Kathryn

Disney... The name most people will recognize. The name of the company who has produced thousands of spectacular films, such as //Sleeping Beauty, Dumbo, Mary Poppins,// and //Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.// Disney wasn't a company that started itself. Disney was a company started by a man with a dream. How did I come up with him, though?

I came up with him while I was spacing off at Mrs. Kenkel's challenge center class. I caught, "Choose a person who has touched many lives." Quickly I looked through my papers and a picture of Donald Duck fell down. "That's it!" I said. "I'll do Walt Disney!" To start our tale, I'll start with his childhood.

We date back to the 1900's. In a small rural town, a boy was born to Elias and Flora Call Disney on December 5, 1901, in a village now known as Norton Disney. His name was Walter Elias Disney. The boy, out of five children, had no idea what he would do when he grew up.

In his childhood, Walt loved to draw. He would draw for his neighbors, and even sometimes get paid to do it. He nearly always had a pencil and sketch pad at his side. When he attended the Benton Grammar School in Kansas City, he met a person who would encourage the beginning of his animation career - Walter Pfeiffer.

The Pfeiffers were owned a theater, and they introduced young Disney to the world of motion pictures. He soon spent more time over at their house than at his own. From them he learned the fine art of animation.

Those who new him well couldn't doubt Disney was stubborn, but bright. He attended McKinley High School in Chicago, and took night classes at the Chicago Art Institute. He was the cartoonist for the McKinley High School newspaper. When he dropped out of school to join the army (though he was rejected), he read a book that changed his life.

The book talked about animating, the classic 2-D version. When Walt finished the book, he decided to animate the way the book talked about, instead of the way he was doing it at his job.

He found a deal with a local theater to present his short films called "Laugh-O'-Grams". But he was loaded with debt and had to withdraw his deal. Walt wanted to start a company instead of drawing by himself. Together, with his brother Roy Disney, he founded the Disney Brothers Studio in Hollywood, where Lillian Bounds, his future wife, worked along with dozens of other employees.

Lillian worked inking for Walt. Walt soon fell in love with her, and after a brief dating period, married her. They had two children, Diane and Sharon.

Walt made dozens of shorts, but //oswald the Lucky Rabbit// was his biggest one. He made so much money, Disney decided he should get more money per short.

Disney took his wife and went to see Charles B. Mintz, the head of Universal Pictures. But Mintz had plans to make //his// business expand. He owned //Oswald//, and he told a shocked Walt Disney that he was lowering the fee he paid for Walt's shorts and he had hired most of his employees. Disney sadly went back to the train ride, thinking, //This is the end of Disney Brothers Studio.//

Or was it?

Walt pulled out his trusty pencil and pad and began to sketch the most fa-mouse Disney character today. "Lillian, do you like the name Mortimer Mouse?" he asked his wife. She suggested Mickey Mouse instead, and a star was born. Walt left the train with plans for expansion.

He set to work making a short with sound - //Steamboat Willie//. He himself voiced Mickey, and the short was a hit. It was the first animation with sound! He liked that people enjoyed his short film. But Walt was getting tired with shorts. He wanted to make a movie!

Disney worked for three years, 1934 to 1937. "Pah! You're wasting time and money! This is Disney's Folly," people said. But Walt was determined and turned out the first full-length movie - //Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.// The movie was huge - OVERNIGHT! Despite the success, Walt was in trouble.

Some of Disney's workers went on strike - WW II had begun. Walt tried to make money come back with movies, but they flopped. Still, Disney made another movie, //Dumbo,// came out, and that was a hit. Walt's workers were able to come off strike. Walt was still saving for a big event, and had he not, the world would be a lot different.

Disney was now bored of doing animation."I want to make a park!" he said. Roy refused to invest his share of the earnings in it, so Walt took out an extremely large loan out of the bank and began to build Disneyland.

People were doubtful that Walt could finish so many rides. Opening day was drawing nearer. When it opened, it was like the whole state had come. And Disney's park wasn't finished. Logs were stacked up by a few attractions, and some cement wasn't hardened. One by one the rides broke down. Walt called this day "Black Sunday".

Despite its horrible opening, Disneyland had become a success. Walt was very happy, and over 30 million people had visited his park. But his lungs were getting dark...

It was probably the saddest day in the world when Walter Elias Disney died on December 15, 1966, of lung cancer, only 10 days after his 65th birthday. He had won fifty nine academy awards and twenty six Oscars.

Disney...the movie maker the world can never forget. Thank you for your dream, Mr. Disney.