There is no more famous or influential figure in the entertainment industry than . From black and white animation to Oscar-winning films, Disney has managed to make millions of viewers fall in love with their films.
Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy are known to children and adults all over the planet. And the small animation studio, founded by Walt Disney on October 16, 1923, is now valued at $42 billion.
Despite the popularity of his characters, he himself Disney remains a relatively secretive figure. It so happened that his story remained in the shadow of his achievements.
In this article we will look at ten interesting facts about the creator of Mickey Mouse. I'm sure you probably haven't heard of them.
1. From school to the army
During World War I, 16-year-old Disney dropped out of school to serve in the army. But the minor volunteer was not accepted into the service, but was offered a position as an ambulance driver in the Red Cross. Disney agreed, after which he was sent to France. Simultaneously with the arrival of the young driver, a settlement agreement was signed between the warring parties. Disney had to go back.
2. Mickey Mouse could have been Mortimer
It so happens that Mickey Mouse is actually synonymous with the word Disney, but few people know that if it weren’t for the animator’s wife, Mickey Mouse would be Mortimer Mouse. In the first episodes of the animated series, the mouse was presented as Mortimer Mouse, but Lillian Disney managed to convince her husband that Mickey was more suitable name for the character. Mortimer later became Mickey Mouse's rival in the fight for his beloved Minnie.
3. Mickey Mouse was voiced by Walt Disney himself
Walt Disney was not only an animator, director and producer (not to mention his entrepreneurial acumen), he also excelled in voice acting. From the creation of Mickey in 1928 until 1947, the voice of the star mouse belonged to Walt Disney himself. The mouse was later voiced by actor Jimmy MacDonald.
4. Disney - the first creator of a full-length animated film
When Disney employees found out what their boss was planning to make of Snow White feature film, they were sure that this idea was doomed to failure. Among themselves, they called this project “Disney Folly,” and they were almost right. During the production of Snow White, Disney was forced to show creditors a rough cut of the film because... the limit of funds allocated for the production of the cartoon was exhausted. After the review, the lenders agreed to provide Disney with additional financing to complete the film. And as it turned out, not in vain. Snow White was a smashing success. The film earned over $8 million upon its release and over $130 million to date.
5. Walt Disney - best friend US government
In addition to the fact that the young Disney tried to help the United States at the front during World War I, he helped several throughout his career federal agencies. Walt made training films for the US Army, propaganda films urging Americans to pay taxes, and several anti-Hitler videos. Disney also took part in the filming of the series documentaries about astronautics for NASA.
6.
Disney's contribution to the anti-communist movement
After the end of World War II, many in the United States feared communist sentiment. Disney, along with his colleagues, organized the anti-communist movement "Motion Picture Alliance" (MPA), advocating the preservation of American ideals.
7. Disney was close to creating a ski resort
After the opening of the first Disneyland in 1955, Walt decided to build a ski resort near Central Park Redwoods in California. He even received approval from foresters and negotiated with the governor of California to build a new road. However, the project was suspended. And after the death of Disney, in 1966, the new leaders of the company decided that they could manage only one major project, choosing Disneyland.
8. Disney owner the largest number Oscars
From 1932 to 1969 Walt Disney received 22 Oscars and participated in 59 nominations. In addition, he was presented with three awards designed specifically for him. The first - for the creation of Mickey Mouse, the second - for his musical contribution to animated films, the third - for the cartoon “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”.
9. Disney's last words remain a mystery
Shortly before his death (from lung cancer), Disney scribbled two words on a piece of paper - “Kurt Russell”. For Russell himself, this fact also remains a mystery. At the time of Disney's death, Kurt Russell was a child, and although he was already an actor, he had not yet achieved widespread popularity.
10. After death, Disney was not frozen
After the death of Walt Disney, there were active rumors that the supposed genius of animation was frozen. However, this is not true. In fact, Disney's body was cremated, and the first cryogenic freezing of a person in history took place only a month after Disney's death.
