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Saturday 25 October 2014

Walt Disney

Walt Disney  was born at 2156 North Tripp Avenue in Hermosa, Chicago, Illinois on December 5, 1901.

The surname Disney is derived from D'Isigny, which means somebody hailing from Isigny-sur-Mer, northern France.


Walt Disney’s father, Elias Disney, was a professional carpenter by trade who, among other things, worked on the construction of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, the prototype for all world's fairs to follow. When Walt was a boy, he would tell him of the many wonders of the fair, such as the first Ferris wheel, thus inspiring the dreams that would make him successful as an adult.

Walt Disney became interested in personalizing animals' characters after carelessly killing a small owl as a young boy. He felt deeply remorseful and guilty and vowed never again to kill a living creature.

Boh Walt Disney and McDonalds founder Ray Kroc served as ambulance drivers in the same Red Cross unit during World War I, and both had lied about their age to enlist.

Disney almost died during the 1918 influenza pandemic. He became so sick he was released from the Army to go home so his parents could take care of him.

Disney was fired in 1919 from a newspaper company in Kansas City, Missouri because of his lack of creativity.

In January 1920, Walt Disney and fellow artist Ub Iwerks started their own business, the short-lived Iwerks-Disney Commercial Artists. Failing to attract many customers, Disney and Iwerks agreed that Disney should leave temporarily to earn money at the Kansas City Slide Company. He was employed there as an artist starting on January 29, 1920. Disney worked there for more than two years helping to produce slides and one-minute films shown as advertisements in movie theaters, while Iwerks continued to run their art studio.

Walt Disney began as a cartoonist in the early 1920s. He created Oswald the Lucky Rabbit but lost ownership of the character due to a contract problem.

Walt Disney's business envelope featured a self-portrait c. 1921

Walt Disney's first animation company, Laugh-O-Gram Studios, went bankrupt in 1923.

The Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio was founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt Disney and Roy O. Disney. It established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into live-action film production, television, and theme parks.

Main entrance to The Walt Disney Studios. By Coolcaesar - Wikipedia

Walt Disney proposed to his eventual wife ink artist Lillian Bounds by saying, "I've got $75; shall I buy a new car or a wedding ring?" They married in Lewiston, Idaho on July 13, 1925. The ceremony was taken by Reverend D.J.W. Somerville. Their marriage produced two daughters, Diane (born December 1933) and Sharon (adopted in December 1936, born six weeks previously).

Before he became a success, Walt Disney was so poor that he had to eat dog food to survive.

The first Disney cartoon with sound, Steamboat Willie, was released on November 18, 1928. The cartoon is considered the debut of Mickey Mouse and his girlfriend Minnie, The release date of Steamboat Willie is the reason November 18 is celebrated as the birthday of both Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

Wikipedia Commons

Disney released Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on February 4, 1938. The full length animated movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs cost $1.5 million to make. Disney borrowed a large part of the cost but three years later, after completion in 1937, it became the highest-grossing sound film of that era.

Walt Disney received one large statuette and seven miniature statuettes when he won an honorary Oscar for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.


Walt Disney wasn't satisfied with the first few actors chosen to provide a voice for Mickey Mouse, so he did it, and continued to do so through about 1947.

In 1936, Walt Disney felt that the Disney studio's star character Mickey Mouse needed a boost in popularity. He decided to feature the mouse in a deluxe short called The Sorcerer's Apprentice. As production costs began to mount, they decided to include the short as part of a feature film set to classical music. This became the classic Disney film, Fantasia.

Walt Disney's animated musical film Fantasia was first released in theatrical roadshow engagements held in thirteen U.S. cities. The film's first roadshow opened at the Broadway Theatre in New York City on November 13, 1940.

Fantasia Poster Wikipedia

The sorcerer in Fantasia is named Yen Sid, which is “Disney” spelled backwards.

The soundtrack was recorded using multiple audio channels and reproduced with Fantasound, a pioneering sound reproduction system that made Fantasia the first commercial film shown in stereophonic sound.

Walt Disney personally hated the Goofy character and found its cartoons to be 'stupid'. The only reason he didn't axe the character is because it gave work to so many animators.

Walt Disney didn’t credit any of the voice actors in his first four films (Snow White, Pinocchio, Dumbo, and Bambi) because he wished to maintain the illusion with the audience that these characters were real.

Treasure Island, released in 1950, was Disney Studio's first live-action film,

Walt Disney was the most decorated person at any single Academy Award ceremony. In 1953, he took home trophies for best documentary feature, best documentary short subject, best cartoon short subject and best two-reel short subject.


Disney still has the record for the most competitive Academy Awards - 22 from a total of 59 nominations (the last one posthumously). He also holds the record for most consecutive years with nominations, with 22 between 1941 and 1962.

Walt Disney's family dog was named Lady. She was a poodle.

Walt Disney, the creator of Mickey Mouse, was said to be afraid of mice.

The sorcerer in Fantasia is called Yen Sid. Read it backwards and you'll see why.

After broadcasters transmitted Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color programme in the US in 1961, the demand for color television went sky high.

Walt Disney often called composer Robert B. Sherman into his office to play the piano for him. His favorite song was "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins (1964).

Walt Disney drove his daughters to school each day, even though he had a number of drivers who could have done it for him.

Walt Disney gave his housekeeper Disney stocks every year for Christmas and birthdays every year. The stocks were valued very little at the time, but by the time she was in her 70s, they were worth $9 million and she died a multi millionaire.

Walt Disney had a sister Ruth, who was who years younger than him. Ruth, who lived to age 92, was very shy and private, giving less than a half dozen interviews over the decades. Walt would send an annual December birthday letter to Ruth, accompanied by a check along with a selection of Disney-related merchandise for her son


Walt Disney was close friends with J. Edgar Hoover, and was an FBI informant for 26 years.

Walt Disney's religious beliefs have been a subject of some speculation and debate. He was raised in a Protestant Christian household, and there are indications that he had some Christian influences throughout his life. For example, he attended the Congregational Church with his family during his childhood, and he was reported to have donated to various Christian causes and organizations.

Disney also attributed his success to his lifelong habit of prayer. He said, "Thus, whatever success I have had in bringing clean, informative entertainment to people of all ages, I attribute in great part to my Congregational upbringing and my lifelong habit of prayer."

However, Disney was not known for being outspoken about his religious beliefs, and he did not make his faith a prominent aspect of his public persona. As a public figure, he was often seen as a more secular or humanist individual. His creations, such as the Disney theme parks and animated films, often featured themes of hope, optimism, and morality, which some have seen as reflecting Christian values, but he did not overtly incorporate religious messages into his work.

Disney was a chain-smoker; he died of lung cancer on December 15, 1966. He was cremated, and his ashes interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Walt Disney's surviving family has largely been torn apart by a vicious legal battle over the $400 million Disney fortune, which led to newspapers calling them "not the happiest family on Earth."

There is an urban legend about Walt Disney's body being cryogenically frozen and buried beneath the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland.

Sources IMDB.com, International Business Times


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