Walt Disney was one of the most notable figures in the field of entertainment. Know about him through his timeline and life history.
Walt Disney, an American film producer, director, voice actor, and animator, and the winner of many Academy Awards, was also an entrepreneur. He is one of the most prestigious people of the twentieth century. He is one of the very well-known motion picture producers in the world. He won a record-breaking fifty-nine nominations of the Academy Awards and was honored with thirty-two. Theme Parks in various countries and the very famous Disneyland have been named after him.
A Brief History of Walt Disney
We all know Walt Disney as a film producer and the co-founder of the Walt Disney Company. As a child, he loved drawing. When he was in McKinley High School, he became the cartoonist of his school newspaper. After spending one year with Red Cross, he moved to Kansas City in pursuit of his career in the field of art. He married Lillian Bounds. In 1933, his wife gave birth to Diane Marie Disney. Walt adopted Sharon Mae Disney in 1934.
Apart from Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and others, ‘Saludos Amigos’ of 1942, ‘Fun and Fancy Tree’ of 1947, and the ‘Sleeping Beauty’, were some of Disney’s most noted creations. Walt Disney was the man to conceptualize Disneyland. Most of his popular creations won him prestigious awards and popularized his name in the world. His demise in 1966 meant the loss of a great human being.
Walt Disney Timeline
1901: Walt Disney was born on the 5th of December 1901. Elias Disney, his father, was an Irish Canadian and Flora Call Disney, his mother, was a German-American. Walt was one of the five children of Elias and Flora.
1910: The Disneys moved to Kansas City. Walt attended the Benton Grammar School, where he met Walter Pfeiffer. The Pfeiffers, who were theater buffs, introduced Walt to the world of motion pictures. He began to love this new world.
1917: Walt’s family migrated to Chicago. While in high school, he started taking courses at the Chicago Art Institute. He wanted to join the Army but was rejected, as he was only sixteen. Then he joined the Red Cross after which he was sent to France. He worked as an ambulance driver there.
1920: In January, along with the cartoonist Ubbe Iwerks, he established the Iwerks-Disney Commercial Artists Company.
1923: Disney moved to Hollywood with a plan in his mind to become a director. In the October of the same year, Walt and his brother Roy signed a contract with M.J. Winkler, a cartoon distributor in New York.
1925: Walt hired a young lady named Lillian Bounds as an inker. They ended up marrying each other in the same year.
1926: Disney renamed his studio. It would be called the Walt Disney Studio.
1927: The studio created the series Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Mintz distribution acquired all the rights of ‘Oswald’.
1928: Walt Disney’s imagination gave birth to Mickey Mouse. The cartoons ‘Plane Crazy’ and ‘Steamboat Willie’ followed. In November 1928, the Colon Theater in New York showcased Steamboat Willie. It was the first animated cartoon with sound and gained a positive response from the audience. Walt Disney had become popular by this time with all the companies wanting the rights to Mickey Mouse.
1930: Disney signed a distribution contract with Columbia Pictures.
1932: ‘Flowers and Trees’, a Silly Symphonies cartoon done in Technicolor, won the Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons. Walt Disney owned the rights to use Technicolor. Disney received a special award for his Mickey Mouse in the same year.
1933: The cartoon called ‘The Three Little Pigs’ became a phenomenal success.
1934: In the cartoon, Orphan’s Benefit, Donald Duck was introduced into the Mickey Mouse world. Donald Duck became the second most popular character in Disney’s creations.
1938: Snow White was released under a deal with RKO Radio Pictures. The film was a huge success and earned $8 million. Snow White brought in the Golden Age of Animation for Disney.
1940: During the late 1940s, Disney continued with his work on ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘Peter Pan’ and commenced work on ‘Cinderella’.
Disney had been to Chicago in the late 1940s. There he sketched his ideas for an amusement park, deriving inspiration from the Children’s Fairyland in Oakland, California. This idea was later expanded to design what is now known as Disneyland.
1949: The popularity of Donald Duck increased to a great extent and Donald replaced Mickey as Disney’s star character.
1950: ‘Treasure Island’ and ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’ were produced. ‘One Hour In Wonderland’ was featured on television.
1955: ‘Mickey Mouse Club’ became the first daily television show. On September 8, 1955, Disneyland was proud to welcome its one-millionth visitor!
1960: Walt Disney was the Head of Pageantry for the Winter Olympics that year.
1964: ‘Mary Poppins’ became the most popular Disney film of the 1960s. It received nominations for 13 Academy Awards.
1966: On November 30, he was admitted to St. Joseph’s Hospital owing to his weakness. On December 15, Walt Disney died of lung cancer.
Today, the name Walt Disney is synonymous to creativity and innovation. He gave a new dimension to the cartoon and animation industry. He was truly a self-made man!