From his hard beginnings, to becoming one of the most famous persons in history. Walt Disney’s story is definitely similar to the ones he wrote. He came from a humble family, made it to the top and made innovations in the entertainment business. He built an amazing Fun Park and many critisized him for the way he treated his employees and artists. As a matter of fact, Walt Disney is a good example of the American Dream!
Among other things, Disney will be remembered as the man who built one of the most powerful empires known today. In addition to this, Walt Disney has won 22 Academy Awards, an Emmy and other honours for his work. He revolutionized animation. He understood the power of the television and sold his films. This rocketed his net worth.
Nevertheless, maybe one of his greatest achievements was the opening of the Disney Theme park in 1955. Disney theme parks led the industry as the gold standard of excellence in amusement park entertainment. And it all started with Disney’s regular family outings.
To begin with, in 1922, Disney and his friend Iwerks started a small studio on their own. They aquired a cheap second hand camera and started making two minutes animated films. Moreover, they sold the material to local cinemas in Kansas. Some of these famous films were Alice in CartoonLand and Laugh O-grams.
However, he announced bunkrupcy in 1923, and he moved to California and pursued a career as cinematographer. After the success of their first Alice film, Walt and his brother Roy, reopened the studio in Hollywood. Moving on with his brother and Iwerks, he started selling the films of his invented character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. They sold the films at $1,500 each.
But, in 1927, the most famous cartoon character is born. There is a story which claims that Mickey Mouse was an idea of Disney’s wife. Mickey Mouse became famous really fast and brought to the company huge earnings.
After the great success of Mickey Mouse, the company produced a series of animations. Part of them were the “Three Little Pigs” and “The Red Riding Hood”. As a result of the success, Disney hired creative people to work for him. Iwerks was their manager. At that time another big success was born under the name “Snow White”. Snow White was widely acclaimed by critics and audience alike as an amusing and sentimental romance.
However, many people challenged his success. There are claims that Walt Disney was treating his employees in a horrible way. According to the stories, he made them work more than it was allowed and he was threatening them. Some criticized his frequently subject matter and accused him of creating a virtual stylistic monopoly in American animation that discouraged experimentation.
By the end of his life, Disney had managed to create an empire. Known as a skilled businessman, an amazing innovator and a perfectionist, he had transformed the lives of millions of children in America. He maintained tight control of both the creative and economical aspects of the company until the end. Finally, he died in 1966. “It’s a kind of fun to do the impossible“. “Laughter is timeless. Imagination has no age. And dreams are forever”. Two of his phrases that will stay forever.