The Whapping World of

Contact : DisneyDepartment@hotmail.com

Walt Disney 1901 -1966

"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing."

About Walt.....

Born: 5 December 1901
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
Died: 15 December 1966 (lung cancer)

-He worked as a paperboy as a youth.

-He was dyslexic.

-He only attended one year of high school.

-He was the voice of Mickey Mouse for two decades.

-He won more Oscars than anyone else -- 32.

-He named Mickey Mouse after Mickey Rooney, whose mom he dated.

-He got his idea and inspiration for Disneyland, when he visited the "Tivoli"-park in Denmark.

-His grandfather lived in Ontario, Canada. From there he moved to the United States.

-The Disney family came from Kilkenny, Ireland. The D'Isney family settled in Co. Kilkenny to escape religious persecution and later travelled to America.

-His Daughter (Sharon Disney) was adopted.

-He often ate lunch at his desk -- his favorite meal was chili and beans, which he ate with tomato juice and soda crackers.

The Mind behind the magic - Walt Disney

Walt Disney founded the animation and entertainment empire which still bears his name. He began as a cartoonist in the 1920s, creating Mickey Mouse and eventually moving from short films into much-acclaimed animated features like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Bambi (1942). Later Disney expanded into live-action features like Treasure Island (1951) and then into television -- the family-friendly variety program The Wonderful World of Disney was a prime-time staple from 1954-83. During Disney's life his studios won 48 Academy Awards. In 1955 Disney opened a theme park, Disneyland, in Anaheim, California; it was an immediate hit and became the public flagship of the Disney empire. Other Disney theme parks have since opened in Florida, Tokyo, France and Hong Kong. The Disney empire also grew to include Disney Radio and TV's The Disney Channel.

Disney holds the record for career Academy Award nominations, with 64... Despite persistent public rumor, Disney was not cryogenically frozen or buried under Disneyland after his death; he was cremated and buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California... Michael Eisner was hired in 1984 to run the Disney empire and is often credited with the company's resurgence; Eisner stepped down from the job in 2005... Characters animated by Disney include Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan, Ariel the mermaid, Pinocchio the wooden boy, and Princess Jasmine.

Walt, thank you, and Rest in Peace. (1901-1966)

Steamboat Willie (1928)

Mickey Mouse in his second cartoon, the popular "Steamboat Willie!"

Trivia for "Steamboat Willie"

Apu from "Aladdin" (1992)

Moses in "The Prince of Egypt" (1998)

The Evolution of Mickey Mouse!

Can you spot three major changes in Mickey through the Years?

The Evolution of Mickey Mouse

"I only hope that we don't lose sight of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse."