Walt Disney

Walt Disney (Walter Elias Disney) was born on December 5, 1901, in Chicago, Illinois. Being a little kid he developed his love for drawing and trains.

In 1911, his family moved to Kansas City, were he met The Pfeiffer, which were theatre fanatics. He was then introduced to the world of motion pictures. He attended at the Kansas City Art Institute and then, when his family returned to Chicago, he started taking night courses at the Chicago Art Institute.

In 1917 he dropped out of high school to join the army, but he was rejected; that is why he entered the Red Cross and was sent to France. After that, he returned to Kansas and began working on the Kansas City Film Ad Company. Working there is when he decided to become an animator and then decided to open his own business. He set his sights on establishing a studio in the city of the movie industry, Hollywood, California.

His first big and most important creation is Mickey Mouse. Its first appearance was in the short Plane Crazy (1928) and it followed Steamboat Willie (1928) the first cartoon with sound. Steamboat Willie became an instant success. Disney himself provided the voice for Mickey until 1946.

In 1934, Disney began planning a full-length version of Snow White (a German fairy tale), which many people believe would be a big failure. The movie was finally finished in 1937, and it was named Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It was released in 1938 and it was given a standing ovation. This was the first full-length animated feature film to be made in Technicolor. The movie was nominated for an Academy Award for best music, and next year (1939) he received an Academy Honorary Award in recognition of the important screen innovation.

After this big hit, many big movies followed. This period was called the Golden Age of Animation for Disney and movies as Pinocchio, Fantasia, Bambi, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan were created. Also, the animation department created the successful Lady and the Tramp (1955), Sleeping Beauty (1959), One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961), and The Sword in the Stone (1963).

In 1955, Disney’s biggest project was opened to public: the Disneyland Park, in California. It had been his dream for many years to create a place were people can visit the Disney Studio, and also were adults and children could have fun together.

"To all who come to this happy place: -Welcome- Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past ... and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America ... with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world."

—Walter E. Disney, July 17, 1955

Walt Disney died on December 15^th, 1966 after being diagnosed with a tumor on his left lung. He was cremated and his ashes are located in California. It is a popular believes that he was frozen and his body is stored at the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, at Disneyland.

He is consider a visionary and a producer of the major entertainment empire and film art-animation.