The creator of Mickey Mouse and founder of Disneyland and Walt Disney World :

Walter Elias “Walt” Disney (English: Walter Elias “Walt” Disney, born: December 5, 1901 to December 15, 1966), also translated as Helu Disney in Hong Kong, in 1901 Born on December 5 in Chicago, Illinois, USA, he is the co-founder of the Walt Disney Company with his third brother Roy Disney. He is one of the world’s most famous filmmakers, directors, screenwriters, voice actors and animators, and remains the most Oscar-winning person in the world to this day.
Walt Disney’s many actions made him a world-famous person, including his creation of many well-known movies such as “Snow White” and “Pinocchio”, as well as animated characters such as Mickey Mouse. He also made Disneyland possible , pioneered the theme park format, and his hosting of the TV show “The Wonderful World of Disney” (originally known as Disneyland) has made countless Americans unforgettable. He has received 48 Academy Award nominations and 7 Emmy Awards. Walter had 2 daughters, the second of whom was adopted.

CHILDHOOD:

Born in Chicago on December 5, 1901, he was the fourth child in his family. His father is an Irish-Canadian who immigrated to the United States, and his mother is an American of German and English descent. He was named after his father’s friend, Walter Parr, a pastor at St. Paul’s Church.

On June 8, 1902, Walter Parr baptized Walt Disney in his church.

In 1906, the elder Disney used all his family property to buy a small farm in Marceline, northeastern Missouri. The farm was 200 hectares in size and was not far from the home of his uncle Robert Disney.

According to his later recollections, it was the happiest period of his life. Since he and his younger sister Ruth were still young and did not have to help with farm work, they often went to the nearby pond to swim and play with small animals in the fields. , wandering under the woods. During the same period, he also developed a love for painting. When Walt was not having fun, he would draw farm animals on scratch paper. The mother discovered her son’s talent for painting and bought him a picture album. Walter copied it all day long, and the more he painted, the better.

Once, a doctor named Sherwood took a fancy to his painting and paid 5 cents to buy his painting. He also paid him to paint Sherwood’s horse “Rupert”. He also fell in love with trains in Marceline. He often put his ear to the rails to listen to the sound of approaching trains, and also observed how to drive trains through his uncle Mike Martin, who drove the train.

In 1909, the eldest brother and the second brother ran away from home. In addition, his father fell ill from typhoid fever and could no longer work on the farm. He had to sell the farm and move to Kansas City to make a living by delivering newspapers. Disney began attending classes at Benton Grammar School in 1910, according to Kansas City Public Schools records.

He graduated on June 8, 1911. The reason for delaying his studies for one year was to accompany his younger sister Ruth to school. He then enrolled at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, but did not complete his studies. During his school days, he was not a good student. He could not concentrate on class because he got up early to deliver newspapers. He often dozed off, daydreamed, and scribbled in class. When he was 15 years old, he worked as a hawker on the train during the summer, selling soda, candy, newspapers, etc. to passengers. At this time, he became even more fascinated by trains. Once, he was so fascinated by the train that he forgot the goods he was selling. All were taken away. His brother Roy lent him money to compensate his boss and persuaded him to quit his job.

In middle school, he was responsible for the cartoons in the school magazine. His cartoons were very political and full of patriotic sentiments, mainly focusing on the First World War that was happening at that time. His elder brother Roy joined the Navy. He wanted to follow his brother and join the army. In order to join the army, he dropped out of school at the age of 16. However, he was underage at the time and the army did not accept him. Walt believed that he might become a painter in the future.

The First World War in Europe in 1917 shocked the world. A classmate informed Disney that the American Red Cross Rescue Service was recruiting people over the age of 17. With his mother’s consent, he changed the birthday on his birth certificate from 1901 to 1900 in order to comply with the age limit.

Despite his best efforts, he never actually witnessed the battle. Before he could complete his training and leave for Europe, Germany signed an armistice to end the war. During his last period of service, he served as an ambulance driver in France, shuttled among some important officials, and painted his ambulance everywhere to pass the time. During this period in France, he also developed a Smoking habit.

