TLS signed “Roy O. Disney,” two pages, 8.5 x 11, beautifully illustrated and colorful Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs letterhead, June 15, 1938. A highly-detailed letter to an admirer. In part: “The motion picture business, from production to distribution, is a very involved industry. It has many different personalities and entities engaged in its various ramifications. All the problems of any manufacturing and selling organization come into play in the motion picture business, with a great number of angles peculiar to our field. We are an independent organization; that is, we have no tie-up with any organization in the production or distribution field. To retain our independence as we have through the years has required a willingness on our part to stand up for our rights. One must expect under such a policy to differ with a great many people. Without going into detail, but merely as a matter of courtesy to you because of your nice letter and the interest you express, I want to tell you that under our policy my brother makes the very best pictures he possibly can, without stint of expenses or work. Of course, this has to be kept within the realm of reason and commercial limitations. We expect and want exhibitors to make money with our pictures. On the other hand, we want and demand our full share. This objective has been impossible of achievement with our Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphony pictures for the reason that it is difficult to prove that anybody really comes to a theatre to see a Mickey Mouse. Therefore, I say to you very sincerely, that our short product has not been a financial success to any great extent. A number of our pictures have never returned our costs. This may sound like a Ripley ‘Believe it or Not’; nevertheless, it is true.
Now we have ventured into the field of feature picture production. We can now definitely claim credit for the people who come to the theatre because our picture is the meat of the program. Here we demand our rightful share and if, by virtue of playing square with our product through the years, we have gained the good will and following of the public at large around the world, we feel we are entitled to share accordingly. This is all we are asking. We accepted a severe financial risk and merely want the exhibitor to compensate us for this risk and the public good will we have through the years so painstakingly sought. We must also consider the risk and financial necessity of future production. Our attitude has created quite a furor in the picture business because it is a precedent and people always dislike precedents…All this sales resistance shows itself in many different ways…Specifically to the point, is a well known West Coast exhibitor who attempted to take his problem direct to us in place of our distributor, claiming our distributor was asking too much money for our picture. These people by their own statement have been losing money for twenty-five years but in the meantime have built up a chain of almost one hundred theatres. That tells the story briefly. I trust you will pardon this long letter. It is not customary for us to attempt to justify ourselves in this manner. However, yours was an unusual letter and deserved a proper reply.” In fine condition, with intersecting folds and a light uniform shade of toning. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope, which has a Mickey Mouse cartoon in the return address area, and a carbon copy of the original letter sent to Walt Disney, which asks for an explanation of his business practices but also calls him the greatest artist who ever lived.
In 1937, when Disney created Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, the first sound and color animated feature film, it was not a smooth road from production to release. The company received severe criticism for the amount they charged exhibitors to show the film. The writer of this letter and the public at large felt taken advantage of, overcharged for a product that they could only compare to previously free shorts; but in reality, Disney was delivering a revolutionary product, unforeseen by conventional thinkers and therefore financially incomparable. Erasing any speculation that the company had become greedy and unconcerned with their fans, this passionate and extensive reply offers an extraordinary look into the early business practices of Disney—practices that have over time been proven correct, with animated feature films dominating the box office for decades since. Pre-certified PSA/DNA and RR Auction COA.
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