Biography of walt elias disney

Just wait and see if he doesn't. Then won't Mr. Hitler be ashamed! As early as October over a year before America's entry into the warDisney began enlisting contracts from various branches of the United States Armed Forces to make training films, [ ] and in March he held a luncheon with Government representatives formally offering his services " In making this offer, I am motivated solely by a desire to help as best I can in the present emergency.

If Disney had any previous sympathies toward Nazism, the U. Government would have disqualified him from making these films. The Walt Disney Family Museum acknowledges that ethnic stereotypes common to films of the s were included in some early cartoons [ y ] but also points out that Disney donated regularly to Jewish charities and was named the "Man of the Year" by the B'nai B'rith chapter in Beverly Hills.

The plaque read: "For exemplifying the best tenets of American citizenship and inter-group understanding and interpreting into action the ideals of B'nai B'rith. I think the whole idea should be put to rest and buried deep. He was not antisemitic. Some of the most influential people at the studio were Jewish. It's much ado about nothing.

I never once had a problem with him in that way. Sherman recalled that when one of Disney's lawyers made antisemitic remarks towards him and his brother RichardDisney defended them and fired the attorney. Gabler concludes that " He was never really able to expunge it throughout his life. Disney has also been accused of other forms of racism because some of his productions released between the s and s contain racially insensitive material.

He never, either publicly or privately, made disparaging remarks about blacks or asserted white superiority. Like most white Americans of his generation, however, he was racially insensitive. When Baskett was in failing health, Disney not only began financially supporting him and his family, but also campaigned successfully for an Honorary Academy Award for his performance, making Baskett the first black actor so honored.

They nourished a genial cultural imperialism that magically overran the rest of the globe with the values, expectations, and goods of a prosperous middle-class United States. Telotte acknowledges that many see Disney's studio as an "agent of manipulation and repression", although he observes that it has "labored throughout its history to link its name with notions of fun, family, and fantasy".

How to Read Donald Duck identifies that there are "imperialist Disney has been portrayed numerous times in fictional works. Several commentators have described Disney as a cultural icon. Izard comments that the values in Disney's films are those "considered valuable in American Christian society", which include "individualism, decency, Disney remains the central figure in the history of animation.

Through technological innovations and alliances with governments and corporations, he transformed a minor studio in a marginal form of communication into a multinational leisure industry giant. Despite his critics, his vision of a modern, corporate utopia as an extension of traditional American values has possibly gained greater currency in the years after his death.

Disney received 59 Academy Award nominations, including 22 awards: both totals are records. DeMille Award. In FebruaryDisney was inducted to the Hollywood Walk of Fame with two stars, one for motion pictures and the other for his television work; [ ] Mickey Mouse was given his own star for motion pictures inand Disneyland received one in The Walt Disney Family Museum records that he "along with members of his staff, received more than honors and citations from throughout the world".

Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read View source View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikiquote Wikisource Wikidata item. American animator, producer and entrepreneur — For other uses, see Walt Disney disambiguation. ChicagoIllinois, U. Burbank, CaliforniaU. Animator film producer voice actor entrepreneur.

Lillian Bounds. Walt Disney's voice. Disney explaining each of the seven dwarfs from the trailer of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Early career: — See also: Walt Disney Animation Studios. Creation of Mickey Mouse and following successes: — Golden age of animation: — World War II and beyond: — Theme parks, television and other interests: — Illness, death and aftermath.

Personal life and character. Cel animation is the method of drawing or painting onto transparent celluloid sheets "cels"with each sheet an incremental movement on from the previous. Disney's biographer, Bob Thomasobserves that "The birth of Mickey Mouse is obscured in legend, much of it created by Walt Disney himself. He was portrayed as a "humorous denigration of the smooth city slicker" with a smart car, but failed to win over Minnie from the more homespun Mickey.

Los Angeles Times. September 11, Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on March 30, Retrieved April 12, Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on October 3, Retrieved October 21, Archived from the original on March 20, The Independent. Archived from the original on March 3, Retrieved April 25, Vintage Books.

ISBN The Kansas City Public Library. Archived from the original on March 9, The Walt Disney Company. Archived from the original on April 21, Retrieved April 13, The New York Times. December 16, Archived from the original on May 7, Archived from the original on May 5, Retrieved May 9, Photo Collection. Los Angeles Public Library. Retrieved May 29, The Walt Disney Family Museum.