In 1918 the United States entered World War I. The third brother Roy, who was 25 years old at the time, immediately enlisted in the army and went to fight overseas. In July of the same year, after Walt graduated from high school, he visited Roy, who was training at the Oto Naval Base on the edge of Chicago. Roy told Walt some stories about overseas wars, and Walt’s interest in joining the army greatly increased. That day he decided to enlist in the army. Because the military recruiter had questions about Walt’s age, he asked for his birth certificate. Unable to find accurate proof, Walt Disney imitated his parents’ signatures and became a volunteer for the International Red Cross.

Animation and Entrepreneurship:

In 1919, he finally had enough of the “very lonely” days in France and applied for retirement. This experience prompted him to think clearly about his future career aspirations. Walt returned to Chicago. Then he returned to Kansas, where he lived as a child, where Walt really started his business. After arriving in Kansas, Walt was introduced by his third brother Roy O. Disney to work as a painter at an advertising company called Pesmen-Rubin Commercial Art Studio. Because the company had doubts about his painting ability, So he only worked for a month before being fired.

In 1920, Helu and Ub Iwerks, a colleague who was also working at Pressman and Rubin Company, formed a partnership to form Iwerks-Disney Commercial Art Company (Iwerks-Disney). However, the company’s The operation was not smooth, and only a few customers were willing to give them a chance. Since they only earned a total of $135 from one business, Iwerks-Disney Commercial Art Company went out of business less than a month after its establishment.

Helu later joined a Kansas City advertising agency, where he learned the basic techniques of filming films and animations. At Kansas City Film Ad, they were producing early animated commercials for local movie theaters. Disney was attracted by the potential of animation for the future. He spent many hours in the city library studying books on anatomy and mechanism, and at the same time read a A book about animation written by Edweard Muybridge. He made full use of his time at the company to experience animation and film technology, and even borrowed one of the company’s cameras to go home for experiments. After two years of experience, Disney felt that he had enough experience to start his own career again.

In 1922, Walt established Laugh-O-gram Films and produced and distributed the company’s animated shorts with film distributor Frank Newman. Employees at the time included Iwerks, Hugh Harman, Rudolph Ising, Carmen Maxwell and Friz Freleng. On May 23, Walt obtained UBU’s consent to merge the remaining assets of Iwerks-Disney Commercial Art Company into Laughter Animation Company. Laughter Animation Company was engaged in the production of cartoons that adapted popular legends for children with contemporary techniques. Short film, Walt animated “Laugh-O-Grams” and sold it to a distributor in Kansas City. The short film produced was well received in Kansas City, but the cost was greater than the revenue. During the production of Alice Comedies, the company, which had been renamed Newman Laughter Animation, folded.

While producing the last short film in 1923, “Alice’s Wonderland” with characters and animations, Laugh-O-Gram Company declared bankruptcy in July, and Walt Disney decided to develop successfully. The center of the entertainment industry is developing in Hollywood, California. He sold his camera for a one-way train ticket to California. He left his friends and partners who had worked together, but took with him the unfinished “Alice in Wonderland” film. Walt Disney arrived in Los Angeles and prepared to pursue a career in Hollywood. When he arrived in Los Angeles, he had only $40 and a suitcase containing unfinished cartoons.

Interestingly, he originally wanted to make a fortune in animation, but he was afraid that he would not be able to compete with his rivals in New York, so his first choice was a director. He visited every film studio in the city, but was rejected in person. . After Walt Disney realized that the film industry was not going well, he returned to animation. His first cartoon studio in Hollywood was located in the garage of his uncle Robert’s house. He sent an unfinished work to Margaret Winkler, a film distributor in New York, and soon received a response from the other party. He hoped to obtain more “Ally” “Silk Adventures in Wonderland” series of character and animated short films.

Walt Disney sought the help of his brother, Roy O. Disney, who was recovering from tuberculosis at a veterans’ hospital in Los Angeles. Walt Disney sincerely asked his brother to help the fledgling studio, saying that without his help, it would be financially impossible to maintain normal income and expenditure. His brother agreed to his request and left the hospital with him. Lowe never returned to the hospital, and the tuberculosis never returned. At the invitation of Walt Disney, some former work partners and family members moved to Hollywood from Kansas City. Virginia Davis, the protagonist of “Alice in Cartoon Country”, and Iwerks, the previous entrepreneurial partner, formed the initial “Disney Brothers Work” room”.

