Here are some great things to know about Disney’s Magical Beginnings. If you want to know more about the Walt Disney Company, click here.
Disney’s Magical Beginnings In A Nutshell
What is the story of Walt Disney? He was an entrepreneur who had the vision to create his own brand and company. This empire became one of the largest in history, but there is so much more than just that!
Aside from loving the Mickey Mouse character or your dream to travel to Disneyland, what do you know about Walt Disney?
You may have heard this name before because he founded an entertainment giant – The Walt Disney Company – which has grown into one of the world’s largest media conglomerates.
But aside from being a successful businessman with visionary ideas for new content, it turns out that behind every great man lies a woman: Lillian Bounds-Disney – wife and mother extraordinaire.
Walt, along with his brother, Roy, started the original company in 1923. From its humble beginnings, it has become a leader when it comes to American animation. Disney has since ventured into other successful projects such as radio, theater, publishing, and online media.
Disney is one of the most well-known names in animation, and it’s not hard to see why. Starting with a few short films created by Walt Disney himself, this company has become an internationally recognized force for entertainment that spans generations!
But who are the people behind all these famous stories? Well, let’s start at the beginning in a nutshell…..
In October 1927 Clarence “Lucky” Haskins was working as a cameraman on The Alice Comedy (a silent black and white film). It also happened to be his job to take care of business matters when they encountered problems like forgetting their camera or needing more stock footage. And yet even after he became vice president of live-action production for Warner Brothers studios – Lucky never forgot about his humble beginnings.
Disney also owns the largest studios in Hollywood these days. It owns that popular broadcast TV network, ABC, it has various cable channels that include the Disney Channel, ABC Family and ESPN. Aside from these, it also successfully ventured into merchandising, publishing and theater divisions. It currently holds licenses for 11 theme parks that can be found all over the world.
Emphasizing the Walt
The company has changed its name twice before settling with what it’s called now. If you are wondering why the other brother allowed Walt’s name to be used in it, this is due to the insistence of Roy as he felt that it sounded right that his brother’s name be emphasized.
The man, who had the famous mustache that he began growing when he was 25, was also the voice behind Mickey Mouse for two decades.
In 1923, Walt worked as an animator in Missouri.
He was the genius behind a short film known as “Alice’s Wonderland.” The movie featured child actress Virginia Davis who acted alongside animated characters designed by Disney himself! In this time period, there were many children being shown on screens around America but no one else enjoyed fame like young Ms.Davis did when her character met live-action counterparts for comedic effect; eventually bringing attention back to animation again after it had become unpopular.
The brothers moved to Los Angeles upon agreeing to the terms and signing the contract. They first settled at the garage of their uncle where the real roots of the company can be traced.
Through time, the company continued to flourish and spread the geniuses of the two brothers who started it all.
Walt died on December 15, 1966, from lung cancer. At the time, Roy took charge as the CEO, chairman, and president of the company. He gave honor to his brother by adapting his whole name along with the vision that he was known for in Disney’s magical beginnings. The following year after his death, the last two films that he managed were released, The Jungle Book, an animated film, and a musical treat known as The Happiest Millionaire.
In the late ’60s, the company released The Love Bug and the film that discovered actor Kurt Russell, known as The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes.
Two months after the Walt Disney World opened on October the 1st, 1971, Roy died of a stroke. The company was then left to the able hands of Donn Tatum, Card Walker, and Ron Miller who was Walt’s son-in-law.
And that, my friends, is a shortened version of Disney’s Magical Beginnings.