°o° His visions to create a better and closer society
°o° The inspiration for others to follow their own visions
and dreams
°o° His disregard for age; the realization that imagination, innocence,
curiosity and spirit should have no end
°o° Disneyland and Walt Disney World; such lands where Walt's
movies came alive, his dreams came true, and where his guests have made
millions of memories
°o° Mickey Mouse and his many friends
°o° A legacy of magic, charm, and sincerity that the world will not soon forget
Walter Elias Disney was born in Chicago, IL on December 5, 1901.
At the age of 16, Walt Disney disguised his age in order to join the American Red Cross during
World War I. Upon his safe return, Walt received word that he had won a scholarship to attend
the Kansas City Art Institute. There, Walt met his professional animating partner, Ub
Iwerks and the two decided to open their own animation studio together. Their studio
produced a variety of animated shorts but their income was not enough to support the
large budgets of their productions. In 1923, Disney and Iwerks decided to go to Hollywood,
CA and begin a new live-action series, "Alice Comedies," about little girl, Alice, who
interacts with a world of animated characters.
Walt did not have much money throughout
these times and received financial assistance by Margaret Winkler and his brother Roy,
who would stay his business partner and supporter for the rest of Walt's life.
After the "Alice Comedies" lost popularity around 1927, Walt founded a new animated
character named Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. The new series also grew successful, but
in 1928, Winkler and her husband, Charles Mintz, had schemed a way to steal the
rights to the character away from him, as well as many of Walt's best animators.
While taking a long train ride with his wife Lillian, Walt had been doodling on a piece
of paper. One doodle peaked his interest; it was to be his best idea yet: a
little mouse with big hands and large round ears whom he would name Mickey.
Walt and Ub were the only two animators left and Walt's wife along with Roy's
wife, Edna, helped to ink in the cels: three Mickey Mouse cartoons were finally produced.
Although the first two didn't sell, Walt decided to add synchronized sound to the
third cartoon, Steamboat Willie (1928), with Walt himself as the voice of Mickey Mouse.
The animation became the first cartoon ever to use sound and as the cartoon was distributed,
Mickey Mouse became an instant sensation.
With the funds from Steamboat Willie, in 1929 Walt Disney assembled a new group of animators and
created the Silly Symphonies with an assortment of new characters.
One of shorts, Flowers and Trees (1932),
was the first cartoon to be produced in color, and the first cartoon to win an Oscar.
The Three Little Pigs (1933) grew so well-loved that the cartoon's title was placed above the feature films
with which it was shown. Mickey Mouse and his growing group of friends Minnie Mouse,
Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto, were also becoming very popular, appearing on comic strips
and in collectable merchandise. As Walt Disney's studio grew, he was fondly known to his men
as "Uncle Walt," having made many friendships among his team of animators. However, being the
perfectionist that Walt was, it was broadly attested that -->
(continued:) his animators
waited for the day that they could receive a rare compliment from their boss.
In 1934, Walt Disney had another vision, one unheard of in the industry:
a feature film length animated film. Although many
in Hollywood initially dismissed its merits, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
won over the hearts of the toughest critics and movie-going audiences.
Shirley Temple presented Walt Disney one big and seven little Oscars in a memorable
Academy recognition for the film. Quickly, animated features became a standard production
at the Disney Studios. Pinocchio
(1940), Dumbo (1941), and Bambi (1942) were all successes, and despite the
disappointment of Fantasia (1940) and a large studio animators' strike in 1941,
Walt Disney's Studio was able to survive.
Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951), and
Peter Pan (1953) resumed the success in filmmaking, and Walt could
acknowledge that the hard years of World War II had finally passed. In 1950, Walt Disney
began shooting live-action films with Treasure Island in 1950, as well as
producing timely animated features, including Lady and the Tramp (1955)
and Sleeping Beauty (1959).
Walt Disney
became one of the first film producers to star on television with his series "Disneyland"
in 1954, which promoted the construction of his theme park in Southern California,
with a publicized grand opening in 1955. Disneyland was Walt's fulfillment of a dream
to create a place where kids and parents could take rides together
in a clean and safe environment. As the park's success grew, Walt Disney televised
the popular "The Mickey Mouse Club" and "Zorro" shows. Mixing the two
genres of live-action and animation, Walt Disney created an imaginative musical version
of the beloved story Mary Poppins (1964). Walt Disney revealed blueprints
for yet another theme park and an experimental prototype city to be built in Florida.
However, the legacy of
animation and imagination, although not ending, was about to lose its beloved leader...
In 1966, Walt Disney realized that he had contracted
lung cancer. The media was not informed as Disney did not want the company's stock to
plunge downwards. Walt Disney
passed away on December 15, 1966 at age of 65 in Los Angeles, CA. The body was cremated
as per Walt's wishes.
The world was informed of this loss only after the private family-attended funeral.
To Walt's honor, the Disney stock rose ten points.
The Disney legacy still goes on and the dreams have not been forgotten.
Roy Disney lived to oversee the completion of the Florida theme park,
opening it in 1971 and naming it Walt Disney World, forever identifying it with a man whose dream it had been.
Walt Disney Studios is as full of ideas today as Walt
would have wanted it to be; its artists
ever-inspired by the quality of work they must attain.
Walt Disney's visions have grown into an empire
of dreams, a celebration of life and magic. Although he credits his mouse,
the world of artists, young-at-heart, and dreamers whom he inspired
will continue to tribute Walt Disney.
°o°
°o° "Sheer animated fantasy is still my first and deepest production impulse. The fable is the best storytelling device ever conceived and the screen is its best medium."
°o° "We are not trying to entertain the critics. I'll take my chances with the public."
°o° "I only hope that we don't lose sight of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse."
°o° "When people laugh at Mickey Mouse, it's because he's so human; and that is the secret of his popularity."
°o° "The life and ventures of Mickey Mouse have been closely bound up with my own personal and professional life. It is understandable that I should have sentimental attachment for the little personage who played so big a part in the course of Disney Productions and has been so happily accepted as an amusing friend wherever films are shown around the world. He still speaks for me and I still speak for him."
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