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Walt Disney

by Norma from Sanford


Walter Disney was an American film maker and producer and showman of television. He was a famous film pioneer. He built Disneyland, and the company he founded has become one of the major entertainment businesses in the world. Walter Elias was born on December 5, 1901, in Chicago, Illinois. He was the fourth son of Elias Disney. When Walter Elias was a baby he moved to a farm near Marceline, Missouri, a small Middle Western town. He started drawing and painting. Then he moved to Kansas City, Missouri, delivering paper. He learned good studying and work habits and discipline. He had to leave to go to World War I, in which he was an ambulance driver for the American Red Cross in France and Germany. He came back to Kansas City in 1919. He found jobs as a draftsman and inker in commercial art studios. He met UB Iwerks, a young artist, who helped Disney succeed in his early life Disney was forced to file for bankruptcy in 1923. He moved to California to reopen a new shop in Hollywood with his brother Roy. They invented a character called Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. They made $1,500 each, and they launched their small business.


In 1927 Disney and Iwerks experimented with a new character called Mickey Mouse. "Steamboat Willie" was the first cartoon that Mickey Mouse was in, and when it appeared in 1928, Steamboat Willie was a sensation. It was very popular. However, making these cartoons was costing a lot of money, so Disney's operation was always in peril. Mickey and Minnie were so popular, however, that they made other animals like Donald Duck, Pluto and Goofy. In 1933 they produced a short film, "The Three Pigs," during the Great Depression, a period of economic and hard times. This made audiences all over the world like Disney's cartoons. Disney began using color in 1932. They sold watches, doll, shirts and tops. To make more money.


In 1934 he began Snow White. He was mainly the coordinator and final decision-maker on the project. Snow White was widely acclaimed by critics and was popular with the public. Disney proved cartoons' power as feature-length stories and movies. He developed more full-length movies like Pinocchio (1940), Dumbo (1941), and Bambi (1942). In 1940 Disney moved his company into a new studio in Burbank. The Disney studio was one of the first to see the potential of the television. The Zorro and Davy Crocket television series were very popular with children. The Mickey Mouse Club was also successful. The biggest success of Disney's career' as a producer came with movie of Mary Poppins. In 1964 it was popular all over the entire world.


Disneyland was opened in 1955 in California. It was a huge amusement park. It soon became an attraction for tourists from all over the world. Walt Disney World was another park, near Orlando, Florida. It was under construction at the time of his death. Disney World opened in 1971.


Disney had imagination and energy. He knew what people would like so he created enjoyment for children of all ages. He was one of the most successful industrialists in history.

Page created on 1/23/2014 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 1/23/2014 12:00:00 AM

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