Have you ever had dreams, but not the courage to turn the dreams into magical reality? Have you ever had a desire so strong, but not the drive to turn this into something beautiful? Had Walt Disney been like you or me, we would most definitely not have the glorious world of Disney today.

Walt Disney’s early life 

Walt Disney’s early childhood was nowhere close to being as rosy and colourful as the movies he made later on in life. Born in Chicago to Elias Charles Disney and Flora Call Disney, Walt’s childhood was interrupted when the family had to move to Missouri first and then Kansas. With barely any money to spare, the Disney brothers had to work several odd jobs to make ends meet, a task which left them with little to no time for school.

The big change to Walt’s life came in the form of the Great War. A patriot by birth, Walt immediately joined the army, but was rejected because he was only a mere boy of 16. However, he finally became a part of the army by driving an ambulance bus! Through his time in the war, he realised his true passion lay in the magical world of theater, acting and drawing!

Walt Disney and the beginning of his career 

The war had a great impact on Walt’s life. So great that the first caricatures he drew were of political figures, a feat which was clearly not a good idea! One of Walt’s brothers, Roy, was the first man who introduced him to the world of cartoons, mystery and beauty! In July 1923, Walt sold his camera, his creations and his hard work and moved to Hollywood. Once he reached, he moved in with his uncle Robert Disney and set out to look for a job. Unfortunately, no one believed in Walt’s dreams of becoming a director and as a result, every studio turned him down!

The first seeds for Disney were sown when Walt, Roy and Ub Iwerks (an artist) came together to form the first version of Disney. Called the Disney Brothers’ Studio, this company became home to the many creations for which Walt became famous. It was only after multiple rejections that Walt decided to turn to animation. The first success for Walt came in the form of a series called Alice Comedies, or what is now popularly known as Alice In Wonderland. The massive success of the Alice series resulted in the creation of a new project called Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and from then onward, there was absolutely no looking back for Walt!

The creation of Mickey Mouse 

Despite the massive success of Oswald, Walt was not happy. He needed a character that was sympathetic, personal and full of potential. An idea was slowly brewing in this creative man’s head and slowly, after months of contemplation, the character of Mickey Mouse came to be! This particular character had a live voice, a back story and a dream with which everyone could relate. With such a specific idea for Mickey Mouse, Walt could not find a specific voice to fit this character. Despite several auditions, no one made the right impact and after several failed attempts, the creator decided to voice the character himself! Did you know that when Walt first came up with the idea of Mickey Mouse, he wanted to name him Mortimer Mouse? How weird was that?

In the year 1932, Walt discovered a new invention in the form of technicolour while working on a project called Flowers and Trees (a part of the Silly Symphony series.) With the brilliant idea of reshooting the project with this technology, Walt created the first ever successful animated series for Disney! Nothing could stop Walt after this success and post that, his touch was like the mythical Midas touch!

At the age of 62, Walt had amassed over 31 Academy Awards and was famous for creating not only amazing cartoons, but also for making brilliant feature films. When he passed away on the 15th of December, 1966, the world fell silent. Having lost a wondrous and extremely talented man, Walt’s death was a loss not many could bear with. One of the reasons his legacy still lives on is because it was a story of success, hard work, patience and perseverance. What is your favourite Disney story? Comment and let us know!