Walter Disney

One of my hero's is Walter Elias Disney. Walt Disney was famous for his theme parks, for creating the famous cartoon Mickey Mouse, and producing classic movies. I admire Walt Disney because he inspired me to think about what I am skilled at and that maybe that can become my profession. I also admire him because he had a dream to make an amusement park that people of all ages could enjoy. Throughout Walt Disney's life, his name was famous from all that he accomplished.

Walter Elias Disney was born on December 5, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois. His parents names were Elias and Flora Disney. Walt had three older brothers Herbert, Raymond, and Roy. After Walt's little sister Ruth was born, he and his family moved to Marceline, Missouri. In 1910 the Disney Family moved again to Kansas City. Walt had a lot of jobs before he became a cartoon and movie producer. His first job was on his father's farm in Missouri as a newspaper boy in Kansas City, worked for different film companies, and then became a producer and creator of Walt Disney Studio.

When Walt was starting out in Hollywood, Walt and his brother Roy started to make "Alice's Wonderland" series. When the production company didn't want the Alice series they fired the Disney Brothers Studio. A different producing company called "Universal Studios" wanted a new character and Walt had one. This new series was called "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit." Oswald was producing well until 1928 when the contract was up. Walt wanted a higher price, but the producer Charlie Mintz wanted to lower the price. Walt then stopped giving Universal cartoons. Walt began to think of a new cartoon. This quote is from "The Magical Life of Walt Disney." "Walt took a piece of paper and drew a head of a mouse with big round ears." Walt named this cartoon Mortimer Mouse, But Lily didn't like that name. She liked Mickey Mouse much better. This is the birth of the famous cartoon, Mickey Mouse. After showing the Walt Disney Studio staff Mickey Mouse, things just started going smoothly for Walt.

In the year 1927, Walt wanted to make a film with sound. This film was called "Steamboat Willie" which starred Mickey Mouse. On November 18, 1928 "Steamboat Willie" opened and it was an instant success. This film also started the "Mickey Mouse Club." After "Steamboat Willie" aired, Walt wanted to make full-length cartoons. Walt's first full-length cartoon was based on the fairy tale "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." On December 21, 1937, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" had its big premiere and it turned out to be a huge success. After making "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," Walt made other productions. These productions were, Pinocchio, Cinderella, Fantasia, Saludos Amigos, The Three Caballeros, Bambi, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Seal Island, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Robin Hood, The Sword and the Rose, Mary Poppins, and much more. These movies were all a success.

When Walt went to the doctor, he found out that he had lung cancer. This quote is from the book "The Magical Life Of Walt Disney." The surgeon told Lily, Diane, and Sharon "that the cancer had spread and that Walt had only six months to two years to live." On December 15, 1966, at 65 years old, Walt Disney died. Walt bought had land in Florida to build the second theme park "Disneyworld." Walt doesn't know how his production company is doing and how "Disneyworld" turned out.