Post by Kat on Feb 21, 2007 2:28:58 GMT -5
Walt Disney and the Disney Company
Katherine Morrill
Period 4A
The Walt Disney Company has been a highly influential part of the lives of Americans, and people all over the world for years. It’s been decades since the days of “Steamboat Willie” and “Silly Symphonies”, but Disney Studios are still going strong, expanding the Disney Empire every year. To properly describe the corporation, its founder must be described first.
Walt Disney was born on December 5, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois. He was the son of a farmer who sought out many financial endeavors, and was moved around a lot as a young man. At five years old, his father moved them to Marceline, Missouri, where he already began to develop his drawing skills – and his love for trains. In 1910, he attended Benton Grammar School, where he met his friend Walt Pfeiffer, who he often put on shows with. They called themselves “The Two Walts”. Walt Disney spent much time with the Pfeiffers, and they helped him develop his love for motion pictures.
In 1917, Walt’s father moved his family back to Chicago, where he’d purchased a jelly company. Walt began high school while taking night classes at the Chicago Art Institute. He became the cartoonist for his school’s newspaper.
At sixteen years old, Walt dropped out of high school. He was turned down by the military, so he and his friends decided to join the Red Cross. Walt persuaded his mother to change his birth certificate to say he was born in 1900, a year earlier than he really was.
The Red Cross sent Walt to France, where he drove an ambulance. He decorated his ambulance from top to bottom in Disney characters, sketches, and doodles. Walt moved Kansas City after his time in the Red Cross, where he went to work at Pesmen-Rubin, making ads for theatres, magazines, and newspapers.
It was at Pesmen-Rubin where Walt would meet Ub Iwerks (originally Ubbe Iwwerks). Because they both thought the other to be a great artist, they started a business together called “Iwerks-Disney Commercial Artists”. Because both founders were so inexperienced, however, the business soon broke up.
Walt moved to L.A. soon after his partnership with Iwerks expired. Surprisingly, Walt was looking to get out of the animating business and become a director. However, when every directing job turned him down, he realized he’d have to go back to animation. Disney sent material to a distributor in New York who decided she wanted him to work on a live action/animated series, “Alice Comedies”. Walt went to his brother, Roy, for financial support, and they started what would become the “Disney Brothers’ Studio”. Walt also started dating Lillian Bounds, who he hired to ink and paint celluloid. They would later be married.
“Alice Comedies” was a success, but broke up when the lead’s parents decided she was not making enough money. In 1927, the focus had shifted to the animated characters, anyway. Specifically, the focus had shifted to Julius the Cat, who would later be called “Felix the Cat”.
Iwerks had returned to collaborate with Disney during “Alice Comedies” and had designed “Oswald the Lucky Rabbit” as well as a few other characters. However, Universal Studios reduced the amount of money they were willing to pay the two artists, also claiming ownership of the rights to Oswald and having several main animators (excluding Iwerks) under contract. Disney refused to take the reduced amount, and lost the rights to Oswald.
Disney and Iwerks soon found the need for a new “star” to replace Oswald. It is debated whether Disney or Iwerks designed him, but “Mortimer Mouse” was born. Disney’s wife suggested they change the mouse’s name to Mickey, thinking that Mortimer did not suit him, and the creators complied.
After two silent films starring Mickey Mouse, sound was introduced in “Steamboat Willie”, making this the first real success Disney and Iwerks enjoyed. Disney himself voiced Mickey Mouse, and would continue to do so for decades. After Steamboat Willie became a hit, Disney and Iwerks continued animating with “Silly Symphonies” –A series of musical, short cartoons.
While Silly Symphonies was a success, Disney felt that he was not receiving his correct share of profits from their current distributor, Pat Powers. He chose to leave while Iwerks was convinced to stay and animate with an exclusive contract. Disney struggled to find someone to replace Iwerks, as he could not draw fast or well enough to replace him himself.
Before 1940, when Iwerks would return, Disney found suitable replacements for him. His first Silly Symphony to be in color won the first academy award for “Best Short Subject: Cartoons”.
In 1931, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” premiered. The film had been nicknamed “Disney’s Folly” due to the belief that it would surely be the end of Disney Studios. However, it made 8 million dollars (the equivalent of which would be 98 million dollars today) despite the fact that it cost only ten cents to see. Disney received 1 standard sized and seven “dwarf-sized” Oscars for his production.
In 1966, Disney was forced to quit working on his current plans due to his being diagnosed with lung cancer (he’d been a chain smoker for years). He died on December 15, 1966 at the age of sixty-five. His brother continued his plans.
Disney’s death did not slow down the corporation as much as it could have, and his brother took over control of his projects. Disney’s current project had been the construction of Disneyland.
