From a psychological standpoint, Chicken Little is very important for Disney. Everything is touched by animation and if they don't refresh it, it becomes frayed at the edges.

Any time you design a character for a Disney picture, especially a fairy tale, it's going to become the definitive design for that character, so you don't want to hack something out. You need to put in the kind of care it warrants if it's going to live in history.

When Walt became all wrapped up in the theme parks and live-action films, we tried to get him interested in animation again," recalls Frank Thomas, one of the Studio's "Nine Old Men."

"Walt said, 'If I ever do go back, there are only two subjects I would want to do. One of them is Beauty and the Beast.' For the life of me, I can't remember what the other one was.

It was deteriorating rapidly, so it's logical for NBC to grab it by the reins.

His legacy is brilliance, mixed with turmoil.

Chances are, in five years they may not exist at all, or it may be something else, but right now it's better than going alone.