Walt Disney in the early 1940s, during one of the most innovative points of his career. Around the time that this portrait was taken, Disney founded the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers. (Aberdeen collection). To purchase Aberdeen photos for reprint purposes click here.

Walt Disney

Hollywood Renegade & Founding Member of The Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers

by J. A. Aberdeen

In a way, it is unfortunate that Walt Disney has attained the status of cultural icon. The word "Disney" carries with it a stereotype of fantasy worlds, family entertainment—wholesome, even bland. The mega-studio that bears his name today continually reinforces that image. This impression however is something of a misconception.

As an independent producer in classic Hollywood, Walt Disney’s early films were among the boldest and most innovative American movies. He began as a cartoonist from the Midwest, then moved to Los Angeles where his studio became the preeminent animation house with an uncompromising attitude toward independence that gave him the freedom to take the cartoon medium to artistic and commercial prominence.

It should be remembered that Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) overturned all box office records to become the highest grossing film up to that time. Snow White attained the heights similar to that of Star Wars fifty years later, or Titanic sixty years later. Walt Disney was a trend setting filmmaker. His single-mindedness as a producer was demonstrated not only in the artistry he employed in his films, but also in the business that he developed around it.

Walt Disney in the early 1930s, independently producing his films, releasing through United Artists. (Aberdeen collection). To purchase Aberdeen photos for reprint purposes click here.

Thus the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers was an ideal match for Walt Disney who demonstrated the consummate blend of art and commerce that typified the independent producers of classic Hollywood.

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