Disneyland was an Amusement Park fantasized about by Walt since the 1940’s. He wanted this park to be located just down the street from his studio, but the city of Burbank did not approve of its construction. Instead, Disneyland would open on July 17, 1955 in Anaheim, California. When asked upon how it should look, he wished only that it would be completely original and have a train surround it.
Later, in 1992, Disney World would be built. Disney World (later changed to “Walt Disney World” by Roy Disney to honor his brother) was a second amusement park built by Disney (though Walt himself died five years before it would open). It is the largest amusement park in the world, though some land was sold to house another project.
Walt had also been planning the EPCOT center before he died. He dreamed of an entire city of his own, a city that could function like any other. However, the EPCOT center today is much different than Walt pictured, though in 1992, Celebration, Florida was built and dedicated by the Walt Disney Company. The EPCOT center is the only location that sells alcoholic beverages in the Magical Kingdom.
Since Walt’s death and the change of available technology, the traditional hand drawn animation came to an end with “Home on the Range”. Disney Studios was converted to a computer animation facility. However, Roy E. Disney – nephew of Disney – has been strongly fighting for the return of the traditional style. While there have been animated films that were drawn by hand recently, none of them have matched the standards that Disney set decades ago.
The Disney Empire earns an average annual revenue of thirty billion dollars. It has also includes over a hundred assets including vacation resorts, amusement parks, studios, record labels, cable television networks, and more.
To this day, “Disney” is still a household word. Walt Disney holds the record for most Academy Awards received, made up of twenty-two awards and four honorary awards. He was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal in ’68, and was a recipient of a star in the Anaheim Wall of Stars.
The Disney Empire has been called a threat to cultural diversity, accused of violating human rights by the use of “sweat shops” and too harsh a protector of intellectual property. Disney has also received much criticism for a decline in quality of its productions.
Although Disney Productions has been criticized by the public, it has also been embraced. It is almost impossible to go through one day in the average American’s life and not see a Disney icon or hear about the latest production. There might not be a more influential empire in the world that has reached as many people as Walt Disney’s Empire has, and it only gets stronger throughout the years. It is truly a monumental achievement of mankind.
References:
“The Walt Disney Company” – Wikipedia. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disney>
“Walt Disney” – Wikipedia. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney>
Disney Official Website <www.Disney.com>
The Walt Disney Company – Corporation Overview. <http://corporate.disney.go.com/corporate/overview.html>
Katherine Morrill
Period 4A
The Walt Disney Company has been a highly influential part of the lives of Americans, and people all over the world for years. It’s been decades since the days of “Steamboat Willie” and “Silly Symphonies”, but Disney Studios are still going strong, expanding the Disney Empire every year. To properly describe the corporation, its founder must be described first.
Walt Disney was born on December 5, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois. He was the son of a farmer who sought out many financial endeavors, and was moved around a lot as a young man. At five years old, his father moved them to Marceline, Missouri, where he already began to develop his drawing skills – and his love for trains. In 1910, he attended Benton Grammar School, where he met his friend Walt Pfeiffer, who he often put on shows with. They called themselves “The Two Walts”. Walt Disney spent much time with the Pfeiffers, and they helped him develop his love for motion pictures.
In 1917, Walt’s father moved his family back to Chicago, where he’d purchased a jelly company. Walt began high school while taking night classes at the Chicago Art Institute. He became the cartoonist for his school’s newspaper.
At sixteen years old, Walt dropped out of high school. He was turned down by the military, so he and his friends decided to join the Red Cross. Walt persuaded his mother to change his birth certificate to say he was born in 1900, a year earlier than he really was.
The Red Cross sent Walt to France, where he drove an ambulance. He decorated his ambulance from top to bottom in Disney characters, sketches, and doodles. Walt moved Kansas City after his time in the Red Cross, where he went to work at Pesmen-Rubin, making ads for theatres, magazines, and newspapers.
It was at Pesmen-Rubin where Walt would meet Ub Iwerks (originally Ubbe Iwwerks). Because they both thought the other to be a great artist, they started a business together called “Iwerks-Disney Commercial Artists”. Because both founders were so inexperienced, however, the business soon broke up.
Walt moved to L.A. soon after his partnership with Iwerks expired. Surprisingly, Walt was looking to get out of the animating business and become a director. However, when every directing job turned him down, he realized he’d have to go back to animation. Disney sent material to a distributor in New York who decided she wanted him to work on a live action/animated series, “Alice Comedies”. Walt went to his brother, Roy, for financial support, and they started what would become the “Disney Brothers’ Studio”. Walt also started dating Lillian Bounds, who he hired to ink and paint celluloid. They would later be married.
