The Mouse Castle Lounge 05-25-2015 - Former Disney Animation Story Man Steve Hulett, Part One

By Tim Callaway

For ten years in the 1970s and 80s, Steve Hulett was a story man at Disney Animation, following in the footsteps of his father, longtime Disney artist Ralph Hulett. Steve was with the company during the most unique of times, the period after Walt Disney’s death--when his company was struggling to find its identity--until it came back in a big way under the leadership of Michael Eisner, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Frank Wells. It was a time when the old guard of Disney animation, the Nine Old Men, were making way for the new blood of Disney Animation, people like Glen Keane, Don Bluth, John Lasseter and Tim Burton.

In his book, Mouse in Transition: An Insider's Look at Disney Feature Animation, Steve Hulett tells candid tales about his years at Disney where he worked on such films as The Fox and the Hound, The Black Cauldron and The Great Mouse Detective. In addition to recalling the creative work, Steve shares plenty of stories about the office politics and ego clashes that went on behind the scenes. In part one of my conversation with him today, Steve touches on a few of those stories, as well as a memorable encounter with Hollywood legend Mickey Rooney.

Related Story: The Mouse Castle Lounge 06-07-2015 - Former Disney Animation Story Man Steve Hulett, Part Two

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