Walt Disney's world born in humble beginnings

SOCIAL STUDIES - Published Monday December 14th, 2009

OK, so I love Walt Disney World.

It has been over two years since I have gone and I am suffering from withdrawal. This week was also the 'birthday' of Walt Disney. He was born on December 5th 1901.

I will not bore you with too many biographical details; but Walt's life story is really interesting.

He was born in Chicago, Illinois, his father, Elias Disney, was an Irish-Canadian. His mother, Flora Call Disney, was of German-American descent. Walt was one of five children, four boys and a girl.

Raised on a farm near Marceline, Missouri, Walt became interested in drawing at an early age, selling his first sketches to neighbours when he was only seven years old.

Mickey Mouse was created in 1928. He made his screen debut in "Steamboat Willie," the world's first fully-synchronized sound cartoon, which premiered at the Colony Theatre in New York on November 18, 1928.

Walt's drive to perfect the art of animation was endless. Technicolor was introduced to animation during the production of his "Silly Symphonies." In 1932, the film entitled "Flowers and Trees" won Walt the first of his 32 personal Academy Awards. In 1937, he released "The Old Mill," the first short subject to utilize the multiplane camera technique.

On Dec. 21 of that same year, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," the first full-length animated musical feature, premiered at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Los Angeles. Produced at the unheard cost of $1,499,000 during the depths of the Depression.

During the next five years, Walt completed such other full-length animated classics as "Pinocchio," "Fantasia," "Dumbo," and "Bambi."

In 1940, construction was completed on Disney's Burbank studio. The staff swelled to more than 1,000 artists, animators, story men and technicians. During World War II, 94 percent of the Disney facilities were engaged in special government work, including the production of training and propaganda films.

The story goes on, and on, but you can see that Walt was responsible for single handedly changing most of the animation industry -- he also changed tourism forever when he built the fist theme park, Disneyland, in 1955 as a fabulous $17 million Magic Kingdom.

A pioneer in the field of television programming, Disney began production in 1954, and was among the first to present full-color programming with his "Wonderful World of Color" in 1961. You might also remember "The Mickey Mouse Club"; I can still sing the song even though I have not seen the black and white show in perhaps 30 years.

So Walt was a success. One man, whose drawings were originally rejected by an animation company, went on to create an empire.

Here are some interesting statistics to chew over about the Walt Disney Corporation today:

There are over 300 licensed Disney characters all brought to you by over 100 separate business brands. To give you an example, Walt Disney Pictures also own Miramax, Pixar and Touchstone. Then they own ABC, the television network. They have cruise lines, travel bureaus, condominiums, product lines.

All of which lead the company to a staggering 12 million dollars a day in profit; or four and a half billion a year.

Interestingly enough, the majority shareholder in the Disney Corporation is Steve Jobs, founder and owner of Apple Computers. He owns seven percent and is on the board of directors.

So consider this: every day Steve Jobs could potentially be making $ 840,000 profit from the Walt Disney Corporation, essentially just because he was clever with his investments. In case the math staggers you, that is over $300 million a year.

But most statistics about Disney and its theme parks are staggering. Four percent of all photographs taken in the United States are taken inside one of the two Magic Kingdoms -- Walt Disney World or Disneyland; Walt Disney World is larger than the city of San Francisco, covering about 4000 acres of land.

There are 240,000 pounds of laundry done each day while some 32,000 costumes are dry-cleaned.

And even if I don't make it down to Disney this year, some 47 million other people will (and they will drink 75 million cokes.)

Sorry, I just find all of this to be fascinating. I also find it reassuring to think that if you put your mind to it, and you are creative enough, you can succeed, sometimes beyond your wildest dreams.

But more importantly, this entire conglomerate of influence and imagination is based on the concept of leisure and make believe.

There is something extremely important buried within this basic idea. We live in a world where we will pay millions and billions of dollars to escape.

We go to Disney World and pretend to be pirates, or astronauts, or princesses, or race car drivers. We watch movies and television to immerse ourselves in other realities, we buy books and make up and gym memberships; all to escape the here and now.

Walt was onto something when he tried to make people smile with a funny little mouse.

We need those temporary ways out; we need to relax more; and we need Disney World.

It is the one place where hardened adults suspend their disbelief and allow themselves to be swept up in a dream; one that the cynical part of us has long given up on.

I will never fly with Peter Pan; but I have. I remember the first time the little boat I was sitting in lifted off the ground, flew out the window, and over London. I was a troubled little kid... it was magic. It was magic when I did it again at 40.

I will raise a glass to Walter Elias Disney this week. He died shortly before the Magic Kingdom ever opened. His dream lives on and inspires the rest of us. Thank God.