Freeway - Walter Elias Disney – The popular producer

Walter Elias Disney – The popular producer

Walt Disney’s grandfather, Kepple, was born in Ireland, but in 1834 he and his family sailed over the Atlantic Ocean to the USA. Kepple and his son Elias Disney (Walt’s father) moved to Kansas in 1878. In January one year later Elias married Flora Call in Florida.
The Disney family moved to Chicago, where they built a house.The fifth of December 1901 Walter ”Walt” Elias Disney was born. The name Walter was from a close friend of his father. In 1906 the whole familiy (Elias,Flora,Walt and his three brothers and his sister) moved to a farm in Marceline, Missouri. Only one year after the two oldest brothers, Herbert and Raymond, moved back to Chicago. In 1909 Elias sold the farm and rented a home until 1910, when they moved to Kansas City. Roy left the family to work with his uncle in Kansas.
In 1917 Walt graduated from Benton School, and between 1918 and 1919 he worked as a member of the American Ambulance Corps, in France. Then he moved back to the USA, and in 1923 Walt and Roy Disney moved to Hollywood

Walt & Don

Walt Disney starts a career.

The same year they signed a contact with M.J Winkler, a New York cartoons distributor. In 1924 Walt hired his first animator Rollin Hamilton. He moved to a little store and the ”Disney Bros. Studio” opened. The company’s debts were as high as 4.3 million dollars. Between 1925-1946 ”Pinocchio”, ”Fantasia”, ”Bambi” and ”Dumbo” were playing in Europe, but they didn´t anything good for the economy. Walt wanted to do ”Alice in Wonderland” or ”Peter Pan”, but it ended with ”Make Mine Music”. Walt was disappointed with the short cartoon. He worked with ”Mickey And The Beansteak”, when he became interrupted by the war, and made ”Fun and Fancy Free”. ”Song of the South” was his first cartoon in a long time, which got a good reaction.

Walt Disney concidered to make commercial movies to deal with the debt. In 1947 he decided that Alaska should be filmed. After the films about Alaska he made a film about the lives of seals. The audience liked the sealfilm, but his following films, started to get him in trouble again. He returned to his cartoons, Walter and his wife Lillian built a new home in Holmby Hills. Walt had always liked trains, and around the house he built a mini-rail.

Now a big plan was created in Walt’s head. He thought that the ordinary parks were boring. He wanted to build the new ”Mickey Mouse Park”, but it never worked out because he had a too big debt. In 1949 the ”Walt Disney Music Company” was formed. In 1950 ”Cinderella” was released, the movie was his only big hit since ”Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” in 1937. He made his second good, nature movie ”Beaver Valley”. It became even more popular then his first (Seal Island). The dept was now ”only” 1.7 million. In 1951 his dream finally could be realized ”Alice in Wonderland”. He had wanted to make it since 1933. But when it finally came out, it was a disappointment in both London and America. They lost 1million. Then he made ”Peter Pan”. Walt produced a Christmas show in TV. It was highly appreciated. Walt started to write on ”Lady and the Tramp”, again in 1952. The same year Walt produced ”The Sword and the Rose”, ”Rob Roy” and started on ”20000 Leagues under the Sea” an adventure by Jules Verne. This film cost 4.2 million to make. He made a new True-Life adventure film, ”The Living Desert”. Roy was not pleased with the company, which they had used for the movie publicity, and turned to a small organisation, called Buena Vista. The film was a big success, and they earned 4 million, after that they only used Buena Vista.
His later days
In 1961 Disney had finally paid off their loan at Bank of America. In September 1964 Walt got the Medal of Freedom from President Johnson, at the White House.He had his 65th Birthday the 5th of December 1966, but he was too ill to observe it. Walter Disney died 9.30 the 15th of December 1966.
Seven years later died Roy Disney, Walt’s dearest brother, his partner and one of his best friends.

Disney World
Walt started to work on one of his former dreams about a fun fair. He visited other fairs to study the attractions. He borrowed money from his life insurance and began the work on Disneyland. In July Disney decided the location of the park, in Anaheim, California. No one thought it would work. In July1955 was Disneyland opened.

Mickey Mouse – A big Success
Mickey Mouse is probably the most famous cartoon character of all time. From the day he hit the stage, Mickey was a great success for Disney. Mickey made his debut on November 28, 1928 in a black-and-white cartoon called ”Steamboat Wille”. Then, about one year later, Mickey was seen again in ”Lost on a Desert Island”. The same year also the first book ”Mickey Mouse” was published. Mickey became real famous when he was ”playing” in ”Fantasia”. Walt Disney created Mickey as he sat on a train. Walt first gave him the name Mortimer, but his wife, Lillian, thought the name Mickey was better. Walt really wanted Mickey to be perfect. He worked a long time on Mickey, before he introduced ”Steamboat Wille” to a small audience. It was not so highly prised, but Disney him self liked Mickey. In the beginning of Mickey´s life Walt earned only fifty dollars a week. Mickey has appeared in over 135 films. In 1938 came Donald Duck, he took some of Mickey Mouse’s fans. Other Disney characters Mickey is only one of Disney’s characters. There are many, but the most famous characters are Mickey, his girlfriend Minnie, Donald Duck and Goofy.

As Walt Disney once said: I have never loved a woman as much as I love Mickey Mouse.

Some of Disneys famous movies:

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, Bambi, Alice In Wonderland,Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmatians, The Sword And The Stone, The Jungle Book, The Aristocats, Robin Hood, The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh,The Fox And The Hound, Oliver & Company, Little Mermaid, Beauty And The Beast,Aladdin, The Lion King, Pocahontas, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, Hercules and Mulan.

101 Dalmatians

Which Disney movie do you like best?