TLS signed “Walt,” one page, 8.5 x 11, on ornate and brightly colored Peter Pan letterhead, January 20, 1953. Letter to Howard Estabrook in Santa Monica. In full: “I have gone through your two scripts, THE RAIDERS and the CHARLES DICKENS’ STORY. Personally, I cannot see anything wrong with either of them and I believe they should make good pictures. Even in spite of what I previously said about the DICKENS’ Story I feel it could be made into an interesting picture. However, because of our limited output, I honestly do not think that either of these stories are things that we should do.
If our studio was geared up to a large operation, like some of the majors, then I would be inclined to give serious consideration to this material, but the few things we do in live action are (without exception) stories that have always been close to my heart and consequently have been of a personal and special interest to me.
But I am going to keep in mind what we were discussing when you were here and that is if we ever become interested in some property that needs a guiding hand, I shall call on you. It was good seeing and talking with you the other day and I hope we may have occasion to see each other more frequently in the future. The scripts are enclosed and I want to wish you all the luck in the world with them.”
Pencil notation to right edge, light edge toning, a few wrinkles and a couple paperclip impressions to top edge, otherwise fine condition.
Estabrook, this letter’s recipient, was an Academy Award-winning screenwriter and former studio executive who had sought a film partnership with Disney. Although Disney believed that at least one of those stories, an adaptation of an unidentified Charles Dickens tale, “could be made into an interesting picture,” a live-action venture was not something to which he was ready to commit. In fact, only “stories that have always been close to my heart” received Walt’s blessings.
At the time of this correspondence, Disney was also busy promoting Peter Pan, the fourteenth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series that was to become the highest-grossing film of 1953. Superlative content with Disney outlining his criteria for pursuing a live-action production—on whimsically vivid stationery from what was his most recent release. Pre-certified PSA/DNA and RRAuction COA.
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