Chapter 119: Donald Duck
2023-05-02 Author: Yue Shang Xintou
It would still take some time for Hughes to arrange the trip to film the Iceberg.
This was especially true given that he was also preparing to establish an airline company.
Coming out of the Film Studio, Roy let out a long sigh of relief. He still preferred talking to ordinary people. A maverick like Hughes always made him feel immense pressure, because you never knew what thought would pop into the man's head next.
Just as he couldn't comprehend Hughes's idea of heading to the Ocean Liner's sinking site merely to shoot a scene of an Iceberg.
While calming himself down, Roy's gaze couldn't help but drift toward Colin, who was beside him.
He hadn't forgotten that this was the man who had masterminded Hughes's decision to film *Titanic*.
Initially, he thought Colin had asked him to introduce him to Howard Hughes simply to build connections. He never expected Colin to so unexpectedly persuade Hughes to shoot a film, and a major production like *Titanic* at that.
As someone working in Hollywood, it would be a lie to say he wasn't envious.
Even though Disney focused on the field of animated films, it was still a money-burning business.
In some respects, animated films were even more expensive than live-action films.
And among Hollywood's producers, Hughes had always been at the top of the list.
After all, very few producers would shoot a film like him, with a complete disregard for cost.
Everyone in Hollywood knew that once Hughes invested in your film, you no longer had to worry about funding.
"Congratulations, Colin. I can already foresee the reaction to *Titanic* after its release. Once the film hits theaters, you'll become a household name in Hollywood."
"Thank you."
Colin politely accepted Roy's well wishes.
In truth, however, the purpose of his trip was never to make a name for himself in Hollywood. He might enter this world of fame and fortune, but not now—not until after he acquired Paramount.
The reason he was so eager to connect with Hughes was for the network of contacts behind him.
*Titanic* was merely a stepping stone, used to establish a relationship between him and Hughes.
It was a means to accomplish his true goal.
...
After leaving Hughes Film Studio, Colin had accomplished the better part of his objective.
However, he didn't leave Los Angeles just yet.
Instead, at Roy's request, he went to the nearby Walt Disney Studios.
Although the reason Roy gave was that Walt Disney had some questions about the Superman and Mickey Crossover Animation that required his input as the creator.
But they both knew this was just an excuse.
"Colin, long time no see."
At the Film Studio, Colin met Walt Disney. He looked the same as always, his hair neatly combed back, gleaming with pomade.
In fact, this was the standard look for most men of this era. Even Hughes, whom Colin had just seen, was the same, with his hair all combed back to reveal his forehead.
Colin respected it, but he didn't follow.
He disliked the feeling of his hair being soaked through, strand by strand, with hair cream.
"It has been a while. New York and Los Angeles are too far apart."
Walt Disney nodded, deeply agreeing with this sentiment.
Back then, if he hadn't been so bored on the train ride from New York back to Hollywood, he wouldn't have had the inspiration to create Mickey.
"When will there be more convenient transportation, so people aren't troubled by distance?"
Thinking of his own experience, Walt Disney couldn't help but sigh.
"I think the airplane is a good option."
"Airplane?"
Hearing Colin's words, Walt Disney shook his head, not believing his conjecture.
In this period, the flight altitude of passenger planes was still limited to 7,000 feet. This altitude was within the troposphere, which caused flights to be extremely turbulent. It was for this very reason that most Americans did not trust the safety of airplanes. According to statistics, less than one percent of Americans in this era had ever flown.
And the man who would truly develop and popularize the American aviation industry was none other than Howard Hughes, whom Colin had met earlier.
He played a crucial role in the development of America's aviation industry, to the point where he was once called the "Father of Trans World Airlines."
However, this "Airplane King" had currently turned his attention to the sea because of Colin's *Titanic*, preparing to film the Iceberg that sank the Ocean Liner. Perhaps the development of America's aviation industry would be delayed by a few years because of this.
...
At the Film Studio, after briefly catching up with each other.
Walt Disney's conversation naturally turned to the topic of Animation production.
Ever since Mickey, Disney had been trying to create new animated characters. Currently, Disney's popularity was mainly concentrated on Mickey. Even Minnie and Pluto were, in a way, extensions of the Mickey family's popularity; one was defined as Mickey's pet, and the other his girlfriend.
In terms of stories, Walt Disney had been creating new animated characters in the *Silly Symphonies* series.
In these stories, many animations, apart from featuring Mickey's image at the beginning, were entirely new animated scenarios.
Disney had been continuing this creative effort for nearly three to four years.
Yet, they had been unable to create an animated character whose popularity could rival Mickey's.
Currently, Disney still relied on Mickey to support the vast majority of the Film Studio's finances. Everyone, including Roy, knew that this was not sustainable in the long run.
In *Silly Symphonies*, Disney had already tried a wide variety of animated characters, from a non-human skeleton to trees and many kinds of animal dwarves, but the audience didn't seem to care for them much. They still preferred Mickey. Roy had also tried more than once to get licensing for other animated characters, but the results were not significant.
"Perhaps, you could try starting with the image of other animals."
Originally, Colin had no intention of participating in Disney's Animation production. After all, even if he said nothing, Disney's classic characters would all appear in a few years anyway.
However, since Walt Disney had taken the initiative to express his troubles, how could he, as a "friend," stand by and watch coldly?
*I can't be blamed for this, you're the one who brought it up.*
Muttering this silently in his heart, Colin put on a thoughtful expression. After a moment of silence, he spoke in a tentative tone, "Mickey's character comes from a mouse, so a chicken or a duck would be a good choice."
"A chicken, a duck?"
"That's right. A duck, especially. Don't you think its noisy quacking is perfect for creating an animated character?"
As he spoke, Colin put on a look of sudden inspiration, picked up the paintbrush in front of him, and with a few difficult strokes, a rough image of Donald Duck leaped onto the drawing paper.
(end of chapter)