Just in from Jim Korkis:

[At Christmas, I always think of Dr. Seuss because of How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Here are two fun Dr. Seuss anecdotes concerning Disney. They come from the book Dr. Seuss and Mr. Geisel by Judith and Neil Morgan (DaCapo Press 1996). I have added some information to clarify identifications/connections and to make them self-contained:

The brilliant clown, Bill Irwin, came to visit Ted Geisel at Geisel's house during Irwin's performance engagement at the La Jolla Playhouse nearby. This was shortly before Geisel's death in 1991. He sought Dr. Seuss's permission to pursue the role of the Cat in the Hat for a proposed Disney special. Ted admired Irwin's talent but quite strongly let Irwin know he had absolutely no interest in working for Disney.

While Ted Geisel was at Fort Fox (the army unit in L.A. during World War II where he was working on the animated Private Snafu shorts), Geisel's wife (Helen Palmer Geisel) was writing her own children's books, always in prose for Golden Books and Disney including Donald Duck Sees South America. Ted Geisel said later, "She supported us during the war."]