Walt Disney
by: Crylynn Reynolds
About Walt Disney
Name: Walter Elias Disney
Birthday: December 5, 1901-December 15, 1966
Birthplace: Hermosa, Chicago, IL
Childhood: Taught himself to draw at age 5
"All dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them." ~Walt Disney~
Walter and his brothers were so frustrated about their relationship with their father that they all one by one ran away from home earlier in their lives.
Walt's Struggles
At age 22, Walter experienced bankruptcy after the failure of a cartoon series in Kansas city.
On the heels of a successful run with Oswald the lucky rabbit, Walt learned not only that he did not hold ownership of the character but that most of the artists who worked for him had committed themselves to working for the distributor instead. Essentially, Walt's entire organization was taken from him, with the exception of his artist UB Iweks.
In the 1930's, Walt suffered what he called "a heck of a breakdown." He was anxious about the ability for cartoon shorts to really deliver serious profit. Beyond being irritable at his employees, that breakdown included sleepless hours in bed at night, there were story sessions where he was completely unfocused and unable to contribute. He would even plunge into crying spells at a moments notice.
Walt's Struggles
From the windfall of snow white and the seven dwarfs, Walt and Roy built a home so their aging parents could be close to them in California. Only poor construction and subsequent attempts at repairing it by studio workmen ended in their mother dying one morning from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Walt and Lillian raised two daughters in the wake of what was known as "the crime of the century." This was in reference to the abduction and murder of Charles Lindbergh's 20 month old son in 1932. Walt himself would accompany his children on daddy-daughter trips, many of which led him to early thoughts about building an amusement park enterprise.
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible." ~Walt Disney"
Just prior to World War II, Walt experienced an acrimonious strike by his animators. The experience severed him from artists he had thought to be close to for years. To settle the strike, his brother sent him away to South America on a good will tour for the U.S.
Walt's Struggles
Walt could not find the money to build Disneyland. The only way he could see was in doing television. But the major Hollywood studios put pressure on each other not to support television production as it would ruin the movie business.
On July 17, 1955, Walt Disney dedicated Disneyland before a television audience of millions. Meanwhile, forged tickets were bringing thousands of people into the park without his knowledge. The newly poured asphalt melted the heels of women, and a plumber's strike kept drinking fountains from being installed in time.
"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing." ~Walt Disney~
Works Cited
"Of Failure and Success: The Journey of Walt Disney." Mouseplanet. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.