Walt Disney

Walt Disney The man behind one of the biggest theme parks in the world and the man behind the mouse named Mickey. Walter Elias Disney also known as Walt Disney for short was born on December 5th, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois. Walter’s parents were his father, Elias, an Irish-Canadian and his mother, Flora, a German-American. Walter was one of five children, he had three brothers and one sister. Soon after Walter was born, the family had moved to a farm in Marceline, Missouri. Elias Disney was an abusive father so two of Walter’s brothers ran away from the farm which left Ruth, the younger sister, Roy, the older brother, and Walter. Walter was encouraged to draw by his mother and his brother, Roy. Walter discovered drawing and marketing at a young age, “When he was seven years old, he sold small sketches, and drawings to nearby neighbors. Instead of doing his school work Walt doodled pictures of animals, and nature.” (Chris para.6). When Walter was ten years old, his brother, Roy left home leaving Walter only with his imagination, paper, and a pen. Walter didn’t like being lonely so he drew characters to keep him company. While in Chicago, Walt went to McKinley High School where “he turned his attention to drawing and photography, while contributing to the school paper.” (Jones para.2). To enhance his drawing skills, Walter would go to the Academy of Fine Arts. Walter was a junior art editor for this schools newspaper. Walt discovered his first movie where he saw a black and white recreation of the crucifixion and rebirth of Christ. When the farm failed, the Disney family decided to move to Kansas City. This is where Walt continued to develop advanced drawing skills and he also picked up new skills as well. On top of drawing, Walter got into “acting and performing.” (Chris para.12). Walter would tell stories to his classmates, look up to his idol, Charlie Chaplin, and sneak out of house to perform comedy skits at theater. When Walt was only sixteen years old, he tried to enlist in the military service but he got rejected since he was too young. Instead Walter joined the Red Cross where he was sent to France to drive an ambulance for a year. Walter ended up driving more trucks than ambulances since the war was coming to an end. When Walt wasn’t driving, he was drawing sketches, “His ambulance was covered from stem to stern, not with stock camouflage, but with Disney cartoons.” (Chris para.13). After the war, Walt moved back to Kansas City, when he was there he got hired at the Kansas City Star newspaper, “He was later fired from the paper for his ‘lack of creativity.’” (Jones para.2). Walter’s dream did not die there, he began a career in commercial art. He produced short films which were titled the “Alice Comedies” but Walter ran out of money before he could finish his films, he went bankrupt.
Walter’s uncle, Mike Martin worked as a train engineer on the Santa Fe Railroad. When Walter felt an unexplainable happiness when he would ride on the trains and he tried to create his own, “During his life Walt would often try to recapture the freedom he felt when aboard those trains, by building his own miniature train set.” (Chris para.8). Walter would often hop on trains and just sketch in his notepad to feel the same freedom as before. After the creation of Oswald the Rabbit was sold off to Universal, Walter had to create a new cartoon. To get some inspiration, he hopped on a cross-country train to be alone with his doodles and imagination. Walter teamed up with his good friend, Ub Iwerks and they started talking and sketching up new character ideas. Soon the creation of a mouse was invented who started off as Mortimer. But the name was changed to Mickey Mouse by Walter’s wife to be cuter and children friendly. Walter decided to head of the big city of Hollywood with his new creation, “He started out in Hollywood with $40 and a sketch book.” (Bio para.1). Luckily for Walter, his older brother, Roy was already in California with encouragement, suggestions, and some cash. Walt’s ideas, creativity, his drawing, and interest in technology bought him to the top of Hollywood world.
Mickey Mouse was Walter’s biggest hit and he created many of Mickey’s friends. Those friends go by the names of Goofy, Daisy, Donald, Pluto, and of course his girlfriend, Minnie. Mickey’s first appearance was in Plane Crazy but it wasn’t Mickey’s break out performance. Walter wasn’t successful with Mickey until people watched Steamboat Willie since it was the first sound cartoon and the big reveal on Mickey and Minnie’s mouse relationship. Mickey was not only created by Walter but he was also the voice behind the mouse. Walter created other movies when Mickey was on his rise to success. Walter was always interested in the newest technologies of his time so he used Technicolor. Technicolor is using “a three-strip camera for photography. It was later changed to a single film successive exposure camera that photographed each animation cell sequentially through blue, red, and green filters.” (Widescreenmuseum para.3). Walter then started creating tons of movies using Technicolor such as Snow White, Fantasia, Pinocchio, Bambi, Dumbo, Peter Pan, and Lady and the Tramp.
