Walter Elias Disney

There are several ways to define a hero, and there are many people I consider a hero, but one I decided to pick is a person by the name of Walter Disney. Disney is considered a hero because he left the world, when he died, a gift… something we would call magic and the power of imagination people have and can use if they set their heart to it. Walter left an example to us all through his work, he inspired us all.

Disney was born December 5, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois and was the fourth son of five children. His father was named Elias Disney, an Irish-Canadian, and his mother was named Flora Disney, a German-American. During most of his childhood, Walter was raised in a midwestern farm in Marceline, Missouri, and in Kansas City. Walter soon began to grow an interest in art at an early age and thus took courses and Saturday museum classes to acquire knowledge on art. At the age of 7 he began selling his first sketches to his neighbors. Later in his life when he begins his career he used most of the animals from the farm he was raised in to create his characters.

In 1923, Walter went to Hollywood, only bringing with him a few drawing materials, forty dollars, and a complete animated fairy tale subject. But with the help of his loyal brother Roy O. Disney, they worked together, using every resource they had. Borrowing $500 they set their business up. Later on they received an order from New York for a feature called “Alice in Cartoonland.” Soon then after the brother’s business operation expanded to a Hollywood real estate office. By 1928, Mickey Mouse was created and made his debut in “Steamboat Willie” which was the ever first synchronized sound cartoon. One of the many things that made Walter a hero was his determination. When he first came to Hollywood he was in a disposition when he started out, but thanks to his brother he was able to advance as well as being the first to introduce a new kind of cartoon. Without that determination, Walter may not have gone anywhere.

The devotion and determination he had to his work as well as improving cartooning became endless. Walter was the first person to try the different effects in cartooning. He first tried music when his creation “Skeleton Dance” came out. He used Technicolor when he made “Silly Symphony,” with “The Tortoise and the Hare,” he used the portrayal of speed. Walter was the first to use 3-D shooting in “The Old Mill” and lastly he was the first to use color in “Flower and Tree’s.” Later then, Walter went even further with the coming of the first full-length animated musical called “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” making as much as $1,499,000. This happened during the Great Depression, where money like that was unreal and the workers of Walter doubted the movies capabilities. But the next 5 years all became enjoyable as more full-length features came such as Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, and Bambi. During the World War 2 94% of the facilities were being used for special government work. With little options offered to Walter, he used the remainder of his efforts to create short comedy subjects used to raise civilian and military morale. By 1955, Disney Land launched as a $17 million magic kingdom, entertaining more than 100 million people, including Presidents, Kings and Queens, and royalty all over the globe. In 1965 Walter focused a plan in building a better community by buying 28,000 acres of land in Orlando, Florida. With 7 years of master planning and preparation, along with 52 months of actual constructions, Walter died in Dec. 15, 1966 before he saw his plan complete. By October 1, 1971, Walt Disney World of Florida opened.

Walter Disney has inspired us to keep moving onward and fulfill his dreams of a better community. Walter has entertained hundreds of people for several years and was the first to discover and introduce the many effects of cartooning. Bringing us happiness in what he did, he made a total 21 full-length animated films, 47 live-action films, and 280 other television shows, winning himself more than 800 awards. Walt Disney has become a folk hero of the 20th century.