Walt Disney

Biography

The creator of Mickey Mouse and benefactor of the California Institute of the Arts, Disneyland and Walt Disney World, Walt Disney began his career as an advertising cartoonist.

In 1920, he created and marketed his first original animated cartoons and later perfected a method for combining live action with animation which significantly altered the medium. Mickey Mouse was created in 1928 and made his screen debut in "Steamboat Willie," the world's first fully-synchronized sound cartoon.

In 1932, the film "Flowers and Trees" won Walt Disney the first of his 32 personal Academy Awards. In 1937, he released "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," the first full-length animated musical feature, produced during the Depression at the then exorbitant cost of $1,488,000. Among the other full-length animated classics that Disney produced are "Pinocchio," "Fantasia," "Dumbo" and "Bambi."

Disney was concerned about improving the quality of life in America and personally directed the design of an Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT) which was planned as a living showcase to the creativity of American industry. Disney said, "I don't believe there is a challenge anywhere in the world that is more important to people everywhere than finding the solution to the problems of our cities. But where do we begin? We're convinced we must start with the public need. And the need is not just for curing the old ills of old cities. We think the need is for starting from scratch on virgin land and building a community that will become a prototype for the future."

Walt Disney is a legend of the 20th century. His imagination, optimism and self-made success became the American tradition.