Walt Disney

Walt Disney was a famous television producer. He was the creator of cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. Disney became one of the biggest entertainment companies in the world.

Walt Disney was born on December 5, 1901 in Chicago. His family moved to a farm near Marceline, Missouri when he was just a baby. This town was inspirational for the Main Street U.S.A of Disneyland. He also first showed a talent for drawing and painting here. Then his family moved to Kansas City, Missouri. In Kansas City the young Walt began to study cartooning. He took classes in Kansas City. In 1917 Disney moved back to Chicago. He attended McKinley High School and made drawings for the school paper. Then, during World War 1, he served as an ambulance driver for the American Red Cross in France and Germany. When he returned, he met Ub Iwerks, a young artist.

Disney and Iwerks started a studio in 1922. They created Laugh- O-Gram and a fairy tale called "Alice in Cartoon Land." Although their studio failed, their success with the fairy tale compelled Disney and his brother Roy to become business partners. They moved to California and opened a new studio. Disney persuaded Iwerks to join him and assist with the drawing of the cartoons. Disney started a new series called Silly Symphonies. Then he created a character named Mickey Mouse. He made a Mickey Mouse carton with sound called "Steamboat Willie." It was a big success. The growing popularly of Mickey Mouse and his girlfriend Minnie led to the invention of other characters like Donald Duck and Goofy.

Disney was never one to rest or stand and still. In 1934 Disney began to work on a version of the classic fairy tale "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." He functioned chiefly as coordinator and final decision maker. Snow White was widely acclaimed. Disney also created the films "Pinocchio" (1940) , "Dumbo" (1941), and "Bambi" (1942). In 1940 Disney moved his company into a new studio in Burbank, California. Disney Studio was among the first to foresee the potential of television. The Mickey Mouse Club was one of their most popular television shows. The climax of Disney's career as a producer, however, came with his release in 1963 of the motion picture "Mary Poppins," which was a worldwide success. Disneyland, and amusement park, opened in 1955. Soon it became a mecca for tourists around the world. Disney World was under construction at the time of his death, and it opened in 1971 Walt Disney had great imagination and energy and also a whimsical humor. It inspired him to develop well-loved amusements for children throughout the world.

Walt Disney had great imagination and energy and also a good sense of humor. It inspired him to develop well-loved amusements for children throughout the world. There is no denying his many great accomplishments. They made him one of the most successful businessmen in history.