WALT DISNEY: Essay Topics
WALT DISNEY —THE REAL MAN
Walter Elias Disney was born on December 5, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois to his parents, Elias Disney an Irish Canadian and Flora Call Disney, a German American. Walt was one of four children. Walt and his brother Roy and sister Ruth grew up in Chicago, where they attended Benton Grammar School together. He worked hard throughout his schooling and helped support his family during difficult times. When Walt was 23 years old, he and his sweetheart, Lilly, were married in Lilly’s hometown in Idaho on July 13, 1925, even though they had very little money at this time in their lives. Together they had two daughters, Diane Marie Disney and Sharon Mae Disney. Walt Disney left a legacy of unmatched vision and creativity through his animated films, studios and theme parks before he passed away on December 17, 1966. His brilliant vision has lived on with each generation since his death.
Accomplishments
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 than 950 honors and citations from all nations along with seven Emmys. 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 than fifty full-length movies out today. 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.
Things To Be Remembered By:
There are many things that you may not know about Walt Disney. For one, Oswald was one of the first characters that Disney created. Oswald looked much like Mickey Mouse but had longer ears than Mickey. Many children remember the story of the “Three Little Pigs “which was made in 1933 by Walt Disney. Throughout Walt Disney’s life he has moved many hearts. Disney is one to be remembered for many things. Disney’s generosity to the young and the old in the entertainment world has been huge. He felt each of his employees were part of his family, the Disney family.
Walt Disney accomplished many of his dreams always striving to accomplish many others. Walt once said, “Laughter is America’s most important export.” We know this to be very true. Walt Disney was a brilliant man and will be remembered for all time, generation after generation.
“Walter Elias Disney is known as a famous cartoonist and a visionary in entertainment business. He has made many wonderful, enjoyable movies like: “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, “Pinocchio”, “Beauty and the Beast”, “Fantasia”, “Dumbo”, “Bambi” and many more. He also created the famous mouse, Mickey Mouse, from a memory of a friendly mouse that begged for food in his 1922 Kansas City art studio. Walt developed his talent when he attended the Academy of Fine Arts at night after he dropped out of McKinley High School at the age of seventeen. He became a paperboy to help support himself during this time. Walt Disney’s great attitude showed when he said, “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing”, and “When you do BIG things, you make big mistakes.”
The Man Behind his Work
Walt Disney was a very hard and motivated worker. When he was only seven he sold his first sketches to his neighbors. Flora, his mother, is the one who taught Walt and his siblings how to read and write. When Walt Disney was seven he attended Benton Grammar School with Roy, his older brother. Walt Disney always put his family first, then his work. In 1917 Walt’s family needed some help financially, Walt chose to move back in with his family and he took a part-time job at a Jelly Factory to help support them. During the Great War, Walt Disney was sixteen and attempted to enlist in the military but was rejected because of his age. Then Walt went to the Red Cross to help, he was sent overseas to drive an ambulance for the United States Army. He cared about mankind and his country.
The Working Years
In 1923 Walt Disney signed a contract to make several cartoons. Roy, Walt’s older brother and Walt moved to Los Angeles to set up the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio. Here they made the “Alice Comedies” and “Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.” In 1926 Walt changed his cartoon studio name from Disney Bros, to what we now know it as today, Walt Disney Studios. Things took off in November of 1928 when Mickey and Minnie Mouse made their debut in “Steamboat Willie.” This movie is what made Mickey, Minnie and Walt Disney famous. Early on, Walt Disney was working so hard he was having some trouble sleeping, so he took some sleeping pills to help him sleep. His wife, Lilly was unable to wake him up one morning and she called the doctor who prescribed a long trip for rest and relaxation. (Ford NP) After Walt came back home well rested, he went right back to work. He began to work on the first Disney movie! Wait wanted each of the dwarfs in “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to be a distinct individual. The solution was to create names for them that would reflect their personalities. “Snow White,” which took three years to make, was released in 1937. This was the beginning to what we all know today as Disney movies.