In July 1923, Walt Disney and his brother Roy O. Disney established the Disney Brothers Studio (Disney Brothers Studio) and went on to produce the “Alice in Cartoon Country” series of animations.

LOVE LIFE OF DISNEY:

In 1925, Walt Disney hired a young female colorist, Lillian Bounds, and they fell in love at first sight. Within a few months, she was working as a secretary and they started dating. Their first date was to see the Broadway musical “No, No, Nanette”. He often took her for drives in the hills near Los Angeles. Taking advantage of an outing, he asked her if he should give her a new car. How is she? Or a ring? They got married on July 15 of that year. Later, she jokingly said, “She regrets why she didn’t choose a car!!”. Their honeymoon was at Rainier Mountain near Seattle. On July 13, Walt Disney married Lillian Bounds, a young female colorist at the studio, in Idaho. Their wedding night was on the express train from Lewiston to Seattle.

After returning to Hollywood from their honeymoon, Walt Disney decided to change the name of Disney Brothers to Walt Disney Studios because he felt that a single name would be more attractive than one with the word “Brothers.”

In 1926 a new film studio was built in Heybrien. Then the Disney brothers began producing the “Osward, the Lucky Rabbit” series of animations at the new studio.

“Oswald the Lucky Rabbit” was released in 1927 and received a good response.

In February 1928, Walt Disney took Lillian to New York to discuss renewing the contract with publisher Charles Mintz. Walt originally wanted to raise the price, but Mintz asked Walt to lower the price and told Walt that he had bribed most of the production staff of “Oswald the Lucky Rabbit” and that according to the contract, he owned the copyright to this series of animations. If Walt refused to agree to the request for a price reduction, and he could continue to produce “Oswald the Lucky Rabbit” himself.

On the train back to Hollywood, Walt Disney had a sudden inspiration and created a cartoon character based on a mouse – Mortimer Mouse. Later, at Lillian’s suggestion, the cartoon character was renamed Mickey (Mortimer Mouse). Mickey Mouse). In March, Walt began the production of the first Mickey animated series “Plane Crazy”. A second film, Gallopin’ Gaucho, followed. Since the response of these two animations was very limited, and talkies were just emerging at the time, Walt decided to use the method developed by Patrick Powers to dub the third Mickey animated series, “Steamboat Willie”. Created the world’s first audio animation! On November 18 of that year, “Steamboat Willie” premiered at the New York Diaspora Cinema, and the response was unprecedented! This day is also designated as Mickey’s birthday.

WORKS AND ACHIEVEMENTS:

In 1929, in addition to continuing to launch the Mickey animation series, in order to increase liquidity, Walt began to produce a new series of animated short films called “Silly Symphony”.

In 1930, a New York businessman named George Bergfeldt purchased the rights to use the images of Mickey and Minnie in toys, books and clothing from the Disney studio in order to give his children Christmas gifts. Then, Walt Disney authorized New York’s Byberland Publishing Company to publish and distribute Mickey’s publications.

In 1931, Technicolor invented a color film shooting technology. Walt began to consider shooting color animation.

On July 30, 1932, the world’s first color animation “Flowers and Trees” was launched. In the same year, in order to express gratitude to Walt Disney for creating Mickey, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded Walt a Special Academy Award.

In 1933, Walt launched the animation “Three Little Pigs”. On December 19 of the same year, Walt’s first daughter, Diane Marie Disney, was born.

On June 9, 1934, Walt released the animated short “The Wise Little Hen”, in which Donald Duck appeared for the first time.

On February 23, 1935, Walt launched the first color Mickey animation “Mickey Concert” (The Band Concert).

On December 31, 1936, Walt’s second daughter, Sharon Mae Disney, was born (actually Disney adopted Sharon when Sharon was two weeks old in January 1937).

