Disney’s Real-Life Jiminy Cricket Roy Disney Dies

Disney stalwart and beloved director dies from cancer aged 79.

The last member of the Disney family to work for the entertainment behemoth, Roy E. Disney died yesterday after losing a year-long struggle with stomach cancer.

Roy was the nephew of Disney’s eponymous founder Walt Disney, and son of co-founder Roy O. Disney. A veteran and legend himself within the Disney empire, Roy dedicated 56 years of his life to the company, helping to resurrect a flagging animation studio and guiding the success of modern Disney classics such as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King.

As a child, Roy was always scurrying around his father’s and uncle’s studios and was often invited to watch test screenings on movie’s such as Pinocchio to hone material to Disney’s main target audience – children. Later he served as vice chairman of the board of directors, chairman of the Disney Animation Department and consultant to the company.

Disney president and CEO Bob Iger said in a company statement: “On behalf of everyone at Disney, we are saddened by the loss of our friend and colleague Roy E. Disney. Roy’s commitment to the art of animation was unparalleled and will always remain his personal legacy and one of his greatest contributions to Disney’s past, present and future.”

Despite Mr Iger’s words, Roy will perhaps be better remembered as one of Disney’s harshest boardroom critics; for his steadfast reverence for the tradition of Disney, and his unswerving loyalty to keep the company true to its principles. “The goal is to look over our shoulder and see Snow White, Pinocchio and Dumbo standing there saying, ‘Be this good.’ We shouldn’t be intimidated by them; they’re an arrow pointing someplace,” quoted The New York Times.

It was Roy’s passion for the company which helped prevent two takeover bids in the 80s and ensured the resignation of several executives who wanted Disney to deviate from its original path. “Some people in the company referred to him as its real-life Jiminy Cricket: a living conscience who was at times intensely dislikes by management for speaking out,” wrote The New York Times.

A sad day for the death of the conscience of Disney. RIP Roy E. Disney.

By David Finklehorn posted December 17, 2009 3:45 AM with 4,597 views