FLORA, A Mrs. Call Disney Tribute

FLORA, A Mrs. Call Disney Tribute

By Isla & Wen's Team

Description: WHAT IF… What if the most creative and inspiring moment in the life of the greatest cartoonist, visionary and dreamer ever in history had happened during his life in his mom’s belly? What if the trigger of his ideas had been inspired by the person who fed him, took care of him and loved him unconditionally during his intrauterine life? WHAT? Based on the life of Walt Disney’s mother, Flora Call Disney wrangles her family, and deals with a sweet-yet-mischievous mouse, as she gets ready to give birth to the brilliant man, king of imagination, who would become one of the biggest pop culture titans in American history. WHO? Welcome to a fantasy journey through time and space into the mind, heart and belly of a woman who drew and inspired the growth, imagination and personality of the man whose drawings continue to inspire our lives: Walt Disney. This woman is Flora, his beloved mom. And this story was born out of my desire to pay homage to all the mothers in the world: is there a greater adventure than creating life and educating a child? HOW? We have decided to preserve the essence of traditional illustration brought to the cinema, which Walt pioneered, through 104 images generated using pencil, watercolor and paper. But most importantly, the main element we have used when creating this story is passion, from our humility, with the confidence that this is a great story that needs to be told. WHEN?… This storyreel is the consequence of a script for a feature film I started writing in 2020, inspired by Walt Disney’s mom (appearing on https://blcklst.com). I have been working on this project for three years. All this ‘passion’ started when I was pregnant with my second child: I felt something powerful, like an ‘inner fire’ inside me which drove me to read Walt’s biography and to do more and more research on Flora Call Disney and Walt’s childhood, in order to write a tribute to her. I believe she was a very important figure in Walt’s life, since she even provided a great influence on his creativity, but we haven’t given her the importance she deserves. WHERE? In FLORA, A MRS. CALL DISNEY TRIBUTE, Walt Disney’s story is told from his origin inside the womb and his experiences alongside his mother, the incredible Flora Call Disney. The Chicago area carries some potential as the main setting for the story, and where Flora goes through her pregnancy, with the period of the early 1900s offering numerous possibilities for some historical references in relation to the span of time in which the unborn baby develops. WHY? Because Flora was a very special woman, who I believe has not been talked about enough nor paid the tribute she deserves. She who gave birth to the great genius of animation, the man who has inspired our childhoods and our lives with his boundless imagination, captivating fantasy, the beauty of his animation, the greatness of his characters and his motivating morals. Because, paradoxically, the general public only knows about her tragic death and not her life legacy, I believe that the time has come to turn the tables. Focusing on the mother of such an iconic figure in American history is an interesting motif to delve into as the premise, with Flora not having nearly as much of the historical spotlight as her powerful son, Walt, who would go on to build a massive empire. Because I wish to pay tribute to all mothers through this work. I am a fan of Disney stories, I grew up with them, they made me fall in love with cinema and its magic, and they ignited, somehow, the spark of imagination that I have today. I like to imagine that just as I was inspired when my mother told me Disney stories and took me to the movies to see his productions, Flora inspired her son through great classic tales as well. Because Flora was a great mother, wife and, above all, a great woman who knew how to treat her five children with tenderness, firmness and inspired them with great stories, in which she surely planted some seeds in their hearts, especially in Walt, and this in turn made the films that today move ours. Because Flora was probably the first Disney princess for Walt. SO… We hope that the audience can appreciate: Flora’s sense of love and affection for her family and the charming relationship between her and The Mouse; their friendship denoting the kindness and imagination that Flora has and passes onto Walt; the three main characters (Flora, The Mouse and The Baby) are developed in a way the support and complement each other; the historical references to the potential inspirations for Mickey Mouse, Peter Pan, The Little Mermaid, Dumbo, Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchio and more; an authentic and visually cinematic world and time period in order to make FLORA a resonant story; that this story goes beyond fantasy and reality, beyond space and time, because it’s all about the essence of life: the meaning of life itself; and, above all, that the love and effort put into this work will be reflected on the big screen.