In honor of the opening of our latest special exhibition, Directing at Disney, exhibition co-curator and animation historian Don Peri shared his thoughts about his friendship and collaboration with to museum co-founder and daughter of Walt Disney, Diane Disney Miller.
Diane Disney Miller was a warm, generous, and compassionate person who had a vision for The Walt Disney Family Museum that she followed tenaciously as she and her son Walter led this family enterprise. She initially considered locations for the museum in Southern California, but fortunately for us in Northern California, they located it here in the Presidio of San Francisco, with just one move from a one-story building on Gorgas Street to its present location.
I met Diane in 1997 through an intermediary I had worked with for a few years back in the 1970s: Tom Sharpsteen, son of Disney Legend Ben Sharpsteen—a consequential animator, director, and producer who worked with Walt. She invited me and my family to lunch at their Yountville home so we could talk about material for a CD-ROM biography of Walt that was in production. For my daughters, Diane prepared two types of sandwiches and she cut the crust off the bread, knowing that many children do not like the crusts. That was the thoughtfulness that was Diane.
I miss most the countless number of phone calls we shared over the years, talking about her dad, the people who worked with and for him, plans for the museum, and so much more.
When Walt: The Man Behind the Myth (2001)—the best documentary about him by far—was in production, Richard and Katherine Greene asked me to appear in the film and to talk about Walt as a difficult person to work for. I was a bit taken aback by this suggested topic, so I called Diane and asked her if she really wanted me to do this. She said, “Yes, I don’t want this to be a loving daughter’s tribute to her father. I want this this be honest.” I was very impressed by her forthright attitude.
A year or so later, I participated in a 100th birthday celebration for Walt in his hometown of Marceline, Missouri, by giving a talk that was gleaned from the interviews I had done between 1974–1981. I sent Diane a copy of my talk, and she called me and said, “That was my dad. I want to hire you to do interviews for the Walt Disney Family Foundation.” That began a lovely period for me of conducting 55 interviews over the next couple years. On one occasion, I was going to have lunch with a group of women who had worked in the Ink and Paint Department at the studio and record a group interview at the same time. When I told Diane about it, she wanted to attend—and so she did. She loved hearing the stories the ladies shared about Walt, and they loved meeting her and hearing her stories.
When my first book, Working with Walt (2008, University Press of Mississippi), was nearing publication, I asked Diane to write one of the endorsements for it after she had an opportunity to read it. She wrote a wonderful endorsement, and I wrote to her to thank her for it and to tell her that I was happy that she liked the book. She wrote back: “Don... I don’t just like your book... I LOVE it. It’s what I’m determined to do with our museum story. Honest, first-person accounts from people who really knew him, but in so many different ways. Certain things are consistent... his sometimes almost brutal criticism, his seeming insensitivity. It was there, but also his remorse. I don’t think he ever said, ‘I’m sorry,’ but he’d go out of his way to try to atone for whatever he’d done... We’ve got to make reference to this, or we’re not being honest.”
During Diane’s era at the museum, I had several opportunities to give talks in the theater, often at her request. Marc Davis once said after Walt’s passing: “There is nobody there who could make me feel as good by saying, ‘I like that’ as Walt.” That is how I felt about Diane. If she complimented me on one of my talks, that was all that mattered to me.
Diane and Walter and the Disney family gave us a treasure when they created The Walt Disney Family Museum. I know Diane said more than once that the museum was her book about her dad. I marvel at the extraordinary storytelling that the museum conveys, not just about Walt Disney, but also about the world of entertainment and the times in which he lived. Though Diane left us far too soon, she bequeathed to us a wonderful gift that has blessed us for 15 years. Thank you, Diane, for being a lovely friend to me and my family and for being a wonderful gift giver to all who love the world of Walt Disney.
About being tapped to co-curate this exhibition, Don mused, "When founding the museum, Diane was passionate about the potential of exhibitions that would highlight the many talented people who worked for her father and give new depth to the many story threads weaved throughout the galleries. Throughout my friendship with her, Diane was nothing if not incredibly generous with what she knew and earnestly curious about what she had yet to discover. It is in that spirit that I took on the incredible honor of writing this book with [Pixar Animation Studios’ Chief Creative Officer] Pete [Docter] and co-curating this exhibition for a museum that is so meaningful to both of us.”