by Cassidy Eckrote
There are very few pop culture interests shared among people all over the world and of all ages. Whether you live in Hong Kong or America, are two years-old or ninety-two years old, you would be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t heard of Disney. If you ask five different people the first thing they think of when they hear the word “Disney,” you’d likely hear five different answers: movies, amusement parks, streaming services, Mickey Mouse, or maybe even the Happiest Place on Earth. However, none of these experiences would have been possible without the person behind the magic—Walter Elias Disney.
Early life
Walt Disney was born on December 5, 1901, in Chicago, Illinois. Despite the empire he left behind, Disney came from humble beginnings. He was one of five children and had his first job at eight years old as a paperboy. Disney dropped out of school at age 16 and joined the American Red Cross where he drove an ambulance in France during World War I.
Once the war was over, Disney returned home and began taking classes at the Kansas Art Institute. His talent and passion for animation continued to grow. In 1922, Disney started his first business—a film studio called Laugh-O-Gram. However, Disney was an inexperienced businessman and the studio faced financial troubles. After just one year, Laugh-O-Gram Studios went bankrupt and closed.
persistence
In 1924, Disney partnered up with his brother Roy to open the Disney Brothers Studio, now known as The Walt Disney Company. There, he created a short series called Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Despite the series’ success, the character was not copyrighted under Disney’s name, and he lost the rights to his work. His distributor, who owned the rights to Oswald, opened his own studio and recruited Disney’s animators to work for him.
Having just lost his team of animators and first successful character, Disney continued to persist and created the iconic Mickey Mouse. After Mickey’s debut in a couple of silent cartoons, Disney decided to do something that hadn’t been done before. He created one of the first cartoons with synchronized sound, a short film titled Steamboat Willie. It was then that Mickey Mouse rose to stardom. Not only did Disney create Mickey Mouse, but he was the voice of the character until 1947.
“If you can dream it, you can do it.” Walt Disney
Expanding the empire
As Mickey Mouse’s popularity grew, so did the Disney brand. Disney expanded his character base, creating Donald Duck, Pluto, and Goofy to coincide in Mickey’s world. But he didn’t stop there. In 1937, amid the Great Depression, Disney created his first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He then went on to create more classic movies, such as Dumbo and Bambi.
To fund the company’s rapid growth, Disney began selling over-the-counter stock in 1940 for $5 per share. On November 12, 1957, Walt Disney Productions undertook its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange. At that time, investors could purchase a share of the company for $13.88. Today, a share of The Walt Disney Company sells for $109.54.
Walt Disney didn’t limit himself to creating movies about flying elephants and singing birds. During World War II, the federal government retained Disney to create films that would educate the public about the war. One of those short films, The New Spirit, starred Donald Duck and encouraged people to pay their income taxes as a way to fund the war.
Walt Disney was a man who wore many hats. He was not only a businessman and entrepreneur, but he was a husband and father. Disney and his family would often visit amusement parks and were unsatisfied with the cleanliness of the parks and the unfriendly staff. He knew he could make it better. The first Disneyland theme park opened in California in 1955, and it was unlike any other amusement park. Disney’s attention to detail set him apart from competitors—even the trash cans were designed to match the theme of the park.
In 1965, Walt Disney began designing Disney World, a theme park located in Orlando, Florida. However, Disney died in 1966 prior to the opening of the new park. Disney’s business partner and brother, Roy, carried out his plans, and Magic Kingdom opened in 1971. To date, there are twelve Disney parks in six locations worldwide.
“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” Walt Disney
What started out as a man with a dream turned into a company worth $200.10 billion. The Walt Disney Company has become one of the most well-known and respected entertainment moguls in the 21st century. The Disney phenomenon is so prevalent in today’s culture that adult members of the fandom are widely referred to as “Disney Adults.” Next time you visit the Happiest Place on Earth, don’t forget to snap a photo by the statue of the men who started it all—Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse.
Sources:
https://www.goldmansachs.com/our-firm/history/moments/1957-disney-ipo.html#:~:text=Although%20Disney%20issued%20over%2Dthe,the%20New%20York%20Stock%20Exchange.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Walt-Disney/Legacy
https://www.history.com/news/7-things-you-might-not-know-about-walt-disney
https://www.entrepreneur.com/growing-a-business/walter-elias-disney/197528
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000370/bio
https://web.archive.org/web/20160421084237/https://d23.com/about-walt-disney/