On December 21, 1937, Walt officially launched the first feature-length animated film in film history, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” at the Carthay Circle Theater in Hollywood. Walt encountered many difficulties during the production of this film. The cost of the film greatly exceeded the budget. Many people thought that no one would watch a film that was more than an hour full of animation. The American media even called the production of “Snow White” and the Seven Dwarfs” is “The Disney Folly.” However, the response to the film was unprecedented after its release. During the first official screening, many celebrities stood up and applauded!

In 1938, due to the popularity of the songs in the film, Walt released the film’s soundtrack, the world’s first film soundtrack.

In 1939, Walt was awarded the Oscar Lifetime Achievement Award (Honorary Award) for the second time, and there was one big gold man and seven little gold men. [2]

On February 7, 1940, Walt released his second feature-length animated film, “Pinocchio.” On November 13 of the same year, the world’s first movie using stereo sound, “Fantasia,” was released.

In 1941, animators at Disney Studios went on strike because they were dissatisfied with some of Walt’s practices, such as requiring them to work overtime, heavy workloads, and not recognizing unions. The strike was officially ended after Roy’s efforts to mediate. In the same year, Walt visited Central and South America as a goodwill ambassador of the U.S. government, and won his third Oscar special award for his creation of “Fantasia.” On October 23 of this year, Walt launched his fourth feature-length animation “Dumbo”.

In addition, due to the United States’ participation in World War II, most of the Walt Studios factories were used by the U.S. military for military purposes. During the subsequent war, as many employees of Walt’s studio were drafted into the army, Walt was unable to continue shooting feature-length animations except for the release of “Bambi”, so he began to shoot short and medium-length animations. Animated films were released in compilation albums, such as Saludos Amigos, The Three Caballeros, Make Mine Music, Melody Time and “Mickey and the Beanstalk” (Fun and Fancy Free), etc. On November 12, 1946, Walt also released the studio’s first live-action and animated film, “Song of the South.” In addition, during this period, Walt also shot many promotional videos for the US government. After World War II, many employees who had served in the army returned to the set to help Walt make the film.

On February 15, 1950, Disney once again launched a feature-length animation “Cinderella”. From this beginning, Walt’s animation production entered a golden period. Over the next ten years, Walt released many popular films such as “Peter Pan”, “Lady and the Tramp”, “Sleeping Beauty”, “101 Dogs”, “The Jungle Book”, etc. ‘s video. On July 19, Walt released Disney’s first live-action movie “Treasure Island.”

ELDERLY LIFE:

In 1955, Walt created the world’s first Disney theme park – Disneyland (Disneyland) in Anaheim, California, USA on July 17, 1955, and began planning for Orlando, Florida, USA. Disney World (later changed to Walt Disney World by Roy).

In 1956, Disneyland began to display fireworks “Fantasy in the Sky”, and Disney officially released its own music records and established “Disneyland Records”.

In 1957, the classic business card “Old Yellow Dog” and the classic TV series “Black Dragon Man” were released.

In 1958, the Oscar-winning documentary “White Wilderness” was released.

In 1959, the animated film “Sleeping Beauty” was released, the classic comedy card “Shaggy Dog” was released, Disneyland began to launch the “E ticket” system, and Disneyland launched “Monorail”.

In 1960, the classic business cards “Happy Little Angel” and “Cape Paradise” were launched, which made many celebrities famous. Disney took over the opening and closing celebrations of the Winter Olympics that year.

In 1961, the animation “101 Faithful Dogs” was launched, using the innovative technology of full-length duplication, and the classic business cards “Flying Car” and “Little Matchmaker” were launched. Disney launched the “World of Color” TV time slot on NBC.

In 1962, the famous character Professor Duck, Dr. Iggy, made his debut in the “World of Color” television time slot, and Disney invested in the Celebrity Sports Center in Denver, Colorado.

In 1963, Walt Disney secretly flew to Florida to find a location for a second park to launch the animated film “The Sword in the Stone.”

In 1964, “Mary Poppins”, a live-action and animated film, was launched and won five Oscars. It participated in the New York Exposition and “It’s a Small World” was launched. On August 29, Walt also launched the movie “Mary Poppins”, a combination of live-action and animation starring Juliet Andrews. This is also Disney’s most successful movie in film history. In addition, Walt also began broadcasting “The Wonderful World of Disney” on television.

