Walt Disney: the Quintessential American

“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.

Walt Disney was a visionary and transformational leader that used Inspirational Motivation and Intellectual Stimulation and an easy to follow vision that inspired his people to achieve their shared dream of providing the best family entertainment possible. Walt Disney’s vision was clear, simple, and easy to follow. Dream, Believe, Dare, Do. (Capodagli & Jackson, 2007). He spoke so passionately about his dreams that others around him couldn’t help but

Walt Disney was a very influential man to the entertainment industry. He made animation a whole new type of entertainment. Although Walt went through many struggles and problems, he pushed on and eventually saw results for all his hard work. Many hardships got in Disney’s way such as unsupportive parents and even bankruptcy; Walt pushed on through, always creating, working hard, and persevering to accomplish his dream.

Background: The history of Walt Disney, and the Disney Corporation, is one shrouded in admiration and accolades for the accomplishment of the American dream. Walt Disney himself is an icon for the American work ethic, i.e., hard work pays off. He is seen as a Horatio Alger, "rags to riches," success story. Beginning his work in animation in the 1920s, Walt Disney gained fame worldwide for his films and theme parks. But Walt Disney created more than films and theme parks. By infusing them with an ideological stance glorifying "the American way of life," his brand of democracy and conservatism, he created a cultural institution. The moralistic stance of his enterprise became common knowledge and it is said that his 1933 version of Three Little Pigs was the last of his cartoons in which the film’s moral messages were open to interpretation [3]

After he met Ubbe Iwerks, Disney and Iwerks decided to open a company called Laugh-o-Grams, which screened short animated cartoons that became very popular in the area of Kansas City. Disney hired a number of animators to work in the company. Unfortunately, the studio profits failed, and Disney ended up in loads of debt, and became

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.

His father was enraged. This wasn’t just because Disney had drawn on the wall, but it was also because his father thought that art and music were worthless pastimes. He thought the life of a young boy should be nothing but hard work.

With his fellow artists in Kansas City Walt began his long endeavour into the art of production. Working with his brother Roy and a few others Walt worked his way to his dream, and in 1923 he was able to set up his studio in Hollywood where his first famous cartoons were produced. Walter and his partners had previously aired their cartoons dubbed Laugh-O-Grams which were wildly popular and after they created a series of seven-minute fairy tales that combined live action and animation. Out of their studio in Hollywood, also known as the “Disney Brothers’ Studio”, came incredible characters such as Oswald the Lucky Rabbit who was famously feuded over by the brothers and caused their famous split. Although the most beloved of all was the sensational Mickey Mouse. Up to this point in Walt’s career all of his work and other animations in the industry have one thing in common,

     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

Relevance: There is no escaping Disney. Whether or not you have realized it, Disney has influenced you in some way whether it be by the movies, or the imagination and make-believe. I’m sure some of you dressed up as princesses, pretended to duel each other as pirates, or played make believe. Even after Walt’s death, his company is still producing animated and live-action films and overseeing the still-growing empire. Today’s children are evidence of a lasting legacy through his parks, movies, and merchandise.

Disney has been involved in the lives of millions of Americans since the early 1920s and even now, continues to touch the hearts of each new generation. What started as a simple and humble cartoon studio grew into a world-wide known enterprise. Disney brought comfort to the United States post WWII and has been a staple in households across America for children everywhere. It is not uncommon for people to reminiscence about their childhood when thinking about Disney shows or movies. So, how did a little cartoon studio get so well known? The era of when the studio was created may be one of the advantages that led Disney from an uncle’s

in Hollywood. If their business were successful, it would be the first studio in the city strictly for producing animation. Walt and Roy got their studio up and moving within a few weeks and hired several animators. They first produced a mini-series called Alice that played in the previews of movie theatres, but they knew it wouldn’t compare to Felix the Cat. Walt felt something was missing at their studio and realized a need for a master animator.

Walt Disney was a leader who exemplified many leadership capacities throughout his 43-year Hollywood career. He demonstrated a strong moral purpose and worked hard to make a difference in the lives of everyone who had interactions with Walt Disney Productions. His moral convictions were instilled in him by his parents at a young age. Walt was always striving to make people happy. His first priority was always to his family. Although he struggled to balance work and family at times, he was always there for his wife and daughters. Walt also had

Walt took classes at the Chicago Art Institute three nights a week. When summer finally rolled along, Walt worked for his father at the post office. Of course, even when working, Walt made drawings.When school started back up again, Walt was seventeen years old. He dropped out of school then to try and fight in the war. He got denied to fight because he was too young. So Walt lied about his age, and he got a job as an ambulance driver for the American Red Cross. The Red Cross sent him to work in France, and of course in his free time, Walt drew cartoons. When he came back he didn’t want to work for his dad again, “I want to be an artist.”(Walt Disney) So he moved to Missouri, and when he finally found a job, it only lasted for six months. During those six months, Walt met a man named Ubbe Iwerks. The two men decided to go into business together. They wanted to make animations, or pictures that move. To make money to help make the animations, Walt and Ub made short films, which were about a minute long. Their first production was, “The Alice Comedies.” Walt wanted to make loner movies though which were about seven minutes long. He longed to make fairy tales. Walt and Ub finally came out with the production of Little Red Riding Hood. It took six months. Both men quit their day jobs, and opened a company called Laugh-O-Gram

Walt Disney has inspired millions of people across the globe through his success, films and dreams. His bold legacy has lived on past his grave and millions of people have and continue to find joy in his magical works, but how many know his story and how his great legacy came to be? How did he get to where he finished?