The motion picture industry is divided in two parts – Hollywood and Disney’s. Hollywood features its temperamental stars and wacky promotion stunts, while Disney has an exclusive working agreement with Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto and their pals, all of whom are no small shakes in the entertainment field.
That Disney's world is one of the most fascinating and complex in existence, is admitted even within the hubba-hubba of Hollywood. For example, it averages six months and 35.000 drawings to turn out the average 700-foot reel for a Disney short, and years to produce a full-length feature like Song of the South. Not only time, but also the thought and labor of most of the 850 Disney employees go into the longer productions.
During a recent visit to the “lot" Mickey Mouse made famous, your BOYS’ LIFE reporter half-expected to see the names of Disney's animated menagerie painted on the studio doors. Yet, although this bizarre touch is missing, the minute you step inside the entrance gate, you are obviously in a different world. Signs mark the modern buildings with such descriptive titles as Animation, Sound, Recording, and Theater, while a wrought iron street marker clearly shows that you’ve just left Dopey Avenue and are now walking down Mickey Way.
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