“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them,” a quote from Walt Disney himself (Wikipedia). Walt Disney was one of the most successful, innovative, self-made leaders in the 20th century. He was a Doctor of Fine Arts, won 7 Emmy Awards and 22 Academy Awards, among other awards. Walt was an artist, director, producer and the creator of many Disney characters including Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy. He also the created the amusement park, Disneyland. Disney was born on December 5, 1901, at his home in Chicago. He started his career when he was ten, by buying the newspapers he delivered, and selling them for a profit. During high school, Disney was the school cartoonist for the school newspaper, and he began …show more content…
He went to work for Kansas City Film Ad Company as an animator; this is where his interest in animation began. Before relocating to Hollywood, CA, he started his own business in Kansas City, Laugh-O-Gram Studio, where he created and successfully executed Alice’s Wonderland, a live-action/animation short. Disney had trouble finding a job in Hollywood, so he decided that since there was no work available, he had to do something on his own. Disney and his brother Roy rented a small garage from their Uncle, hired two employees, and established Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio. They created and filmed live-action/animation, Alice in Wonderland, and successfully signed a distributor contract and then his focus shifted to films. Universal Pictures hired Walt Disney Studios to create Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, which was very successful; however, Disney lost out on the profits because the trademark of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was owned by Universal Pictures, not Walt Disney …show more content…
People the world over are obsessed with Disney films and amusement parks. He created a dream that motivates not only employees, but also the general public, and moved Disney to become a household name throughout the world. There are theme parks in the US, Japan, France, Hong Kong and China. The popularity of these parks shows that Disney’s vision means as much to us today as it did 61 years ago when Disneyland opened. Little girls dream of being a princess when they grow up, largely due to Disney’s animated films. This all speaks to his power as a transformational