This 'Unauthorized Mostly True Story' takes place in Hollywood 1928 just when brothers, Walt and Roy Disney, are fired from their animation jobs at Universal Pictures. More importantly, the brothers also lose their right to animate "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit", a cartoon character which made them famous. They are determined to start over by opening their own animation studio, that is, if only they can find the necessary investment capital and a lovable new character to replace Oswald.
Unfortunately, every overture for financial backing is rejected once investors discover 'The Brothers' earlier attempt to become independent ended in bankruptcy court.
This is when they encounter George Geef, and his cocktail waitress girlfriend, Mandie Babitsky. George is a wannabe prize fighter from Chicago who's new in town, a bit insecure yet determined to do whatever it takes to become famous. Mandie is smart, sophisticated, and success driven.
George and Mandie's paths cross several time with the Disneys before they become introduced to each other. We learn of the Disney's delimma. George and Mindy capitalize on the situation by forming a loosly confederated company to pitch the Disneys a viable new paradigm for creating animation. As it turns out, George and Mandie are friends with Gyro Granasky, an electrical engineer from Greece who has been attempting to build a film duplicator which movie studios could use to reproduce copies of films for theatrical distribution. But his machine has a major flaw. It is unusable as a replicator since it generates major distortion and is unsuitable for studio film requirements.
Mandie is intriqued by the machine's shortcoming. She sees it as a viable solution for the Disneys situation. Either the Disneys adopt a new, cheaper way of animated cartoon production, or return home to their parents Missouri farms as another Hollywood reject.
With their backs against the wall and their money running out, the Disney Brothers reluctantly abandon their traditional hand-drawn animation techniques and acquire exclusive licensing rights to Gyro's broken device. With a three-day deadline clock ticking down, friends come together on a secret soundstage to film an abridged version of Buster Keaton's "Steamboat Bill Jr." They deliver their performances perfectly. But will it pass the final test after the results are run through Gyro's primitive motion-capture device which will hopefully convert everything into comical, animated-looking images?
It is an unabashed success.
Our story culminates in the revelation of Disney's clandestine production of "Steamboat Willie", Disney's first successful cartoon generated by technology which went on to spawn an entertainment empire.
Preconceived notions of animation history will be turned on it's head as this longest and best kept secret in Hollywood is finally revealed.
