Chapter 120: The Voice Actor
2023-05-02 Author: Yue Shang Xintou
Donald Duck
With a final stroke, Colin completed the iconic sailor hat on Donald Duck's head.
He casually jotted down its name on the paper and pushed it in front of Walt Disney.
"Donald Duck?"
Looking at the lively image of the duck before him, Walt Disney couldn't help but reveal a look of astonishment.
In fact, about a year ago, he had already entertained the idea of creating an animated character similar to Donald Duck.
He just hadn't managed to bring the idea to fruition.
And the 'Donald Duck' image Colin had created perfectly matched Walt Disney's vision.
This duck in a sailor suit seemed practically born for Disney animation.
"Lillian, hurry and get Nash over here!"
At this thought, Walt Disney pondered for a moment before speaking to his wife beside him.
Seeing his slightly agitated expression, Lillian nodded and went to find Clarence Nash, who was also at the studio.
"Sir, I heard you were looking for me."
Led by Lillian, a bewildered Clarence Nash arrived at the studio where everyone was gathered.
He was a dedicated voice actor for Disney Studios, specializing in imitating the sounds of animals and birds.
"Nash, perform that imitation you did before..."
Walt Disney handed the drawing of Donald Duck to Clarence Nash and urged, "The one where you recite poetry in a duck's voice."
Glancing down at the drawing paper Walt Disney handed him, Nash's eyes lingered for a moment on the line art of the duck in a sailor suit. Although he didn't understand the reason, he complied. Inside the studio, Nash constricted his throat, took a deep breath, and began to imitate in a raspy voice: "Gaga, Mary had a little lamb, His fleece was white as snow, And everywhere that Mary went, The lamb was sure to go..."
This classic children's song, *Mary Had a Little Lamb*, took on a comical tone under Nash's performance.
It also bore a slight resemblance to the Donald Duck from Colin's memory. In reality, Nash himself was the original voice actor for Disney's Donald Duck. Nash endowed Donald Duck with a highly recognizable voice, and his contribution to the character's popularity was immeasurable.
He would continue to voice Donald Duck until his death in 1985.
As Walt Disney listened to Nash's recitation, he stared at the image of Donald Duck on the drawing in his hand. An image of Donald Duck waddling as he recited the poem couldn't help but form in his mind.
"I want to obtain the animation copyright for Donald Duck."
Averting his gaze from Nash, Walt Disney immediately said to Colin.
Seeing his determined expression, Roy, who was standing to the side, opened his mouth but then closed it with a sense of helplessness.
If possible, he would have naturally preferred to negotiate slowly with Colin, but it was clear that Walt Disney was not as calm as he had hoped. This cost Disney the initiative in the negotiations.
"No problem."
Colin nodded slightly, not refusing Walt Disney's request.
Donald Duck would be more valuable in Disney's hands than in his own. After all, he couldn't just abandon *Superman* to start a Donald Duck comic.
Besides, he had no desire to see a Superman mark with Donald Duck's head on it the next time he condensed a Bronze Mark.
Hearing that Colin was willing to part with the animation copyright for Donald Duck, Walt Disney breathed a sigh of relief.
"Regarding the specific copyright issues for Donald Duck, I think we need to set aside some time for a dedicated discussion." At this moment, Roy preemptively spoke up, stepping in front of Walt Disney. He was deeply afraid that if he spoke a moment later, Walt Disney would create another situation unfavorable for Disney.
"Alright."
Colin didn't have strong feelings about this.
If his meeting with Howard Hughes was an expected part of his trip to Los Angeles, then this negotiation with Disney over Donald Duck's copyright was a completely unexpected development.
With the unforeseen situation of Donald Duck arising, Colin had to extend his stay in Los Angeles by a few more days.
Over the next few days, he and Roy, representing Disney, engaged in more than one discussion regarding the Donald Duck copyright.
In the end, they hammered out a rough framework.
Disney would acquire a portion of the animation copyright for Donald Duck from Colin. In exchange, Colin would receive the licensing rights for the Mickey Mouse comic strip, allowing it to be published as a serialized story in *The Messenger Newspaper* and *Messenger Comics*.
Furthermore, regarding the patent rights for Donald Duck merchandise, although Colin and Roy had some disagreements, they reached a basic consensus. In the future, the merchandise patents for Donald Duck would be jointly held by both parties under the premise of mutual cooperation.
This meant that anyone who wanted to obtain the merchandise patents for Donald Duck would need the approval of both Disney and the Messenger Newspaper.
Of course, these were just the preliminary negotiation points.
The specific details would have to wait for the formal contract to be discussed. But regardless, Colin's trip to Los Angeles was destined to be a fruitful one. This was especially true for him; using a Donald Duck that would have belonged to Disney anyway to gain these benefits was a surefire win.
Naturally, as the 'creator' of Donald Duck, Colin also promised Disney that he would provide some creative ideas for Donald Duck animated short films. This would ensure that the Donald Duck animation produced by Disney wouldn't deviate too much from the character in his memory—at the very least, he wouldn't be just an unpopular supporting character like in his debut in *The Wise Little Hen*.
...
According to a report from Mexico's *Arts Daily*, a hand-drawn illustration of Donald Duck will be auctioned from February 24th to 25th at the comic strip art auction held by the world's largest collectibles auction house, Heritage Auctions.
The hand-drawn art piece is from the 1935 animated film *Donald's Nephews*, produced by Disney and created by the 'Father of Donald Duck,' Collin Roper. The film is a classic among Disney's early color animation films.
This hand-drawn piece is exceptionally precious to Donald Duck collectors.
Aside from the original draft of Donald Duck, which is permanently held in Disney's archives, this is the only other hand-drawn piece preserved to this day. It includes all the characters from the animated film, and the industry's lowest estimate for its value is $200,000.
Barry Sandoval, the director of operations for this comic strip art auction, stated: "This hand-drawn piece is the ultimate item that Donald Duck collectors aspire to own. *Donald's Nephews* is a very early theatrical color animation Donald Duck cartoon and has always been regarded as a treasure by Disney 'fans.' We are extremely proud to have such an important piece of world animation history available for auction."
(end of chapter)