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Walt Disney

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9.9 Superb
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Walt Disney Picture

Biography

Recent Role:
Himself (Archival Footage) on Modern Marvels
Gender:
Male
Born:
12-5-1901
Died:
12-15-1966 (Details and place of death Los Angeles California USA (Cardiac arrest/Lung Cancer))
Birthplace:
Chicago Illinois USA
Birth Name:
Walter Elias Disney
AKA:
Retlaw Elias Yensid
Walter Elias Disney was born in Chicago, Illinois on December 5, 1901. When he was 5, a murder occurred nearby in Chicago, and the Disneys decided to move to the small town of Marceline, Missouri. Walt was often scolded at school for not doing work, and drawing instead. His best friend in school was Walt Pfeiffer, and they both looked up to the 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. Walt became in ambulance driver in France in 1918, near the end of World War II. At only 16, he had to lie about his age to become a driver (you had to be 17). He would draw cartoon characters on the side of his… More ambulance. When he returned to America, he began taking jobs as an artist at places like advertising companies. In 1922, he and his brother started the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, now known as the Walt Disney Company, and made the Alice comedies, combining live action and animation. On July 13, 1925, he was married to Lillian Bounds.In 1927, he created Oswald the Lucky Rabbit for Universal Studios, and created multiple cartoons. Later that year, Charles Mintz, his superior at Universal, offered better pay to Walt's animators, and they all went to work for Universal, except for Walt's friend and animator Ub Iwerks. In 1928, on a train to Los Angeles with his wife and Ub Iwerks, he began drawing a mouse, not to different from Oswald. He named him Mortimer, but Lillian suggested Mickey Mouse, and Walt and Ub agreed. On November 18, 1928, Steamboat Willie, the first "talkie" cartoon, as well as first Mickey Mouse cartoon, created by Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney, had premiered. In 1932, Walt and his animators created "Flowers and Trees," the first color cartoon. In 1937, he took a huge chance, and created the first animated full-length motion picture, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, amid much criticism, but the film did unbelievably well.

In the 1930s and 1940s, Walt would take his daughters, Sharon and Diane, to Griffith Park to ride the merry-go-round, and began to have ideas of creating an amusement park of his own, but not just for children, but for everyone, no matter how old. In 1951, he created WED (Walter Elias Disney) Imagineering to build "Disney Land" (sic), a theme park to be built next to the Studio in Burbank. But plans grew too big for the small plot of land next to the studio, and the project evolved into Disneyland. Walt heard about an orange grove south of Los Angeles, in the City of Anaheim, in the then-tiny Orange County. He purchased this land, and it was to become Disneyland. Ground was broken for Disneyland on July 18, 1954, exactly 364 days until the scheduled opening. In October, Walt pioneered into television, and his own show, also called "Disneyland" to promote the park, premiered, and this anthology series would live on to today as the Wonderful World of Disney. On July 17, 1955, Disneyland opened. Walt was not one to procrastinate, and Disneyland opened on its scheduled day, but it was unfinished. Its opening day ceremonies, hosted by Art Linkletter, Ronald Reagan, and Bob Cummings, was the largest live television broadcast in history, and showed all the parks problems, including wet cement, gas leaks, and even Walt himself messing up his Tomorrowland opening speech. Critics called it "Disney's folly," but it did not fail. It thrived, and welcomed its millionth guest just 12 weeks after opening, and still is an American icon today.

In 1964, Walt and his Imagineers created Disney attractions for the New York World's Fair: "it's a small world," Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, Ford Magic Skyway, and the Carousel of Progress. After the fair, they all went to Disneyland, except for the fact that only one scene of Ford Magic Skyway made it into Disneyland. "small world" made its home in Fantasyland in 1966, Lincoln on Main Street in 1966 as well, and the Carousel of Progress in the new 1967 Tomorrowland (it closed in 1973, and was moved to Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, where it opened in 1974 and remains today). In 1966, Walt had dreams for EPCOT, the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, a futuristic city. He secretly bought tens of thousands of acres in Florida swampland near Orlando to be used for the Disney World Magic Kingdom park, and EPCOT. He created false companies to buy up the land, to avoid motels from infesting the land around the park, like what happened to Disneyland. It was later revealed in the Orlando Sentinel (when Disney OKed it) that the companies were all owned by Walt Disney Productions to build its new park there. Sadly, on December 15, 1966, just ten days after his 65th birthday, Walt died from lung cancer, after a lifetime of smoking. EPCOT plans were shelved, but Disney World plans remained. Walt's older brother Roy renamed the plans as Walt Disney World, in tribute to his little brother Walt. It opened on October 1, 1971 EPCOT-less with the Disneyland-based Magic Kingdom park. Unfortunately, Roy passed away two months after Walt Disney World's opening. EPCOT Center, a world's fair-style park opened, in honor of EPCOT, the unbuilt city, and it featured Future World and World Showcase. Future World was the closest EPCOT Center ever came to the EPCOT city. In 1995, EPCOT Center's name was shortened to Epcot.

