Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Snow White, Pinocchio are some of the cartoon characters that are familiar to many. We owe their creation to the talented cartoonist, producer, screenwriter and founder of The Walt Disney Company, one of the largest film studios and entertainment industry today.
Walter Disney's early life
Walter Elias Disney was born in Chicago, Illinois, USA on December 5, 1901. He was the fifth child of Elias and Flora Call Disney. His father, a strict man by nature, often punished children. The boy had a very good relationship with his mother. Walter has German, English and Irish ancestry.
The Disney family lived in the dangerous criminal area of Chicago. When two neighboring children were arrested for the murder of a police officer, the family decided to move from the big city to small Marsline.
Life in Marsline and Kansas City
In 1906, the Disney family moved to Missouri. Help with housing was provided by Elias' brother, Robert, who owned some real estate in a large commune. The Disney family settled in a small house built by a Civil War veteran. The area where Walter lived was very picturesque. The boy loved being there. Walter loved pets and also the harvest season when all his friends and neighbors worked together. At this time, the boy develops an interest in drawing and art. When Walter was seven years old, he was already selling small sketches, cartoons and drawings to neighbors. Instead of doing his school homework, the boy preferred to practice his art, drawing animals and nature.
There was a railway not far from the farm. Mike Martin, the boy's uncle, was an engineer who gave Walter the opportunity to work on trains during the summer, selling newspapers, popcorn and drinks to travelers.
While in high school, Walt Disney was torn between his two favorite pastimes - drawing and photography. As a talented teenager, he designed the school newspaper.
After the family moved to Kansas City, Walt tried his hand at acting. He quickly gained popularity among other students, often copying the character of Charlie Chaplin from silent films, as well as telling stories and illustrating them with chalk on the school board. Against his father's wishes, Walt often ran away from home in the evenings to take part in comic plays at the local theater.
When the First World War began, Walter Disney voluntarily joined the ranks of the troops, however, he was soon rejected from service, as it turned out that he was not 18, but 16 years old. Walt joined the Red Cross and was sent to France, where he spent a whole year.
Walt Disney's creativity and career
Returning to the United States, Walt Disney decided to found his own business - the creation of animation. He began to draw short films, including a series of comedy series about Alice based on the works of Lewis Carroll, telling the adventures of a girl in the animated world. But it soon turned out that Walter's idea was not profitable and his company was on the verge of bankruptcy. Then the 22-year-old Disney decides to try his luck: he collected all his unfinished works about Alice and went straight to Hollywood. Initially, Walter was not supported in his ideas, but thanks to the help of his brother, Roy O. Disney, Walt managed to get out of the shallow, borrow money and set up his studio in their uncle's garage.
Soon Walt Disney received the first order for animated films about Alice. The brothers moved to an office in Hollywood, where, full of enthusiasm and faith in themselves, they quickly entered the top of high society.
Disney's talent became in demand in the creation of the first silent cartoons.
The silent animated film about Mickey Mouse debuted in New York on November 18, 1928. A little later, the famous today characters were released: the dog Pluto (in 1930), the dog Goofy (in 1932) and the drake Donald Duck (in 1934).
The premiere of the animated feature film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs took place on October 21, 1937. It was the time of the Great Depression, but despite this, it took an unheard-of $ 1.5 million to create this animated film.
Over the next fruitful years, Disney has released a ton of classic, to date, cartoons. Among them: "Pinocchio", "Bambi", "Dumbo", "Fantasy", "Cinderella".
For the first time a color animated film was released. It was the animated series Funny Symphonies. Walt Disney bought the rights for two years, allowing only him to create color animated films in the Technicolor format.
In 1932, Walt Disney's short film Flowers and Trees won an Academy Award for the first time. Over the next years, many of his cartoons will be awarded prestigious awards.
In 1937, Disney developed a new technique for making cartoons using a multi-angle camera.
In 1940, Walt Disney's staff numbered over 1,000 artists, animators, screenwriters, and technical staff.
On July 17, 1955, Walter realized his idea of creating a giant fairytale amusement park for adults and children, opening the first Disneyland in Anaheim, USA. Today, there are 5 Disneylands around the world, which are visited annually by 15-18 million people.
Walt Disney's personal life
On July 13, 1925, Walt married his employee Lillian Bounds, with whom he was married for 41 years. The couple had two children: Diane and Sharon, one of whom is adopted.
Despite the fact that Walt gained popularity in Hollywood, by nature he was far from noisy celebrity meetings and preferred to spend time at home with his family. Walter Disney was an interesting conversationalist and loved to share stories.
On December 15, 1966, while a heavy smoker, Walt Disney died of lung cancer.
Today the Disney company is one of the most successful, respected in the film industry, with an annual income of over $ 100 million.
