The first time Disney thought of a certain Donald, what is now the most famous animation and fantasy house in the world was just a small drawing creation workshop. It was 1931 and Donald’s name was mentioned in an illustrated book called The Adventures of Mickey Mouse; There was also a duck on its back cover. Three years passed until, now converted into a character, Donald appeared in a short film titled The Wise Little Hen (The wise little hen). He was going to be a secondary character, but it was soon seen that his comedic outlook made him the protagonist. From there, more short films, appearances, books, vignettes… and the rest is history. Although Mickey Mouse is the undisputed king of what is called the house of the mouse, Disney, which has become an international conglomerate with dozens of brands listed on the stock market and is worth around $200 billion, has the white duck like a prince. , second in command. Now that he turns 90, they have decided to celebrate the many successes he has given them by opening their studios in Burbank (north of Los Angeles, in California) to EL PAÍS and explaining the secrets of his long-standing success.
How has a duck dressed in a blue jacket, a red bow tie and always without pants become a symbol of the house of princesses, heroes and villains? Those who have been at Disney for years, watching it, are clear about it. The personality of the doll has created great followers. While Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, Pluto, Goofy… are affable, good-humored, affectionate, Donald is grumpy. He gets angry, screams, kicks, literally climbs the walls. That is to say: he is human. And that, in a world of animated perfection, is something to note. Those who have watched these little dolls for years, some decades, know the secrets of their success.
The once small offices of Walt and Roy Disney have grown a lot in these 101 years: in staff (they have more than 200,000 employees), size and popularity. In 1937, when Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs became an unmatched box office success (with a gross of more than eight million dollars; today, with inflation, it would be more than 173 million), the brothers bought an immense piece of land in the north of a city that was then expanding, near from where they were also acquired by the Warner brothers or the already successful Universal at that time. That area has become today the Walt Disney Studios – which are not open to public visits -, with a dozen buildings such as the animation, drawing and administrative offices, Walt’s old office – which is as it was left when he died , in 1966—, a canteen, a cinema… and, of course, some enormous archives.
Becky Cline, 64, is responsible for them. She has been directing them for almost 15 years — with 42 people under her supervision — and 35 in the company. She is also, as she herself says, an expert in Disney history, and knows the characters in depth, especially the classic ones. “From the beginning the public loved him,” she reviews of Donald. “He is adorable, but also irascible, mischievous, crazy,” laughs this woman, passionate about the world in which he moves. “He looks for problems on his own; I think, many times, we would like to be able to lose our minds like he does,” Cline analyzes.
The duck has changed very little these years; At first it had a longer beak and the colors were somewhat different, but little more. That has also made his image almost evergreen. In addition to the many tasks to which he has dedicated himself. “In the 1930s and 1940s he was very popular in cartoons and comics… especially until Uncle Gilito arrived,” he recalls, something that happened in 1952. “In the 1940s he was a very important character in the United States because he He dedicated himself to positive propaganda during the war. He earned up to 400 military insignia,” explains Cline, showing a figure of Admiral Donald Duck, Admiral Donald, “already much more than a simple sailor,” he laughs again. “He represented the Government and Defense, and in 1943 he starred in a campaign to encourage paying taxes, a war effort. In the fifties he was dedicated to public service, teaching safety to children,” says the Disney history expert.
The Disney archives store “millions and millions of documents,” explains Cline, who prefers not to give specific figures, but says that, for example, there are about “25 million photos.” They were founded in June 1970, although the building where they are located dates back to 1997. “In 1934 there were already Donald Duck products. “It is a hard-to-find, rare and highly collectible type of product,” she explains. At that time, in addition, copies of everything were not kept. “Only extremely valuable things: scripts, storyboards…”. They preserve objects and, rather than buying, something they only do on rare occasions, they accept donations.
Donald had some peculiarities being the “little son” of the company, such as more freedom when it came to granting licenses. For example, in 1947 he became the mascot of the University of Oregon. The animal at the educational center was a duck, but “thanks to the benevolence of Walt Disney,” as the university itself explains, they reached an agreement and it became his image, “as long as it was portrayed with good taste.” Donald has always been present in piles of curious objects that Cline keeps in the archives: from stickers to soda bottles, juice, bean or tomato sauce cans. He came to have ice cream, frozen fish fillets and all kinds of market products. “I love the fan cards“, recognize. They are cards, a kind of print or postcard, with a drawing of the duck that Walt Disney himself signed and sent to fans when they wrote to him telling him how much they liked the character.
The creative vice president of characters for consumer products, Stéphane Kardos, with 27 years of experience at the house, explains that Donald is an “extremely popular character in Europe, and he is so because of his personality: he is fun, iconic, truly authentic.” Hence, in view of their 90th birthday, they have decided to give it prominence again, partnering with dozens of brands (Kardos does not specify exactly how many) to return to that essence and make everything from sweatshirts or Funko dolls to jewelry, suitcases, watches, sunglasses, clothes… “His followers will be able to connect with him and there will also be special objects for collectors,” he explains.
The nonagenarian Donald has participated in 11 Oscar-nominated films. And beyond his image and his bad temper, what many remember is his voice. “It’s very difficult to imitate,” admits Becky Cline. Today, in the United States, it is Tony Anselmo who lends him his throat. He apprenticed with Clarence Nash, Donald’s original voice, who taught him in the ’80s. Nash died in 1985 and since then he has been the only official voice of the duck and considered “a Disney legend” by the animation house itself. Right now, Anselmo doesn’t train anyone. He is also not willing to tell his secrets: “If I told you, I would have to kill you,” he laughs. “It’s a business secret. “It’s all in the mouth.” He does recognize that the way he positions himself when speaking “is not a voice as such”: “I don’t use the vocal cords, I can do it even with pharyngitis,” he acknowledges. And he loves what he’s been doing for 40 years. “It’s something I’m very protective of, because it comes from Walt, and I respect him. I want to maintain that tradition, that legacy, not change it. It’s not broken, so we don’t have to change anything, right?”
#years #Donald #Duck #Disneys #grumpiest #grumpy #character #successfully #survived