This is a documentary about the relationship between Salvador Dali and Walt Disney, focusing primarily on the history behind the short Destino, planned in the 1940s, shelved and then completed in 2003. There will be mild spoilers ahead:
This is a fascinating look back at the story behind Destino, a collaboration between Salvador Dali and the Disney studio. Disney and Dali met and became friends during the period Dali was living in the US. Disney was fascinated by Dali and his work, as Dali was with Disney and his films. Disney proposed that Dali work on a project for Disney and Dali agreed. The project was a short titled Destino. Dali worked for a time at the Disney studios with animator John Hench and a substantial amount of material was produced, but the cost of the project, coupled with financial pressures on the studio caused Disney to shelve the project, Dali went back to Port Lligat, the materials were stored away and the project was forgotten.
This documentary covers all that and more. It begins with biographical material on the two men who were close in age and had a number of similarities in their backgrounds. It discusses how they met, how they came to collaborate and what happened to the first attempt to make the short.
It then goes into how the materials for the project were rediscovered in the Disney archives, how Roy Disney decided the project should be completed, how John Hench, who still worked for Disney all those years later, was consulted about the project and his memories of what his and Dali's intentions were at the time, the selection of Dominique Monfery to direct the short and how the Disney studios completed the short.
This is a fascinating look into the genesis and ultimate creation of a short film. The documentary and the short Destino itself are included as extras on the Fantasia 2000 Blu Ray release in 2010 (it's part of a Blu Ray/DVD combo release of both Fantasia and Fantasia 2000) and both this documentary and the short itself are well worth watching. Most highly recommended.
This is a fascinating look back at the story behind Destino, a collaboration between Salvador Dali and the Disney studio. Disney and Dali met and became friends during the period Dali was living in the US. Disney was fascinated by Dali and his work, as Dali was with Disney and his films. Disney proposed that Dali work on a project for Disney and Dali agreed. The project was a short titled Destino. Dali worked for a time at the Disney studios with animator John Hench and a substantial amount of material was produced, but the cost of the project, coupled with financial pressures on the studio caused Disney to shelve the project, Dali went back to Port Lligat, the materials were stored away and the project was forgotten.
This documentary covers all that and more. It begins with biographical material on the two men who were close in age and had a number of similarities in their backgrounds. It discusses how they met, how they came to collaborate and what happened to the first attempt to make the short.
It then goes into how the materials for the project were rediscovered in the Disney archives, how Roy Disney decided the project should be completed, how John Hench, who still worked for Disney all those years later, was consulted about the project and his memories of what his and Dali's intentions were at the time, the selection of Dominique Monfery to direct the short and how the Disney studios completed the short.
This is a fascinating look into the genesis and ultimate creation of a short film. The documentary and the short Destino itself are included as extras on the Fantasia 2000 Blu Ray release in 2010 (it's part of a Blu Ray/DVD combo release of both Fantasia and Fantasia 2000) and both this documentary and the short itself are well worth watching. Most highly recommended.
