I'll Be Seeing You…
By LuluCalliope
There was once a great man. He wasn't a perfect man, but then again, nobody is. He did things that I'm sure he wasn't proud of. But he had a mission: make money to make movies for the children of the world. And even as he grew in popularity, he never lost sight of one thing: his beloved mouse, Mickey. The Sorcerer's Apprentice was one of Mickey's biggest roles, and it was under constant supervision by his creator, Walt Disney. Although The Sorcerer's Apprentice was a short film, it was featured in a feature-length movie called Fantasia. Walt wanted to make more movies like Fantasia, but the movie was not a financial success. But during his grand lifetime, he never lost hope in future projects. Here are his thoughts on a scene from the first movie in the Fantasia series.
The conductor lowers his hands, feeling contented with the performance. He faces only a wall of a dark, but rosy, orange. And then he is interrupted by a soft voice and faint tugs on his coat. "Mr. Stokowski! Mr. Stokowski!" The voice whistles, and the conductor turns to face the source: the mouse from the show, still in costume. The costume is nothing special, just a red robe and a metallic blue hat covered with silver stars. "My congratulations, sir," the mouse chirps, his eyes wide with innocent awe.
"Congratulations to you, Mickey!" The man replies, bending over to shake hands with the famous mouse. He feels a little silly, shaking hands with a mouse, but there is a part of him that knows that he must be dignified and professional. And besides…this mouse is becoming quite popular. Who knows what people will think of him in the years to come?
"Gee, thanks!" The mouse says bashfully, laughing that bright laugh of his. "Well, so long! I'll be seeing you!" He calls, running offstage.
"Goodbye," the man calls softly. He stands there a moment, a sudden feeling coming over him. He looks forward to talking with the famous mouse later. Perhaps they shall meet again on the set of another film.
"Cut!" Walt calls, his eyes filling up with tears. Mickey runs to his boss, his eyes full of nothing but concern and well wishes. He smiles, but it fades. Walt cannot help but feel that there are similarities between this one and the one given to that wizard in the film, and the tears actually spill down his cheeks. But he stiffens, addressing everyone around him. "That's magic, boys. Keep up the good work." He walks away briskly, the tears coming faster now. Mickey runs after him.
"Hey," he says, trying to maintain a chipper demeanor. "Don't cry, Walt. It was good, wasn't it?"
"Mickey," the man says as he stops, bending over to face his little friend. "Do you know why I had you say 'I'll be seeing you' to Mr. Stokowski?"
"Well…I will see him later, won't I?"
"Yes," Walt gently says, more to himself now. "There will be more of these movies…and I'm scared. I'm scared that they won't be as good as the ones we've done now. And I am afraid that…I won't be around to see them."
"But they will come, won't they?" Mickey asks, trying to cheer up his boss. "And that's all that matters, doesn't it? They'll all be okay, I promise." He hugs Walt.
"Yes," he says softly. "That's the only thing that matters." He holds Mickey's hand tightly, and they walk into the animation room…
Walt Disney never lived to see the second film in the Fantasia series: Fantasia 2000, the first movie of a new millennium. But Mickey did. And their legacy lives on to this day, forever in the eyes of children, forever in the eyes of adults, never fading, never underrated. In another millennium, perhaps there will be another film to come along.
This story is dedicated to Walt Disney, the man with many titles and many visions.