A Brief Analysis Of Walt Disney's Life

Walt was infamously known for being challenging and a perfectionist with his employees and friends. Some saw him as purely passionate about goals, while others simply thought he was extremely self-centered. He was often shocked and bewildered when someone would disagree with him. Friends and coworkers called him a "workaholic" and said he was regarded as a hypocrite. For example, he looked down upon those who had the bad habit of smoking, yet did it constantly (Dow). Additionally, although his father was a devout socialist, Walt leaned to the right of the political scale, being a conservative, and joining the Republican Party of California. Likewise, Walt grew up as on farms and immensely enjoyed life in the country, however, he remained in

Disney peaked in his career after winning five Oscars for Mary Poppins but soon discovered that his longtime habit of smoking cigarettes had caught up to him. In 1966, Walter Elias Disney received invasive surgery for lung cancer. While in recovery, Walt seemed to be improving but relapsed and died and December 15, 1966 (Dow). For his pioneering of the entertainment world, and his artistic accomplishments, Disney has received upwards of 700 awards. In 1939, he accepted an honorary Academy Award, four Academy Awards in 1954 and President Lyndon B. Johnson awarded Disney the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1965. Later in 1965, he was commended for the Freedom Foundation Award (Dow). Likewise, academics of the 1930s and 1940s praised Walt more than any other famous entertainer during the time. However, in the years postwar, many looked down upon him, especially for producing war propaganda videos. In the 1950s the influential chastised Disney's judgment and productions; Meanwhile the "silent majority" more frequently incorporated him as a representation of them, in defiance (Schwarz). Walt Disney's perfectionist and detailed approach to his animation reached its peak in 1937, with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The movie had been in the making for four years and was seen "among the genuine artistic achievements of this country" by Otis Ferguson, the renowned film

The Disney Brothers contracted a settlement with the ABC television channel, to become partners in the future Disneyland in 1954. At this time it was merely an idea in Walt's mind. Although the designs were drawn out and Walt had a plan to design it, Disneyland had no chance at reality until ABC signed on (Evans). 1965, eleven years after the debut of Disneyland, the theme park had a delightful blend of sentimentality and futurism, bringing an escape from reality. By this time, this Californian destination had lured approximately one-quarter of the population of America to its' lush retreat (Schwarz). Disneyland was unbelievably crowded every day during the 70s, and Walt decided they had to expand into new similar ventures. The Walt Disney World Resort was the final brainchild of the Disney Brothers. It was originally planned and partially constructed before the death of Walt and opened near Orlando, Florida on October 1, 1971. During the 1980s, the Disney Company was continuously evolving. The first internationally located Disneyland opened in Tokyo, Japan on April 15, 1983 (Riggs). Soon after, Disney had the opportunity to move into a new venture, he took it and created an entire fantasy world filled with his characters. EPCOT was a branch of this, where Walt took the absolute opposite of American cities from his point of view and created an ever-changing technologically advanced