Walt Disney (film)

Walt Disney
DVD cover
GenreDocumentary film
Written by
  • Sarah Colt
  • Tom Jennings
  • Mark Zwonitzer
Directed bySarah Colt
Narrated byOliver Platt
Theme music composerJoel Goodman
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes2
Production
Producers
  • Sarah Colt
  • Molly Jacobs
CinematographyJohn Baynard
Editors
  • Mark Dugas
  • Glenn Fukushima
  • Jon Neuburger
Running time222 minutes
Production companySarah Colt Productions
Original release
NetworkPBS
ReleaseSeptember 14, 2015 (2015-09-14)

Walt Disney is a documentary film created by PBS for the American Experience program. The two-part, four-hour documentary premiered on September 14, 2015, with part two on the following day and centers on the life, times and legacy of Walt Disney. According to Sarah Colt, director of the documentary film, the biggest challenge was "capturing the truth of the man who had such [an] outsized influence and notoriety ... People think they know him but in reality they don't know him ... He was a human being with many layers of complexity". Rob Lowman, of the Los Angeles Daily News, described "Disneyesque" as being "synonymous with a specific artistic style and, eventually, a fantasy world". Richard Sherman, a Disney songwriter, recalled that "Disney was never driven by a desire for wealth or fame. He wanted to be seen as a master storyteller ... He got great joy out of making people happy with his movies".