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DISNEY - THE CARTOON KING'S 100th ANNIVERSARY
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The 5th December, 2001 marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of a Missouri farmer's son who dreamed up Mickey Mouse and went on to build an entertainment empire. |
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| Walt sold his first sketches to neighbours when he was just seven years old. In primary school, he was admonished in his art lessons for drawing faces and arms on flowers. When he was 14 he drew cartoons of customers at the local barbershop in exchange for free haircuts. | |
| His closest childhood friend - also named Walter - ended up working in the Disney studios for 30 years. | |
| Walt came up with the idea for Mickey Mouse on the train from New York to Hollywood and provided the character's original voice himself [although what his travelling companions must've made of this, God only knows! - Rebecca]. | |
| In 1929, a man offered him 200 in a New York hotel lobby to use the Mickey Mouse image on writing tablets he produced. Walt agreed and Disney's merchandising empire was born. | |
| Walt followed up on Mickey's success by creating Pluto in 1930, Goofy in 1932 and Donald Duck in 1934. | |
| In 1959, Disney produced its most lavish and costly animated feature to date, "Sleeping Beauty." The budget ran into millions. | |
| In 1965, Walt purchased 27,443 acres of land outside Orlando, Florida, for approximately 3.5million. It would become the site for Walt Disney World. | |
| The government and environmental activists stopped him from developing a ski resort called Mineral King in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. | |
| Walt Disney Studios were presented with 48 Academy Awards and seven Emmys during Walt's lifetime. | |
| "The Jungle Book" was the last animated feature that Walt supervised, inventing Baloo's dance steps himself. | |
| Walt got honorary degrees from Harvard, Yale, USC, and UCLA and a Medal of Freedom from President Johnson, whatever the heck that is. | |
| He died on December 15th, 1966, ten days after his 65th birthday. |
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