Walt Disney: A brief history of a cartoonist Who became a show business tycoon

Walt Disney was the government! Yes, that is putting it too simply and understatement! His name goes beyond the boundaries and has often been used to represent creativity, revolutionary ideas, and above all, the foundation of an entertainment industry that has been incorporated into today’s global society. Beginning with a small office in the Midwest to building the most famous characters and developing amazing Disneyland resorts, one can easily say how Disney switched to a billion dollar enterprise from etching cartoons!

Artistic Beginnings: Early Life and Family Background

Walt Elias Disney was born on December 5, 1901, in Chicago, Illinois and spent his childhood in a low-income home. Walter’s father Elias Disney started a new set up in Marceline, Missouri which was when Walt was young. In this rural setting, Walt started developing his interest in drawing. He had begun to receive formal instruction in his teenage years at the Kansas City Art Institute and his artistic skills were currently being nurtured and developing in him. It was not all smooth sailing. In Walt's formative years, he held numerous occupations, including the delivery of newspapers for his father’s company but never ceased pursuing his ambition to carve out a career in cartooning.

The Mouse Was Born

After having several unsuccessful attempts, one of which included an animation studio that was operational briefly, Walt moved to Hollywood California in the early 1920s. He joined hands with his brother Roy and they established the Disney Bros. Studio in 1923 which before long was known as the Walt Disney Company. Such an environment where creative and never give up attitude ultimately culminated into the creation of the iconic figure - Mickey Mouse.

In 1928, Mickey stepped onto the scene with the short ‘Steamboat Willie’ which is quite significant as it is one of the first cartoons ever to feature synchronised sound. It is no wonder that Mickey Mouse became popular instantly, and gaining his popularity, the audience was also introduced to many other characters: Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and others. These figures who were generated through animation and possessed human features and emotions gave birth to the Disney brand’s spell over global culture.

Branching Out – Not Just Animation

Thanks to the popularity of Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney dreamed well beyond just animation. Disney also advertised his first full-length animated picture, ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ in 1937, which turned out to be a box office smash. This catalysed a new dawn in filmmaking and entrenched Disney’s stature as one of the greats in the showbiz space.

While the company was evolving, and since 1940 Walt Disney shifted his business to California in Burbank, he was still the innovative one. During that period, the company had an IPO and Disney Productions started to deliver deep portfolio movies, for example, classics animated films ‘Pinocchio’ and ‘Fantasia’, as well as real theatricals. No matter how successful the company was, in its core Disney was always a pioneer, always wanting to get the entertainment to the next level.

Disneyland and the Dreams of EPCOT

Where It All Began It was in 1955, located in Anaheim, California, Disneyland was established and built by Walt Disney. Disneyland was considering a completely new idea at that time. Los Angeles is Disneyland’s construction site. This was a place where the world fell in love with storytelling and gave birth to the idea. Disneyland is a theme park that places great importance on telling a narrative. Disneyland just needed a classic attraction in order for people to take pleasure in it.

The world says that dreams are made up. But Walt Disney desired an even larger dream: EPCOT – which is abbreviated as Experimental Prototype Building of Tomorrow. Nevertheless, Walt died in 1966, at which point he was offering the world a wonderful little concept for planning concepts which had not yet come to life fully. But in 1971, several of his concepts were incorporated into the design of the theme park as the Disney Company later opened Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

The Worldwide Growth of Disney

The combination of the predominance of Walt Disney World and the existent Disneyland was the beginning of the global spread of the Disney brand. Between the 1980’s and 1990’s Disney developed international parks in Tokyo, Paris and Hong Kong regions and thus, reiterated itself as a global entertainment brand. These parks were replicas of Disneyland that allowed visitors to explore other cultures without leaving the continent.

Apart from the parks, the company ventured into television, through merging with other entertainment corporations notable, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Entertainment, Lucasfilm. Each of the acquisitions added another franchise; Toy Story, The Avengers, and Star Wars which expanded Disney's power even more in regards to the variety of mass media used.

The Walt Disney Legacy

At this point, the Walt Disney Company is no longer just a studio or a theme park but every inch of an entertainment monopoly. With the pioneering animated feature cartoons included into the wider portfolio of the timeless Disney brand, with the company blockbuster theme parks and with Disney+ as a digital platform, the name is known everywhere. Although Walt Disney died in 1966, the world associated with storytelling and imagination as envisioned by him still exists.

Walt Disney changed the face of the entire industry through his constant creativity and relentless innovations. From its humble beginnings as a modest animation company, it has turned into an internationally recognised brand that continues to influence the way stories and entertainment are delivered and enjoyed across various age groups. The Walt Disney Company is not just an animation and theme park business any more but a global culture and business phenomenon that attracts people around the world.