Walter Elias Disney

Wherever the young Disney went, he drew. At high school he became the cartoonist for the school newspaper and took night courses at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. He lied about his age to join the Red Cross just before the end of World War I, and during the war he drew cartoons on the side of his ambulance and had some work published in Stars and Stripes. Then, at 18, he began an apprenticeship at a commercial art studio. Disney became increasingly interested in animation in the burgeoning silent film industry, and in 1921 founded his Laugh-O-Gram Studio. His short cartoons didn’t earn enough money, and the studio went bankrupt in 1923. Later that year he moved to Hollywood and founded the Disney Brothers Studio‍ with his brother Roy — the same studio that would later become the world-famous Walt Disney Company. With the help of his creation, Mickey Mouse, Disney became more and more successful during the following decade, despite plenty of bumps along the road. He won his first Academy Award in 1932, his second a year later, and went on to win 22 Oscars during his career — more than anyone else in history. Beloved animated classics such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Dumbo, and Sleeping Beauty made Disney a cultural icon, and his theme parks, merchandise, and other interests made him a wealthy man. Disney died in 1966, but remains a towering figure in pop culture. Today, he is widely quoted online, for his words of inspiration and his business and leadership acumen. But, much like Mark Twain and Winston Churchill, he has also been attached to many famous quotes that he never actually said. Here, we set the record straight with 9 quotes often misattributed to the legendary animator. yeremiah@aol.com Yeremiah Hardt