Walt Disney: It All Started with a Mouse

1703 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Case study of walt disney the leader

Who knew that the creation of one cartoon mouse would result in one of the greatest success stories all time, and it all started with an entrepreneur named Walt Disney. Walt Disney was a man who changed the world between his multibillionaire dollar companies including Disney movies, resorts and theme parks. He was a man who started from humble beginnings and has grown into a business mogul that set a standard for business and entrepreneurs for generations to come. The “American Dream” is viewed as success and accomplishment, usually associated with great amounts of money or assets. Although Walt Disney seemed like an idealist, was a true pioneer of the “American Dream”. Disney’s upbringing, business sense, ideas and personality all played a part in Disney becoming a model of the “American Dream.”
Walt Disney’s early life and attitude impacted how he became the success that he is today. He had a harsh childhood with a relentless father, “Walt sometimes received rough treatment at the hands of his father for little or no justification. Still, he found a way to bounce back, often seeking solace in fantasy” (Watkinson and Nutile). Walt was one of four boys and their father, Elias, was very strict with them. When delivering newspapers, if Walt missed a house his father would force him to run to the houses to redeliver it. “At times the cold and his tiredness would conspire, and Walt would fall asleep, curled inside his sack of papers” (Gabler). All this hard work forced Walt to grow up quickly leaving him with virtually no childhood. “Out of this Dickensian boyhood grew Walt’s vision of escape to a utopian world. That vision, of course, would inspire his animations and theme parks” (Karlgaard). However, later in life, Walt ...

... middle of paper ...

...“infinity and beyond ” to create a successful and lasting business. “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them” (Disney).

Works Cited

Connellan, Thomas K. Inside the Magic Kingdom: Seven Keys to Disney's Success. Austin, TX: Bard, 1997. Print.
Hill, Bob. "Walt Disney’s 8 Secrets to Success." Business Brief Walt Disneys 8 Secrets to Success Comments. N.p., 26 Jan. 2010. Web. 08 Apr. 2014.
Hughes, Ivy. "Profiles in Greatness: Walt Disney." SUCCESS. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.
Karlgaard, Rich. "Seven Lessons of Walt Disney." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 08 Dec. 2006. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.
Thomas, Bob. Walt Disney: An American Original. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1976. Kindle.
"Walt Disney." BrainyQuote.com. Xplore Inc, 2014. 29 April 2014.
Watkinson, Jim, and Tom Nutile. "Innovation at Work." Innovation at Work. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2014

Show More
Related

  • The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

    878 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Defying the Disney Image: The Testimony of Walt Disney

    2989 Words  | 6 Pages

    The World of Disney. Lanham, MD: Scarborough Press, 1985.

    Read More

  • Walt Disney Company Case Analysis

    1433 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Walt Disney Company is a highly diversified media and entertainment company that has been growing by leaps and bounds since its inception in the late 1920’s. In the past few decades, The Walt Disney Company has expanded into numerous markets and diversified its business greatly. The company states that their corporate strategy is targeted at creating high-quality family content, exploiting technological innovations to make entertainment experiences more memorable, and expanding internationally. Upon studying the happenings of the company throughout the years, it is easy to see that the company is executing this strategy well through numerous strategic moves in the industry.

    Read More

  • Disney's Success In The Success Of Walt Disney

    1077 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • How Does Walt Disney Influence Culture

    824 Words  | 2 Pages

    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 broadcast through the many works and readings that we examine in class. The articles gave me new knowledge about Disney that I was previously unaware of.

    Read More

  • The History and Life of Mickey Mouse

    1197 Words  | 3 Pages

    What many people don’t know is that Mickey Mouse wasn’t always a good influence to not only children but to many others also. Over the years Mickey Mouse has evolved into an icon that is worthy of children’s attention and their parents’ money. Through the use of movies, television shows, video games, theme parks and merchandise Mickey Mouse affects most children’s lives every day even if it isn’t noticeable. Mickey Mouse has also given rise to many big movie productions and sales. While being educational Mickey Mouse also entertains children and teaches them a lesson that children enjoy and find fun. Not only does Mickey Mouse have educational purposes he also tries to form a Utopia environment for all families that use and watch Mickey’s products.