Over forty s extra years works in animation Disney revolutionized the film industry, invented new language and style, and also led a powerful media empire. ELLE selected interesting facts related to the life, work and legacy of the great storyteller and businessman.
Disney's early career partner was animator Ub Iwerks. It was Iwerks who came up with the mouse, who later received the name Mickey Mouse. The first cartoons about Mickey were drawn by him.
Initially, Mickey Mouse's name was Mortimer Mouse, but Disney's wife dissuaded her husband, since “Mortimer,” in her opinion, sounded too “pompous.”
Disney was one of the founders of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals - public organization, created in 1944 to protect the industry from communist influence.
Earlier, in 1941, he accused the Cartoonists Guild, which organized a trade union strike, of being engaged in subversive “red” activities.
In 1947, Disney testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee, revealing that a number of his studio's former animators shared communist views.
The two-minute storm scene in The Little Mermaid took ten artists to draw over the course of a year.
According to legend, the prototype of the lush fairy Tinkerbell from Snow White was Marilyn Monroe. In fact, Tinkerbell is based on actress Margaret Kerry.
Disney had a great attention to detail. Garbage cans at Disneyland are located 25 steps from the hot dog stands - the same distance that Disney himself ate a sausage roll.
The idea of a theme park for children and adults came to Disney in the 1930s, at the suggestion of his daughters. He was able to take on the project only twenty years later. The opening of the first park of this kind took place on July 18, 1955. The day before, a press day was organized, which almost ended tragically due to poor organization: almost three times more people came (not 11,000, but 28,000), problems with drinking water arose - in the extreme heat, etc. Reviews in the media were predictably negative, but the next day a huge crowd gathered at the gates, queuing from two o'clock in the morning. As a result, on July 18, 50,000 people visited the park.
In total, 600 million people visited Disneyland over 60 years.
During an official visit to the USA, the head Soviet Union Nikita Khrushchev voiced two requests - to meet with actor John Wayne and to go to Disneyland. Khrushchev was denied a tour.
6,000 people are lost at Disneyland every year. mobile phones, 3,500 digital cameras and 18,000 hats.
The last words Disney wrote were "Kurt Russell." The head of Disney, dying in a clinic from lung cancer, being unable to speak, wrote this name on a piece of paper without explaining what he meant. The meaning of what was written is still unclear, including to the actor Kurt Russell himself. The year Disney died, 10-year-old Russell signed a contract with the studio to appear in children's shows.
After the death of its founder, the Disney studio fundamentally abandoned the demonstration of smoking and cigarettes in its films.
There is a legend according to which Disney's body, according to his will, is frozen in a cryogenic chamber. Another myth is that this camera is kept under the Pirates ride. Caribbean Sea"at Disneyland. Walt Disney died on December 15, 1966; the first known experiment with cryogenic freezing of the human body took place only a month later. In fact, two days after his death, the cartoonist’s body was cremated and the ashes were buried in memorial park Forest Lawn in Glendale, California.
Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, which opened in 1967, initially featured real skeletons previously used for research. Medical center University of California.
Among the projects that Walt Disney did not have time to complete was a joint cartoon with Salvador Dali. The film, called "Destino", was released five years after the death of Disney.
Actor Wayne Anthony Alwine, the longtime voice of Mickey Mouse, has married the “voice” of Minnie Mouse, actress Russi Taylor. The couple were married for 28 years until Elwein's death in 2009.
One of the heroes of the Disney Universe, the dog Pluto, heads the TOP 100 “greatest hand-drawn pets of all time.”
The married couple Alex and Donna Voutsinas, being already married, found out while looking at their children's photographs that they were accidentally captured together at Disneyland.
The main character of Pixar's Wall-E is named after Walter Disney.
