Walter Elias Disney was born on December 5, 1901, in Chicago, Illinois, to Elias and Flora Disney. He was one of five children. In 1906, the family moved to a farm in Marceline, Missouri, which greatly influenced Walt’s love for rural life and later inspired many of the themes in his works.
As a child, Walt showed an early interest in drawing and storytelling. He sold sketches to neighbors and took art classes in his spare time. His love for trains, animals, and fairy tales also began in these early years.
Disney studied art in Chicago and later moved to Kansas City, where he worked for the Kansas City Film Ad Company. There, he learned the art of cut-out animation and began creating short animated films.
In 1922, Walt started his own company called Laugh-O-Gram Studio, which eventually went bankrupt. Despite this failure, he remained determined.
In 1923, Walt moved to Hollywood with his brother Roy O. Disney. They started the Disney Brothers Studio and produced a series called Alice Comedies, blending live-action and animation.
After losing the rights to his earlier creation Oswald the Lucky Rabbit to his distributor in 1928, Walt was devastated. On a train ride back to Los Angeles, he began sketching a new character—a cheerful little mouse inspired by a pet mouse he once had in his studio.
He originally named him “Mortimer Mouse,” but his wife, Lillian, suggested a softer name: Mickey. That little sketch on a train became Mickey Mouse. The first Mickey cartoon with sound, Steamboat Willie, was a huge success and marked the birth of an icon.
When Walt announced he was making the first-ever full-length animated feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, many in Hollywood called it “Disney’s Folly.” Critics said nobody would sit through a 90-minute cartoon.
Walt risked everything he owned to make it. He even mortgaged his house. In 1937, Snow White premiered and was met with a standing ovation and critical acclaim. It became the highest-grossing film of its time and proved the power of animated storytelling.
In the 1950s, Walt ventured into television, producing successful shows like The Mickey Mouse Club and Disneyland. But his most visionary idea was to build a place where families could experience the magic of Disney together.
On July 17, 1955, Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California. It was the first-ever theme park of its kind — clean, family-friendly, and based on storytelling. Despite initial setbacks, it became an enduring success.
Walt Disney had two drawers in his desk: one labeled “Dreams” and the other “Nightmares.” The “dreams” drawer held sketches, ideas, and scripts he wanted to develop. The “nightmares” drawer held failed concepts and things that went wrong.
He believed both were essential to creativity—that success was built on daring to dream and learning from mistakes.
Once, he was walking through an empty orange grove in Florida with his team. He stood there, eyes sparkling, and described in vivid detail a world where families could play, learn, and dream together. That dream became Walt Disney World.
Sadly, he passed away from lung cancer on December 15, 1966, at the age of 65, before seeing it completed. Walt Disney World opened on October 1, 1971, under the leadership of Roy Disney.
Walt Disney left behind a legacy of imagination, innovation, and storytelling. He won 22 Academy Awards, more than any individual in history, and received 59 nominations. His name is now synonymous with creativity, magic, and dreams coming true.
The Walt Disney Company, started by two brothers with a single cartoon mouse, is today one of the biggest entertainment empires in the world.
“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”
“I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing—that it was all started by a mouse.”