Papercraft Progress
Trader Sam | October 2, 2009
I waited from 6 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. to specifically sign for the letter of termination. Inside the cardboard FedEx envelope was a single sheet of paper from the Walt Disney Internet Group (they’re still using that name and logo?). In a nutshell, the tiny paragraph simply said that my contract has officially come to an end. So . . . no more approvals for papercrafts!
I can finally start finishing a few papercrafts. The Sleeping Beauty Castle Holiday Pop-Up Card still needs illustrated instructions, but you can expect to see that this holiday season (late Nov./early Dec.). The Disneyland Paris Sleeping Beauty Castle still needs some error corrections before moving onto the instructions. That probably will not be available until sometime early next year (possibly sooner). And finally, I may be able to get around to finishing the Mark VII Monorail model.
In the meantime, several projects are already in progress, and will be occupying my time throughout the month of October. After Halloween, I can get back to work on old projects. The wheels are also turning on future endeavors.
My thanks go to the folks at the Walt Disney Internet Group for wanting to include me in their work. It’s just too bad that the company changes occurred when they did, thwarting any attempt at letting the project get off of the ground.
With that said, it’s time to move forward.
No more Disney approval needed? Ok. More Disney Experience papercrafts? Fan-mickey-tastic!!! Just built your Sleeping Beauty castle for our local library’s new childrens wing, and people were asking where they could get a copy to do at home. I’d hate to have pointed them to your site only to find the great crafts gone!
Thank you for what you do!
Paul (former CM at TDS #386)
Ending the contract doesn’t mean I’ll never do something for Disney again. I’m just an email or phone call away. What it does mean is that I’m free to design papercrafts for this website on my own schedule again. It means more freedom.
On the one hand I’m sorry that your contract ended, but I am really looking forward to the paper crafts. Your work is amazing, as usual, and I cant wait!
MrBadClams
Hiya!
Ya know, I can’t help but feel this really stinks for you. I was hoping it would really take off and become a stable source of not only income, but give you an inside track and broader project development. Would’ve been nice to see your name in Disney credits. Of course I really don’t know anything about your Disney contract to begin with, but still it would have been nice.
But, what’s done is done. For our little community though it still works out well. You get to keep making things, which is all you really wanted in the first place. The models remain free, and you’re the only judge as to when they get released. Quality of course, was never a question.
However, due to our recent discussions, I had a hard time believing all of this was real when I read it last night. I did ask for more halloween pranks after all, and this would have been a doozy!
Becky the builder
(not Becky from Disney IMG!)
Hey Sam,
I’m sorry to hear that your contract with the Disney Internet Group has come to an end. But if you gonna proccied on the Disney Papercrafts. Don’t you get in trouble with them.
Don’t get my wrong? it’s great that you continued the following papercraft’s but are you going to do that on your own risk. Or do you have approval for these papercrafts?
Either way i’m trilled you are going to continued with the Papercrafts can’t wait to start building again i’ve got already a real papercraft desk en the shell’s to but your work on when it’s finished.
Greeting’s Robert (The netherlands)
Disney has known about this website for quite some time, and I’ve received nothing but praise. Yes, I did get a tiny slap on the hand for both selling the models on CD, and for accepting compensation (a free copy & 50% off a second copy) for the mini Nautilus that I did for Magical Memories’ 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea edition fanzine. That was my others-are-making-money-from-my-work-so-why-not-I phase, and, I was more than willing to work with Disney. As long as the models were made free and remained that way, Disney was happy.
With the contract dissolved, I no longer require Disney approval, and I will not get into trouble for not consulting them first. As Becky says, below, quality is never an issue. Some of my best work has appeared within the last year and a half.
The one thing that Disney is more likely to complain about is the use of their copyrighted/trademarked names/logos/property, and the profiting from those.