“Alice Comedies” was a success, but broke up when the lead’s parents decided she was not making enough money. In 1927, the focus had shifted to the animated characters, anyway. Specifically, the focus had shifted to Julius the Cat, who would later be called “Felix the Cat”.
Iwerks had returned to collaborate with Disney during “Alice Comedies” and had designed “Oswald the Lucky Rabbit” as well as a few other characters. However, Universal Studios reduced the amount of money they were willing to pay the two artists, also claiming ownership of the rights to Oswald and having several main animators (excluding Iwerks) under contract. Disney refused to take the reduced amount, and lost the rights to Oswald.
Disney and Iwerks soon found the need for a new “star” to replace Oswald. It is debated whether Disney or Iwerks designed him, but “Mortimer Mouse” was born. Disney’s wife suggested they change the mouse’s name to Mickey, thinking that Mortimer did not suit him, and the creators complied.
After two silent films starring Mickey Mouse, sound was introduced in “Steamboat Willie”, making this the first real success Disney and Iwerks enjoyed. Disney himself voiced Mickey Mouse, and would continue to do so for decades. After Steamboat Willie became a hit, Disney and Iwerks continued animating with “Silly Symphonies” –A series of musical, short cartoons.
While Silly Symphonies was a success, Disney felt that he was not receiving his correct share of profits from their current distributor, Pat Powers. He chose to leave while Iwerks was convinced to stay and animate with an exclusive contract. Disney struggled to find someone to replace Iwerks, as he could not draw fast or well enough to replace him himself.
Before 1940, when Iwerks would return, Disney found suitable replacements for him. His first Silly Symphony to be in color won the first academy award for “Best Short Subject: Cartoons”.
In 1931, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” premiered. The film had been nicknamed “Disney’s Folly” due to the belief that it would surely be the end of Disney Studios. However, it made 8 million dollars (the equivalent of which would be 98 million dollars today) despite the fact that it cost only ten cents to see. Disney received 1 standard sized and seven “dwarf-sized” Oscars for his production.
In 1966, Disney was forced to quit working on his current plans due to his being diagnosed with lung cancer (he’d been a chain smoker for years). He died on December 15, 1966 at the age of sixty-five. His brother continued his plans.
Disney’s death did not slow down the corporation as much as it could have, and his brother took over control of his projects. Disney’s current project had been the construction of Disneyland.
Disneyland was an Amusement Park fantasized about by Walt since the 1940’s. He wanted this park to be located just down the street from his studio, but the city of Burbank did not approve of its construction. Instead, Disneyland would open on July 17, 1955 in Anaheim, California. When asked upon how it should look, he wished only that it would be completely original and have a train surround it.
Later, in 1992, Disney World would be built. Disney World (later changed to “Walt Disney World” by Roy Disney to honor his brother) was a second amusement park built by Disney (though Walt himself died five years before it would open). It is the largest amusement park in the world, though some land was sold to house another project.
Walt had also been planning the EPCOT center before he died. He dreamed of an entire city of his own, a city that could function like any other. However, the EPCOT center today is much different than Walt pictured, though in 1992, Celebration, Florida was built and dedicated by the Walt Disney Company. The EPCOT center is the only location that sells alcoholic beverages in the Magical Kingdom.
Since Walt’s death and the change of available technology, the traditional hand drawn animation came to an end with “Home on the Range”. Disney Studios was converted to a computer animation facility. However, Roy E. Disney – nephew of Disney – has been strongly fighting for the return of the traditional style. While there have been animated films that were drawn by hand recently, none of them have matched the standards that Disney set decades ago.
The Disney Empire earns an average annual revenue of thirty billion dollars. It has also includes over a hundred assets including vacation resorts, amusement parks, studios, record labels, cable television networks, and more.
To this day, “Disney” is still a household word. Walt Disney holds the record for most Academy Awards received, made up of twenty-two awards and four honorary awards. He was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal in ’68, and was a recipient of a star in the Anaheim Wall of Stars.
The Disney Empire has been called a threat to cultural diversity, accused of violating human rights by the use of “sweat shops” and too harsh a protector of intellectual property. Disney has also received much criticism for a decline in quality of its productions.
Although Disney Productions has been criticized by the public, it has also been embraced. It is almost impossible to go through one day in the average American’s life and not see a Disney icon or hear about the latest production. There might not be a more influential empire in the world that has reached as many people as Walt Disney’s Empire has, and it only gets stronger throughout the years. It is truly a monumental achievement of mankind.
References:
“The Walt Disney Company” – Wikipedia. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disney>
“Walt Disney” – Wikipedia. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney>
Disney Official Website <www.Disney.com>
The Walt Disney Company – Corporation Overview. <http://corporate.disney.go.com/corporate/overview.html>