Julia Bianko
@jewliabianco
Disney is one of the largest corporations on the planet, spawning films, television shows, theme parks, merchandising and much, much more. The company is basically ubiquitous at this point, and its widespread fame also comes with widespread fame. Rumors about Disney and its properties range from sweet to downright creepy. Let's debunk some popular Disney "facts" that many mistakenly believe to be true.
Disney Walt cryogenically frozen
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It is rumored that Disney founder Walt Disney was cryogenically frozen after his death in the hope that he could one day be resurrected.
Disney died in December. 15, 1966, from lung cancer. He was 65, and despite what many people say, his body was cremated and not frozen. Walt Disney's daughter, Diana Disney Miller, opened Family Museum Walt Disney in San Francisco as a means to end the rumors surrounding his famous father. “Other kids would say, my kids, my mom said, ‘your grandfather was an anti-Semite,’ or ‘your grandfather froze, didn’t he?’ And I couldn’t let that stand,” she told RSN. "I'm very a good life because of him and the only thing I can do is establish this place, and I didn’t do it just for him, I do it for all those millions of people who love him.”
This is a false fact, rather rooted in 1972, when Bob Nelson, then president of the California Cryonics Society, told the Los Angeles Times (via a mental thread) that Walt wanted to be frozen. “Really, they missed Walt,” Nelson said. “He is not listed in writing, and when he died, the family will not agree to this...two weeks later we froze the first person. If Disney had been first, it would have made headlines around the world and had a real shot in the arm for cryonics." Nelson confirmed “they cremated him. I personally saw his ashes."
Nelson confirms this in his 2014 book freezing people is (not) easy: my adventures in Cryonics, writing that someone at Disney called asking for information about cryonics. When Los Angeles magazine Nelson asked if it was possible Disney had been frozen elsewhere, he replied, "There was no other facility at the time." The only other group is the Cryonics Society of New York and they had nothing—not an undertaker, not a single doctor, not a single thing.” Alas, it looks like Walt's dream has been reanimated and will remain just a wish on a star.
An evil artist painted the Little Mermaid into a phallic image
There are several stories about male genitalia in The Little Mermaid (1989). One popular rumor suggests a VIDEO CASSETTE film cover. The story goes that a dissatisfied Disney artist decided to build a phallic symbol on the castle featured on the cover of the video tape. The picture was allegedly so inappropriate that a supermarket worker pulled the tape from the shelves after a customer complained.
While it is true that there are non-offensive depictions, most evidence points to his accident as opposed to the rebellion of the bitter cartoonist. Snopes Myths In a story called "palace with a phallus," the site interviewed the artist responsible for the mess and reported that he never had a falling out with Disney. Here's his side of the story, as Snopes would say: "rushed to finish the video on it (with towers that were rather phallic to begin with), the artist hurried through the reference detail (at four in the morning) and accidentally drew a spire wearing fairly close resemblance to a penis. The artist himself did not notice the similarities until his church youth group member heard about the controversy on the radio and called him in his studio with the news."
Two people died in the Haunted Mansion
Ghosts aren't hard to debunk, but Disney World and Disneyland are hardly the hotspots of supernatural activity that many fan theories make them out to be. Most park attractions have spooky stories associated with them, but one of the most common targets of this supernatural gossip is, you guessed it, the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. Rumors began early in the ride's history, when it sat closed for almost six years after its end in 1963. Word on the street was that the ride was shuttered because a guest was so scared that he had a heart attack and died. However, the delay in opening was most likely due to a combination of factors in construction, the national hype surrounding the New York exhibition, Walt's death, and there is no reliable record of a man experiencing cardiac arrest.
Another rumor in the Death of the Haunted Mansion claims that two high school students visiting the park decided to get out of Doombuggy to look for a room called a "séance circle." One of the teenagers allegedly fell to his death, breaking his neck after falling between the rails and the platform. However, there is also no death record, either. The only incident along the way involves a 15-year-old who survived a fall onto the tracks.
