walk
I wanted you to walk too.
Think of it this way.
The nurse is just trying to help us both to recover.
I was going to call her a witch.
But I looked over at you and I thought about
what you would call her, so I called her Bambi.
- Thank you. - I love animals.
When I grow up I'm going to be a doctor or a vet.
Be a vet. They seem to have more fun.
I guess you like animals more than people?
Sometimes.
Do you ever get afraid?
Yes. Of course. Everyone gets afraid.
But that's when it's important to see the best in people.
- Like her? - Yes. And like you and me.
Quiet, you two. You have to rest now for the morning.
No more excuses. You both have to go for a walk.
My worst fears have been realized.
We expect many tumors in the future.
But, I thought? Why didn't he?
Your husband wanted to spare you the worst.
That's what he does. Spares everyone the worst.
Including himself.
You mean my husband has cancer?
In an advanced stage.
We're going to remove his left lung.
Oh my God! How long does he have?
Mr. Disney may have two more years.
At the most.
But he's planning for much more than that?
Perhaps he's planned too much.
That's because he's afraid that if he doesn't go forward
he'll be swallowed up by the past.
And become one of his imaginary animals.
Sometimes he doesn't seem to know one from the other.
You said you would wait for me?
I didn't want to wake you.
That's not fair, Walt. I thought we were in this together?
We most certainly are.
May I ask you a question?
Fire away.
I read in a comic book that there were two million drawings
just for Snow White alone.
How do you have time to make all those drawings?
And then there's Donald and Mickey and Uncle Scrooge
and the Beagle Boys and Gyro Geargoose.
So how do you come up with all those jokes and ideas?
If I had to do all that it would take me over 230 years
working around the clock, with no breaks.
Just for Snow White I had 500 men and women working all the time.
But then, what do you do?
Well, I'm a storyteller. And I'll do anything to tell my story.
I'm like a bee. I go from a desk to another, collecting pollen.
I give encouragement and motivation to everyone.
I kind of fertilize them.
Just, like a bee? Buzz buzz?
Without my ideas or my participation nothing would have happened.
I get it, Walt! You're just like God!
Well, kind of. I see someone's potential
and I get him to put it down on paper.
- Are you a happy God? - Sometimes.
When were you happiest?
The happiest moment of my life
was at the Chicago Railroad Fair.
Where I saw dozens of locomotives on a great wide music hall stage.
I was even allowed to drive them!
A Tom Thumb! A Central 999!
A DeWitt Clinton. Even a John Bull!
That's what made me think about an amusement park,
like my kingdom in Anaheim.
You're just an old Mister Choo Choo.
And you're just a little boy Buzz Buzz!
- I can go quack quack! - And I can go woof woof!
Mister Choo Choo, I want you to know that the very best time in my life
was when I went to Disneyland!
Can you remember those early days in Marceline?
Listening to the train
where every day was magical
and where dreams came true?
Everything that Walt had always wanted came from Marceline.
The naturalness, the simple direct manners,
the love for all living creatures shaped and informed him.
Marceline.
Marceline.
The fire station, the barber shop,
the town hall and candy shop.
The little movie house and the circus.
Main Street, U.S.A!
A story teller's world created with pen and ink.
A Magic Kingdom. The soul of America.
Where Walt and I saw our first film.
"The Life of Christ"
Marceline, apple pie,
giant elm trees, the fish in Wolf River.
The lonely call of the owl. So sad, breaking my heart.
Quack Quack! Quack Quack!
The pond where we practiced the call of the ducks.
Everything I became has its roots in Marceline.
We were country boys. Hiding behind a mouse and a duck.
The soul of America.
The America that I once belonged to.
A Magic Kingdom of peace, health and faith.
Where every day is magical and where dreams come true.
I've come to pay my respects to Mister Disney.
I believe his funeral is today.
I think you've been misinformed.
Mister Disney has not been buried.
Well no, but I understood his body would be frozen.
Didn't his family tell you?
He's being cremated.
Are you sure about that?
I should be.
I'm the man who pushes the button that makes the fire come on.
In Disneyworld the sky is bluer than blue.
The grass greener than green, the people kinder than kind.
They never say die in Disneyland,
where dreams come true
and tomorrow is only a miracle away.