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Walt Disney was creative genius

Dr. Jim Surrell, Journal columnist

Like so very many others, I am truly a huge fan of Walt Disney, and I continue to marvel at his truly creative genius. Walt Disney was born in Chicago on Dec. 5, 1901, and passed away on Dec. 15, 1966, at age 65. The cause of his death was lung cancer. He was a very highly successful American entrepreneur, writer, voice actor, and film producer. He was perhaps the greatest pioneer of animation in the United States animation industry, as he introduced numerous developments in the production of cartoons. As a film producer, he holds the record for most Academy Awards earned by an individual, having won 22 Oscars from 59 Oscar nominations. He was also presented with two Golden Globe Special Achievement Awards, an Emmy Award, and many other honors from numerous other sources. 

Walt Disney developed an very early interest in drawing and he took art classes as a boy and then he got a job as a commercial illustrator at the age of 18. With his strong interest and profound talent as an artist and creative illustrator, he made the decision to move to California to be with his brother in the early 1920s. Walt and his brother Roy Disney and set up the Disney Brothers Studio in California. He then developed the very creative and highly successful Mickey Mouse character in 1928. This was his first highly popular success, and he also provided the voice for Mickey Mouse during the early years.

As the studio grew, with his highly technical and creative skills, he introduced synchronized movie sound, full-color three-strip  Technicolor, feature-length cartoons and technical developments in cameras. The results of his great creations

were initially seen in features such as “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” in 1937, “Pinocchio” in 1940, “Dumbo” in 1941, and “Bambi” in 1942. These initial creative films clearly furthered the development of animated film. More newly animated and live-action films followed after World War II, including the critically successful “Cinderella” in 1950 (film) and “Mary Poppins” in 1964. “Mary Poppins” was extremely entertaining and was highly successful movie, for which it received a total of five Academy Awards.

In the 1950s, the amazing ongoing creativity of Walt Disney was further demonstrated when he expanded his business ventures into the amusement park industry. In July of 1955, he opened the highly successful Disneyland in Anaheim, California. This was a very costly venture and to fund this project he diversified into creating television programs, which were highly successful on television as “Walt Disney’s Disneyland” and “The Mickey Mouse Club.” Based on the highly successful Disneyland amusement park in California, he began development of another theme park in Florida in 1965, which he chose to name Disney World.

Walt Disney clearly also demonstrated his patriotism and love for our wonderful United States of America. In 1941, our country entered World War II. To support the war effort, Disney formed the Walt Disney Training Films Unit within the Disney company. This Disney Training Films Unit was used to produce instruction films for the military troops going through their military training. These films were used to help our military personnel learn how to properly utilize various specialized military equipment. During the war, Walt Disney also met with the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and he then started to produce various Donald Duck cartoons to promote the sale war Bonds.

In summary, Walt Disney was an extremely creative individual who used his talents to create his highly successful companies. In 1960, Disney was inducted to the Hollywood Walk of Fame with two stars, one for motion pictures and the other for his television work. In addition, his great Mickey Mouse character was given his own star for motion pictures in 1978. Disney was also inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1986, into the California Hall of Fame in December 2006 and he was the inaugural recipient of a star on the Anaheim walk of stars in 2014. The Walt Disney Family Museum records show that he, along with many members of his staff, have received more than 950 worldwide honors and citations.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Jim Surrell is the author of “The ABC’s For Success In All We Do” and the “SOS (Stop Only Sugar) Diet” books.Contact Dr. Surrell by email at sosdietdoc@gmail.com.

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