Walt Disney Research Paper

CHILDHOOD

Walter Elias Disney was an entrepreneur, animator, voice actor and film producer, who was born on December 5, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois, to his father Elias Disney, and his mother Flora Call Disney. After Walt’s birth, his moved to Marceline, Missouri, where Walt lived most of his childhood. He had very early interests in art, and would often sell drawings to neighbours to make extra money, since he came from a poor family. In 1911, his family moved to Kansas City, where Disney developed a love for trains. His uncle, Mike Martin, was a train engineer. Walt began to love, and appreciate nature, wildlife, family and community, which were a large part of his life. Walt was encouraged by his mother, and older brother, Roy to pursue his talents of drawing.

FAMILY

Walt Disney’s father, Elias Disney, was Irish-Canadian, and his mother, Flora Call Disney, was German-American. Walt was the fourth of five children, four boys and a girl. The names of his siblings were Roy

E. Disney, Raymond Arnold Disney, Herbert Arthur Disney, and Ruth Flora Disney. They were very supportive about Walt Disney and his dream to become a cartoonist. Later in his life, he got married to an ink-artist named Lillian Bounds. They soon were blessed with two daughters, Diane and Sharon.
EDUCATION
Disney attended McKinley High School in Chicago, where he took drawing and photography classes and he would help illustrate the school papers. At night, he took courses at the Chicago Art Institute. When Disney was 16, he dropped out of school to serve the Army, but was rejected for being underage. Instead, he joined the Red Cross and was sent to France for a year to drive an ambulance. After a short period as an ambulance driver, he returned to Kansas City in 1919 to work as a commercial illustrator and later made animated cartoons.
ADULT YEARS
His brother Roy got Walt Disney a job at the Pesmen-Rubin Art Studio, where he met the famous cartoonist Ub Iwerks. From there, he worked on his cartoons and made commercials based on cutout animation. Disney and his brother Roy soon moved to Hollywood. There, they began the Disney Brothers' Studio. They started inventing cartoons we recognize today, such as Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and Mickey Mouse. Disney's $17 million Disneyland theme park opened on July 17, 1955. The site became known as a place where children and their families could explore, enjoy rides and meet their favourite Disney characters. In a very short time, the park had increased its investment, and was entertaining tourists from around the world. Disneyland has expanded its rides over time and branched out globally with parks in Tokyo, Paris and Hong Kong.
INFLUENCES
Walt Disney was inspired by the cartoonist Ub Iwerks.

Ub Iwerks drew the character, and Disney became his voice. According to Disney, the inspiration for Mickey Mouse came from an actual pet mouse he kept in his office in Kansas City. Initial failure with Ub Iwerks sent Disney to Hollywood, California, in 1923. In partnership with his older brother, Roy, he began producing cartoons for Universal Studios.

HUMAN GIFTS AND ABILITIES

Walt Disney was ambitious and wouldn’t stop to pursue his dream. Walt’s enthusiasm empowered everything he did. His enthusiasm enabled him to communicate with his vision so he was able to put it into action. Walt was also known to be a man with a very strong, vivid and active imagination. He was always imagining something new. His imagination was a big part of him and his incredible ability to draw. Walt was an optimist. His optimism led to his greatest triumphs. Walt Disney was into art at a very young age, and has been known for his famous artwork.

CHALLENGES
Although, becoming this successful wasn’t easy for Walt Disney. He had formed his first animation company in 1921. He made a deal with a distribution company in New York, in which he would ship them his cartoons and get paid six months down the road. He was forced to shut down his company and at one point could not pay his rent, so he survived by eating dog food. Also, many of his creations were rejected by studios. Walt was human, he suffered through many fits of anger and depression through his many trials. Yet he learned from each setback, and continued to take even bigger risks.
WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT WALT DISNEY
Your family is your first business, and they should never be neglected. You should never be shy from telling your family the dream you want to conquer. You must follow your passion. Passion is what gives you the strength to overcome the obstacles associated with every dream. Passion is what keeps you going when everyone else is tired. Walt Disney said, “If you can dream it, you can do it.” Life is too short to spend it doing the possible. Learn to pursue the impossible, pursue your dreams, and turn them into a reality. You must believe in the beauty of your dreams.
RESPONSES:
What do you admire most about this person?
Walt Disney is one of my heroes because he enjoyed entertaining the public. He didn’t care about being famous, he just wanted to make people laugh. He worked hard to make each cartoon special, and brought a touch of magic to his cartoons, which made them famous and loved by many people, including me. He also made some of my favourite movies. Walt Disney has made my childhood a dream come true.
What strengths does he or she have? Weakness?
A major strength is popularity. The Walt Disney Company has branded itself very successfully in the past. It is known as one of the best entertainment companies and its parks are known as one of the most entertaining places in the world. They own multiple channels, amusement parks, and stores. It is also very diverse, Walt Disney’s amusement parks are located in major cities all around the world. There is one in Tokyo, Shanghai, Paris, Hong Kong, California, and Florida. Now it even has a cruise line, for customers that want to explore far destinations and have a great time travelling to those destinations. The Walt Disney Company also has diverse products and service, it sells clothes, plates and toys and provides services such as cruises, movies, and amusement park rides. A major weakness is the cost of the Walt Disney Company’s products and services. Their products are expensive for the customers.
When you look at this person’s life, what evidence do you find of the virtue of humility and the four cardinal virtues?
I see the virtue of prudence in Walt Disney, because it is so easy to fall into error, but Walt Disney will always think before he does something. I see the virtue of justice in Walt Disney, because while he was working with his partners; Ub Iwerks, and Roy Disney, he was open to their ideas. Because of this, they were able to create successful cartoons we recognize today. I see the virtue of fortitude in Walt Disney, because after his attempts, he wasn’t able to get it right the first time. Although, he had kept going to pursue his dream. He was attached to his dream, and was ambitious about conquering it. Nothing could stop him from doing what he wanted to do. I see the virtue of temperance in Walt Disney, because he has done everything to accomplish his dream. He has been through ups then downs, and it all payed off. I see the virtue of humility, because he was very humble, and wanted to create cartoons to entertain people, not for the money.