How did Walt Disney Change the World: the Legacy of Imagination and Innovation

Have you ever wondered why Mickey Mouse was created? Have you ever wondered about the man who started it all? Walt Disney! He started a business that we still see today. This business started as a fun little thing that Disney did; now, it’s a booming part of our world today. In order to even do this business, he had to figure out finances and other important things. He had a few rough times, but he kept going.

What Did Walt Disney Do: The Genesis of a Dream

His life wasn’t all that great.

Walt Disney was the fourth of five children. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, on December 5, 1901, and lived most of his life in Marceline, Missouri. Marceline was where Walt Disney started to draw and paint. I am almost positive that when he was younger, he didn’t know that one day his drawings would become an important part of other children’s childhoods. He is often praised for being such a great and beneficial person, but really, he was just doing something that he loved.

Walt Disney did something that was freaking amazing; some people say that Disneyland was an amazing thing. Disneyland opened on Sunday, July 17, 1955, with 18 attractions. The park now has 51 attractions; this is not including the ones in Disney California Adventure. Also, when the park originally opened, admission was a dollar; now it’s ninety-nine dollars. It only took one year to build the park. There is a time capsule buried in front of Sleeping Beauty’s castle that was buried in 1995 and will be opened in 2045.

Changing the World, One Character at a Time

Walt Disney did some amazing things. I’m sure you know about Disney making Mickey Mouse and Minnie starting this movie company we know today, but what about all the other things that he has done? All of these fun facts I’m about to share are from mentalfloss.com. He wasn’t just the creator of our favorite mouse; he was also the original voice. However, Jimmy MacDonald took over in 1947.

Next fact, he drove his daughters to school every day; he loved his daughters, so though he had many other people, such as drivers and housekeepers, he made sure that he drove his daughters to school. Not only that, but he spoiled them rotten. The last fact that I will share is Walt Disney’s favorite song was “Feed The Birds,” the song about the nice pigeon lady in Mary Poppins. He once asked if he could have a personal performance of this song.

Okay, this little rabbit is also considered a fact, but I think he deserves its own paragraph. Oswald, the Lucky Rabbit, was actually Walt Disney’s first creation. In Mickey Mouse, the villain Pete actually originated from Oswald. Pete was originally a bear but is now a cat. Oswald has two female friends, Ortensia, the cat, and Fanny Cottontail, who is also a bunny. Sadly in 1928, Walt Disney lost the rights to this beloved rabbit. This happened because Universal Pictures, the company backing Disney, split off, and, well, they technically had the rights to Oswald, the apparently not-so-lucky rabbit.

The Legacy of Walt Disney: Imagination Beyond the Screen

Now to end this report about Disney, we will explore some of his famous quotes. The first quote we have is one of the most famous quotes, “If you dream it, you can do it.” Honestly, we just have to follow our dreams; who knows, maybe one day, we could be the next Disney by simply doing something that we love. Second, “That’s the real problem with the world; too many people grow up.” We all have at least a bit of a childhood; some people let theirs go; maybe it’s because it was sad, but there is always time for fun. Third, “Why worry? If you’ve done the very best you can, worrying won’t make it better.”

Honestly, I don’t like this quote, but I do. I don’t know how to not worry but worrying will just make things worse. The final quote I will share with you is (There are more quotes out there, I promise) “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” In order to get things done, you have to actually do it; you can’t just expect it to be finished out of nowhere.

Now you have heard about one of my favorite businessmen, in my opinion, Walt Disney. Some people call him the man who started it all, and, well, I have to agree. Without him, some of our favorite stories wouldn’t be alive. No one would know about the now famous stories. It’s not hard to notice how fantastic this man truly is. He started one of the most successful businesses in the world.

References

1. Gabler, Neal. (2006). "Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination". New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 978-0-679-43822-9.
2. Thomas, Bob. (1994). "Walt Disney: An American Original". New York: Disney Editions. ISBN 978-0-7868-6027-2.
3. Barrier, Michael. (2007). "The Animated Man: A Life of Walt Disney". University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-24117-6.
4. Eliot, Marc. (1993). "Walt Disney: Hollywood’s Dark Prince". Birch Lane Press. ISBN 978-1-55972-174-7.
5. Schickel, Richard. (1986). "The Disney Version: The Life, Times, Art and Commerce of Walt Disney". Chicago: Ivan R. Dee. ISBN 978-1-56663-674-8.

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