An Interview with Leonard Maltin
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LP: And after sitting through all those, which would you say is your favorite Disney film?

LM: I think my all-time, all-around favorite would be Mary Poppins.

LP: Why is that?

LM: It's a great movie.

LP: It's that simple

LM: It is that simple. It is and it isn't, of course. But it is - I think it's a great movie. It wears really well. You can watch it over and over again. There's so much in it, there's so much to it. And it has so many different qualities from the casting to the art direction to the songs.

LP: What would you say is your favorite of the purely animated films.

LM: Dumbo. Because it makes me cry. Every single time and in the exact same spot. I just have a special affection for Dumbo. I loved many of those films but I have a special fondness for Dumbo.

LP: You mentioned a couple of films that aren't too well known. What would you say is one of the more underrated Disney films. One that really doesn't get its just due.

LM: Well there are several. So Dear To My Heart always comes to my mind first in that category of unsung Disney films. It's a film that was very close to Walt's heart. And very reflective of his feelings, his nostalgia for a way of life.

LP: Any others?

LM: The live action story of Robin Hood. A wonderful film that kind of gets lost in the shuffle.

LP: How well do you think the animated Disney films of today compare with those of Walt's day

LM: I kind of think of them as apples and oranges. I don't think it's easy to compare. They're not trying to be Bambi or Pinocchio. The continuity - I think there's an underlying continuity at Disney, but the new filmmakers are going off in their own direction as they should. The last person to stand still and repeat himself was Walt. He refused to repeat himself. So to think that he'd be making the same kind of film in the year 2001 that he made in 1941 is absurd.

LP: Do you think Walt would be proud of where animation has gone today at Disney?

LM: I think he'd be surprised that it hasn't gone further. Look what he tried to do with Fantasia. And that was over 60 years ago. I think he'd be surprised that there haven't been further strides somehow. I don't just mean in his studio, I think in general.

LP: Do you think he would have embraced 3D animation like Pixar?

LM: Oh yes. Walt was a Futurist. Walt was a visionary. There was no one more forward thinking person than Walt. I think he'd be their biggest booster.

(c) Disney
Image courtesy of SongoftheSouth.net

LP: In your opinion, do you think Song of the South should be re-released?

LM: Yes I do. I think it should have the proper introduction to put it into context for people who don't understand, and for young people. I wouldn't want that introduction to rob it of its humor and humanity by turning into a laboratory animal being dissected. I just think you put it into the context of its time. I know the film holds up and it's still a heart-warming and lovely film

LP: Along the same lines, a lot of the old shorts that are released these days tend to be changed. Do you think that's a good thing considering the times or do you disagree with that?

LM: Well I think Political Correctness has gone a bit overboard and I certainly have no wish to hurt or offend anybody, but I think everything is a matter of degree.

LP: And that leads into the Walt Disney Treasures. Can you talk about that?

LM: You could say that the motivation for this series was completely selfish. I wanted these films on video. It's pretty much as simple as that. It occurred to me that some of my favorite Disney films weren't available on video, and DVD offered even great possibility for mining the vault and I made that proposal to Dick Cook. And he didn't hesitate, he immediately said yes, let's do it.