Plane on bikes ride video from Casablanca
This rumor is reportedly related to a 1988 Chicago Tribune article. History tells Disney of a plane that looked like the original Lockheed Electra 12A used in the famous scene in Casablanca(1942), included in an attraction called the Great Movie Ride at Disneyland. They found the real plane in Hondo, Texas. Researchers at the studio began searching for a plane that looked like the original Lockheed." (They could tell by the serial number - 1204.)
According to Yesterland, the Tribune article got the actual address of the famous plane wrong. The plane reportedly ended up at Disney's MGM Studios (now Disney's Hollywood Studios), not Disneyland. The site also notes that the article in “ Los Angeles Times" in 1988, said it was "probably" the same plane, but not certain.
Others say that it is still not correct. According to numerous reports about Casablanca There weren't any real aircraft involved in the making of the film at all. Some say that the planes in the film were reduced in size. The model was shot on sound. The anidb aircraft wiki reports that production worked with gnomes in order to make the dimensions look correct. Robert Yahnke, a professor at the University of Minnesota, said that the real plane was not available for the scene at the time due to World War II, and that the film's plane was a two-dimensional plywood mockup. Yahnke also said that the little people were used to achieve the correct perspective.
According to an interview with Disney historian Jim Korkis, the film's assistant directors discussed the famous plane in a 1993 book called rounding up to the usual suspects: making Casablanca. Books from Korkis excerpt read by Aljean Harmetz: “We were not allowed to go far. So this airport was built on a stage with an airplane cutout. And obviously we fogged up the set not so much to give it atmosphere, but because we were forced to hide the fact that everything was so fake. We finally positioned the plane, which I thought was pretty poorly cut, as far away as we dared. And we could not give him any prospects. And it occurred to me to hire a bunch of dwarfs to play mechanics. To give him a forced perspective. And it worked."
For those who are still reluctant to let this rumor go, it's worth noting that some people believe that even if the plane for the Great Movie Ride couldn't be the one pictured in the classic Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman Goodbye, the planes could have been used elsewhere, which shows the plane taking off. This would mean misrepresenting where in the film the plane was used, but it was formally classified as planes used in Casablanca.
Animators put the word "sex" in the clouds Lion King
Having a scene cannot be denied. In The Lion King (1994), Simba kicks up a cloud of dust that floats into the sky in a way that may, to some, resemble the word "sex", but the concept that it was placed there on purpose is somehow subliminal the message is probably not correct.
Former Disney animator Tom Sito told the Huffington Post that the letters actually read "archive" as a shoutout to the film's effects specials. Reports from other producers confirmed this intention of the caption, noting that Additional Dust was added in the film's re-release to avoid conflicting messages.
Disney's website tells a different story, claiming that the letters are actually the spell "Styx" in honor of popular group. He confirms this by saying that a few notes from the rock band "Mr. Robot" can be heard in the background of the stage.
Despite this, there is no evidence that Disney has slightly embellished the film for children.
Walt Disney left a fortune for the first man to get pregnant
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There are variations of this rumor, but they all boil down to one idea: Walt decided to bequeath most of his vast fortune to the first person to get pregnant. Some say it was 10 million dollars, others say it was all Disney property. However, apparently Disney's latest will and testament has been well documented online, appearing on several sites. The breakdown indicates that 45 percent goes to Walt's wife and daughters, 45 percent to charity through the Disney Foundation, and the rest to a trust for his sister, niece and nephews. There is no mention of a bonus for the first pregnant man.
Tower of Terror is haunted by a ghost
“Proof” that the Tower of Terror is haunting has surfaced on YouTube with a video allegedly showing a ghost on the ride during check-in after renovations closed. Sorry guys, but watching the video does not confirm the real phenomenon. Most likely, the footage looks like a combination of reflection from the clipboard containing a person and dust in the air.