Archived from the original on July 14, Retrieved April 14, BBC News. Archived from the original on March 8, Archived from the original on April 29, Retrieved April 15, February 10, Archived from the original on April 7, Retrieved April 16, Archived from the original on July 10, February 16, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. October 9, Senses of Cinema.

Archived from the original on April 22, The Walt Disney Family Foundation. January 17, Event occurs at — September 14, Event occurs at — American Antiquarian Society. Retrieved February 29, October 3, Archived from the original on April 14, Archived from the original on June 2, Archived from the original on May 18, Retrieved September 6, Archived from the original on October 2, By aboutDisney began looking for a new approach to his cartoons and a new character.

He came up with a mouse character called Mortimer, but his wife Lilly thought the name was too stiff and convinced Disney to go with Mickey instead. Mickey Mouse came to life infirst as a pilot, then as an adventurer, a sort of pirate-character. Late inafter seeing the first sound movie, The Jazz SingerDisney decided to make the first all-sound, talking-and-music cartoon, with Mickey Mouse starring as "Steamboat Willie.

Byeight years later, critics and fans alike agreed that Mickey Mouse was the most recognized figure in the world. Songs were written about him. Watches had his face on them. He could be found everywhere. Disney was called "a genius. During this time, Disney studios launched other successful cartoon characters, including Donald Duck and Pluto.

Although he had stopped actually drawing the cartoons himself byand relied on a staff of animators to implement his ideas, Disney himself was the voice of Mickey Mouse in all the cartoons from to Disney's cartoons, both short and full-length features, won many awards. During the s, the Disney cartoons were a phenomenon of worldwide success. This success led to the establishment of immensely profitable, Disney-controlled, sidelines in advertising, publishing, and franchised goods, which helped shape popular tastes for nearly 40 years.

Disney expanded his business rapidly, creating new studios and a training school for animators. It was these students, using state-of-the-art technology, who made possible the first feature-length cartoon, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Other costly animated features followed, including Pinocchio and Bambi. In the s, despite his many successes, Disney produced a series of financial "flops," including a film now regarded as a classic, the animated feature Fantasia.

Fantasia did poorly at the box office, and Disney was devastated. Then half his artists went on strike against him, protesting his dictatorial style. Some say that if it were not for a government contract he obtained to produce service-related training films, Disney might have gone bankrupt by the end of World War II. Luckily, he was able to reexamine his studio operations and pursue other directions successfully.

With the advent of Seal Island, Disney moved into wildlife films, and expanded production of live-action pictures, which led to many other family films. His elaborate production of Mary Poppins, which won five Academy Awards two years before Disney's death, was one example of a successful family film that used occasional animation and plenty of music.

InDisney also began to do something revolutionary for the time: he began to produce for television, which had been the traditional "enemy" of the movie business. By the time of his death, Disney had more than television shows to his name. Disney also began to develop his famous Disneyland biography of walt elias disney parks, the first opening in in Anaheim, California.

Disney World, in Orlando, Florida, was not completed until after his death, in Disney's vision was to interconnect all his many business ventures so that one would help the other; in other words, seeing his work on TV would cause people to want to go to Disneyland, and going to Disneyland would cause people to want to see family-oriented Disney movies.

Disney's dream of creating a city of the future was realized in with the opening of EPCOT, which stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, a real-life community of the future. By the s, Disney had created a diversified empire, founded on the animal icons, like Mickey Mouse, that had first brought him such fame. The Disney empire is noted for its traditional family values, wholesome middle-class productions, and high level of quality control.

Today, the Walt Disney Companywith the creation of Touchstone Pictures, has branched out to a broader range of films. Disney also owns Hollywood Records, and even has its own cruise line. It is a multibillion-dollar enterprise with undertakings all over the world. The impact of Walt Disney's career has been felt throughout much of the twentieth century.

His creation of wholesome cartoon characters and first-rate animation made Disney what British cartoonist David Low called "the most significant figure in graphic arts since Leonardo. In addition, Disney created a new university, the California Institute of the Arts. Disney once said, "If I can help provide a place to develop the talent of the future, I think I will have accomplished something.

Buena Vista St. Anderson, Harry. Byers, Paula and Suzanne Bourgoin, eds. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale Research, Downs, Robert B. Flanagan, and Harold W. More Memorable Americans, Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited, Finch, Christopher. The Art of Walt Disney. New York : Harry N. Abrams, Garraty, John A. Carnes, eds. Dictionary of American Biography.

