“When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are; anything your heart desires will come to you.” When one hears this familiar tune, they know they are about to experience a time of pure happiness, but who is the mastermind behind this glee, Mr. Walt Disney. Walt Disney was a critically acclaimed, U.S. motion-picture and television producer as well as a creative showman. Disney was and is still loved and adored by children and adults alike. Walt Disney’s uneasy childhood, slow rise to stardom, adulthood career struggles, world-changing creations, and post-death legacy are the key components of Disney’s fame, fortune, and life story.
Walt Disney’s not-so magical childhood led to his magical future. Walter Elias Disney was born on December 5, 1901 in a small town just outside of Chicago (Selden 8). Walt was the fourth son of Elias Disney, a carpenter by trade, and his wife, Flora Call, a school teacher (“Disney, Walt” 124). The Disney family moved often from town to town; one town specifically, Marceline, Missouri, Walt remembered fondly. Elias bought forty-eight acres of farmland and stocked it with many animals. These animals became young Walt’s best friends, and inspired many of the animated creatures of his future (Selden 10-11). Now, Walt’s childhood was usually happy, but not all lives are perfect. Elias was a very difficult man, and he would often give the Disney boys beatings. But as Herbert, Raymond, and Roy, Walt’s older brothers respectively, grew too old to be punished, only Walt was left to be beaten. One day, after Walt had had enough of the beatings, Walt said to Elias, “You cannot hit me, Father, not anymore.” After hearing this, Elias began to cry terminating the beatings (Selden 13). Elias s...
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... not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you,” and, “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new path.”
Works Cited
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“Disney, Walt” The New Encyclopedia Britannica. Volume 4. 2007. Print.
Langer, Mark “Disney, Walt.” American National Biography Online Feb. 2000. Oxford University Press. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
Saving Mr. Banks. DVD. Walt Disney Pictures and BBC Films. 2013.
Selden, Bernice. The Story of Walt Disney Maker of Magical Worlds. Milwaukee: Gareth Stevens Publishing, 1996. Print.
“Walt Disney.” Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (2013): 1. Academic Search Premier. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.
Welcome to the wonderful world of Disney: where your fantasy and dreams come to life. Disney was an idea created by the man himself, Walt Disney. He wanted to create a world where dreams can come true, which has cultivated a culture of disney fans over the web, on the television, on the radio, and in Disney parks. Additionally, Disney is such a widespread company that almost any Disney product can be found around the world. The movies, shows, even the children books created by Disney are well known. Books such as Understanding Disney written by Janet Wasko addresses the Disney company and the concept of happiness that it provides its many fans around the world. The culture of Disney is made from the happiness it brings people, but when the
Walt Disney was born in 1890 to a woman named Señora Isabelle Zamora. His father, Elias, met Isabelle in California of that same year and the two carried on an affair that ended with the birth of Walt. Later, Elias brought the two back to Chicago, Illinois where Isabelle became a housekeeper for the Disney family. Walt was assimilated into the Disney household and treated as the biological son of Elias and Flora Disney. Isabelle was with the family for years, being passed on from the Elias and Flora household to the Walt and Lillian family years later (Eliot 152-157). This account of Walt Disney’s birth poses many questions about myths, legends, and rumours that encircled the life of the “man behind the mouse”. Biographies and documentaries attempt to give accurate chronicles of his life and delve into the mind of this genius. Even people who make a career of studying the man’s life can only make theories about his actions from oral descriptions given by those who knew Disney personally. However, On Friday, October 24, 1947, Walt Disney testified in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and left his legacy on record for the entire world. While the testimony was documented and cannot be questioned, Disney’s motives for testifying, impact it had on his animated features, and how the ordeal affected his image are issues that are still scrutinised and debated.
Back in the roaring twenties America was seeing such world-changing phenomenons such as The Great Gatsby, and penicillin, but what took the world by surprise was none other than Walt Disney and his lovable creation, Mickey Mouse. Walt Disney, throughout his entire lifetime and career, always had an idea, a spark, and a way to make things better. Even in the face of tough times, he never failed to keep his optimistic attitude and kind faith in humanity from infecting those around him. A major part of his success was due to the technological innovations that revolutionized the film industry.
Gabler, Neal. 2006. Walt Disney: The triumph of the American imagination. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Walt Disney had many accomplishments in his lifetime. In 1932 he won an Academy Award for "Flowers and Trees" in the best cartoon category. It was the first of 48 Academy Awards, which Disney would win in his celebrated life. Walt Disney also received more then 950 honors and citations from all nations along with seven Emmys. (“Walter Elias Disney” NP) Walt Disney worked very hard for all the awards that he received and would continue working even harder with each new project. When “Steamboat Willie” came out for the first time on September 19,1928, Mickey and Minnie Mouse were born. Walt Disney Studios was a hit. Then, when the first full-length movie “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” was released in 1937 it broke all box-office records and Walt Disney Studios became well known nationwide. But that was just the beginning for Disney. He has more then fifty full-length movies out today. (DeAngelo NP) In 1955 Disneyland opened when Walt was 55 years old. He would not stop there. Before his death in 1966, he purchased the land for Disney World in Florida. Even though Walt was unable to see the happy faces on the people as they walked into Walt Disney World for the first time, he knew that he made all of us very happy.