Erection at the wedding little Mermaid Minister
Another dirty little one Mermaid The rumor involves a wedding scene between Prince Eric and Vanessa, a sea witch in disguise. People claim the Minister of Sports has an erection during a wedding. Woman One, Janet Gilmer, even filed a case against Disney for "all compensable damages, including punitive damages" due to the emotional trauma she suffered from the experience.
If you look closely, the Bulge offensive is actually just a minister's knees, although it's easy to see how people might not notice that in this scene. It is reported that Disney acknowledged the confusion and changed the animation in subsequent versions of the film. Gilmer dropped her suit too.
Pirates of the Caribbean obsessed
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Here's another ghost story making the rounds at Disney: Pirates of the Caribbean is haunted by the ghost of a welder named George who died during its construction. We did some digging, but couldn't find any legitimate reports confirming the death of the worker, the works.
We found an authentic article in the Orlando Sentinel about an employee who slipped and hit his head while performing a trial sword fight during Jack's "Captain Pirate Tutorial" show in 2009. The actor, 47-year-old Mark Priest, reportedly broke a vertebra and scalp and died a few days later in hospital. "It was a very bizarre thing," longtime friend Jeffrey Breslauer told the newspaper.
Walt Disney had an illegitimate child
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Walt's life has been the subject of much speculation. One of the main rumors surrounding the legendary creator claims that he was born in Spain and secretly adopted by American parents. Rumor has it that Walt is illegitimate son Carrillo Guineza, a Spanish doctor and local laundress named Isabel Zamora. Under pressure from the Carrillo family, Zamora emigrated to the United States with his child, named Jose, and settled in the same Chicago neighborhood where Walt grew up. Zamora put Jose up for adoption, and Elias and Flora Call Disney took him in. Believers claim that there is no record of Walt Disney in Chicago until more than a year after his birth, when he was baptized in a local church. There are also rumors about men President Herbert Hoover trying to cover up Walt's true origins in order to protect one of the rising stars America.
"The story is irresistibly, perhaps improbably, romantic," the Guardian wrote in 2001 in an article about the tale, which "combines forbidden love, an orphan child, evil-paced parents and even the sinister presence of J. Edgar Hoover and his agents." It is also intriguing because, as of this writing, it has not been proven beyond doubt to be true or false. According to The Guardian, Walt Disney was born in December. 5, 1901, “but it was not until he was 17 years old that Walt needed a passport that Flora would sign a statement saying that he was born in their home [in Chicago]. Oddly enough, she signed a second application - supposedly for Walt calling - in Oregon in 1934...” The birth registry from 1901 in the Spanish town in which Disney was supposedly born has also disappeared, meaning it is impossible to confirm that the child was born in Zamora this year.
Walt was the fourth child in the family - he had three older brothers named Roy, Herbert Raymond, and a younger sister named Ruth. None of his siblings were adopted, and there is no evidence why Disney would want to secretly adopt a child.
Walt's daughter, Diana Disney Miller, also denied that her father was illegitimate, calling the book, which claimed her father was an FBI informant who used organizations to discover their true origins, "so crazy." She told the Los Angeles Times, “I can't understand why it has received such wide recognition...apparently a small town in Spain that should be very beautiful; our friend showed us a brochure from there that says, and by the way, we are also in the birthplace of Walt Disney, although he won’t admit it.’ Apparently the story has been there for a long time.”
Walt Disney is both a beloved and controversial figure in American history.
Over the years, there have been many conspiracy theories, rumors and myths surrounding his life and death.
For example, many people believe that Walt Disney was frozen out, which is not true.
There are many books, podcasts, movies, and websites dedicated to finding out who the real Walt Disney is. Disney life has always been a popular topic of discussion.
After all, he lives the American dream: he started out as a poor student in the Midwest and turned out to be one of the most influential people in history. The Disneylands he created are among the most visited places in the world.
But we should not forget about the other side of the coin - this fame makes it the subject of hundreds of rumors and myths, most of which are not true.
