Walt Disney was an astounding man whose main dream in life seems to have been to entertain. His fifty-nine Academy Award nominations (and twenty-six Oscars) attest to that as fact, as do the theme parks he began to build before his death which are now fantasy destinations for families all over the globe.
It all began in Kansas City with some animated cartoons he called “Laugh O Grams” which were played at a local theatre to the delight of audiences in the early 1920s. The move to Hollywood to found a studio with his brother Roy followed closely his first taste of success.
Modest success with a series of cartoons called “Alice Comedies” was followed up by an instant hit with a character known as “Oswald the Lucky Rabbit”. When Disney was forced to yield the rights to Oswald to Universal Studios, however, it was back to the drawing board, and Mickey Mouse was the next effort. Based on a pet mouse Disney kept while in Kansas City, Mickey had Walt’s voice and personality. Audiences loved him.
Stepping into new territory of full length animated features, he created Snow White and the Seven Dwarves in 1938, and the rest is history. For seventy years we have been going to Disney movies, meeting and falling in love with new Disney stars, laughing at the comedy, cheering for bold adventurers, holding our breath at their narrow escapes, and singing along with fun music.
Generation upon generation have been entertained by Disney movies. The attraction of the earliest classics is just as strong for today’s children as it was for their original audiences, and parents and grandparents find themselves charmed anew as they revisit these “old friends.” And the current generation’s own Disney films unfailingly offer something appealing for every member of the family. Walt Disney knew how to entertain, as no one has before or since. From the first “Laugh O Grams” to the most recent works premiered by the empire he founded, his wonderful stamp is visible.