Walt Disney: Entertainment Visionary

Children's Literature - Della A. Yannuzzi

Walter Elias Disney was born on December 5, 1901, in Chicago, Illinois. Living with a father who was a strict disciplinarian, he had a rough childhood and suffered beatings for any type of misbehavior. His mother tried to ease his pain by reading fairy tales to him. When Disney was ten-years-old he stood up to his father and the beatings came to an end. Disney was a restless student as a young man, but he was also ambitious and gifted. He loved to draw and created cartoons for the school newspaper. Eventually, he took evening classes at the Chicago Institute of Art and then found work as a professional artist at an advertising agency. He developed a friendship with Ub Iwerks and together they started a business called Iwerks-Disney Commercial Artists. The cartoon character Mickey Mouse came out of their collaboration. In 1928, Disney's first silent film featuring Mickey Mouse premiered at a Los Angeles Theater. A few years later, Disney's "Three Little Pigs," and "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" were produced. In 1952, Disney formed Walt Disney Incorporated to develop ideas for a theme park called Disneyland. Disney married and had two daughters. He died in 1966 at the age of sixty-five. The author has given us a general biography of a man who had visions of a different type of entertainment. Photographs illustrate the text, and sidebars offer interesting tidbits of information on Disney's life. Back material includes a timeline, essential facts, bibliography, further reading, websites, glossary, and source notes. Part of the "Essential Lives Set 4" series. Reviewer: Della A. Yannuzzi