Good morning, Arlene!

I hope this is an okay place to reach you! I have a future-Disney project I think Dick might want to be a part of, but I completely trust you to decide whether it would bring him joy or not.

I sent a fan-letter to Dick a few months ago, but then I realized I was going about this connection the wrong way. The lad is 99! And at times, I imagine realistically, confused. I recently lost my 92-yo grandmother, and I felt almost as if she was giving me advice, saying, what are you thinking, silly? You talk to his princess!

That’s when I realized I should invite his safe space out for digital tea! I am so delighted by the relationship you have with this special human being, and I am a HUGE fan of yours. I realized if I were to get this idea launched, it’s you I need to talk to. I think for much of human history the world was actually ruled by women having conversations over tea. You are the royalty I want to meet!

Dick was the first person I reached out to about launching a Disney+ curriculum called “You Are An Imagineer” that helps kids in schools strengthen their sense of self. Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk has discovered that a strong sense of self/strong imagination is key to recovering from trauma, so developing “You Are An Imagineer” could truly impact the future of our world. In the last few months, I’ve gotten incredible advice from some famous minds and “You Are An Imagineer” is now being launched in a new way.

In addition to that advice, I’m an anthropology student, and I’ve been deeply influenced by the wisdom in non-Western cultures. I’ve designed the pitch of “You Are An Imagineer” around Robin Wall Kimmerer’s reminder that gifts are one of the most human things we can do. Before I finish this curriculum, before I pitch “You Are An Imagineer” to Disney, I want to introduce myself to Disney with an extraordinary gift!

The gift is a screenplay about Walt and Mickey and Walt’s dream of bringing hope and dignity to his audience. I’m a strong writer, and I’m already getting feedback that this story is everything Disney needs as they enter into a new season where Mickey is in public domain. In the script, I reintroduce Mickey as a more realistic mouse named Mortimer (Walt’s original name for Mickey) who uses Mickey as a stage name and works with Walt to give people hope.

The screenplay has about one page total of narration; there’s an offscreen storyteller who introduces the audience to this long-ago tale of Walt and Mortimer Mouse. I am reaching back out to see if Dick would be open to recording that narration!

The story is just beautiful – and it incorporates the song “Feed the Birds” from Mary Poppins, since that was a deeply important song to Walt, so to have Dick narrate would be a profound, profound thing.

This is still an independent project, so I am funding it as a grad student, but I would be delighted to pay him as much as I can for his time ($300 for an hour?) and of course, ensure either Dick or his estate is beautifully compensated should the screenplay get produced with his voice.

The film might not be made for another decade—and what a magic trick it would be to hear the voice of this man we love, looking out for his Disney kids, even if he’s a star in the sky by then.

I am crying over here as I write this!!

Please feel free to reach out to me, to ask for phone call, video call, references—anything that would make you feel more comfortable!!!

Please give that lovely soul a hug for me today. I hope the two of you are thriving and have hope in this difficult time.

Scarlet Greenwood/Margaret Wells