Mirko Hanák's model of Charlotte.

An excerpt from Gene Deitch’s How to Succeed in Animation (Don’t Let a Little Thing Like Failure Stop You!).

Read Part 1 and Part 2 of the correspondence between Gene Deitch and legendary author E. B. White.

Just when the good vibrations had me enthralled, who had to pee in the soup but none-other than good ol’ Bill Snyder. The following letter, full of bombast and falsehoods, was enough to turn off Henry White totally. Now he not only had his fear of producing behind the iron curtain, but possible trouble from a blowhard like Snyder. I got a copy of this letter from Mike Campus, who was confronted with it by White. Mike refuted it point by point, but who listens to facts when fear rules his heart?

Mr. Henry White
Sagittarius Productions
375 Park Avenue
New York, New York

Dear Mr. White:

I am astonished by your letter of January 18th which did not reach my eyes until my return from California.

Gene Deitch continued working on the storyboards even as the project was crumbling around him.