Happy 120th Birthday, Walt Disney
November 23, 2021
On this day, December 5, back in 1901, Walt Disney was born. The creative genius behind Mickey Mouse, Disney World, and a slew of award-winning animated films, Walt Disney was a typical Midwestern boy growing up in the early twentieth century. But he had goals and dreams that would transform entertainment … and the world in general.
American film producer and animator Walt Disney in 1958. (Photo by Express/Archive Photos/Getty Images)
As many of these colorized pics show, Walt Disney was an artist first and a business mogul second. In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look at the formative years of Walt Disney and how he was able to build an entertainment empire.
A Typical Childhood
Walt Disney as a baby. (biography.com)
When Walter Elias Disney was born on December 5, 1901, his family lived in Chicago, Illinois. Walt’s mother, Flora Call, had once worked as a schoolteacher but was, by this time, raising her five children. Walt was the fourth born child in the Disney family. His father, Elias Disney, found work as a carpenter and building contractor and occasionally worked as a farmer. The family moved a few times in Walt’s childhood, from Chicago to a small town in Missouri to Kansas City then back to Chicago. It was in that small town, Marceline, Missouri, that a young Walt Disney began demonstrating his artistic talent.
Correspondence School
A colorized photograph of a young Walt Disney. (liveabout.com)
As a young teen living in Kansas City, Walt Disney took a few art classes via correspondence school, while also helping his father on his mail delivery route. Although he was still in school, Disney’s artistic talent was enough for him to be able to enroll in a few art classes at the Kansas City Art Institute and School of Design. The Disneys returned to Chicago in 1917 and Walt attended McKinley High School. He helped out on the school newspaper by making illustrations and taking photographs. He had a new artistic outlet he was interested in pursuing…cartooning. He hoped to find work at a newspaper drawing cartoons, but World War I derailed these plans.
Walt Disney as a Young Adult
Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks (medium.com)
During World War I, Walt Disney drove a Red Cross ambulance near battlefields in Germany and France. He never gave up on his dream of being a cartoonist. After the war, he worked at a commercial art studio in Kansas City. He met another young cartoonist, Ub Iwerks, and the two started their own art studio in the early 1920s. Using a movie camera they acquired at a secondhand store, Disney and Iwerks made short, animated films that were shown in local cinemas. One of their early films, Alice in Cartoonland, received acclaim. Disney, along with his brother Roy, moved to Hollywood in hopes of becoming a cinematographer.
A Cast of Colorful Characters
Roy Disney, shown with his brother Walt in this colorized photograph. (quizmastertrivia.com)
Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, with Roy Disney as their business manager, further developed their Alice character and released a series of cartoons featuring her. They also invented another popular character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. The entertainment industry was changing. Motion pictures now had sound. When Disney had the opportunity to create a short film to be shown with Al Jolson’s The Jazz Singer. Disney wanted to debut his newest character, a cheerful and clever mouse named Mickey, but the two animated shorts he already had finished didn’t have sound. Quickly, Disney made a third cartoon featuring Mickey Mouse, a short film called Steamboat Willie.
Success in Cartoons
Steamboat Willie (moma.org)
Mickey Mouse was an instant hit with viewers. Bolstered by this success, Walt Disney added more characters – Minnie, Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto, and more. His brother, Roy, was smart enough to capitalize on the success of these beloved characters. He secured the licensing rights to the Disney characters, giving Walt Disney a steady income stream from the sale of shirts, glassware, toys, watches, and more. Disney was successful with animated short films, he set his sights on producing a full-length animated film. His fairy tale, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs took three years and a dedicated team of animators before it was ready for theatres in 1937. It was followed by several other classic cartoon movies, including Pinocchio, Bambi, Fantasia, and Dumbo.
An Entertainment Entrepreneur
Walt Disney at California's Disneyland. (farandwide.com)
With the advent of television, Walt Disney had yet another entertainment avenue to conquer. He produced several animated and live-action television shows, including The Wonderful World of Disney and The Mickey Mouse Club. But there was more that Disney wanted to do. He envisioned a live entertainment amusement park with carnival rides, games, musical shows, food, and more. California’s Disneyland opened its gates in 1955. So many tourists from across the globe flocked to Disneyland that it compelled Walt Disney to build another amusement park. Disney World in Orlando, Florida was under construction when Walt Disney died in 1966.
