Walt Disney Impact On Society

“I can never stand still. I must explore and experiment. I am never satisfied with my work. I resent the limitations of my own imagination.”(Disney, 2017) Walt Disney has hugely impacted history in a very positive manner. He is the man who changed lives forever, opened our minds to undescribable imagination, and who brought magic into this world. In his life, Walt accomplished many things, experienced challenges, and has contributed so much to both society and the economy. Walt Disney has truly changed the world.

Walter Elias Disney was born on December 5, 1901 in Hermosa, Illinois to Elias and Flora Disney. Walt had three brothers and one sister, and was the fourth of five children. As for religious beliefs, Walt Disney was a devout

Congregationalist Christian along with his family. Walt and his siblings grew up with a very strong faith, with their father as a strong advocate. Shortly after he was born, Walt and his family moved to Marceline, Missouri. Walt lived on a farm in Marceline for most of his childhood, where he became interested in drawing sketches and selling them to neighbors at the age of 7. When his father became ill and could not maintain the farm, the Disney family moved to Kansas City. In Kansas City, Walt (9) and his older brother, Roy (10), began working for a newspaper route, where they delivered newspapers very early in the morning. Walt’s childhood included many location changes and the start of a big imagination.
As Walt grew older so did his imagination.

Once again, the Disney family moved, this time to Chicago. In Chicago, Walt attended McKinley High School. School did not interest Walt, however, he was part of the school’s newspaper, in which he published cartoons. By day, Walt took art and photography classes at school, and by night he took courses at the Chicago Art Institute. At the age of 16,Walt became bored of school, which resulted in him dropping out. By dropping out, Walt had hoped that he could join the army, but he did not reach the age requirements. However, the Red Cross offered Walt a job to drive an ambulance in France, a job that he was old enough to take part in. In his highschool years, Walt Disney’s interest in art and drawing significantly

grew.
When Walt returned from the war in 1919, he moved back to Kansas City.

There, Walt’s artistic career had officially formed. Walt worked at several art studios in Kansas City, including Pesmen- Rubin Art Studio and The Kansas City Film Ad Company. There, he made animated commercials. After working for many studios, Walt wanted to become independent with his cartoons and animations. Disney and former co worker, Fred Harman created independent cartoons and screened them at local Kansas City theatres. Walt and Fred called these cartoons “Laugh-O-Grams”. These films were a hit, and the duo eventually acquired enough money to open their own studio, Laugh-O-Gram. Soon after opening, the studio went bankrupt in 1923. At this point, Walt felt like a failure, but he did not give up. Walt once said, “If you can visualize it, if you can dream it, there’s some way to do it”(Disney, 2017). This shows that despite the hardships in his life, he did not give up. He always dreamed of something bigger and better. After his first business went bankrupt, Disney hoped to open a successful business. Walt, his brother Roy, and another business partner, Ub Iwerks invested their money in a new studio in Hollywood. There, Walt and Roy started the Disney Brothers’ Studio. The start of this studio became the future of the way millions of people think and use their imaginations. Walt Disney portrays hard work and determination even after facing the challenges of starting his own

business.
The Disney Brothers’ Studio brought great fame and wealth to the Disney name. With the help of many associates, the company created several animated characters that are still talked about today. In 1925, Disney Brothers’ Studio hired an artist named Lillian Bounds, who later became Walt’s wife. One of the animated characters created by Disney Brothers’ Studio was Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Oswald was a hit, and loved by many, but Disney’s famous character was not lucky for long. When Walt created Oswald, he tried to sell him with Universal Pictures. The contract that he signed with Universal stated that Walt did not own Oswald, but Universal Pictures owned him. They gave Walt the option of joining Universal and abandoning his studio, or letting go of his most successful animated character. Devastated, Walt gave Oswald up Oswald, lost many of his workers, and lost money to Universal Pictures. This debacle did not stop Walt Disney from following his dreams. Instead, Walt learned from his mistake and made sure that he owned all of the cartoons that he produced.
The Disney Brothers’ Studio became extremely successful in the next few years. To make up for the loss of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Walt created Mickey Mouse in 1928. From 1928- 1947, Walt Disney was the voice behind Mickey, until he gave the job to English voice actor, Jimmy MacDonald. When Walt first created Mickey Mouse, he was known as Mortimer Mouse, but Lillian convinced him that Mickey is a more marketable name. Today, the name “Mickey Mouse” is known and loved by both children and adults all around the world.
Disney Brothers’ Studio was one the road to extreme success. Many of their characters were featured on the market for all to see. As the studio’s success grew, so did their team of staff. Disney Brothers’ Studio hired many new artists and teachers to teach his new artists. Walt