Pirates, Pixie Dust and Poignancy

“It was a wonderful experience working with Walt, because he was a hands-on person,” says Beaumont today. “He was available, and yet he wasn’t intrusive. He might throw out an idea and say, why don’t you guys kick it around and see what you come up with?’”

Beaumont had already worked under an MGM contract before arriving at the Disney studios, where she became a voice actress and acting model for both Alice In Wonderland and Peter Pan’s Wendy. She recalls, “I noticed a completely different atmosphere and workplace sense at Disney. What MGM was, what most industry is, is down to business. You never were aware of the head of the studio. When I got to the Disney studios I found that it was a very relaxed place to work, people really cared about what they were doing, and there was no direction from the head saying, ‘this is the way I want it, let’s do it this way.’”