Early Life Of Walt Disney :
Early childhood of Walt Disney was never close to being as rosy and colorful as the movies he made later on in life. Born in Chicago to Elias Charles Disney and Flora Call Disney, Walt’s childhood was interrupted when the family had to move to Missouri first and then Kansas. With barely any money to spare, the Disney brothers had to work several odd jobs to make ends meet, a task which left them with little to no time for school.
The big change to Walt’s life came in the form of the Great War. A patriot by birth, Walt immediately joined the army, but was rejected because he was only a mere boy of 16. However, he finally became a part of the army by driving an ambulance bus. Through his time in the war, he realized his true passion lay in the magical world of theater, acting and drawing.
The Beginning Of Career :
The war had a great impact on Walt’s life. It left a mark on him so much that the first caricatures he drew were of political figures, a feat which was clearly not a good idea. One of Walt’s brothers, Roy, was the first man who introduced him to the world of cartoons, mystery and beauty! In July 1923, Walt sold his camera, his creations and his hard work and moved to Hollywood. Once he reached, he moved in with his uncle Robert Disney and set out to look for a job. Unfortunately, no one believed in Walt’s dreams of becoming a director and as a result, every studio turned him down.
The first seeds for Disney were sown when Walt, Roy and Ub Iwerks came together to form the first version of Disney. Called the Disney Brothers’ Studio, this company became home to the many creations for which Walt became famous. It was only after multiple rejections that Walt decided to turn to animation. The first success for Walt came in the form of a series called Alice Comedies, or what is now popularly known as Alice In Wonderland. The massive success of the Alice series resulted in the creation of a new project called Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and from then onward, there was absolutely no looking back for Walt.
Creation Of Mickey Mouse :
Even with the huge success of Oswald, Walt was not happy. He wanted a character that was sympathetic, personal and full of potential. An idea was slowly brewing in this creative man’s head and slowly, after months of contemplation, the character of Mickey Mouse came to be! This particular character had a live voice, a back story and a dream with which everyone could relate. With such a specific idea for Mickey Mouse, Walt could not find a specific voice to fit this character. Despite several auditions, no one made the right impact and after several failed attempts, the creator decided to voice the character himself. Walt first came up with the idea of Mickey Mouse, he wanted to name him as Mortimer Mouse.
In the year 1932, Walt discovered a new invention in the form of technicolor while working on a project called Flowers and Trees. With the brilliant idea of re-shooting the project with this technology, Walt created the first ever successful animated series for Disney! Nothing could stop Walt after this success and post that, his touch was like the mythical Midas touch.
At the age of 62, Walt had amassed over 31 Academy Awards and was famous for creating not only amazing cartoons, but also for making brilliant feature films.