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  •  
    10 Perfect
    Four words: Unique in every way. hide show

    Walt's cartoons have entertained me since the age of 5 when I saw them on "Ink & Paint Club." I'll never forget the first one I saw--"The Wise Little Hen." All it took was 5 seconds for me to fall in love with the goodness the his shorts are. I remember always getting up at 5:00 am to watch these. Man, those were the days.

    But enough about my introduction to his shorts. Let's move on to the important stuff:

    Walt had something that set him and his studio apart from all the other studios of his time. What is that? Well, let me list a few things:

    - His company did the first sound cartoon
    - His company did the first color cartoon
    - He knew the right kind of jokes for his shorts
    - The genius involved in all of the cartoons he did is too awesome for words.
    - The lyrics to the songs in the cartoons his studio made are unforgettable. (e.g.:
    Oh, I never took a bath
    And I never will
    Ohhhhhh
    Dirty bill)

    Moving on from the cartoons, let's look at the movies of his:

    What to say? So many masterpieces--all the work of Walt Disney. Some of these are:

    - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
    - Bambi
    - Pinocchio
    - Lady and the Tramp
    - Fantasia

    There are so many good things about these movies. I don't know where to start, but I'll try to list a couple:

    - Outstanding writing
    - High entertainment value
    - Nothing to get you bored at all
    - Humor like you've never seen before
    - The fact that they were done for the audience--not just for the money.

    All this and many more are things that make his movies so unique.

    And Walt didn't just do movies and cartoons. He also made Disneyland and planned Disney World (which he highly unfortunately never saw due to his death), two radically hot vacation spots, amusement parks, whatever you want to call them.

    Though the magic of Walt has disappeared from Disney Channel completely, the Disney movies these days don't have the magic (nor will they ever) Walt gave all of his works, the spirit of Walt still is among us, as more and more of his works are being released onto DVD.

    I could say a whole lot more, but this review is getting very long.

    Final words:

    Altogether, Walt was an incredible guy. His works are still enjoyed and always will be. If only I could have been around to have a chance at meeting him. Walt was a genius.

    Final person grade: A+

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    CDCB Added Oct 9, 2009 All my reviews
  •  
    10 Perfect
    This guy is brilliant! hide show

    This guy is just great. He make great classic cartoons and movies like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Snowhite and The Seven Dwarfs, Goofy, Minnie Mouse,Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Dumbo and everything. He also opened Disneyland although I never been there. Walt Disney made Disney Studios awesome.

    Walt Disney was born in 1901, then he died in 1966 because he's always smoking. After Walt Disney died, it was still awesome until the present. In the present, everything was gone horrible,the present Disney make stupid teenage shows like Hannah Montana and etc. and there horrible, they just doing make there life perfect. Disney movies today is also horrible like Bedtime stories, High School Musical 1 and 2, Race to Witch Mountains and etc. Enchanted was their only decent movie.

    He'll never like this when he was resurrected.

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    TV-PG-Y7 Added Jul 18, 2009 All my reviews
  •  
    10 Perfect
    empty hide show

    HE MADE MICKEY MOUSE AND VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY FAMOUS MOVIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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    level2460 Added Aug 11, 2008 All my reviews
  •  
    10 Perfect
    Pure genius! hide show

    Walt Disney was the greatest! He created a very creative character named "Mickey Mouse", while he did others named "Donald Duck", "Goofy", "Minnie Mouse", and other talented characters! He also made good shorts as well (not the pair, those short cartoons). Too bad he's gone forever in our lives. I did a project of him when I was in third grade (when I was 9 years old). My favorite films created by him are "Pinocchio", "Fun & Fancy Free" and "Mary Poppins". I also like Winnie the Pooh as well (I loved Winnie the Pooh as a little kid). He also did a great theme park! He's talented!

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    PercytheGreen Added Jan 19, 2008 All my reviews
  •  
    9.5 Superb
    Walt Disney is One Amazing person. hide show

    My 2nd Person review but I'm going to will count this for my 76th Review.

    He is Amazing. He came up with Mickey Mouse, Bambi, he even made an Giant Amusement Park in 4 locations. Disneyworld in Florida, Disneyland in California, while 2 in the USA, Disneyworld in Paris France, and even a Disneyworld in Toyko Japan. He is a Legendary Animator, He Invented the Magic in Animations and his Amusement park Literally and Truly made everyone's greatest dreams have come true. He is one of the all time Greatest. I'll Truly give this guy an A++!!!! Now that's Greatness. That's all!

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    BlueMario1016 Added Nov 10, 2007 All my reviews
 
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