Roy E. Disney

In his over two-and-a-half-hour interview, Roy E. Disney (1930-2009) describes the early history of the Disney company and the role that his father, Roy O. Disney, and uncle Walt Disney, had in its creation and early years. He relates his childhood recollections of some of Disney's work including the company's first feature-length animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He talks about his first job out of college, in guest relations at NBC. He then describes his work as an editor, starting with his apprenticeship on the 1950s television police drama Dragnet. He chronicles his work from assistant editor to producer/director of Disney's True-Life Adventures series, explaining the approach to these documentary films. He recalls the opening of the Disneyland theme park and its coverage for television. He outlines Disney's entrance into television series with Disneyland on ABC and touches on a number of the projects he worked on under the show's banner. He describes the turmoil in the executive suites at Disney in the 1980s and the company's return to glory in animated movies, in which he played a large part. He talks about his efforts in 2003 to change the direction the studio was headed and the 2005 appointment of Robert A. Iger as president and CEO. Finally, he expresses his views of both his father and Walt Disney's legacy to the Walt Disney Company. Jennifer Howard conducted the interview on November 5, 2007 in Burbank, CA.