1901-1966
Walt Disney was born in Chicago, Illinois on December 5, but raised in Missouri. At age 16, he quit his school but later joined art schools for a brief amount of time in Chicago and Kansas City.
In 1923, Walt partnered with his brother, Roy, to produce animated motion pictures in Hollywood.
Steamboat Willie (1928) was Disney's first produced cartoon by his own company. It was also the first time that synchronized sound appeared in a cartoon. It featured the ever-famous Mortimer Mouse, (who was later named Mickey Mouse by a suggestion by Walt's wife, Lillian) who also starred in another cartoon Plane Crazy, earlier that year.
Disney's first feature-length animated film was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937.
Disney not only made cartoons, but documentaries, as well as televsion series. This would include the famous Mickey Mouse Club!
Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1941), and Bambi (1942) soon followed.
Disney always wanted to have as much artistic control as possible in his company's works. His works lead to the opening of Disneyland in Anaheim, California in 1955 and later, Disney World in Orlando, Florida in 1971. Both are huge family tourist attractions, and probably forever will be.
Walt Disney died on December 15, 1966 at the age of 65, right after he had his left lung removed. This was right after he started his plans for EPCOT (Experimental Protocol Communtiy of Tomorrow) in Florida. His spirit and legacy remain, however, for generations and generations to come.
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