THE RETURN OF ZORRO
Original Pitch by John Cawley – March 8, 1989
BEHIND THE STORY...
The development department at Disney was still looking for stories that offered well known titles. I suggested Zorro, but they stated there were some legal questions with the property. So I came up with this pitch that offered a different view of Zorro. The idea of local critters fighting back against people was later seen years later in Ghibli’s POM POKO and Dreamwork’s version of the OVER THE HEDGE comic strip.
And now my pitch...
THE RETURN OF ZORRO
An Animated Feature Proposal by John Cawley
When humans move into a wilderness area, their dogs begin to harass the few remaining wild animals. The local wildlife meet to decide whether to stay or leave when a timid skunk reminds them of times past when the great Zorro, a bold fox, had fought for them. The others tell the skunk that those stories are quite old and Zorro has not been seen in years, with many not even remembering what he looked like. The group agrees to try one more week before deciding to leave. Sensing all will lose their homes, the skunk hastily puts on a Zorro costume (including a fake muzzle and ears) in an attempt to job the others’ memory. To his surprise, no one sees through the simple costume; the crowd believes that Zorro has returned. It so raises their spirits that the skunk cannot tell them the truth. Soon, he is attempting to maintain the image of the hero. The ruse not only fools the animals but has a strange affect on the human’s dogs.
text, image and format © John Cawley
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