The Extraordinary Women Pioneers of The Walt Disney World Company
“If a woman can do the work as well, she is worth as much as a man.
The girl artists have the right to expect the same chances for advancement as men,
and I honestly believe they may eventually contribute something
to this business that men never would or could.”
- Walt Disney, February 1941
When analyzed, Walt’s comment may seem a bit backhanded. The word Eventually rings sour in my head as I
stare at this quote. But regardless of the quotes Meryl Streep has spitfired, Walt hired talent, eventually.
Traditionally, not just in Walt’s studios but other studios across the United States, kept women in the Ink and Paint Departments. Walt Disney, and the entirety of The Walt Disney Company, recognized when there was talent and commemorates those women still to this day.
Bianca Majolie, hired in 1935, was the first female hired to the Story Telling Department. Majolie translated Le Adventures di Pinocchio from its original Italian to English, and created the story Elmer Elephant that was later featured in Silly Symphonies. These stories took flight due to Majolie’s way to create humanistic stories, not just gags. Majolie’s career with The Walt Disney Company was unfortunately abruptly ended when she returned from vacation in thesummer of 1940 and found he desk had been cleared out. She was never given a reason for being fired. Majolie’s career may have abruptly ended, but she set the staging, or more accurately was the beginning of the story, of females working for The Walt Disney Company in non-traditional roles.
In 1938 Retta Scott was hired as The Walt Disney Company’s first female animator. Scott brought 2-D characters to
life with movement. She became legendary in the studio for her powerful shots and purposeful staging. One of her most
known scenes are the hunter’s dogs at the beginning of Bambi. Scott, who often worked closely with Majolie, complemented her humanistic stories and gave them life on paper.
When entering college, Mary Blair wished to become an animator. She was told on the spot that animators were male. Her
response was, “I was raised to understand that if you were capable of doing a job, it didn’t matter if you were male or female.” Her advisors placed Blair into a costume designing program, with core classes in animation. Blair sat in large rooms full of males in classes she claims influenced her career more than anything else. With a colorful style influenced from South America, Blair worked on Song of the South, So Dear to My Heart, Melody Time, The Little House, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan. She later went on to design all 150 (plus) costumes in one year for It’s a Small World for the 1964-65 World’s Fair. Blair’s final touches are the murals down Tomorrowland Midway, and Disney’s Contemporary
Resort (a personal favorite of mine). Few people have a greater influence on the Disney Company’s movies or parks.
Harriet Burns was hired by The Walt Disney Company in 1955 to paint sets and props for the Mickey Mouse Club tv show. She
later joined WED Enterprises (later renamed Walt Disney Imagineering), and became the first female imagineer. Here, she would help create Sleeping Beauty Castle, New Orleans Square, the Haunted Mansion, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, the Carousel of Progress, Storybook Land, which features miniature villages inspired by Disney’s animated movies such as Pinocchio, and designed all of the “singing birds” in the Enchanted Tiki Room, the first Audio-Animatronics attraction at Disneyland. She also appeared occasionally on segments of Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color alongside Walt to introduce new theme park attractions to audiences.
As we close National Women’s Month, perhaps it isn’t important to reflect on where The Walt Disney Company was in 1940, but instead to look at how far it has come. The Walt Disney Company’s current executive leadership only has three
females, out of 14 positions, but in the board of directors 4 out of 9 seats are female. Improvement has been made, and it may still be a long road before equality is shown everywhere, but due to the persistence of these four women, steps have been made towards eventually.
Larissa Papas is a independent, contributing Blogger and Writer for Wanderlust Journeys LLC. All information, views and opinions are not affiliated or shared by Wanderlust Journeys, it’s employees, contractors or suppliers..