• Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was born in Chicago in 1901. In 1906, his family moved to Marceline, MO, where they owned a farm, and he started to like drawing.

• Disney started drawing pictures for the newspaper at his high school.

• In 1918, he lied about his age, joined the American Ambulance Corps, and served in France.

• In 1920, he met Ub Iwerks and they formed the Iwerks-Disney Commercial Artists, which failed after only one month.

• The same year, he created Newman Laugh-O-grams, which made short cartoons. Laugh-O-grams went bankrupt after 3 years.

• Disney moved to Hollywood to become a director. He established the Disney Brothers Studio with his older brother Roy.

• In 1926, the studio was renamed Walt Disney Studios.

• Mickey Mouse is created in 1928. Steamboat Willie synchronized sound with animation for te first time ever.

• The studio made many well known films, like Snow White, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Fantasia, Bambi, and Cinderella.

• Disney bought 244 acres of land near Anaheim, CA for Disneyland.

• President Lyndon Johnson gave Disney the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964.

• Disney Studios purchased land in Orlando, FL, which leads to the creation of Disney World.

• Walt Disney died on December 15, 1966.

 

         Walt Disney revolutionized all of entertainment. He was the first to synchronize sound with animation. Without him we wouldn't have the classic films we all know like Snow White, world-renowned resorts like Disneyland and Disney World, or any of the famed Disney characters that we all know, most notably the symbol of the Walt Disney Company, Mickey Mouse. Walt Disney changed the world, and many things wouldn't be the same without him.

 

For more information about Walt Disney visit the following websites (Sources):

1. Walt Disney Biography. (n.d.). Retrieved January 19, 2016, from http://www.biography.com/people/walt-disney-9275533

2. Walt Disney. (2015, July 31). Retrieved January 19, 2016, from http://www.waltdisney.org/walt-disney