    Read More

  • Exploring Walt Disney Company: The Entertainment King

    1511 Words  | 4 Pages

    (1) Michel G. Rukstad, David Collis; The Walt Disney Company: The Entertainment King; Harvard Business School; 9-701-035; Rev. January 5, 2009

    Read More

  • Brothers Grimm

    1833 Words  | 4 Pages

    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>.

    Read More

  • Assessing the Corporate Culture of Walt Disney

    2097 Words  | 5 Pages

    “Fifty years ago, Walt Disney passed down three key precepts that still hold true today: tell a great story, tell it with great characters and push the technological barriers” (Hightower, 1993 p. 54). This statement by the Disney founder still drives the philosophy for Disney’s studio entertainment and parks and resorts business segments.

    Read More

  • Walt Disney's Impact On American History

    1117 Words  | 3 Pages

    Source #3. Cajamarca, Miriam Elizabeth Rivera and Rosa Elena Niola Sanmartin. “Walt Disney and His Influence In The American Society.” (-- removed HTML --)

    Read More

  • Walt Disney : Disney The Most Influential People

    1147 Words  | 3 Pages

    Walt Disney was born December 5, 1901 Hermosa, Chicago,Illinois by parents Elias Disney and Flora Call Disney. Living with four other siblings, Walt Disney grew up knowing selflessness and the power of togetherness that he used latter on in his many lines of work. Known for being a entrepreneur, cartoonist, animator, voice actor, and film producer, Walt Disney has been successful in bring joy and happiness to everyone of all ages.Disney has made large stepping stones for the animated industry along with creating beautiful long lasting entertainment for all and teaching us that with hard work and dedication we can do anything we dream of.From his humble beginnings in an old garage to building his own empire, Walt Disney has proven to be one of the most influential people even today with his many accomplishments.Some of these many accomplishments include creating something that everyone of every age can enjoy, improving the quality of animation along with creating the first full length animated movie, and opening the doors for the next generation of Disney Co. workers.

    Read More

  • Walt Disney Sexist

    1009 Words  | 3 Pages

    When you think of Walt Disney, you may think of Mickey Mouse, Disney Land, or Frozen, but you probably don’t think about laziness, sexism, or unfair treatment of others. The truth about Walt Disney is that he failed at art and directing until he hired others to do it for him, he stole credit for things he didn’t do, he was sexist, and horrible to his employees. Despite all this, many still see him as a hero. In “Walt Disney Hollywood’s Dark Prince,” Marc Eliot claims that Walt Disney is a story of overcoming difficulty to reach greatness, and that with hard work, anything is possible. However, Marc mistakenly reveals that all you need is greed, as Walt treated his employees unfairly, was incredibly sexist, and doesn’t even deserve most

    Read More

  • Summary Of Understanding Disney By Janet Wasko

    942 Words  | 2 Pages

    The book introduces the audience first to the Disney Universe, which gives a broad perspective of how the idea of Disney was created, what Disney has done for the world, and how people around the world feel about this company. The fans of this company, which created the culture, of course fell in love with everything Disney, from the characters to the theme parks. The company has shaped entertainment for the world, creating new forms of entertainment including animations, children movies, colored films, and musical movies. These forms of entertainment have brought joy in some shape or form to their fans. The book introduces the audience to the examination of the history behind Disney, including how it all started and some major complications the company had to overcome. Some of the complications included money problems, work space issues, introducing the company in a way they will be accepted by the common world. In the book, Wasko also includes how Disney cartoons, stories, films and television programs were created. This book also goes into great detail how people around the world receive merchandise or Disney

    Read More

  • Walt Disney

    1167 Words  | 3 Pages

    Walt Disney made a giant franchise that still continues today throughout the world. Everyone knows who Walt Disney is. Walt wanted to help make an impact on the world, and he achieved that. Walt’s work brought happiness to not just children’s lives, but to adult’s lives as well. “It is certain, that there will never be such a great man, as Walt Disney..”(Brad A.)

    Read More

  • Disney: The Success And Success Of Walt Disney

    795 Words  | 2 Pages

    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?

    Read More

More about Walt Disney: It All Started with a Mouse

Open Document