“Walter Elias Disney was born December 5, 1901, in Chicago, Illinois, to Elias and Flora Disney…Walt’s parents …decided to move closer to family on a farm outside of Marceline, Missouri, in 1906…It was here that he began to draw animals and indulge his imagination. Walt’s exposure to rural life influenced him throughout his career.” (Jolley) When reading about Walt’s early history, it’s noticeable that he came from very humble circumstances. The places he lived, and the experiences he had, shaped his life dramatically. He was an imaginative and hardworking person from the start. “ Walt was only nine years old when he had to get up at 3:30 a.m., seven days a week, to fold and deliver papers for two hours before attending…school” (Jolley) By working at such a young age, life lessons of perseverance and dedication was instilled into his values at a very early.
Walt Disney came from an Anglo-Irish family that immigrated to Canada just before the potato famine (“Walt Disney Interviewed by Fletcher Markle”). On December 5, 1901, Elias and Flora Disney welcomed their fourth son into their home in Chicago, Illinois. When Walter Elias Disney was two years old his family moved to Missouri to escape the rising crime in Chicago. Life in Missouri for the Disney’s only lasted six years until they packed up their belongings and moved to Kansas City, Kansas. In 1917 when Walt Disney was the only child left at home, the three Disney’s decided Chicago was the place for them after all. Walt Disney was a student at McKinley High School and worked as the school newspaper’s art editor. His father was a co-owner of a jelly factory and during the day hours Walt would help wash jelly jars to help pay for expenses for art classes he was taking at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts (Schwartz).
Born on December 5th, 1901, Walter Elias Disney, grew up in Chicago, Illinois with his parents and four other brothers and sister. His father, Elias Disney, an Irish-Canadian, whom he inherited his name from, and his mother, Flora Call Disney, who was of German-American descent. They raised him in Chicago until they day they moved to Marceline, Missouri. Walter Disney spent his younger years taking an interest in art classes and writing activities and also the scenery around him. His family farm was placed in the countryside, near the Santa Fe Railroad tracks. Walter enjoyed his time spent outside listening to the trains pass by. It allowed him to imagine new things. He had a large imagination, growing with every activity he performed his talents in. Walter Disney took on his main talent of drawing. He began to doodle and sketch regularly. It became his favorite past time and he began to focus more on his drawings and animations then he did school. Since his drawings were becoming his main priority, Walter Disney began to sell his better d...
No one can be exempt from experiencing the hardships in life. Great success comes from failures. But not everyone has great success because they do not continue on after the failures. Some of us instead give up rather than continue to venture forward to achieve our goals and dreams. With that in mind, it is important to look at what motivates humans to continue on after failures. Walt Disney like everyone else in this world had successful ventures and complete failures. But, unlike those people who just give up after failing one time. Walt Disney kept on going and he soon succeeded. Walt Disney moved forward because of his goals and perseverance in life. There were many people who talked about Disney’s life, Neal Gabler stresses Disney’s early commitment to innovation’’(Gabler, 2006, p. 121). And as Schickel notes, ‘‘Mickey would become a symbol of the unconquerably chipper American spirit in the depths of the Depression’’(Schickel,1998, p.124). In essence, as shown by his life, his thoughts on work and achievements and his thought on his career and family, Walt Disney was motivated mostly by the goals he wished to achieve that had to do with motivation for art and his family rather than the being motivated by someone with incentives or being seemingly
Source #3. Cajamarca, Miriam Elizabeth Rivera and Rosa Elena Niola Sanmartin. “Walt Disney and His Influence In The American Society.” (-- removed HTML --)
The Disney corporation is easily the greatest empire of entertainment in the world thanks to the creator Walt Disney and his brother. Disney’s influence has been great within culture and society and I learned how much of an influence Disney has had through our course this semester. This influence is reflected and broadcasted through the many works and readings that we examined in class. The articles gave me new knowledge about Disney that I was previously unaware of.
Smith, Caroline. “The Not So Wonderful Word of Disney.” University of Alabama Arts & Sciences Department. Retrieved 13 Dec. 2013 from < http://www.english.uga.ed u/fyc/barnett/smith2006-07.pdf>.
Disney Online. (2005). Walt’s Family and Friends, Bob Gurr. Retrieved July 19, 2005, from http://disney.go.com/disneyatoz/familymuseum/exhibits/familyfriends/bobgurr/index.html
Walt Disney was the most creative and innovative person in the entertainment business in the 20th century. His movies and animations had a huge impact on family life and the movie and animation industry. He also created shows for television and opened Disney Land which were both huge successes. Walt Disney's Interest in art began at a young age. Walt went for his dreams and made them a reality. His hard work to become a movie and animation creator payed off by the time he was in his twenties . Walt Disney's accomplishments show that nothing is impossible.
The man, the dreamer, the artist, the creator, producer, the pioneer, and the developer; Walt Disney accomplished building his own empire along with his legacy that continues to grow every day. Every individual has a story about what drives them to be the person they are today and will be tomorrow. Personally, I love his impressive movies and alluring theme parks. Walt Disney has played an integral part of my family’s life. In fact, my daughter became engaged at the end of Main Street, in a fairy-tale moment in front of the enchanted Cinderella’s Castle, in the Magic Kingdom theme park for her birthday over the holidays. Just about everyone has some knowledge of Walt Disney’s incredible endeavors. However, how many people can say that they have knowledge of the man Disney was before creating Mickey Mouse and what follows?