It was on the day of December 5th, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois that one of the most iconic men in history was born (Croce 91). I was given the privilege of watching this man grow up over the years as I was placed in his hand as soon as he was old enough to write; of course, one would always find him drawing rather than writing. I knew, even at an early age, that he was talented when it came to drawing. Before I met his grasp, I had become accustomed to amateur users who couldn’t even draw a stick figure. Unlike those before him, he was careful and detailed; he was always drawing humorous expressions, characters, and other doodles. Little did I know his passion for drawing would soon lead him to a whole new world of opportunities. As for me, I would be with him every step of the way to watch him grow into the ingenious man who America will always love, the man who changed the art of animation, and the man who encouraged the world to wish upon a star: Walt Disney.
Our journey together began in the small town of Marceline, Missouri in 1906. Although we were only there for a short time, two years to be exact, Walt and I made our mark (Croce 92). He’d sit outside the barn, paper in his lap and me in his hand, drawing for hours. Furthermore, “at the age of seven, he was already selling drawings to his Marceline, Missouri neighbors” (Greco). We loved that little town, and Walt would go on to honor it in his future projects; he replicated the barn from Marceline on his California estate, and fused other elements from the town into Main Street in Disneyland in an effort to capture small town-Midwestern life (Croce 92).
In 1910, we moved again to another town in Missouri called Kansas City. Here, Walt would take me with him to classes at the Kansas City Art Institute (Croce 92). In the early days of his training, “he realized that he was better at presenting entertaining sketches than at drafting fine art” (Croce 92). I too enjoyed helping him create his cartoons and funny faces more than his portraits, and I definitely would not be the only one to find them entertaining.
Walt continued to improve on his drawing skills throughout the years, practicing whenever and wherever he could. I remember when Walt and I left for France to drive an ambulance during World War I (Croce 92). He kept me in his back pocket, and would pull me out whenever he had free time. When those times came, “[we] drew comic characters on the sides of the truck there, [and we] would also put together a portfolio of sketches…” (Croce 92). He intended on using this portfolio to get hired as a commercial artist when we returned to the U.S. (Croce 93). When we returned, Walt, being the driven and ambitious man he always was, decided to start his own commercial art studio in Kansas City with the help of our friend Ub Iwerks (Croce 93). Unfortunately, the art studio was not successful. After a couple years of Walt slamming me down on his desk out of frustration, he filed for bankruptcy and decided it was time to move on to something else (Greco). To escape his failed studio, Walt moved to Hollywood to join his brother Roy, having only $40, me, and a few other drawing materials. (Greco).
Although most people would have given up on their dreams by now, Walt wasn’t planning on being one of them. In 1923, “[borrowing $500 from an uncle, the brothers set up a makeshift film studio…” (Greco). While there were still trials and tribulations, including losing the rights to their character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, the studio proved to be more stable and successful than his first one (Jackson 442). Although losing Oswald was a heavy loss, another character that would soon become a major staple in American culture was still waiting to be created. I remember the first time Walt drew him. We were on a train heading back to Hollywood, and I could sense that Walt was deep in his thoughts (Vanpelt). Out of nowhere, he snatched me out of his jacket pocket and began pressing me onto a notepad. I couldn’t make anything out of what he was scribbling until I saw the complete product. It all became clear to me as I stared at a thin tail, a nose, and two defined oval-like ears; it was a mouse!
Walt named his new character Mortimer Mouse. However, his wife, Lillian, wasn’t too fond of the name and had another in mind: Mickey Mouse (Vanpelt). As much as I liked Walt’s first drawing of the character, Mickey needed some improvements. Ub Iwerks, our old friend, ended up being the animator who drew Mickey the best (Croce 96). Together, Walt and Iwerks designed a perfect Mickey, featuring him in his first cartoon, “Plane Crazy,” and the “world’s first fully synchronized sound cartoon, ‘Steamboat Willie’” (Greco). Mickey and his cartoons were a success, opening up new doors for Disney and his animators.
Although, Mickey Mouse was a major accomplishment, Walt wasn’t satisfied. He constantly wanted to make improvements and look towards the future. As I lay on his desk, I watched “Disney [work] tirelessly to perfect the art of animation. In successive years, he debuted Technicolor animation, multi-planing (which added greater depth and dimension to animated landscapes), and, most remarkably, the world’s first full-length animated feature, the Oscar winning, the $1.5 million groundbreaker, ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’” (Greco). Snow White would be 90 minutes of Technicolor animation and because the technique was so new, animators questioned if it would even be possible (Pierce). To train his animators, “Walt hired instructors from the Chouinard Art Institute to give lessons in drawing, action analysis, and color theory…Walt wanted both to prepare his animators for challenges presented by the current feature and to deepen their appreciation of art as it might apply to later films” (Pierce). While the film proved to be one of Walt’s biggest challenges yet, the sweet and kind-hearted Snow White, her prince charming, and the silly, yet somehow relatable seven dwarfs won over America’s heart, granting the film success.
