This document is a lengthy but ideal example of the great effort Walt put into creating his stories.
It starts out with a story continuity, and then goes into a conference discussion to “plus the story,” trying to achieve perfection — and in my opinion, they got very close.
Some of the tried and true Disney story methods are on display in this conference.
The importance of continuity: “our continuity as a whole is more important than one gag.”
Always looking for visual conveyance: “Grumpy has a funny shape that would make a funny sneak … The way his rump comes out has laugh possibilities in the sneak … we want to watch for opportunities for that stuff as well as the gags.”
They are very aware of story pitfalls of this intense introspection: “We talk about business so long it often becomes stale to us and we replace it with a weaker gag just because it’s newer… a thing to watch…”
They don’t just spring stuff on the audience, instead always set it up: “we should plant it …. If you want to get comedy out of it, the audience must be in on it.”
These are just a few of the methods. Click on the image below to see more.