In honor of the 116th anniversary of Walt Disney's birth, we have collected 9 of the most interesting myths about him that can be easily refuted.
1. His body was frozen somewhere on the Disneyland grounds.
This is probably the most famous of all the myths surrounding Walt Disney. Some believe that his entire body is frozen, while others believe that only his head is frozen.
The story goes that after his death in 1966, Disney was cryogenically frozen until the day when resuscitation from such a state could be possible. He had a private funeral, and the lack of information was the perfect breeding ground for conspiracy theories.
However, it is not. Disney was cremated after dying from lung cancer, and his ashes were buried in Glendale (you can actually find his memorial). His daughter said: "There is absolutely no truth to the rumors that my father, Walt Disney, wanted him frozen."
2. He created Mickey Mouse himself.
On this moment Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse are synonymous. But he wasn't the one who created the character: Ub Iwerks is a lesser-known figure in Disney history.
Having lost the rights to Oswald the Rabbit, Disney's de facto first character, Disney asked Iwerks to come up with a new character, and Mickey Mouse was born. Over the years, Iwerks felt he wasn't getting enough recognition for his creation, left Disney, and eventually returned—but he refused to work in animation again.
3. He lives in a bust at the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland.
While this would be a nice addition to the attraction, unfortunately Walt Disney doesn't appear in this house at all. In fact, he died before this attraction was built.
4. He was born in Robinson, Illinois.
A reporter from Robinson, Illinois, claimed that Walt Disney was born in his city. However, Walt Disney's official autobiography, like all other records about him, states that he was born in Chicago.
5. He left video instructions telling Disney executives what to do after his death.
Since many are very interested in the future of the company, this does seem to be true, but there is no evidence that this is the case.
Disney died in 1966 from lung cancer, and his death was relatively sudden and unexpected. When he died, Disney World was under construction, and Disney's brother Roy decided to delay his retirement so he could oversee construction in person.
The brand was almost bought out in the 1980s because the stock market tanked and many of the films from that era, dubbed Disney's Bronze Age, underperformed at the box office. It wasn't until the 90s that Disney returned to its level, and this period is now known as The Disney Renaissance.
Thus, Disney likely left no clear instructions on what to do after his death.
6. He was an anti-Semite
The belief that Disney was anti-Semitic is so widespread that it has found its way into pop culture, such as the cartoon Family Guy. Even Meryl Streep commented on this topic in 2014.
However, this has not been proven.
In the Disney biography Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination, author Neal Gubler states that “among the Jews who worked [for Disney], it was difficult to find anyone who considered Walt an anti-Semite.”
However, many members of the organization of which he was a founding member, The Motion Picture Alliance, were allegedly anti-Semitic.
There is no evidence yet that Disney himself was an anti-Semite.
7. He left money for the first man who manages to get pregnant.
This may be the most ridiculous legend on this list. It is not clear why or where this rumor came from, but it is talked about quite often.
However, his last will is known to everyone. He left 45% of his estate to his wife and daughters, 45% to the Disney Foundation, and the final 10% was divided among his nieces, nephews and sister.
8. He was born out of wedlock in Spain.
This story originates from the biography “Walt Disney: The Dark Prince of Hollywood,” which discredits the animator. The theory is that Disney was born out of wedlock in southern Spain to a woman named Isabel Zamora. The book also claims that he was born in 1890 and was later adopted by the Disneys.
Again, Disney was born in Chicago to Elias and Flora Disney, and there is no evidence to support his illegitimate birth in Spain.
9. The Disney logo is his handwriting.
The Disney logo is cultural phenomenon. It's called Waltograph and many people think it's Disney's handwriting, but unfortunately that's not true.
While it's hard to know what Disney's signature actually was, there were many people authorized to sign with the logo that we recognize as Disney's. In fact, it first appeared in 1984. Basically, it's a stylized version of his signature, but not an exact copy.