I was incredibly fortunate. I got to learn about dreams from the master dreamer: Walt Disney. It was back in 1984. I had just come to Disney Studios and was informed that one of my responsibilities was to oversee animation, a subject about which I knew less than nothing. I hardly even watched cartoons as a kid.
That’s when I got to know Walt.
It turned out he had meticulously saved and catalogued every single thing that had gone into the making of his films. All of this was housed at the Disney Archives. For me, it was like finding bread crumbs the size of Volkswagens that led me step-by-step through Walt’s creative process, a process that resulted in such classics as Snow White, Pinocchio, Cinderella, Peter Pan … hey, everyone knows the list. Each of these extraordinary films connects so strongly with generation after generation because each is fundamentally about pursuing and realizing one’s dreams.
Dreams aren’t all fluff and pastels. Dreams can hurt. Dreams can make incredible demands on us. And, unlike in animated movies, dreams don’t always come true.
But, dreams keep us moving forward. They are beacons for achievement. They bring out the best in us. And, as those Disney movies continue to prove, the best dreams never die.
Jeffrey Katzenberg is the CEO of DreamWorks Animation SKG. www.dreamworks.com
