Disney’s Crankiest Veteran is Still Cranky, And Thinks Walt Disney Was “A Shit”

When you invite certified Disney legend Walt Peregoy (Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmatians, Sword in the Stone) to visit a studio, you never know what you’ll hear, but be prepared for plenty of salty language, politically incorrect views, and uncomfortable laughter from the audience. Here’s a recently unearthed video of the 87-year-old Peregoy visiting Walt Disney Animation Studios last year for an in-house exhibit of his artwork.

Peregoy, who gives new meaning to ‘extemporaneous’ speaking, offered some choice thoughts to his colleagues:

On Walt Disney:

Walt Disney was a shit…We made Walt. Walt didn’t make Walt. Walt was an asshole.

On contemporary animation:

There’s nothing on TV or on the screen that’s worth a shit. If I’m insulting some of you, I don’t give a shit, because it’s all shit.

On classic hand-drawn animation:

That was real animation. And even with all the technology [today], it still isn’t that good, is it?

On layout artist Ernie Nordli:

Great artist. Very humble. So humble he committed suicide.

On his role at Disney:

I take credit. Boy, if it wasn’t for me, Disney’s and all those features wouldn’t amount to a pile of shit.

On asserting yourself as an artist:

Producers want to be the one, and the art directors want to be the one. If any of you here are artists, assert yourself. I mean it…assert yourself. So tell those bastards to get off the pot…Each and every one of you have talent that you don’t even admit to, but take it in your own hands and run with it…Because who you are—your talent—is the most important thing in this world.

For all his antagonism, Peregoy is an amazing artist who has always given one hundred percent. Not only did he shine when he worked on A-list productions like Disney’s 101 Dalmatians, he also created sublime work while toiling on Hanna-Barbera trash like Scooby Doo and The Perils of Penelope Pitstop.

(Walt Peregoy photo copyright Julie Svendsen)