Walter Elias Disney

Walt Disney ("World Biography." Walt Disney Biography. Advameg, ())

Walt Disney once said, "All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them," (Perez). Disney always thought that if you had a dream you could do it no matter what other people said and no matter how childish it seemed, as long as you were willing to work hard for it. Walter Elias Disney was born on December 5th 1901, as a kid Disney did not have much of a childhood, he was always being moved from one place to another because of his father's work. Growing up he loved nature but making art and drawing was one thing that he truly had a passion for. When he got back from France after working as an ambulance driver in the war in 1919, he started his animated business with his brother and another young artist Ub Iwerks. Since his childhood did not have much of color in it, he splashed rainbows of color on his animated cartoons that brought everyone back to their kid state no matter what age. After many ups and downs Disney never let go of his life long dream and along the way he inspired others to do the same. Typical heroes like superman or batman posses traits like bravery, strength, and courage, but there are some heroes that posses other traits such as being funny, open-minded, inspirational, and passionate. The traits that really tap into our feelings and heart. His creations brought to life the child inside everyone, his creative mind brought down the boundaries for the impossible making it true that the sky is not the limit but we can go much farther than that, and with all of his great successes came great downfalls too but he didn't let that stop him. "It's kind of fun to do the impossible," (Perez).

Growing up, Disney didn't have much of a childhood due to his father being strict. As he grew older Disney brought out the childish imagination inside of everyone that saw his work. Every child and adult in the world has heard of Walt Disney and has grown up with his influence. '"The world of Walt Disney," asserted a 1983 Esquire profile, "...is etched in the American mind almost as if we were born with it there, it is that primeval.... No American child born since 1940, indeed, hardly any kid anywhere the world over, has escaped Disney's influence,'" ("Walt Disney." American). All of his animations captured every kids eye no matter what his or her race was or where he or she lived. Not only did he capture kids, but also adults of all ages. Even after he died his legacy still lived on. "Disney's impact on childhood entertainment is almost immeasurable and, at the time of his death, his business empire was estimated to be worth more than $100 million a year. In addition, Disney created a new university, the California Institute of the Arts. Disney once said, "If I can help provide a place to develop the talent of the future, I think I will have accomplished something,"' ("Walt Disney." Business). After his death his business grew larger than ever, due to all of the help of the people that he influenced and people whose dreams came true with the help of his new university. He wanted to inspire future generations to let their imaginations run wild when doing what they love.

The making of Steamboat Willie ("The Rebirth of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit." BBC News ())

Walt Disney built an empire out of dust but to have done that he had to use his imagination and his creativity to achieve that. The creativity from his childhood was used in his work, and that brought out the imagination in everybody else. His work started with Mickey Mouse and grew larger and larger. "...Disney decided to make the first talking-and-music cartoon: Mickey Mouse as "Steamboat Willie." (He used his own voice for Mickey.) Soon, Mickey was joined by a girlfriend, Minnie. Their popularity led to the invention of such familiar characters as Donald Duck, Pluto, and Goofy." ("Walter Elias Disney.") It all started off with a mouse and that created a wave that shaped the future. Not only did it shape the future of his business but also shaped the life lessons that people learned through his movies. Though he was well known for his creativity and imagination, growing up not many people thought so. "At one point, Walt was hired to work at the Kansas City Star newspaper. He was later fired from the paper for his "lack of creativity". (Years later, The Walt Disney Company would buy ABC which owned The Kansas City Star.) Isn't that ironic?" (Jones) Many people did not see him as a creative person because he was creative in his own and personal way. He created things that other people that had grown up for good wouldn't understand unless you still had the imagination of a kid. If it weren't for his creativity he would have never gotten to the point that he did.

Despite his many successes Walt Disney did have many bumps in his career that could have jeopardized the company if he would have given up. "By 1960, Disney had become a wealthy man, despite many ups and downs in his career. Just as he neared the pinnacle of his career, after having won five Oscars for his production of the movie Mary Poppins, he learned that his lifetime of cigarette smoking had come with consequences. He had surgery for lung cancer in 1966. Though he appeared to be recovering, he had a relapse and died on December 15, 1966." ("Walt Disney." Business) Disney had many problems in the process of creating this empire. Such as rejection, bankruptcy, family loss and those things could have brought him down. But Disney was determined to create the image that he had in his mind and he wouldn't let anything get in the way, not even his cancer. His determination and his not-giving-up attitude made his dream into a reality. "...finally, in 1955, his dream came true, even though the proposed park was originally rejected by the city of Anaheim, based on their thought that it would attract "riff-raff". The "Happiest Place on Earth" as it is called today, opened to the sum of $17 million dollars." (Jones) Despite his many problems he was determined to not give up and that got him to where he got. To the top of the world with all of his imagination creations by his side. His determination was what kept him growing.

The growth of Disney characters ("Is This What Disney Characters Would Looks Like ())

Disney's creations brought to life the child inside everyone, his creative mind brought down the boundaries for the impossible making it true that the sky is not the limit but we can go much farther than that, and with all of his great successes came great downfalls too but he didn't let that stop him. Overall Disney was a huge success, not only then but he is still one now and for many years to come. The mark that he left on the world history is unforgettable and will live on for many centuries to come. Walt Disney taught us so many things and life lessons not only from his movies but also from what he went through. In most of his movies Disney taught us to never let go of our dreams no matter what happened and that "When you believe in a thing believe in it all the way- implicitly and unquestionable," (Perez). But Disney taught us that you don't have to be perfect to be what you want to be, it doesn't matter if your dream is impossible, "It's kind of fun to do the impossible," (Perez). And to just live life to the fullest doing what you love. Walt Disney may not have been perfect like almost every stereotypical hero but his artwork and life lessons inspired millions of people including me to never give up and that the lightest spark of imagination can ignite a wildfire of opportunities.

Works Cited

Jones, Maggie L. "Walt Disney." Walt Disney. Planet Motivation, n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2015.

Perez, Ashly. "16 Walt Disney Quotes To Help Guide You Through Life." BuzzFeed. N.p., 30 Oct. 2013. Web. 15 Feb. 2015.

"Walter Elias Disney." Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History. Ed. Thomas Carson and Mary Bonk. Detroit: Gale, 1999. Biography in Context. Web. 21 Jan. 2015.

"Walt Disney." American Decades. Ed. Judith S. Baughman, et al. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Biography in Context. Web. 21 Jan. 2015.

"Walt Disney." Business Leader Profiles for Students. Ed. Sheila Dow and Jaime E. Noce. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1999. Biography in Context. Web. 21 Jan. 2015.