Although Walt was popular in the animation industry, with some films more successful than others, he was always working towards the next big thing. He embodied his father in this way as he too was never in one place for very long, constantly moving his family around with him. Walt’s brother Roy often said that ‘Pa always [had] ants in his pants. He could never stay in one place long enough to warm a seat’” (Croce 91). According to Walt, he had spent enough time in the animation department, and it was time to put me down and explore other fields. Still staying within the film industry, “[Walt] sought out to make movies which pleased his own family—the whole family rather than just a part of it” (Izard 36). This led to the making of True-Life Adventure movies. For this series, “[Walt] sent a group of naturalist photographers to record animals in their habitat…the aim of the picture in this series was to show the animals in their habitat doing what came natural to them” (Izard 37). It was because of these films that “Walt Disney was honored not merely as an entertainer, but frequently more as an educator. In 1955 he was awarded the Audubon Medal for distinguished service to conservation” (Izard 39). I’d often hear him say, “…that in all his years of picture-making, [the] True-Life Adventure movies provided him the most satisfaction” (Izard 37). It was true that although Walt’s journey began with his passion for animation, The True-Life Adventure series, with no animation, always held a special place in his heart.
In addition to the film industry, Disney dabbled in other fields in entertainment, including amusement park development. However, he would create something entirely different than what America was used to seeing. Once again, he would snatch me back up in his hand to draw out any ideas he had for his new and original project: a theme park. Walt’s idea of “Theming” a park “involved incorporating a uniformity of style that would keep every last detail connected to the entertaining images of Disney’s creations” (Croce 95). In other words, this park would become the place where Disney magic comes to life. In the park, Mickey Mouse and many other characters could interact with guests and movie-based rides would be created for families to feel like they are a part of the adventure (Croce 95). This park opened in 1955 and was named Disneyland: “the happiest place on earth.”
Disneyland became a huge success, and it wasn’t long until I was back in Walt’s hand scribbling out new ways to expand his kingdom. Eventually, the Florida project went into effect. The Florida project featured EPCOT or Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. Walt believed that current urban life faced many issues and to prove that, he wanted to create a more efficient community (Croce 92). Thus, the idea of EPCOT was born. “Disney had enthusiastic hopes for this planned, utopian community that would create a better life through the genius of American business and technology” (Croce 92). Strangely enough, Walt’s passion and trust in future technology sparked people to believe that he went as far as to have his body frozen after his death! (Roberts). (I’ve heard Walt plan and praise many things, and I can attest that this was not one of them).
Unfortunately, in 1966, Walt passed away before EPCOT’s original plans could be established. Instead, four parks would be included in the Florida project. The Magic Kingdom, a park loosely based on Disneyland, was the first to open in 1971, followed by EPCOT. EPCOT opened in 1982 and featured some of its original elements, including World Showcase. World Showcase allowed guests to take a journey around the world, giving them a taste of different cultures. Disney-MGM Studios (now known as Disney’s Hollywood Studios) would open in 1989 and Disney’s Animal Kingdom would open in 1998, forming Walt Disney World. Today, the Disney Parks welcome thousands of guests every year and are constantly expanding and finding more ways to spread magic.
While I may not have played a huge part in Walt’s journey to success, I am honored to have been along for the ride. As I lay in a corner of a desk gathering dust, my lead almost empty and my eraser sanded down, I can only think about my time with Walt. He accomplished what had seemed to be impossible, and proved to Americans that the American Dream was achievable. He began as a struggling cartoon artist, fighting his way up to the top as he reimagined the art of animation and family entertainment. Furthermore, he encouraged people of all ages to believe in their wishes and to follow their dreams. As this is still a trend within the Disney community today, I consider it to be his greatest contribution to American society. Ultimately, I believe, along with many others, that Walt Disney brought magic into our world, and I’m grateful to have been his wand.
Works Cited
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Greco, JoAnn. "Walt Disney (1901-1966): Linking Vision with Reality." Journal of Business
Strategy (1999): Academic OneFile. Web.
Izard, Ralph S. "Walt Disney: Master of Laughter and Learning." Peabody Journal of Education
45.1 (1967): 36-41. JSTOR. Web.
Jackson, Kathy Merlock. “Mickey and the Tramp: Walt Disney’s Debt to Charlie Chaplin.” The Journal of American Culture. Blackwell Publishing Inc, 27 Oct. 2003. Academic Search Complete. Web.
Pierce, Todd James. “Wow, We’ve Got Something Here: Ward Kimball and the Making of
Snow White.” New England Review, vol. 37, no. 1, 2016, p. 123+. Academic OneFile.Web.
Roberts, Sophie. “Was Walt Disney’s Body Really Cryogenically Frozen After He Died?” The
Sun. The Sun, 21 Nov. 2016. Web.
Vanpelt, Lauren. “Mickey Mouse—A Truly Public Character.” Arizona State University College
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http://www.public.asu.edu/~dkarjala/publicdomain/Vanpelt-s99.html