So today on the podcast, we're continuing our story of Disney legend Mary Blair.

In recent episodes, we've followed Mary as she shifted her role as a successful illustrator

in New York back to being an art director at Wed for Disney.

In many cases, Walt kept artists that he particularly admired or trusted on projects

that mattered the most to him. In the early 1940s, it was the South American films. In the early

1950s, it was that new wave of animated features, such as Cinderella, Alison Wonderland, and Peter Pan.

And in the early 1960s, it was the unique projects that he was creating for the World's Fair.

Though a few artists made one of those leaps.

For example, animator Frank Thomas moved from the South American projects to the feature

films in the 1950s, and Herb Ryman moved from the South American projects to Disneyland

and later the World's Fair projects.

But no one other than Mary had decisive roles in all three areas. And today we move

forward with one of her best known projects. It's a small world, as it begins to take on increased

political importance against cultural unrest that was then moving across

the country.

Initially, the attraction, now called It's a Small World, had been arranged as a musical

fantasy that radiated the fair's central theme, peace through understanding.

But over the previous four or five months, it had taken on new layers of political meaning.

The ride now echoed the politics of the civil rights movement,

which was one of the key social causes championed by President John F. Kennedy, then in his third

year of office. In June, 1963, Kennedy delivered a televised address on the importance

of the Civil Rights Act to end racial segregation in public areas where it still existed, to integrate public schools, to strengthen voting rights for African Americans, to prohibit job discrimination based on race, and to prevent racially motivated violence, and to promote peace and understanding

...