Written by: Remon Sangat - 25012, Grade X
Posted on: 11 January, 2023
Walt Disney was an American animator, film producer, and entrepreneur who was born on December 5, 1901. When he was four years old, his parents, Elias and Flora, moved the family to a farm in Marceline. Walt enjoyed living on the farm with his three older brothers, Herbert, Raymond, and Roy, and his younger sister, Ruth. After some years, he moved to Kansas City. He loved to draw, and he used to take drawing classes on weekends. He also got his haircut and sells his drawings in the barbershop for free. After Walt went to high school, his family moved to the big city of Chicago. Walt took classes at the Chicago Art Institute and drew for the school newspaper. When he was sixteen, he decided he wanted to help and fight in World War I. He was dropped out of school when he was young, and he was too young to join the army, but he joined the Red Cross and later worked as an ambulance driver for the Red Cross in France. After Walt Disney returned from the war, he was ready to begin his career as an artist. He worked at an art studio and then later at an advertising company. And after some years, Walt wanted to make his own cartoons. He started his own company called Laugh O'Gram. He hired some of his friends, including Ubbe Iwerks. They created short animated cartoons. The cartoons were popular, but the business didn't make enough money, so he had to declare this job. After this job was not successful, he didn’t give up and again opened a business with his brother Roy called Disney Brother’s Studio. He again hired Ubbe Iwerks and a number of other animators. They were responsible for the well-known character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. And finally, his business was successful. He created the first animated film to have sound. It was called Steamboat Willie and starred Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Walt performed the voices for Steamboat Willie himself. The film was a great success. Disney continued to work, creating new characters such as Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto. He had further success with the releases of the cartoon Silly Symphonies and the first color animated film, Flowers and Trees. Disney used the money from Snow White to build a movie studio and to produce more animated movies, including Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, Bambi, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan. During World War II, Disney's movie production slowed down as he worked on training and propaganda films for the U.S. government. He was famous because of his animated cartoons, and many kids also know him because of his cartoons. After he became famous, he also made other cartoons. He was also a cancer passenger, and he was suffering from lung cancer. In November, he was taken to the hospital from his home in St. Joseph's Hospital, and on December 15, 1966, he passed away. He was just 65 years old when he passed away.
References:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Walt-Disney -By Bosley Crowther
