Walt Disney

I made it. (I did.)

Introduction: I chose this person because I never knew his story about how he became so big. I only knew a little about him when I chose this book but what I knew about him I thought was inspiring how he pushed through all the non-believers. Even when he was famous there were people who doubted him and even betrayed him. This book is a biography, written By Bill Scollon. This book is 132 pages long. The book started in December 5, 1901 when Walt Disney was born, but the book did not end when he died in December 15, 1966 it ended when his brother Roy died on October of 1971. The book was written in 2014. Bill worked at Disney Educational Productions for 20 years! His most recent book is Walt Disney Drawn from Imagination, my book! He has produced more than 200 educational videos!

I made it. (I did.)

Personal Facts: Walt was born in Chicago, but when he was 4 he moved to Marceline but then moved again to Kansas City when he was 9. 7 years later they moved back to Chicago when Walt was 16. The names of Walt's mom and dad were Elias and Flora Disney. Walt had 3 older brothers named Herbert, Ray and Roy. Walt also had a younger sister named Ruth. Obviously Walt loved to draw, but when he first came to Hollywood he wanted to be a director but one of his friends that lived in Hollywood said he was best at drawing. It took awhile for him to warm up to the idea but he did. Walt Disney lived through The Great Depression, World War 1 and World War 2. Actually one of his biggest hits was during the Great Depression because people could escape what was happening in the real world. Also did you know he served in World War 1 as a Red Cross ambulance driver. He went after the war because when he was supposed to go he got the flu. When Walt got older he made a company with his brother called "The Disney Bros. Studio" but his brother thought the name would be better if it was single name, so Walt came up with "Walt Disney Studio". Walt Disney started to draw as soon as he could pick up a pencil. One time he found some tar and painted on his barn and it was still there even when they sold the house! He was in school doodling behind his text book when the principal was teaching, he found out and said he will never be anything. Also did you know that he got fired from a cartoon company for not having creativity.

I made it. (I did.)

Challenges and Accomplishments: Walt Disney had to overcome lots of things like bankruptcy, failure and non-believers, but the answer was easy... believe in yourself. If he went bankrupt he would take a lot of time and effort to make a great come back. If he failed he would get back up on that horse and try again. For the non-believers, only needed to believed in himself. What really jump-started his career was the company that he and his brother made called "The Disney Bros. Studio" that was later called "Disney Studio". It had a big effect on him because it showed that he could change the world and make a place where both parents and kids could have fun. One time when he was about 16-20 he gave up drawing because his parents convinced him that he couldn't make a living out of it. His Aunt was very supportive, she would come by each week and give him crayons, paper, pencils, pencil crayons and pens. She would say that he was an amazing artist and that he had real potential. His brother Roy also encouraged him. His first drawing was for a dentist and he got paid 25 cents. That was a big deal for him, he always thought of it as his first job. Did you know that he wanted to name Minnie Mouse Minerva Mouse but his wife, Lillian Disney, thought that Minnie was cuter. Walt got marred on July 13, 1925. He first met her when he hired her for his company. They were happily married for the rest of their lives.

All that Walt Disney is and more. (I made it. (I did.))

Most people when they hear Walt Disney they just think of a park. I used to think that but now I know much more and how it's not just a park, it's someone's life that changed the world. Most people don't know his life story, that he helped in World War 1, or that he had one of his best friends leave him for a different company or how he struggled. They just thought he just one day got famous. This book really shows you that hard work pays off. I think that Bill did a great job of writing the book because it was like Disney was living again and I was watching everything happen, through the pain and the suffering, and the success and happiness.He was a great man, he was more than a park or cartoons, he was a kind, nice, forgiving, loving, wonderful man and, most of all, had a heart of gold.