Walt Disney & Salvador Dali – Destino
Destino: the Italian, Galician, Spanish, and Portuguese word for “destiny“
Destino is a beautiful animated short film released in 2003 by The Walt Disney Company. Destino originally began its production in 1945, 58 years before its final completion. The project was originally a collaboration between Walt Disney & Spanish Surrealist painter Salvador Dali, featuring music written by Mexican songwriter Armando Dominguez and performed by Dora Luz. Destino was storyboarded by Disney studio artist John Hench and artist Salvador Dalí for eight months in late 1945. The Walt Disney Studios (now: Walt Disney Company), was plagued by many financial woes in the World War II era. Hench compiled a short animation test of about 17 seconds in the hopes of rekindling Disney’s interest in the project, but the production was no longer deemed financially viable and put on indefinite hiatus.
From the January 20, 2008 press release:
Destino began in 1946 as a collaboration between Walt Disney and the famed surrealist painter Salvador Dalí. A first-hand example of Disney’s interest in avant-garde and experimental work in animation, Destino was to be awash with Dalí’s iconic melting clocks, marching ants and floating eyeballs. However, Destino was not completed at that time. In 2003, it was rediscovered by Walt’s nephew, Roy E. Disney, who took on the challenge of bringing the creation of these two great artists to fruition. In addition to the completed Destino, this exciting addition to the Walt Disney Treasures line also includes an all-new feature-length documentary that examines the surprising partnership between Dalí and Disney plus two new featurettes; “The Disney That Almost Was”, an examination of the studio’s unfinished projects; and “Encounters with Walt”, which addresses the surprisingly diverse group of celebrities and artists who were attracted to Walt Disney’s early work.
Meghan DiMattia 