On July 30th, 1932, Walt Disney released "Flowers and Trees", the first commercially released film to use the full three-strip Technicolor process. Originally, the "Silly Symphony" short was already in production in black and white, but whe Walt Disney saw a demonstration of the new Technicolor technology, he made the risky decision to scrap the existing footage and start over in color. The film became a hit at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, and earned Disnet the first-ever Academy Award for Best Animated Short Subject. The success of "Flowers and Trees" gave Disney a competitive edge, as Walt negotiated an exclusive contract with the Technicolor Corporation that prevented any other animation studio from using the three-strip process for several years, until 1935.