Walter married one of his employees, Lillian Bounds in July and had two daughters, Sharon Mae and Diane Marie. Walt was a family man, “a man should never neglect his family for business.” (Howes para.5). Walter would take his two daughters to a local amusement park where he would watch them ride the merry-go-round while he sat on the bench. He noticed his children were having a blast riding on the rides but all the parents sat on benches looking miserable and wanting to go home. Walter wished there was a theme park that was clean and enjoyable for both parents and children.
When Walter was forming of the idea of Disneyland with his brother, he went under alias names to conceal his identity but it was his name was only reversed. He didn’t want people to know why he was buying a huge chunk of land. Since Walter was wealthy, he knew people would raise the prices just because it was him but no one seemed to know what he looked like. The Disney brothers were debating on what to do with the newly purchased land. Walter wanted to build a ski resort while Roy wanted to stick to the theme park idea. Unfortunately, Walter died from lung cancer in 1965. When Walter died, his brother, Roy took over the Florida project for the park. Walter never got to see this Florida creation completed. Roy wanted to complete Walter’s idea for the theme park where parents and children would find it enjoyable so the parents wouldn’t be sitting on a bench bored like Walter was. With their ideas, the Disney brothers created a place far from their time. They created a park named Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow or EPCOT which has two parts of it, Future World and World Showcase, “Future World was dedicated to the cutting edge technology that was being developed and that would be used by mankind on many different fronts. World Showcase was developed to be a separate park that showed the customs and cultures of other countries.” (Illuminating Epcot para.2). Walter and Roy had thought of a place where people from different cultures and places would enjoy it. People from all over the world go to either Disneyworld or Disneyland to travel “all over the world” in one place. Also people visit Epcot to experience the future technologies and technology currently used.
EPCOT is only one of the four main theme parks in Disneyland. There is also Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Magic Kingdom was the first built park in Disneyland. It was built to be exactly like the Magic Kingdom in Disneyworld. Most guests remember Magic Kingdom for Cinderella’s castle and the reoccurring theme of fantasy. A year after Magic Kingdom was built, Roy Disney had passed away leaving the rest of the vision and building to his son, Roy E. Disney. Roy then brought in Michael Eisner to help him out. They created a park called Disney-MGM Studio which was changed to Disney’s Hollywood Studios later on. Hollywood Studio is place created “where guests of Walt Disney World could witness the inner workings of living, breathing movie and television production facilities.” (Allears para.1). Guests get a sense what goes on during the production of Disney films and all the props used. Guests recognize Hollywood Studios for either Mickey's sorcerer hat or the Tower of Terror which is a ride based on the Twilight Zone. The last built theme park is Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Animal Kingdom is home to many exotic animals of many different species, “the park reflects Walt Disney’s dedication to conservation and is committed to animal care, education and research.” (Disneyworld para.1). Walter wanted a park that involved animals in an informative way and have a variety of different animals in one place. Animal Kingdom gives you the feeling that you are actually in Africa and Asia with all these creatures and the heat. Guests recognize Animal Kingdom by its massive Tree of Life where thousands of animals are carved into the base.
Thousands upon thousands of people go to Disneyland each day. Walter wanted a place where people would be happy. He wanted children to feel like they were in their own imagination. Disneyland doesn’t only offer rides, it tells you a whole story. When one steps into a park at Disneyland, one is walking into a different world sort of like an escape from reality. Disneyland for children is just a place to be children and enjoy everything around them. For parents, Disneyland is a place where they can also enjoy but they can return to their childhood state of mind. Just like Walter would have wanted, Disneyland is always complimented on how clean the park is and how friendly all the characters are that work there. Don’t worry in the creation of Disneyland, Walter did not forget about his mouse that brought him to his fame. Mickey can be spotted all over the park whether on balloons, shirts, hidden pins, and more.