Walt Disney : The Triumph Of The American Imagination

“I’ve always been bored with just making money. I’ve wanted to do things, I wanted to build things, or get something going.” (LeeBron) Disney stated that when he realized that he wanted to make a difference in people’s lives. Disney never wanted to be boring or be known as the man who did not have a childhood and was always pushed around by his father. Disney wanted to be successful in life, he wanted the name ‘Walt Disney’ to be remembered, and it will be forever. Disney has achieved many important and exciting accomplishments within his life. He created “full length animated films, short films, live-action features, and television shows” (LeeBron) Disney also introduced theme parks. He created Disneyland in Anaheim, California. He also developed Epcot which stands for “Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow”, and Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida. Walt Disney was an important figure in the 1920s American History because he made a change to the world with the idea of bringing inanimate objects to life with cartoons and created all new kinds of happiness.

Tracey Mollet’s view over Disney’s positive influence is interesting. I understand how she feels like these positive and happy ending stories shed light on a depressing time in America. In my opinion it also glorified the idea of the existence of “American dream” and what exactly it looks like. Her article gave me an idea of the effects and importance of history in any social matter: especially in the literary form. Walt Disney personalized fairy tales tailored it for the American

Walt Disney’s greatest achievement is the impact he made on America’s mass media industry. Disney took his talent for art and design to the next

My topic is the colonialism of The Walt Disney Company. When defining colonialism, I will be referring to two general definitions that are applicable to modern day colonialism as seen through cultural appropriation, and cultural commodification of Disney and the tourist industry. Oxford Dictionaries defines colonialism as, “the policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically,” and Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy’s defines colonialism as, “a practice of domination, which involves the subjugation of one people to another.”

Walter Elias Disney was an amazing film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur and philanthropist. Mr. Disney left this world, impacting and inspiring the lives of everyone and changing the world of movie-making forever. Walt Disney was the creator of popular animated characters such as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Alice in Wonderland, and Snow White. He is the namesake for the Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney Resort, and many more. Walt Disney had lived an enthralling life, and improved the field of entertainment tremendously. To sum it all up, Walt Disney will always be remembered as the best entertainer of

Walt Disney once said, “It’s not the magic that makes it work, it’s the work that makes the magic.” (Capodagli & Jackson, 2007). Walt Disney was truly a visionary and ethical leader that used his talents as a transformational leader and artist to dream up a world that has stood the test of time for nearly 90 years. In this paper I will explain why he was both a visionary and ethical leader. It will show that he used inspirational motivation and intellectual stimulation to further his clear and easy to follow vision, inspire his personnel, and leverage their creativity. It will also show why I believe Walt Disney fit into the traits of an ethical leader by valuing his team members and creating an environment of mutual trust and respect. Then I will tell you how I have used the same transformational leadership behaviors to lead my people, have made sure not to fall into an ethical trap and take credit for the work others do. All leaders could learn something from Walt’s visionary leadership.

On December 5, 1901, Elias Disney and Flora Call Disney gave birth to a man who would eventually change our world by the creation of a little mouse. Walter Elias Disney, who was also known as “Walt,” was born in a small town in Chicago, Illinois, by a father who was an Irish-Canadian descent, and his mother who was a German- English descent. Walt was one out of five children, four brothers and a sister. Their names were Herbert Arthur Disney, Raymond Arnold Disney, Roy Oliver Disney, and Ruth Flora Disney. Walt was the oldest one out of the five. While he attended school, he was introduced to Walter Pfeiffer, who decided to show Walt vaudeville and the art of making movies. Walt decided to drop out of high school, at the age of sixteen, to join the army. He was rejected to join because he was too young of age. He and a friend decided to join the Red Cross, where Walt was an ambulance driver during World War II. In 1919, Walt moved to Kansas City to begin a career in art, and worked for the newspaper, as a newspaper artist. He met Ubbe Iwerks, and he and Disney soon made their own commercial company called, “Iwerks-Disney Commercial Artists.”

Walter Elias Disney was always seen as a very imaginative and outgoing person at any point in his life. Walt loved life and would make appearances at Disneyland all the time to make sure employees were being kind and courteous to the guests while managing to talk and ride rides with children that looked up to him. Never in his life would Walt give up on something, which made him very stubborn at times, but a good businessman with the guidance of his brother, Roy. All of these traits made Walt Disney into one of the greatest entrepreneurs the world has ever seen, and some say he even helped shape the 20th century.

The history of how The Walt Disney Company came to be started from a small individual who enjoyed drawing and used art as a way to escape reality, his name was Walt Disney. After the World War 1 ended, Disney went to Kansas City where he later created an animated company that went bankruptcy. Walt Disney moved to Hollywood where he met M.J Winkler a distributor, Disney become part of her production partner. (The Walt Disney Company) In 1927 Disney created a series where the distributor copyright the main character and Disney only made a few hundred dollars, therefore Disney decide to leave and created that same series with a different name which was Mickey Mouse. Disney decided to go with his brother Roy and created Mickey Mouse films. When Disney wanted to put out Steamboat Willie many film producers did not like the film’s idea until Pat Powers decided to release the film in theaters. The film gave Disney enough money to start on other projects which later those project turn out to be such as the amusement parks, merchandise, etc. In December 15, 1966 Walt Disney died from Lung Cancer, Disney’s brother Roy made sure that Disney’s believes and philosophy about the company would still be passed on by the company 's employee. (The Walt Disney Company) The company kept going which has become of the greatest companies that are socially responsible and sustainable.

     Walt Disney; When that name is spoken faces of children and adults alike light up with looks of sheer joy. When debating what to see at the movies the newest Disney flick is almost always decided upon over the others. With Disney people are 100 percent sure to walk out of the theater happy and smiling. From the catchy theme songs to the thrilling theme parks Disney has built the fantasy empire. Although he built the fantasy world Disney was not a man who walked around with his head in the clouds. He used his animation and film making skills to not only make fantastic movies but to also bring joy into times of war, fun into times of education, and excitement into times of vacation

Walt Disney started as an illustrator in a small company and became one of the most influential figures during the 20th century. Walt Disney is well known as the founder of the Walt Disney Company and the creator of a character named Mickey Mouse. His cartoons brought joy to people through unique characters and colorful backgrounds. His ultimate goal was to make people happy as Walt quotes ¨My business is making people, especially children, happy” (The Walt Disney Family Museum). Although animation may be his biggest known contribution to America, Disney also had influence on economy and politics.

Walt Disney is an American icon that many people look towards when in the art of animation. He was born in 1901 in Chicago, but spent his childhood in Missouri. He had always been interested in the arts and in making money to provide for his family. He gained the ambitious vision which lead him to create his globally known company Walt Disney. He and his company a helped America rise in power through embracing American cultural values, politics, and social values to the world.

Biographical facts: placing emphasis on crucial experiences, episodes, pre-occupations and challenges that created turning points in advancing the subject’s leadership role.

The Magic of Disney can be attributed to Walt Disney’s perseverance and imagination. Swearing to never create another character he didn’t have the license to, he created an animation studio in Kansas, which went bankrupt shortly after. After moving to California, he set up shop and started Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio. One of the first real successes of the studio is a short in 1982 called Steamboat Willie, by Les Clark, which introduced the character later known as Mickey Mouse and was the first time audiences experienced synchronized sound (TL). Walt’s death in 1966 left the Empire in uncharted territory as the company had to learn how to fend for itself or did with Walt and Nine Truly Old Men. They needed new talent and skilled animators, and Eric Larson was the man for the job (W9OM).

“When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable.”