Nearly every child in America or New Zealand has heard of Walt Disney or Maybe Mickey Mouse. His full name is Walter Elias Disney, and he was born in Chicago on December 5, 1901. Walt spent most of his youth on a farm near Marceline, when he was 16 years of age he studied art in Chicago, he continued to study until1920, where he joined the Kansas film ad company. Walt helped make advertisements for cartoons, but in 1923 he decided to move to Los Angeles to become a film producer or director. He was unable to find a job, so he returned to producing cartoons; his first studio was in the back end of a real estate office. Walt went through a tough time where he struggled to pay his expenses, until he struck success with the first cartoon to star Mickey Mouse; Disney himself performed the high-pitched voice of Mickey Mouse. Another Brilliant cartoon of his was “Flowers and Trees” this cartoon set a major milestone in cartooning history because it was the first cartoon to use full technicolour. From 1929-1939 he produced “Silly Symphonies”. It starred Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and the rest of the gang. In 1937, he set another major milestone in cartooning history where he released the first ever fully animated feature film to be produced by a studio. After the war Disney decided to focus on his feature films, with real actors and animals. Sadly, Walt Disney died December 15, 1966, aged 65 but his memory will live on. Walt Disney became one of the most famous film producers of all time; and created some of the most lovable and ingenious characters of all time. This man should be loved and cherished in the memories of our childhoods.
by Joshua, Weymouth Intermediate
