There have been many personalities who have changed the course of history through their genius and hard work. History knows them because of their innovative ideas and concepts. Their determination and perseverance have been unparalleled. In the history of America, there were people who changed the course of America. People such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, etc. The last century has seen many artists and politicians who have made a great impact on American society and changed the way people perceive the world. The people who turned their worlds around, but most importantly, who changed other people’s worlds.
One of the greatest artists the American people have ever seen was Walt Disney. A man who had nothing when he started and changed the entire industry. Walt Disney is one of, if not the greatest innovators in American history. He was born at the start of the 20th century in Chicago. He was a cartoonist, an entrepreneur, and an animator. He also worked as a voice actor and produced many films. He always had an interest in art and took art classes when he was young. One of his first jobs was working as an illustrator (Mannheim).
He spent a lot of time struggling to get a good job and a start that would launch him in the entertainment industry. He took his work to several different newspaper editors and journalists, but he did not get any luck. They were not willing to entertain his ideas and rejected him by saying he did not have the understanding to be an artist. They stated he was not good enough to make a name for himself, and his work was substandard.
After struggle and rejection, it was a church priest who gave him a chance to demonstrate his skills. It was not a job Walt was looking for, but he needed a start from somewhere, so he took that job. The priest gave him a small chamber in the back of the church building. It was at this time that he made a breakthrough and changed the history of the entertainment industry. One day he was working in his small shed, and he saw a mouse running around. He was a cartoonist, and it dawned on him to make a cartoon sketch of the mouse. This was the birth of the famous Mickey Mouse.
Mickey Mouse was the first commercial success Walt Disney experienced. He wanted to grow his studio, so he started making more characters that would engage with Mickey Mouse. He also gave his voice to Mickey Mouse. He went on to make great films such as Bambi, Dumbo, Pinocchio, etc. He is considered the only man who made animated movies famous. The characters in one of the all-time highest-grossing films, Snow White and the seven dwarfs (Batchelder), were created and designed by Walt Disney. He came up with the idea of the seven dwarfs and created each one of the dwarfs himself.
The Walt Disney Company, created by Walt Disney, is the leading American animated industry in the country. Every child is brought up watching the cartoons created by Walt. He revolutionized the animation industry by creating famous characters such as Snow White, Sleeping beauty, Cinderella, Peter Pan, etc.
Walt Disney got great commercial success through his film, and he kept winning several awards for his characters and films. He got nominated for 59 academy awards and went on to win 22 of them. American Film Institute, in 1998, listed the 100 greatest American films of all time, and Disney’s Snow White and the seven dwarfs and Fantasia made that list. Great universities such as Yale, Harvard, and the University of California awarded him with honorary degrees. Walt Disney was an inveterate smoker and died of lung cancer. His legacy lives on forever.
Works Cited
Batchelder, Daniel. “Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Master Score.” Notes, vol. 73, no. 1, 2016, p. 157.
Mannheim, Steve. Walt Disney and the Quest for Community. Routledge, 2016.