New York : Charles Scribner's Sons, The name "Disney" is synonymous with children's entertainment. Disney movies, television see entry under s—TV and Radio in volume 3 shows, and animated characters help create some of the happiest and most magical childhood memories. Little did he imagine that this modest beginning would evolve into an entertainment industry giant that would create classic animated short subjects and features, live-action films and television series—and even spawn fantasy-oriented theme parks.

The first Disney series was called Alice in Cartoonland and mixed live-action and animation. InDisney and Ub Iwerks —a fellow animator and special-effects wizard, created a series of short films based on a character named Oswald the Rabbit. The following year they conjured up Mickey Mouse, the character who is most closely associated with Disney—and the creation that put Disney on the Hollywood map.

The next, Steamboat Willie ; see entry under s—Film and Theater in volume 2was a talkie, with Disney himself providing Mickey's trademark squeaky voice. Audiences were entranced by the singing, dancing, and talking mouse. Disney followed this success with his Silly Symphonies cartoon series, the first of which was The Skeleton Dance What made this series distinctive was that the scenarios and characters' movements were created in conjunction with the sounds of a prerecorded music track.

He was eventually joined by a host of animated pals, including PlutoMinnie MouseDonald Duckand Goofy who first appeared as Dippy Dawg in In the early s, Disney worked with the Technicolor corporation, to add color to his cartoons. His first colored short, Flowers and Trees, won an Academy Award inand Technicolor signed an exclusive agreement to color Disney's animations.

Disney had long desired to produce a feature-length animated film. At the time, no one had ever chanced such an expensive and risky endeavor. Inhe began to realize this dream, all the while aware that he was gambling with the future of his flourishing company. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfsthe initial Disney animated feature, was released to great critical and commercial acclaim.

The key to its success was that its characters were not artificially or excessively portrayed but rather were presented as distinct personalities who believably expressed emotion. In addition, the film featured original musical numbers. Easily the most ambitious early Disney feature was Fantasia ; see entry under s—Film and Theater in volume 3made in conjunction with conductor Leopold Stokowski — Fantasia was a bold attempt to unite classical music and the movements of animated characters.

Ina number of Disney animators went on strike, in protest of Disney's authoritarian command of the studio and what by then had evolved into a formulaic systematic animation style. Disney survived the crisis and soon became heavily involved in the war effort, producing a series of propaganda and training films during World War II — Among them were the feature documentary Victory through Air Powerwhich included live-action and animation, and Der Fuhrer's Facein which Donald Duck lampooned Adolf Hitler — With the post— World War II era came the production of a short nature documentary, Seal Islandwhose success prompted a "True-Life Adventure" series of feature-length follow-ups.

The Living Desert was the first. The studio also produced its initial live-action feature, Treasure Island Mary Poppins ; see entry under s—Film and Theater in volume 2 was not the first film to feature animation blended with live action, but it became one of the most beloved. During the s, television sets were fast becoming staples in American homes, and Disney eagerly entered the TV marketplace.

Inhe began a weekly anthology series that initially was known as Disneyland. This series was broadcast for decades under different titles and on different networks. Disneyland was followed by a classic afternoon children's series called The Mickey Mouse Club —59; see entry under s—TV and Radio in volume 3. InDisney opened Disneyland, the company's first fantasy theme park, on acres of land in Anaheim, California.

That same year, he established his own film distribution company, Buena Vista. The company suffered artistically in the wake of its founder's death in In general, Disney movies lost their sparkle. On the upside, Walt Disney World, a second theme park, opened in Orlando, Florida, inbut the studio's entertainment output was mired in mediocrity.

A low point came in when top animator Don Bluth — and a number of colleagues left Disney to form their own company, citing the studio's artistic and commercial deterioration. Inthe studio formed Touchstone Pictures, a subsidiary that would produce and release a more adult-oriented product. The first Touchstone biography of walt elias disney was Splasha romantic comedy about a man who biographies of walt elias disney for a mermaid.

The comedy was a box office smash. Pretty Woman, which made a star of its leading actress, Julia Roberts —offered a modern-day twist on the Cinderella story in that it was the tale of a prostitute who is romanced by a millionaire. Beginning in the mids, Disney recaptured its status as an animation giant. The production of a series of features—including The Black CauldronThe Little MermaidBeauty and the BeastAladdinand The Lion King ; see entry under s—Film and Theater in volume 5 —enchanted a new generation of youngsters.