In 1965, plans for Disney World in Florida were announced to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Disneyland.

In 1966, Walt Disney participated in the annual float parade in New York and released the first Winnie the Pooh short film “Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree”, which was his last work while alive.

On December 15, 1966, ten days after his 65th birthday, Walt Disney died suddenly of myocardial infarction due to ineffective treatment for lung cancer due to long-term smoking. Walt’s body was cremated and his ashes were interred in Forest Cemetery in Glendale, California, on a small overgrown plot of land where a small memorial stands. Since none of the arrangements for Walt’s death were made public at the time, rumors that his body was flash-frozen have circulated for years.

OSCAR PRIZE:

Walt Disney is the record holder for Academy Awards. He still holds the highest record of 59 nominations and 22 Academy Awards. He has also won honorary Oscars a total of 4 times. His last Oscar was awarded posthumously.

1932: Best short film, Cartoon: Flowers and Trees
1932: Honorary Academy Award, Mickey Mouse
1934: Best short film, Cartoon: The Three Little Pigs
1935: Best Short Film, Comic: The Tortoise and the Hare
1936: Best Motion Picture Short, Comic: Three Orphaned Kittens
1937: Best short film, Cartoon: National Cousin
1938: Best short film, Cartoon: The Old Mill
1939: Best short film, Cartoon: Ferdinand’s Bull
1939: Honorary Academy Award, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
1940: Best Short Film, Comic: The Ugly Duckling
1941: Honorary Academy Award, Fantasia
1942: Best short film, Cartoon Reaching Out
1943: Best Short Film, Cartoon: The Face of the Führer
1949: Best short film, two reels: Seal Island
1949: Honorary Academy Award, Irving Thalberg Memorial Award
1951: Best short film, two reels: Beaver Valley
1952: Best short film, two reels: Nature’s Half Acre
1953: Best Motion Picture Short, Two Reels: Waterbirds
1954: Best Documentary Feature: Desert Life
1954: Best Documentary, Short-term Subject: The Eskimos of Alaska
1954: Best Movie Short, Cartoon: Toot-Whistle Plunk and Boom
1954: Best short film, two reels: Taking on the Nation
1955: Best Documentary, Product Feature: The Vanishing Prairie
1956: Best Documentary, Short-term Subject: Men vs. the Arctic
1959: Best short film, live action: Grand Canyon
1969: Best Movie Short, Cartoon: Winnie the Pooh and the Windy Day

OTHER HONORS:

Honorary degrees from Harvard, Yale, USC and UCLA
On May 24, 1935, the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal was awarded to France as an Officer of the Legion of Honor.
In 1935, a special American medal was awarded, considered the Mickey Mouse Award.
On September 14, 1964, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
On December 6, 2006, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver engraved Walt Disney’s name into the California Hall of Fame at the California Museum of History and Art.
The asteroid 4017 Disney, discovered by former Soviet astronomer Lyudmila (Karachkina) in 1980, was named after him.
Disney has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for his work in film and one on television.
Thailand Crown Medal
Brazilian Cross of the Southern Cross
Mexican Aztec Eagle Order
World Entertainer Award from the National Association of Theater Owners
anecdote
In 1918, Walt was rejected from joining the army because he was only 16 years old at the time. He then joined the Red Cross and was posted overseas, where he spent the next year driving an ambulance as a driver for Red Cross officers. His ambulance was covered from top to bottom not in trunk camouflage but in caricatures and cartoons.
In August 1923, Walt Disney began his 43-year career in Hollywood. He left Kansas City for Hollywood with some drawing materials, $40 in his pocket, and a complete animated live-action film.
David Low, the late British political cartoonist, called Disney “the most important figure in the history of graphic art since Leonardo da Vinci.”
He is the person with the most Oscars in history. During his lifetime, Walt and his team members received more than 950 honors and awards around the world, including 48 Academy Awards and 7 Emmy Awards.

DEATH:

When Walt Disney died of lung cancer on December 15, 1966, he was still working on the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, which opened in 1971, five years after his death. Walt Disney was also a 33rd degree Freemason.