The West Side of the Kingdom
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Walking in the Shadow of Giants

It’s been an interesting ride since the day I turned in my costume and left Disneyland as a Cast Member for the last time. After leaving the Park, I worked for a while at the Disney Studios in the Television Animation department on The Disney Afternoon as a Production Assistant (Hollywood term for “over-paid paper pusher”). Eventually, that ended and I moved on… kind of. For the past ten years or so, I have published a theme park fanzine titled Theme Park Adventure Magazine. We cover everything from Las Vegas to Disney. In the interim, we’ve had our share of great success and some duds. It’s what I do though, for better or worse; and I plan on doing it until the cows come home (or something like that).

One of the biggest thrills for me is being able to meet theme park designers that created the attractions and experiences that shaped my childhood and continue to mold my appreciation for the industry. On occasion, I have the honor of becoming friends with these individuals. Cases in point are Marc and Alice Davis.

Marc Davis’s contributions to the Walt Disney Company are numerous. From character designs such as Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent, Cruella De Vil and Tinker Bell to attraction characters for The Carousel of Progress, The Haunted Mansion, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, The Country Bear Jamboree, America Sings and It’s a Small World, Marc’s touch is unequalled within the Company. Alice too, contributed quite a deal to Disney - including the costume design for many classic attractions, from It’s a Small World to Pirates of the Caribbean.

I met the Davis’ several years ago in Burbank at a private showing of Marc’s non-Disney pieces. Of course, knowing who he was, I could only muster a lame, “I think you’re great!” as he signed my booklet. He smiled and said something in his usually soft, guttural voice. I turned and felt about as stupid as humanly possible. “I think you’re great.” Like Marc Davis didn’t know that until I bestowed that amazing bit of inside information on him in front of God and everyone.

Thankfully, I had the opportunity to meet Marc and his lovely wife, Alice, several years later when working on our Pirates of the Caribbean issue. I understood that Marc doesn’t do too many interviews, and didn’t expect him to agree to help us initially. However, I had nothing to lose by asking. I called their home and Alice answered the telephone. I figured I had about 30 seconds to introduce myself and explain what we wanted to do before being hung up on, so I went for the kill instantly - “We’re going to do the biggest thing that’s ever been published on Pirates of the Caribbean. No one can think of Pirates and not think of Marc,” I explained. “He’s synonymous with Pirates, and we can’t do the issue without interviewing him.”

There was a brief pause (long enough for me to hear my heart pounding in my throat) and Alice exclaimed, “Absolutely!” That led to a fantastic interview and continued friendship with two people who are now very near and dear to my heart. Whenever I am in Southern California, I try my best to visit the Davis’ at their home in Los Angeles. The thrill never ends. Seeing Marc’s smiling face as he waves and says, “Hi!” always gets my pulse going a bit faster than the speed of light.

Alice and Marc share a large home with their two dogs and a TON of New Guinea artifacts and the like. There are not many Disney pieces around, as most everything Marc did remained with WED (now called Walt Disney Imagineering) when he left the Company in the mid-‘70s. The items that are there are gems, as you might imagine. The true magic at the Davis residence is not confined to a framed model sheet of Tinker Bell or a lost rendering from The Western River Expedition; the true magic is found in the love that Marc and Alice share with each other. She takes care of him and he allows her to - devotion and companionship that is both dear and very touching.

We laugh and talk about everything from the woes of the world around us, to the latest Disney project, etc. It doesn’t matter what we’re talking about when I am with them - they are like family to me.

And then it all snaps back into perspective. Marc Davis is an entertainment legend. His contributions to Disney are so vast and deeply imbedded in the Company that without his artistic touch, we would not have the Disney or Disneyland that we all love so much. Like many of Walt’s original pioneers, Marc Davis left an impression on the Company that will remain longer than any of us will in this life. His work on most of the Disney animated classics is staggering, and again, without his talent, the “Disney Classics” would not be as wonderful as they are.

Marc and Alice Davis represent a very special time and group that most Disney enthusiasts will only read about. It often bothers me to the point of tears that I will never get to meet Walt Disney, let alone be invited into his private life. Marc and Alice are the closest I will ever come to that - they dined with him, worked with him and laughed with him. In a way, I feel that I have met Walt through the Davis’. Their stories are intimate and always touching. Some have been shared publicly; others will remain private. Not only do I hear about the great showman himself first-hand; I also get to spend precious hours with two Disney Legends that are as loving and warm as they are genuine. I suppose that one of the biggest “perks” of writing what I do is that on occasion I get to meet famous people. On very rare occasions, I get to walk in the shadow of giants.

-- Rick West (August 11, 1999)

©1999 Theme Park Adventure Magazine and LaughingPlace.com. All rights reserved.