Walter Elias Disney

“I only hope that we never lose sight of ONE thing… that was all started by a MOUSE”. The quote in the previous sentence was made by someone whose company is a household name at this point in time. The company referred is known as “Disney”. Walt Disney, who is the founder of Disney was a very well-known animated movie creator but he had a very complicated and intricate past. Walt Disney’s past is complex from all the times he or his family moved even when they find new jobs but the information is crucial to see how this helped him become the Disney we all knew.

On December 5th, 1901 Walt Disney was born into a large family that now consists of his siblings Roy, Raymond, Ruth, and Herbert Disney (so three brothers and one sister). His childhood was very difficult for both Roy and him. Their father, Elias Disney had a farm they’d work on for basically hours on end. Then, their father moved to Kansas City where he opened up a newspaper delivery service in which they both did a lot of the work, they woke up at about 3:30 AM to deliver papers. On Saturday, he would attend the Kansas City Art Institute and then once he moved back to Chicago he attended McKinley High School. During his time in school, he would draw cartoons and pictures for the school newspaper. But, during his time in high school the United States entered World War II and Walt tried to follow Roy into the Navy but wasn’t allowed in due to being under-aged but he lied about his age to be an Ambulance driver for the Red Cross.

Walter Elias Disney, a well-known animator now, but many years ago he was just a kid working long hours on his father’s farm and newspaper delivery service. Walt Disney’s life is very significant to our culture since his work brought animated movies, new theme parks, and cartoons to us. We all can’t help but enjoy all this entertainment he brought to everyone.

By: Eli Reino

Works Cited

"Walter Elias Disney." Dictionary of American Biography, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1988. U.S. History in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/BT2310014679/UHIC?u=pl2634&xid=bcc0f434. Accessed 23 Jan. 2017.

"Walt Disney Quotes." BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2017.

“You can design and create and build the most wonderful place in the world but it takes people to make a dream a reality.” These famous words of Walt Disney describe how his goals became a reality. Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney first met in in 1920 in the Pesmen-Commercial Art Studio in Kansas City where the two men created artwork for advertisements. Soon the two men opened their own company hoping to create animation. They moved to Los Angeles and created the Walt Disney Company. In 1928, Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks worked together to create the famous character, Mickey Mouse.

Walt Disney’s very first animated cartoon was called Steamboat Willie using the character of Mickey Mouse. He was inspired by watching other movies like the The Jazz Singer and Steamboat Bill. Steamboat Willie was the first cartoon synchronized with a soundtrack. The audience watching Steamboat Willie were wondering how a cartoon character could possible talk, play instruments and move to an instrumental beat. Mickey Mouse would become the most famous character that Disney ever created. Mickey Mouse became the center of Disney.

Mickey Mouse became a famous movie star in his own right. Generations still know who Mickey Mouse is today.Walt disney and Ub Iwerks worked together to build an empire. Steamboat Willie was the first sound film in a long procession of famous Disney films. As mickey mouse became more famous it opened the way for other characters like Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto, Goofy, The Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf. These film made lot money.

By: Omar Karim

Works cited

"Steamboat Willie." American Decades Primary Sources, edited by Cynthia Rose, vol. 3: 1920-1929, Gale, 2004, pp. 55-57. U.S. History in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3490200443/UHIC?u=pl2634&xid=e324f380. Accessed 24 Jan. 2017.

"Walter Elias Disney." Dictionary of American Biography, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1988. U.S. History in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/BT2310014679/UHIC?u=pl2634&xid=bcc0f434. Accessed 24 Jan. 2017.