By this time, the company had also evolved into a merchandising giant. Decades earlier, it had marketed a line of Mickey Mouse watches that were treasured by coming-of-age baby boomers see entry under s—The Way We Lived in volume 3. In the s, the company opened numerous stores in malls see entry under s—Commerce in volume 3 and storefronts across the globe.

On sale were Disney-related T-shirts see entry under s—Fashion in volume 1pins, figurines, mugs, and stuffed animals—and the latest designs in Mickey Mouse watches. Across the years, the Disney studio has savored its successes and rode out its rough times. Other motion picture production companies have evolved into mega-giant corporations, and others have produced animated films and children's entertainment.

None remains as synonymous with childhood, magic, and Americana as Disney. Bailey, Adrian. Walt Disney's World of Fantasy. New York : Everest House, Maltin, Leonard. New York : New American Library, Solomon, Charles. New York: Hyperion, An American filmmaker and businessman, Walt Disney created a new kind of popular culture with feature-length animated cartoons and live-action "family" films.

His father, a strict and religious man who often physically abused his children, was working as a building contractor when Walter was born. Soon afterward, his father took over a farm in Marceline, Missouriwhere he moved the family. Walter was very happy on the farm and developed his love of animals while living there. After the farm failed, the family moved to Kansas CityMissouri, where Walter helped his father deliver newspapers.

He also worked selling candy and newspapers on the train that traveled between Kansas City and Chicago, Illinois. He began drawing and took some art lessons during this time. Disney dropped out of high school at seventeen to serve in World War I — 18; a war between German-led Central powers and the Allies — England, the United Statesand other nations.

After a short stretch as an ambulance driver, he returned to Kansas City in to work as a commercial illustrator and later made crude animated cartoons a series of drawings with slight changes in each that resemble movement when filmed in order.

Biography of walt elias disney

By he had set up his own shop as a partner with Ub Iwerks, whose drawing ability and technical skill were major factors in Disney's eventual success. In partnership with his older brother, Roy, he began producing Oswald the Rabbit cartoons for Universal Studios. After a contract dispute led to the end of this work, Disney and his brother decided to come up with their own character.

Their first success came in Steamboat Willie, which was the first all-sound cartoon. It also featured Disney as the voice of a character first called "Mortimer Mouse. Disney reinvested all of his profits toward improving his pictures. He insisted on technical perfection, and his gifts as a story editor quickly pushed his biography of walt elias disney ahead.

The invention of such cartoon characters as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Minnie, and Goofy, combined with the clever use of music, sound, and folk material as in The Three Little Pigsmade the Disney shorts of the s successful all over the world. This success led to the establishment of the hugely profitable, Disney-controlled sidelines in advertising, publishing, and merchandising.

Disney rapidly expanded his studio operations to include a training school where a whole new generation of artists developed and made possible the production of the first feature-length cartoon, Snow White Other costly animated features followed, including Pinocchio, Bambi, and the famous musical experiment Fantasia. With Seal Islandwildlife films became an additional source of income.

In Treasure Island led to what became the studio's major product, live-action films, which basically cornered the traditional "family" market. Disney's biggest hit, Mary Poppins, was one of his many films that used occasional animation to project wholesome, exciting stories containing sentiment and music. In Disney successfully invaded television, and by the time of his death the Disney studio had produced 21 full-length animated films, short subjects, 47 live-action films, 7 True-Life Adventure features, hours of Mickey Mouse Club television programs, 78 half-hour Zorro television adventures, and other television shows.

On July 18,Disney opened Disneyland in Anaheim, California, the most successful amusement park in history, with 6. The idea for the park came to him after taking his children to other amusement parks and watching them have fun on amusement rides. He decided to build a park where the entire family could have fun together. In Disney World in OrlandoFloridaopened.

He thought of this as the peak of education for the arts, where people in many different forms could work together, dream and develop, and create the mixture of arts needed for the future. Disney once commented: "It's the principal thing I hope to leave when I move on to greener pastures. If I can help provide a place to develop the talent of the future, I think I will have accomplished something.

The Disney Corporation has also branched out into other types of films with the creation of Touchstone Films, into music with Hollywood Records, and even into vacations with its Disney Cruise Lines. In all, the Disney name now covers a multi-billion dollar enterprise, with business ventures all over the world. In Disney received an honorary received without meeting the usual requirements Academy Award, and in he received four more Academy Awards.

