拍品專文
In 1923 five years before the advent of Mickey Mouse, 21 year-old Walt Disney began work on Alice's Wonderland, the film which was to become the prototype for his first successful silent film series. In a reversal of Max Fleischer's Out Of the Inkwell series, in which cartoon characters enter the real world, Disney envisioned placing a live actress in a cartoon world. He chose four year old Virginia Davis to play the live character - Alice, and filming began at Virginia's home town Kansas City, Missouri. Disney by this time had run into serious financial difficulties and decided to move to Hollywood, to seek work as a director. In August 1923 Disney arrived in California with a small amount of money ($40 according to most accounts) and a sample print of Alice's Wonderland.
Living on loans and lodging with his uncle on Kingswell street, Disney failed to get work as a Hollywood director. He decided that the only way to break into the Hollywood film industry was through making cartoon films. Falling back on his Alice sample reel, Disney had the film delivered to Margaret J.Winkler, the distributer of the Out Of The Inkwell series. On October 15th 1923 the turninig point in Disney's career came when Winkler ordered twelve Alice films from Disney, providing that he used the same little girl who had appeared in the sample reel, in all of them.
Disney immediately made arrangements to bring Virginia Davis to Holywood, proposing to pay her parents $100 per month for the first two months, with pay incrementally increasing up to $250 per month if the series was successful.
This letter, written on personalised stationary purchased with a $10 loan from his brother Roy, by 21 year-old Walt Disney, eight days after receiving the distributor's offer, confirms his proposal to Mrs Davis to make her daughter Virginia his first star. The first few Alice Comedies marked the last time Disney ever did his own animation.
This letter is believed to be the earliest and most significant autograph Disney letter to have appeared on the market.
Living on loans and lodging with his uncle on Kingswell street, Disney failed to get work as a Hollywood director. He decided that the only way to break into the Hollywood film industry was through making cartoon films. Falling back on his Alice sample reel, Disney had the film delivered to Margaret J.Winkler, the distributer of the Out Of The Inkwell series. On October 15th 1923 the turninig point in Disney's career came when Winkler ordered twelve Alice films from Disney, providing that he used the same little girl who had appeared in the sample reel, in all of them.
Disney immediately made arrangements to bring Virginia Davis to Holywood, proposing to pay her parents $100 per month for the first two months, with pay incrementally increasing up to $250 per month if the series was successful.
This letter, written on personalised stationary purchased with a $10 loan from his brother Roy, by 21 year-old Walt Disney, eight days after receiving the distributor's offer, confirms his proposal to Mrs Davis to make her daughter Virginia his first star. The first few Alice Comedies marked the last time Disney ever did his own animation.
This letter is believed to be the earliest and most significant autograph Disney letter to have appeared on the market.