Walt Disney was the most famous animator, screenwriter and producer of animated films in history, as the founder of the firm Walt Disney Studios, for many years he monopolized more than 90% of the market for this type of film. Do you want to learn more about Walt Disney and other businessmen and celebrities in history?
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Walt Disney Biography
Walt Disney born on December 5, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois, on a family farm, was an American entrepreneur, animator, screenwriter, and animated film producer commonly known to all. He was awarded and obtained several prizes for his creations, in addition to being one of the entrepreneurs with the most patrimony in history.
Due to a strong illness of his father, when Walt was little, he and his family had to sell the farm and live in rent until 1910 when they moved to Kansas City.
During his time in Kansas City, he worked as a newspaper boy and as a cartoonist for his high school newspaper. Following in his brother’s footsteps, he tried to enlist in the army but was unsuccessful due to his age. He then forged his birth certificate and got him accepted, yet he never had to fight in an armed conflict.
Thanks to a friend of his brother’s, he got a job at Pesemen-Rubin Art Studio, where Walt was dedicated to creating advertisements for different media and where he met cartoonist Ubbe Iwwerks, with whom he quickly became friends and they decided to create their own company.
The two founded a company called “Iwerks-Disney Commercial Artists” in January 1920 but had to close it very soon as they couldn’t get enough clients. When they closed the company, both went to work at Film Ad, where they were dedicated to making commercials for companies. It was after two years working in this company, and after having done all the tests he needed that Walt Disney thinks again that he is ready to do things on his own.
In 1922 he founded the company Laugh-O-Gram Films, Inc, which was dedicated to making animated short films inspired by the most popular fairy tales and children’s stories. Its expenses exceeded its profits and Walt Disney was forced to close it.
In 1922 he founded the company Laugh-O-Gram Films, Inc, which was dedicated to making animated short films inspired by the most popular fairy tales and children’s stories. Its expenses exceeded its profits and Walt Disney was forced to close it.
That’s when Walt Disney gave up everything he had and headed with $40 in his pocket and a train ticket to Hollywood, where he tried to get work directing live-action movies, but it was as a creator of animated movies. what found work.
In 1927, Charles B. Mintz, who was married to Margaret Winkler and had taken over her business, requested a new series of films, animation-only, to be distributed by Carl Laemmle’s Universal Pictures.
The new series of films called, “Oswald the Lucky Rabbit” , was an almost instant success. The character was created and drawn by Iwerks. Its success allowed the studio to grow, and Walt was able to rehire Harman, Ising, Maxwell and Freleng, from Kansas City.
In February 1928, Disney made a trip to New York to renegotiate the contract with Mintz, but Mintz announced that he was not going to pay him so much for each short he produced from now on, but instead had the best Disney animators hired. Mintz told him that he would create his own studio if Disney did not accept less money for the same.
After flatly refusing and losing half of his cartoonists, Walt Disney decided to create a new character “Mortimer” which was exactly the same as Oswald, with the only change that he had round ears instead of elongated ones. It was later that his wife told him that instead of “Mortimer” this new character should be called “Mickey” and this is where Walt Disney brutally ousted Universal, who surely still regrets his abusive attitude towards Walt, they tried to take advantage of him and he became the competitor that would surpass them by far.
Do you want to know what Walt Disney did to grow his heritage? What did this animator study? We give you the details of Walt Disney’s biography here!
Who is Walt Disney?
The profession that Walt Disney had cannot be defined exclusively in one, since he created a multitude of productions: film director and producer, animator, voice actor, writer, screenwriter, director, illustrator, etc. Despite this, he had to deal with the inconveniences that his youth and society imposed on him.
The creator of Mickey Mouse had Lilian Disney as a partner. In addition, Walt has two children: Diane Disney Miller and Sharon Mae Disney (she was adopted).
Walt Disney’s net worth
Although this is somewhat difficult to calculate exactly since it was the money of the time and inflation was not taken into account. If we adjust the price to what it would be today, Walt Disney’s net worth could have been between $1.3 and $1.5 billion.
Walt Disney Personal Data
| Name and surname | Walt Disney |
| Date of Birth | December 5, 1901 |
| Death | December 15, 1966 (age 65) |
| Place of birth | Chicago, Illinois (United States) |
Walt Disney Training
Walt Disney Awards & Accolades
Walt Disney throughout his career won many awards due to his great work and creativity, specifically, Walt Disney won 26 Oscars, 4 of which were honorary. What is not very common to know is that only 12 of those awards were for animated films or short films, the other 10 statuettes were received for live-action films and feature films. He never received an award for a best feature film (although Mary Poppins was one of the nominees at the time) but he did receive an Oscar for best documentary short and best documentary feature. The best-animated feature category was not created until 2001, so none of his works ever received this award.
