The Life of Walt Disney

Walter Elias Disney was born on December 5, 1901 in Chicago. Directly after his birth, his family moved to Kansas City where he spent most of his childhood.

Walt loved animation and drawing from the start. Being born into a poor family, he started working to earn his own money and help his struggling family. He sold his first cartoon at only seven years of age. He would draw hairdos for the barber in exchange for hair cuts. He sold treats and drinks on trains. He got a job at the post office, but was fired when they noticed he was a minor.

When Walt was 15 the Disney’s moved back to Chicago. Walt went back to high school at Mckinley High. Walt never cared too much about school and dropped out at age 16.

He tried to join the army, but was declined for his young age. Still wanting to help, he got a job as a Red Cross ambulance driver. Unfortunately, they mostly had Walt run errands. In his spare time as a driver, because he had quite a lot, he would draw on the ambulance. He was known for his doodled ambulance. To raise a little extra money, him and a few soldiers sold German helmets.

When Walt turned 18, he returned to his family who hardly recognised him. Disney told his family he was moving back to Kansas City to start his career in animation which was against his fathers wishes for him to join the Jell-O Corporation

When he arrived in Kansas City, he got a job at Pesmen-Rubin Commercial Art Studio where he met his new best friend and partner Ub Iwerks.

Shortly after they began their first company, Iwerks-Disney Studio Commercial Arts. It only lasted a month before they had to close shop.

They did not give up on their dreams, but took jobs at Kansas Slide Show Company where Disney first got into his animation works. Walt and Ub would draw millions of pictures just to make a character take a step. In 1922 Walt started Laugh-O-Grams and Ub joined as Chief Manager.

They were living the dream, or so they thought. They had great employees and a working camera, but lacked the customers they desperately needed, causing them to go bankrupt.
Two years after the ending of Laugh-O-Grams, Walt moved to Hollywood to live with his brother. Here he started Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio. Not long after, Ub joined him and helped create the Alice Comedies and sketched the all famous Mickey Mouse for the very first time. That was only the beginning.  Walt went on to create one of the biggest businesses in all of history. The business that creates joy for all and has continued past his death on December 15, 1966 in Burbank California. Disney is a legend, and a friend to all.

Source:https://chlin2010.wordpress.com/walt-disney-commencement-speech-print-me/