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| "It All Started With A Mouse" |
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| The History of Disney |
Yes, it did all start with a mouse.....but before the mouse came the manand that man was Walt Disney.
Walt E. Disney was born in Chicago, Illinois, on December 5, 1901. He was one of five
children. Walt developed his interest in drawing at a very young age. By the age of seven
Walt started selling his sketches to his neighbors. During high school Walt concentrated
on drawing and photography. He contributed to the school paper and took classes at the
Academy of Fine Arts at night. Walt began his career as an advertising cartoonist in 1920.
In 1923 Walt left for Hollywood. In Hollywood Walt and his brother set up a studio in
their uncle's garage. The brothers later made enough money to expand their studio to the
rear of a Hollywood real estate office. Four months later, the staff moved next door to
larger facilities, their sign read "Disney Bros. Studio."
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Then, from the mind of Walt Disney, the character who started it all, Mickey Mouse, was
born. Mickey made his premier in "Steamboat Willie," the world's first sound cartoon,
which premiered at the Colony Theater in New York on November 18, 1928. In 1930
Mickey's popularity increased with the release of the Mickey Mouse Comic
Strip. |
The Disney Company bloomed from there. In 1932, Disney release the first full color
animated cartoon, "Flowers and Trees." This won Disney his first Academy Award, and
Disney started to become a household name. Over his lifetime Disney and his staff went on
to receive 48 more Academy awards, and 7 Emmys along with numerous other honors
and awards.
February 23,1935 was another great day in history for Mickey Mouse. Mickey appeared
in full color for the first time in the animated cartoon, "The Band Concert."
On December 31, 1937 Disney released its first full length animated feature, "Snow White
and the Seven Dwarfs." This animated movie took about 4 years to complete and it was
the first one of its kind. |  |
Disney then released "Fantasia" in November 1940. When it first debuted it was a huge
flop. However, it is now acclaimed as Disney's greatest masterpiece. It was the first
animated film to contain a mix of classical music and beautiful animation. One of the most
well know scenes in this masterpiece is "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" which stars who else,
but Mickey himself.
 
Disney went on to create numerous other animated features such as "Song of the South"
and "Alice in Wonderland." Then, Disney went on to make television history on October
15, 1955. On this day the Mickey Mouse Club first aired on ABC.
After conquering theater and television, Disney opened its first park, Disneyland, in
Anaheim CA. In 1965, Walt and his brother held a press conference to unveil the plans to
build Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The park was built, but unfortunatly Walt
never got to see it, he died before the park was completed.
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The Disney Company went on to make more classic animated films, along with television
shows, more parks in Tokyo and Europe, and of course, all the well know merchandise we
see today. Disney is still collecting awards for their beautiful work. Disney is truly the
world's most magical company. |
*To learn more about the films of Disney see the Animated Features page.*
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