This series of texts first appeared on JimHillMedia.com in September 2006.
Wolfgang Reitherman and I were alone in the room. Our director had stopped in to look at a sequence being developed for The Jungle Book. After the devastating collapse of Chanticleer months earlier, the Old Maestro, Walt Disney, had finally given the go-ahead for boarding on a new film. However, this storyboard was not by one of the Disney masters: It was mine.
As Woolie stared at my storyboard for what seemed an eternity, I stood with pad and pencil in hand, ready to take the volume of notes soon to come my way. The tall, imposing director suddenly turned and said, “Let’s show the board to Walt.” And with that, he turned and walked out of the office. The fact that my storyboard was going to be shown to Walt Disney sent a chill down my spine. What if Walt hated the sequence? […]
