The Walt Disney Company is one of the largest media cooperations in the world in terms of revenue. The Company consists of various television networks, cable channels, associated production and distribution companies and television stations. Some of these include the ABC Television Network, Disney Channel, ESPN Inc. and CTV Specialty Television. Its films and cartoons are known and loved worldwide, generating theme park rides, games, toys, clothing, CDs and other merchandise, as well as spin–off series..
Who knows.. Walt Disney’s success story was full of painful events and failures..
Walt Disney was born in Chicago in 1901, to Elias and Flora Disney. He had three brothers and a younger sister. While his father was said to be an aloof man, Flora was a warm, loving and nurturing figure in his life. As a young boy, Walt experienced a very interrupted childhood. His family moved from Chicago to Missouri and then finally settled in Kansas City when Walt was nine. Since the family was not well–off, Walt and his brothers worked as paperboys and didn’t have much time for school. When Walt did have a spare moment he could be found in the theatre where he would study the vaudeville acts and memorise their gags. He loved Charlie Chaplin. He also enjoyed drawing cartoons for the school paper.
Before he became the legend that he is today, this man was struggling to make ends meet. In 1919, while working for a newspaper, he was fired by the newspaper editor because he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” In January 1920, he formed a short-lived company with another cartoonist. However, following a rough start, he left temporarily to earn money at the Kansas City Film Ad Company. He was soon joined by Iwerks, who were not able to run their business alone. Later, though he acquired his own studio which was successful, studio profits were insufficient to cover the high salaries paid to employees. The studio became loaded with debt and wound up bankrupt. After that, he decided to set up a studio in the movie industry’s capital city, Hollywood, California.
By 62–years–of–age, Walt had won 31 Academy Awards. He was at the pinnacle of his career. One of the most recognised figures in the world. But his health was deteriorating. After his coughing fits worsened, doctors took x–rays of his lungs and discovered a lump the size of a walnut. It was cancer. Walt underwent surgery immediately and was only given 6–months to 2–years to live. Walt died at 9.30 am on 15 December 1966, 10 days after his 65th birthday.
The company that Walt has left behind has reached phenomenal success, especially in the Disney Renaissance period of the ’90s. But what its success comes down to is one very innovative and passionate man who demanded the highest quality and wasn’t afraid to experiment with every endeavour.
As Walt once said,
I only hope we never lose sight of one thing, that it was all started by a mouse.
Source: .storypick.com/ motivationmania.wordpress.com
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