Walt Disney
Fun facts about Walt Disney
-Dropped out of high school at age 16
-Rejected from the army for being underage
-Rumored that he had a fear of mice
-Had an interest in trains as a child
-Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is considered one of the top ten highest- grossing films if all time
-Drove an ambulance in France for one year
-Dropped out of high school at age 16
-Rejected from the army for being underage
-Rumored that he had a fear of mice
-Had an interest in trains as a child
-Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is considered one of the top ten highest- grossing films if all time
-Drove an ambulance in France for one year
More fun facts about Walt Disney and his company here: http://www.statesman.com/news/travel/40-fun-facts-for-disney-worlds-40th-anniversary-1/nRh6J/#__federated=1
Walt Disney
Imagine your childhood without the whimsy and magic of Disney. Without summer vacations at Disney amusement parks, countless Disney princess Halloween costumes, and of course the movies that shaped our childhood. Many of us couldn't imagine it. But without one man we would be without our childhood heroes. The man who created The Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney.
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was born in Hermosa, Illinois on December 5, 1901 to Elias Disney and Flora Call Disney. He was one of five children. Although he was born in Hermosa, he spent most of his early childhood on a farm in Marceline, Missouri. At a young age he started drawing and began to sell his pictures to family and neighbors. Walt also lived in Kansas City for a short time. Walt attended McKinley High School in Chicago, Illinois. However, when he was 16 he dropped out. After being rejected from the army for being underage, he joined the red cross and drove an ambulance in France for one year.
Walt returned to Kansas City, Missouri in 1919 to pursue a career in commercial art. He made a new company called Laugh-O-Grams and began making short animated films and selling them to local businesses. The cartoons began as a success. Eventually, Walt ran out of money, however, and Laugh-O-Grams went bankrupt. This did not phase Walt. He packed his bags and left for Hollywood shortly after in hopes of creating another company. He paired with his brother and one of his former employees, Ub Iwerks, to create a new company called Disney Brothers' Studios. The first deal they made was with a distributor New York named Margaret Wrinkler. Walt also married a new artist he had hired named Lillian Bounds.
A few years later the Disney brothers discovered Mrs. Wrinkler and her husband had stole the rights to Disney's new characters and many animations. This hardly set the company back, surprisingly. Almost immediately Walt started making shorts with his new character, Mickey Mouse. The first films he made included Mickey were silent films called "Plane Crazy" and "Gallopin' Gaucho". Later, Walt made his first short with sound. It was called "Steamboat Willie" and it was an instant success.
Disney's success continued and grew. His cartoon "Flowers and Trees" won an Oscar. In 1937 he created "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" his first full-length animated feature. In the midst of the Great Depression, Snow White earned and astonishing 1.499 million dollars and eight Oscars. Disney continued making extremely popular films including "Cinderella", "Alice in Wonderland" and "Sleeping Beauty". He also made TV shows like "Zorro" and "Davy Crockett".
Walt Disney didn't stop there, however. After watching his two daughters, Diane and Sharon Mae, play at a dirty amusement park, Walt had a vision of a new kind of amusement park. An amusement park that was clean, where parents and children could play together. Walt started dreaming of Disneyland.
The Disneyland amusement park opened in 1955 and had booming success, attracting people from around the world. Disney himself made sure the park was well kept. Even after this incredible feat, Disney continued expanding. He was making plans for another amusement park in Florida when he was diagnosed with lung cancer. At the age of 65, on December 15, 1966 Walt Disney passed away.
Walt Disney reinvented the entertainment industry in America and around the world. Not only was Walt Disney a talented film maker and artist, he also was an extraordinary businessman. Even after many set backs and failures he continued working diligently. He also changed with the times, creating new ideas as new technologies were made and trends changed. These qualities helped Disney's company flourish and continue growing even generations after his death.
"Walt Disney Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2015.
"Walt Disney's Disneyland." Walt Disney's Disneyland. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.
"Walt Disney: Long Biography." Walt Disney: Long Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Jan. 2015.
"90 Strange Facts about Walt Disney and His Theme Parks." RSS. Greektyrant Industries LLC, 17 Oct. 2013. Web. 26 Jan. 2015.
"Walt Disney's Disneyland." Walt Disney's Disneyland. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.
"Walt Disney: Long Biography." Walt Disney: Long Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Jan. 2015.
"90 Strange Facts about Walt Disney and His Theme Parks." RSS. Greektyrant Industries LLC, 17 Oct. 2013. Web. 26 Jan. 2015.