The Life of Walt Disney
Background
Walter Elias Disney was born on December 5, 1901 in Hermosa, Illinois. He grew up in Marceline, Missouri, where he drew, painted, and sold pictures to neighbors and family friends. In 1911, when Walt was ten years old, his family moved to Kansas City, where he developed a love for trains because of his uncle who ran a train between Fort Madison and Marceline. In the summer, he picked up a job at the railroad selling snacks and newspapers to travelers. He attended McKinley High School and took drawing and photography classes and was a cartoonist for the school news, while attending night classes at the Chicago Art Institute. At the age of 16, Walt Disney dropped out of high school to join the army, but was rejected, but made it into the Red Cross, where he went to France to drive an ambulance for a year. In 1919, he came back to Kansas City and became a newspaper artist and his brother Roy found him a job at Pesmen-Rubin Art Studio and met Ubbe Iwerks.
Walter Elias Disney was born on December 5, 1901 in Hermosa, Illinois. He grew up in Marceline, Missouri, where he drew, painted, and sold pictures to neighbors and family friends. In 1911, when Walt was ten years old, his family moved to Kansas City, where he developed a love for trains because of his uncle who ran a train between Fort Madison and Marceline. In the summer, he picked up a job at the railroad selling snacks and newspapers to travelers. He attended McKinley High School and took drawing and photography classes and was a cartoonist for the school news, while attending night classes at the Chicago Art Institute. At the age of 16, Walt Disney dropped out of high school to join the army, but was rejected, but made it into the Red Cross, where he went to France to drive an ambulance for a year. In 1919, he came back to Kansas City and became a newspaper artist and his brother Roy found him a job at Pesmen-Rubin Art Studio and met Ubbe Iwerks.
Early Cartoons
From Pesmen-Rubin Art Studio, Walt worked at the Kansas City Film Ad Company where he made commercials on cutout animation. Walt Disney began experimenting with a camera doing hand drawn cel animation and decided to open an animation business and recruited Fred Harman from the ad company as his first employee. He made a deal with a theater to screen cartoons, which were called Laugh-O-Grams, and they became hugely popular. Disney soon acquired his own studio that was also called Laugh-O-Grams, where he hired Fred's brother Hugh, along with Ubbe Iwerks. They did 7 minute fairytales with live action and animation called Alice in Cartoonland. In 1923, the company was burdened with debt and Walt declared bankrupcy. He and his brother Roy pooled their money and moved to hollywood, Walt only having a hundred dollars, forming together with Iwwerks who moved to California to create the Disney Brother's Studio. The first deal they made was with the New York distributor Margaret Wrinkler, who distributed the Alice cartoons. Shortly after, Walt invented Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and contracted them for $1,500 each. In 1925, the company hired Lillian Bound, and after a brief courtship, Walt and Lillian got married. Years later, Walt Disney found out that Wrinkler and her husband stole the rights to Oswald and all of the animators, except for Iwwerks in the fine print of one of their contracts. Disney Brothers, Iwwerks and their wives then produced three new cartoons with a character that Walt had been working on, famously known as Mickey Mouse. The first two shorts were Plane Crazy and The Gallopin' Gaucho, both silent films that failed to find distribution. When sound came in, Disney created a third, sound-and-music equipped short called Steamboat Willie, which had Walt as the voice of Mickey, causing it to be aninstant success.
From Pesmen-Rubin Art Studio, Walt worked at the Kansas City Film Ad Company where he made commercials on cutout animation. Walt Disney began experimenting with a camera doing hand drawn cel animation and decided to open an animation business and recruited Fred Harman from the ad company as his first employee. He made a deal with a theater to screen cartoons, which were called Laugh-O-Grams, and they became hugely popular. Disney soon acquired his own studio that was also called Laugh-O-Grams, where he hired Fred's brother Hugh, along with Ubbe Iwerks. They did 7 minute fairytales with live action and animation called Alice in Cartoonland. In 1923, the company was burdened with debt and Walt declared bankrupcy. He and his brother Roy pooled their money and moved to hollywood, Walt only having a hundred dollars, forming together with Iwwerks who moved to California to create the Disney Brother's Studio. The first deal they made was with the New York distributor Margaret Wrinkler, who distributed the Alice cartoons. Shortly after, Walt invented Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and contracted them for $1,500 each. In 1925, the company hired Lillian Bound, and after a brief courtship, Walt and Lillian got married. Years later, Walt Disney found out that Wrinkler and her husband stole the rights to Oswald and all of the animators, except for Iwwerks in the fine print of one of their contracts. Disney Brothers, Iwwerks and their wives then produced three new cartoons with a character that Walt had been working on, famously known as Mickey Mouse. The first two shorts were Plane Crazy and The Gallopin' Gaucho, both silent films that failed to find distribution. When sound came in, Disney created a third, sound-and-music equipped short called Steamboat Willie, which had Walt as the voice of Mickey, causing it to be aninstant success.
Success at Last
Walt Disney's successful years starte when he created his well-known character, Mickey Mouse, which was when he made many more advancements. Donald duck was created June 9, 1934 in a Silly symphony cartoon "The Wise Little Hen". Soon after, he developed health issues from work and took a vacation, leaving workers to do his day-to-day work. After that, he had two daughters, Diane and Sharon. One of Disneys greatest challenges was his full movie, which was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, created by his new multipalne camera. The movie cost 1.5 million dollars, but was a national sensation. After that, he filmed Pinnochio, Fantasia, and Bambi, none as successful as his first full feature film. The army took over his studio during World War II, but the army was not done with him and asked him to create films to show the soldiers how to identify planes as allies or opponents. The movie Cinderella was made after the war and when the new studio was built. Soon after opening the studio, Disney started to make live films with real people and characters. All the work of this made Walt Disney stressed again, so Walt built a house with a train going around it. Roy Disney, Walt's partner and brother in this corporation wanted to retire at the age of 72, but Walt made him stay and work because he still needed much help. After Disneyland's success, there was press conference that included Walt being asked what his favorite ride in the park was, resulting in him saying that Pirates of the Carribean was his favorite, which had not come out yet. Almost every time he was asked, he would say the next new thing that had not opened yet. After years of success in filming, inventions, and skill in theme parks, he went to the doctor where he was diagnosed with lung cancer and had six months to two years to live. Surgery took half of his left lung. Days later, he crossed the street to his studio, where he said he was alright. When he returned to the hospital, he talked to Ron Miller about EPCOT, a new park. At 9:35 a.m. on December 15, Walt Disney was pronounced dead.