Lowey Bundy Sichol - From an Idea to Disney: How Imagination Built a World of Magic

When youre curious, you find lots of interesting things to do. Walt Disney

Walt Disney had a very happy childhood and loved living on the farm. He enjoyed being surrounded by animals and nature but also was fascinated by trains and the way they transported people to exciting new places. Most likely, Walts fascination with trains stemmed from his uncle Mike Martin, who was a steam locomotive engineer and traveled between Marceline and Fort Madison, Iowa.

As you can imagine, Walt was a very creative and curious boy. His favorite thing to do was draw. Often, Walt drew the animals from the farm or the trains that steamed through his hometown of Marceline. Sometimes, Walt drew on things he wasnt supposed to, like on the side of his house with black tar or on his homework.

When Walt was nine, his father, Elias, became sick. Elias was not able to manage the farm anymore and decided to move his family to Kansas City. Walt was devastated. He hated to leave the farm, but Elias had no other choice.

At Walts new school, he became the class clown, often performing funny skits in front of his classmates. Walt liked to make other kids laugh by drawing silly animal cartoons on the chalkboard. When Walt was fifteen, his family moved again. This time, they moved back to Chicago. Walt attended McKinley High School and took art classes in the evening at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. Walt did not like his high school, except for one thingdrawing cartoons for the school newspaper.

In 1919, at the age of eighteen, Walt moved to Kansas City, looking for work. By now, Walt had also started smoking cigarettes, a dangerous habit he continued throughout his life. Walt took a job at Pesmen-Rubin Commercial Art Studio, where he met Ub Iwerks, a man who would later become one of Walts closest friends and colleagues.

After only one month, Walt and Ub were laid off, so they decided to start their own company, Iwerks-Disney Commercial Artists. Unfortunately, Iwerks-Disney did not make any money and shut down shortly after it opened. Halfheartedly, Walt took a job at the Kansas City Film Ad Company, making commercials based on animation. Although he did not want to make commercials, it was there that he learned all about animation. Fascinated with his new skill, Walt decided to try to make his own animated cartoons.

Laid off: Fired from a job, usually because the company cannot afford to keep the person.

Walt left the Kansas City Film Ad Company and started another company with Ub, called Laugh-O-gram Films. Laugh-O-gram Films created short, animated black-and-white cartoons that became popular in Kansas City but did not generate enough revenue to cover Walts expenses. Eventually, Walt ran out of money and declared bankruptcy.

Revenue: The amount of money a company brings in for selling its products or services. Sometimes called sales, top line, or gross income.

Bankruptcy: When a person or business does not have enough money to pay its debts.

During the 1920s, the only place people could watch cartoons was in movie theaters, usually just before the featured movie. All cartoons in those days came in black and white and had no sound. Artists drew each panel by hand, and most cartoons were produced in Hollywood, California, the same city where movies were made. Walt thought he had a better chance to succeed as a cartoonist if he lived and worked in Hollywood. So, at the age of twenty-two, Walt decided to move again.