Walter Elias Disney
Walter Elias Disney popularly known as Walt Disney
(1901 – 1966) was a film producer, media magnate and co-founder of the Walt
Disney Company. He was an iconic figure in the Twentieth Century media and
entertainment industry, helping to produce many films. With his staff, he
created famous cartoon characters, such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck; his
name was also used for the successful Disney Theme Parks. During his lifetime,
he received a record 59 Nominations for the Academy Awards, winning 22 Awards.
Early Life
Walt Disney was born on 5 December 1901, in Chicago.
His parents were of German/English and Irish descent. As a child, the Disney
family moved between Marceline in Missouri, Kansas City and back to Chicago.
The young Walt Disney developed an interest in art and took lessons at the
Kansas City Institute and later Chicago Art Institute. He became the cartoonist
for the school magazine.
In 1919, he moved back to Kansas City where he got a
series of jobs, before finding employment in his area of greatest interest –
the film industry. It was working for the Kansas City Film Ad company that he
gained the opportunity to begin working in the relatively new field of
animation. Walt used his talent as a cartoonist to start his first work.
The success of his early cartoons enabled him to set
up his own studio called Laugh-O-Gram. However, the popularity of his cartoons
was not matched by his ability to run a profitable business. With high labour
costs, the firm went bankrupt. After his first failure, he decided to move to
Hollywood, California which was home to the growing film industry in America.
This ability to overcome adversity was a standard feature of Disney’s career.
“All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my
troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me… You may not realize it when it
happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”
The Story of Walt Disney
With his brother, Roy, Walt set up another company and
sought to find a distributor for his new film – Alice Comedies – based on the
adventures of Alice in Wonderland.
Mickey Mouse
In 1927, the Disney studio was involved in the
successful production of ‘Oswald the Lucky Rabbit’, distributed by Universal
Pictures. However, with Universal Pictures controlling the rights to ‘Oswald
the Lucky Rabbit’, Walt was not able to profit from this success. He rejected
an offer from Universal and went back to working on his own.
It was at this point that he created the character –
Mickey Mouse (originally called Mortimer Mouse). Ub Iwerks drew Mickey Mouse,
and Walt gave a voice to the character.
The
Mickey Mouse cartoons with soundtracks became very popular and cemented the
growing reputation and strength of Disney Productions. The skill of Walt Disney
was to give his cartoons believable real-life characteristics. They were
skillfully depicted and captured the imagination of the audience through his
pioneering use of uplifting stories and moral characteristics.
In 1932, he received his first Academy Award for the
Best Short Subject: Cartoons for the three coloured ‘Flowers and Trees’ He also
won a special Academy Award for Mickey Mouse.
In 1933, he developed his most successful cartoon of
all time ‘The Three Little Pigs’ (1933) with the famous song ‘Whose Afraid of
the Big Bad Wolf.”
In 1924, Walt Disney began his most ambitious project
to date. He wished to make a full length animated feature film of ‘Snow White
and the Seven Dwarfs.’ Many expected it to be a commercial failure. But, using
new techniques of filming, the production was met with glowing reviews. It took
nearly three years to film – coming out in 1937 after Disney had run out of
money. But, the movie’s strong critical reception, made it the most successful
film of 1938, earning $8 million on its first release. The film had very high
production values but also captured the essence of a fairy tale on film for the
first time. Walt Disney would later write that he never produced films for the
critic, but the general public. Replying to criticism that his productions were
somewhat corny, he replied:
“All
right. I’m corny. But I think there’s just about a-hundred-and-forty-million
people in this country that are just as corny as I am.” – Walt Disney
Disney always had a great ability to know what the
public loved to see.
After the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,
the studio produced several other successful animations, such as ‘Pinocchio’,
‘Peter Pan’, ‘Bambi’ and ‘The Wind in the Willows’. After America’s entry into
the Second World War in 1941, this ‘golden age’ of animation faded and the
studio struggled as it made unprofitable propaganda films.
Political and religious views
In 1941, Disney also had to deal with a major strike
by his writers and animators. This strike left a strong impression on Disney.
He would later become a leading member of the anti-Communist organisation
‘Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals’ (the right-wing
organisation was also considered to be anti-semitic.) At one point, he
(unsuccessfully) tried to brand his labour union organisers as Communist
agitators.
However, in the 1950s, Disney distanced himself from
the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals. However,
by associating with the organisation, he was often associated with the
anti-labour and anti-semitic philosophy it expressed. Disney was a Republican,
though was not particularly involved in politics. It is often asked whether
Walt Disney was anti-semitic.
His biographer, Neal Gabler stated:
“…And though Walt himself, in my estimation, was not
anti-semitic, nevertheless, he willingly allied himself with people who were
anti-semitic, and that reputation stuck. He was never really able to expunge it
throughout his life.”
Walt Disney believed in the benefits of a religious
approach to life, though he never went to church and disliked sanctimonious
teachers.
“I believe firmly in the efficacy of religion, in its
powerful influence on a person’s whole life. It helps immeasurably to meet the
storms and stress of life and keep you attuned to the Divine inspiration.
Without inspiration, we would perish.”
Ch. 15: Walt Lives!, p. 379
He respected other religions and retained a firm faith
in God.
Post-war success
During the war, there was much less demand for cartoon
animation. It took until the late 1940s, for Disney to recover some of its
lustre and success. Disney finished production of Cinderella and also Peter Pan
(which had been shelved during the war) In the 1950s, Walt Disney Productions
also began expanding its operations into popular action films. They produced
several 
successful
films, such as ‘Treasure Island’ (1950), ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’ (1954)
and ‘Pollyanna’ (1960)
In another innovation, the studio created one of the
first specifically children’s shows – The Mickey Mouse Club. Walt Disney even
returned to the studio to provide the voice. In the 1960s, the Disney Empire
continued to successfully expand. In 1964, they produced their most successful
ever film ‘Mary Poppins.’
Disneyland
In the late 1940s, Walt Disney began building up plans
for a massive Theme Park. Walt Disney wished the Theme Park to be like nothing
ever created on earth. In particular, he wanted it to be a magical world for
children and surrounded by a train. Disney had a great love of trains since his
childhood when he regularly saw trains pass near his home. It was
characteristic of Walt Disney that he was willing to take risks in trying
something new.
“Courage is the main quality of leadership, in my
opinion, no matter where it is exercised. Usually, it implies some risk,
especially in new undertakings. Courage to initiate something and to keep it
going, pioneering and adventurous spirit to blaze new ways, often, in our land
of opportunity.”
The Disney Way Fieldbook by Bill
Capodagli
After several years in the planning and building,
Disneyland opened on July 17, 1955. Disney spoke at the address.
The success of Disneyland encouraged Walt to consider
another park in Orlando, Florida. In 1965, another theme park was planned.
Death of Walt Disney.
Walt Disney
died of lung cancer on December 15, 1966. He had been a chain smoker all his
life. An internet myth suggested Walt Disney had his body cryonically frozen,
but this is untrue. It seems to have been spread by his employers, looking for
one last joke at the expense of their boss.
After his death, his brother Roy returned to lead The
Disney Company, but the company missed the direction and genius of Walt Disney.
The 1970s were a relatively fallow period for the company, before a renaissance
in the 1980s, with a new generation of films, such as ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’
(1988) and ‘The Lion King’ (1994).
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