In President Lyndon B. Walt Disney, happily married for forty-one years, was moving ahead with his plans for huge, new outdoor recreational areas when he died on December 15,in Los AngelesCalifornia. Barrett, Katherine, and Richard Greene. New York : Disney Editions, Green, Amy Boothe. Remembering Walt. New York : Hyperion, Thomas, Bob. Walt Disney: An American Original.

New York : Simon and Schuster, Walt Disney — was a major business pioneer of the twentieth century. He created cartoons, live-action movies, imaginative theme parks, and wholesome family entertainment on a global scale. Both Disney's wife and brother tried to talk him out of the project, but he was undeterred. He employed the Chouinard Art Institute to supervise training for the studio staff, and used the Silly Symphonies as a platform for experiments in realistic human animation, distinctive character animation, special effects, and the use of specialized processes and apparatus such as the multiplane camera.

His focus on staff training and the use of animation students elevated the technical level of the studio to a position where it could produce a quality feature that matched Disney's vision. The success of Snow White proved Disney's detractors wrong and earned Disney an Oscar —one full-sized one, and seven miniature Oscar statuettes. Inthe feature animation staff, after completing Pinocchio, began work on Fantasia and Bambi, while the shorts staff continued work on the Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto cartoon series.

Pinocchio and Fantasia followed Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs into movie theaters inbut both were financial disappointments. The inexpensive Dumbo was planned as an income generator, but during production of the new film, most of the animation staff went on strike, permanently straining the biography of walt elias disney between Disney and his artists.

Disney reflected that this was another time in his life when he suffered a "breakdown. The U. Army contracted for most of the Disney studio's facilities and had the staff create training and instructional films for the military. The military films did not generate income, however, and the feature film Bambi underperformed when it was released in April By the late s, the studio had recovered enough to continue production on the full-length features Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan.

They also began work on Cinderella. Some Disney analysts believe that the studio would have gone bankrupt during the war years if it were not for the U. The films attracted the attention of both the general public and the Soviet space program, which was in keen competition with the United States' program at that time. In the lates, Disney began to draw sketches of his ideas for an amusement park where he envisioned his employees spending time with their children.

Disney, who had a lifelong love of trains, knew that he wanted the park to be surrounded by a train. He had once constructed a miniature steam locomotive in his backyard for his daughters, complete with loops, overpasses and a tunnel that went underneath his wife's flower garden. Disney assigned a small group of employees to work on Disneyland development as engineers and planners.

They were appropriately dubbed the "Imagineers. As Walt Disney Productions began work on Disneyland, it also began expanding its other entertainment operations. Although movies were seen to be in competition with television by Hollywood producers, The Walt Disney Studio was one of the first to produce projects for this new medium. The studio's first daily television show, the popular Mickey Mouse Club, debuted in and continued in various incarnations into the s.

This show would become a platform for new and rising stars like Annette Funicello—one of the original Mouseketeers. As the studio expanded and diversified into other media, Disney devoted less of his attention to the animation department as he entrusted most of its operations to the key animators, whom he dubbed the Nine Old Men. Disneyland, one of the world's first theme parks, finally opened on July 17,and was immediately successful.

Visitors came from around the world to see attractions based on successful Disney films and their well loved characters. The show went from black-and-white to color in —changing its name to Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color. It currently airs periodically, with features such as the December revival of Once Upon a Mattress. Despite all it ups and downs, by the early s Walt Disney Productions had established itself as the world's leading producer of family entertainment.

Disney was one of five children, four boys and a girl. Disney was born on December 5,in the Hermosa section of Chicago, Illinois. He lived most of his childhood in Marceline, Missouri, where he began drawing, painting and selling pictures to neighbors and family friends. Inhis family moved to Kansas City, where Disney developed a love for trains.

Later, Disney would work a summer job with the railroad, selling snacks and newspapers to travelers. Disney attended McKinley High School in Chicago, where he took drawing and photography classes and was a contributing cartoonist for the school paper. At night, he took courses at the Art Institute of Chicago. When Disney was 16, he dropped out of school to join the Army but was rejected for being underage.

Instead, he joined the Red Cross and was sent to France for a year to drive an ambulance. He moved back to the U. InDisney moved to Kansas City to pursue a career as a newspaper artist. Around this time, Disney began experimenting with a camera, doing hand-drawn cel animation. He decided to open his own animation business. From the ad company, he recruited Fred Harman as his first employee.