Walty Elias Disney is a prime example of achieving success through a series of obstacles. He was fired, cartoons were rejected. The team in which the legendary director worked went bankrupt. Nevertheless, Disney is one of the most prominent multimillionaires in human history.
Biography
Walt was born in Chicago in 1901 to ordinary people. His mother, Flora, was a teacher, and his father, Elias, was a carpenter. The boy grew up in a large, low-income family. From early childhood, Walt loved to draw, however, his parents could not even afford elementary stationery (pencils, paints). Therefore, at the age of 4, the young artist painted the walls of the house with the help of resin and a stick, for which he was severely punished.
Disney often changed their place of residence, as they were looking for a way to earn money that would bring a decent income. Already in childhood, Walty realized that he had to work in order to have at least supplies for drawing. The schoolboy delivered newspapers, drew a lot and sold his works to caring people. The guy received his first salary for a portrait of a neighbor’s horse.
When Disney was 7 years old, he started selling his own comics. The boy drew school newspapers and went to courses at the Academy of Fine Arts in the evenings. Studying at school was not easy for him, as the boy dreamed of his artistic passion. The father did not share his predilections. Walty was brought up in strictness and was beaten by his father more than once. In all likelihood, it was the harsh upbringing that tempered the character of the multiplier.
Career start
When the Disney family moved to Kansas City, the attention of the boy, like other children, was attracted by a chic mansion, enclosed by a high fence and vegetation. Every child dreamed of visiting the building at least once, looking at old portraits. Then Walty set out to buy a big house with a garden in the future, where it would be interesting for children. This dream laid the foundation for making Disneyland a reality.
Walty and his best friend’s favorite actor at the time was Charlie Chaplin. The boys spent all their savings on going to the movies. Later, they walked the streets and imitated the walk and acting style of their favorite actor. Neighbors were touched by a mischievous, cheerful guy. Everyone who knew him thought he would become a good actor. Walt thought so too.
In 1918, the young man volunteered to serve in the Red Cross, where he was the driver of an ambulance, which he painted with various cartoons. Returning to Chicago, the guy entered the Art Institute.
After training, Disney got a job in a restaurant company, where he designed advertising signs.
Later, the young man realized that he could and wanted to create cartoon characters. With this dream, the young man went to Hollywood with a few drawings and 40 dollars. The producers did not show due interest in the ideas of the young talent. Once Walt was lucky enough to work in the crowd, but the picture with his participation never appeared on the screen. Then he decided to achieve success on his own. The young man made a list of necessary actions and materials to create his own studio.
The animator’s partner was his brother Roy. Inspired by the idea of L. Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland”, Walt creates exciting mini-films about the adventures of a girl. However, financial problems lead the company to bankruptcy. Enlisting the support of two friends from the Academy of Arts, Rudolf Aising and Hugh Harman, Disney created the first successful films: Barney the Bear, Joyful Harmonies and The Adventures of Bosco. In 1923, the brothers gave the studio a new name: The Walt Disney Company.
Having signed a contract with distributor Margaret Winkler, the young artist realizes a series of paintings about Oswald the Rabbit, which are a huge success. However, the guy did not take into account the details of the contract and was soon left without the rights to his own creation. Then Disney learned a lesson from the current situation, and in the future paid special attention to the authorship of projects.
Fame
Mickey the mouse became the new star of Disney cartoons. This hero was even placed on pens, notebooks, towels and other accessories, which served as additional income for the company.
After the release of the famous paintings “The Three Little Pigs”, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, etc., Walt Disney received several Oscars. Gradually, a talented animator begins to create television projects, helping the future stars of American cinema become famous.
Having realized his ideas on television, Walt is thinking about new projects. So, during one of the walks with his daughters, the entrepreneur pays attention to American parks. The man thought about creating a place where it would be interesting for children and adults. The idea is born to create a popular amusement park – Disneyland, the opening of which was first realized in 1955 in the USA, not far from Los Angeles. When creating the park, great attention was paid to the implementation of technical tricks, thanks to which the reality of what was seen during adventure travel was created. Disney cartoon characters adorn any attraction.
The utmost attention was paid to safety, courtesy and cleanliness. Analogues of the park were built in many cities. Tourists from all over the world come there. This is the most profitable project of a talented entrepreneur. Over time, Walt founded many serious projects. He did not stop there, but developed along with his projects. Died cartoonist, director, actor, talented artist in 1966 from lung cancer. This man left an eternal memory of himself. He remains famous to this day, his cartoons have been loved by many generations, and tourists from all over the world visit parks with his name.
