John Lasseter asked that they aim high, using Lady and the Tramp as the ultimate stylistic pinnacle.

"So one of the things we went back and forth on was the demise of [a supporting character], which Facilier has a hand in. So I said, 'If he's going to do it, he really has to do it.' There are two versions of the scene: one that's in the film and the other that's somewhere on the cutting room floor. And the other version was much more vicious. And it led to a heated debate in dailies. And I remember when I had shown the scene [which has a crushing blow and he really enjoyed it and then dismissed it] in a way that was never before done in a Disney film, it got two laughs, which is what the reaction was supposed to be because it made him seem really evil. And I remember Eric Goldberg stood up and said, 'That's too mean.' And my response was, 'Yes, that's the way it's supposed to be. You're not supposed to like Facilier.' Then, ultimately, it led to the directors deciding that we needed to do a tempered down version, which is what ended up in the film. So, hopefully, this alternate version will show up on the DVD extras.

"But these are things that happen and are part of the evolution of making a film. I just thought that was a key area where I thought my character needed to be as mean as possible, but it still works just the way it is."

Bill Desowitz is senior editor of AWN & VFXWorld.