Additional information about Walt Disney
When did Walt Disney create Mickey Mouse?
Since moving to Hollywood, both he and his brother have been producing content for Universal Pictures. It was then, in 1928, when Steamboat Willie came to light, the classic Mickey Mouse movie driving a black and white boat.
That was the first moment in which Walt Disney created Mickey Mouse in 1928 to later make more achievements with him.
Did you know that the first name Walt Disney came up with for his famous mouse was Mortimer? It was his wife Lilian who suggested the name, Mickey.
What was Walt Disney like?
From a very young Walt Disney already showed his love for drawing, one of his greatest hobbies was going to the forest and drawing all the animals he came across.
Walt Disney said on more than one occasion that what he wanted was to “entertain people in the hope that they learn than to try to teach them in the hope that they will be entertained” .
He was always an enterprising person, in 1922, before creating the Disney company, he founded Laugh-O-Gram Films, with this company he dedicated himself for a time and with great success to creating animated shorts based on children’s stories. The company’s expenses were much higher than its profits and he had to close it down.
Did you know that Walt Disney was the one who introduced “Technicolor” technology (the same we use today) for the first time in movies?
He was also the pioneer in inventing the multi-shot camera in 1936, this camera made images appear to have depth, it was first used in the film Snow White. Its operation was based on 5 superimposed sheets on the same plane, this helped to generate the feeling of distance in the drawings.
Walt Disney was a person with many contacts thanks to his great work and his good sense of humor. He came to work with Dalí in fact in 1936 to create a cartoon about love and time, with certain surreal overtones called Fate. They did not finish it but one of his nephews, “Roy Disney” took up the idea and the original sketches of the project
What were the most important films you made?
Although this is very subjective to say, Walt Disney had many very good movies for the time he was in and in which they were created. All of them were influenced by the economic, political and social situation of the moment. What are the most notable? We tell you:
- Peter Pan
- Marline
- The Lady and the Tramp
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
- Pinocchio
- Bambi
- Among other
What can I learn from Walt Disney?
Although times were different, Walt Disney was a witty person, capable of transmitting feelings and being cheerful. Other values that he transmits to us are:
- Leadership to do what we want.
- Don’t be afraid of risk or failure.
- Constantly innovating and renewing.
- Have a winning, winning attitude and a project for the future.
All Walt Disney Awards
Oscar for best animated short film won by Walt Disney
1932 – Trees and flowers in 1932
1934 – The three little pigs in 1933
1935 – The tortoise and the hare in 1934
1936 – Three orphaned kittens in 1935
1937 – The country cousin in 1936
1938 – The old mill in 1937
1939 – The bull Ferdinando e n 1938
1940 – The Ugly Duckling in 1939
1942 – Lend a Paw in 1941
1943 – The Face of the Führer in 1942
1954 – Toot Whistle Plunk and Boom in 1953
1969 – Winnie the Pooh and the windy day in 1968.
Oscar for Best Real Image Short Film received by Walt Disney
1949 – Seal Island in 1948
1951 – Beaver Valley in 1950
1952 – Nature’s Half Acre in 1951
1953 – Water Birds in 1952
1954 – Bear Country in 1953
1959 – Grand Canyon in 1958
Oscar for Best Walt Disney Documentary Short Film
1954 – The Alaskan Eskimo from 1953
1956 – Men Against the Arctic from 1955
Oscar for best documentary feature won by Walt Disney
1954 – The Living Desert from 1953
1955 – The Vanishing Prairie from 1954
Honorary Oscars received by Walt Disney
1932 – For the creation of Mickey Mouse.
1939 – For the film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. As a curious fact, it should be noted that instead of a statuette, seven miniatures of it were delivered.
1941 – Irving Thalberg Memorial Award.
1942 – For the animated film Fantasia. This award is shared with William E. Garity and JNA Hawkins.
Walt Disney Hobbies
Walt Disney was a fan of animation and illustration from a very young age. However, he was not the only one, since as we have seen he also had other jobs related to the world of animation as a scriptwriter, animator, director, etc. All this he assumed as a hobby.
As a curiosity, since he was little he liked trains, and his family liked to go to the theater to see different shows.