DH: Well, he's a different person now. He still is driven but he is much more of a benevolent person, much more gracious -- and he has made more animated movies than Walt Disney. It was never nerve racking working with Jeffrey, so when we went back to talk to him, I was nervous, because I didn't know what would happen, but he was surprisingly gracious and giving and candid. When he said he didn't hear about the new animation building being announced, he said it was hurtful and it portrayed much more under the surface than I thought was ever there. And the fact that he opened up to that and that we put it into the movie was to his credit. And, in a funny way, I think he and Michael and Roy were communicating to each other through these interviews, because they would ask, "What does Roy think of me?" or whatever. And I think the toughest part was showing the movie to Jeffrey. He told us it wasn't the way he would've done it; it wasn't the series of events that he would've focused on; but he found it particularly [moving] in light of his relationship with Howard. He's a very forward-looking guy: I don't think he normally looks back and is reflective. But for him to stop for 85 minutes and reflect was a very emotional experience.

BD: And Michael?

DH: We showed it to everybody. I wanted to sit alone with people and watch it and hear their comments, whatever they were. With Michael, it was pretty much the way it was to work with him: the comments were not so much about him but about the film creatively and he actually helped with restructuring it a little bit and made the film a little better. He was always circumspect about it, but, in the end, he owned it as much as any of us. He realizes that it's his story and a fair account of what happened back then.

Bill Desowitz is senior editor of AWN & VFXWorld.