Page 12 - Disney Insider Guide

He experimented with live-action and animation, pushing the medium. The results Unfortunately, after contract complications,
were his first films The Alice Comedies. Even now, it is clear to see the young Walt Walt actually lost the rights to Oswald to
Disney, was talented, with an eye for story and character, and always wanting to a distributor in New York and was now
push technology. without a cartoon character of his own.
His first attempts were good enough to sell to a small, local theater. However, it was on the train ride back
to California that Walt would create his
Walt decided that if he really wanted to pursue greatest and most memorable character,
a career in the film industry, he would have to Mickey Mouse.
move to where the film industry was located.
With forty dollars, a suitcase and a few With the success of Mickey Mouse, Walt
belongings, Walt left for California. felt he could make an animated cartoon
into a feature-length movie, something
He moved into his uncle’s house to save
money and asked his brother Roy to help him that, until that time, had never been done.
run the business. Many people believed he could not do
it, but, proving his critics wrong, Snow
Roy had excellent financial sense and between
them, were the perfect partnership, with Walt White and The Seven Dwarfs premiered
running the creative side of the business, and Roy managing the finances. in 1937. Walt and his team of animators,
went on to create some of the most beloved
The Walt Disney Studio was officially founded in a simple garage in 1923. and enchanting films of all time. Films such
as Bambi, Dumbo, Peter Pan and many more represented a golden age for the
Walt began to staff studio.
his new studio and
invited his long- Being someone who wanted to always push art and technology, Walt and his
t im e fr i en d U b artists created one of the most celebrated movies of all time, the ground-breaking
Iwerks to be an Fantasia. Walt even suggested that the movie should have special speakers to
animator. enhance the experience, what would later go
on to become ‘surround sound’.
Soon after Th e
Alice Comedies Walt also had great success in live-action
had ended, Walt movies and television but his next passion
felt it was time for a was on the horizon.
new series of cartoons and he needed a new character
to tell his stories. Walt created a lovable rabbit called The opening of Disneyland in 1955 signified
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. a crowning achievement for Walt Disney.
Disneyland was the first theme park of its
kind and allowed Walt the opportunity to
take his guests into his stories like never
before.
Disneyland was an almost overnight
success and gave Walt a place to tell new
stories and, unlike the movies he created,
Walt could always ‘plus’ and add to
Disneyland.
1928 1955 1965 1966
In Walt’s words, “Disneyland will never be
Mickey Mouse Disneyland opens in Disney buys land Walt Disney dies
debuts in Steamboat Anaheim, California in Orlando, Florida completed...as long as there is imagination left in the world.”
Willie for construction of
second theme park
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