December 5th marks what would have been Walt Disney’s 111th birthday – a creative visionary that continues to inspire new generations of fans and artists and creator of the “Happiest Place on Earth”, Disneyland. The Walt Disney name is synonymous with one of the biggest film studios in the world, globally the largest children’s book publisher and the most recognized animated characters in the world, from Mickey and Minnie Mouse to Donald and Daisy Duck to today’s Disney stars in Jake and the Never Land Pirates, Toy Story and Wreck It Ralph.
Fun Facts
·
The
creator of Mickey Mouse and founder of Disneyland and Walt Disney World was
born in Chicago, Illinois, on December 5, 1901. 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.
·
Walt
was rejected because he was only 16 years of age when he tried to enlist for
military service in1918. He joined the Red Cross and was sent overseas, where
he spent a year driving an ambulance and chauffeuring Red Cross officials. His
ambulance was covered from stem to stern, not with stock camouflage, but with
drawings and cartoons.
·
Walt
Disney’s 43-year Hollywood career started when in August of 1923, he left
Kansas City for Hollywood with nothing but a few drawing materials, $40 in his
pocket and a completed animated and live-action film.
·
David
Low, the late British political cartoonist, called Disney “the most significant
figure in graphic arts since Leonardo.”
·
He
has won more Oscars than anyone else in history and along with members of his
staff, received more than 950 honors and citations from throughout the world,
including 48 Academy Awards® and 7 Emmys® in his lifetime.
·
His
personal awards included honorary degrees from Harvard, Yale, the University of
Southern California, and UCLA; the Presidential Medal of Freedom; France’s
Legion of Honor and Officer d’Academie decorations; Thailand’s Order of the
Crown; Brazil’s Order of the Southern Cross; Mexico’s Order of the Aztec Eagle;
and the Showman of the World Award from the National Association of Theatre
Owners.
·
Mickey
Mouse was created in 1928, and his screen debut was in Steamboat Willie, the
world’s first fully synchronized sound cartoon, which premiered at the Colony
Theatre in New York on November 18, 1928.
·
He
was the voice of Mickey Mouse for two decades.
·
Disneyland,
launched in 1955 as a fabulous $17 million Magic Kingdom, soon increased its
investment tenfold and entertained, by its fourth decade, more than 400 million
people, including presidents, kings and queens and royalty from all over the
globe. Today, Disney tops 4 out of the 5 most visited theme parts in the world.
The Disney brand has a strong affinity with Southeast Asian families and audiences because of the core values that permeate throughout all its content. The company has been active in Southeast Asia since 1996 when the Disney Channel first launched in Malaysia. With the headquarters located in Singapore, there are now 4 offices in the region – in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and The Philippines – that employ close to 200 permanent staff.
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