Walt Disney, regardless of what you think about the man, was one of the most influential
American figures of the 20th century.
He was a pioneer of the animation industry who introduced several critical developments
in the production of cartoons.
You might just think of him as the guy who brought us Mickey Mouse and a handful of theme
parks, but Walt really was a jack of all trades.
He was an animator, entrepreneur, and film producer who holds the record for being nominated
for and winning the most Academy Awards.
In case you're curious, he received 59 Oscar nominations and ended up taking home 22 of
those.
Generations of wide-eyed children have grown up eagerly anticipating the next feature-length
Disney animated film.
From The Jungle Book to Beauty and the Beast and the studio's most recent animated feature,
Encanto, Disney has long set the bar for family-friendly films.
Today, the company that Walt created is a multinational, publicly-traded media giant
worth more than $100 billion.
Success like that, however, doesn't just happen.
It took Walt a tremendous amount of hard work and dedication to turn his 'Mouse House' into
what it is today.
While Disney was born in Chicago in 1901, he spent most of his childhood on a farm in
Marceline, Missouri.
It was in that rural locale that he learned how to draw animals at an early age.
He ended up dropping out of high school, and since he was too young to enlist in the military
during the first world war, Walt found work driving an ambulance for the Red Cross in
Europe.
He adorned the ambulance with his cartoon creations and ended up getting some of his
work published in an Army newspaper called Stars and Stripes.
In 1919, Walt returned back to the United States, and in the early 20s, he moved to
California, where he started an animation studio with his brother Roy.
It was then that he and animator Ub Iwerks came up with a design for a cartoon mouse
that was meant to compete with Felix the Cat.
The animated short Steamboat Willie introduced the world to Mickey Mouse.
As soon as it premiered in 1928, Mickey was a massive hit with audiences.
As his studio grew, Walt became more adventurous.
He began utilizing things like full-color three-strip Technicolor and synchronized sound.
Soon enough, he and his team were making full-length cartoons – something that was virtually
unheard of at the time.
Some of these early animated films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Fantasia,
Dumbo, and Bambi are now considered to be timeless classics.
When they first hit theaters, though, they were nothing short of sensational.
Disney would go on to create critically acclaimed live-action films like Mary Poppins after
World War II.
In the 50s, he began developing his first amusement park, Disneyland, which opened in
July 1955.
A decade later, he began work developing a new park, Disney World.
At the heart of this new amusement park would be the visionary attraction, EPCOT, or the
Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow.
Sadly, before he was able to see either project completed, Disney died of lung cancer.
He was survived by his wife, Lilian Bounds, and his two daughters, Diane and Sharon.
Throughout Walt's storied life and career, many rumors about his personal life began
to circulate – some of which weren't always the most flattering.
Even so, he managed to keep up a pretty positive public image while he was still alive.
Following his death, however, his reputation began to change.
Some have accused Walt of being racist or anti-Semitic while others say that he represents
the epitome of American imperialism.
In this video, we'll be taking a look at what Walt's daughters had to say about their father.
Hearsay and gossip will always paint public figures in a negative light, but to really
get a good impression of what someone was really like, it's best to see what the people
that they were closest to had to say about them.
A Good-Natured Father Figure
In the pubic spotlight, Walt always tried to cultivate this warm and inviting fatherly
image.
Hayley Mills, the English actress who starred in Walt's 1961 hit film The Parent Trap, described
him as being something like a surrogate parent.
She loved his sense of humor and found him easy to talk to because according to her he
made a point to listen to people and genuinely adored children.
Before he built his own parks, Walt loved to take his daughters to amusement parks.
In old Disney family home movies, Walt can be seen riding the Griffith Park carousel
in Los Angeles.
He would later say this ride was one of the inspirations for Disney Land.
Walt loved to spoil his girls.
As a child, he struggled to connect with his own father.
Because of this, he went out of his way to be an extremely attentive father.
He made sure that h daughters always had the best everything, from cruises to trips to
Europe and all the gifts they could ever ask for come Christmastime.
He even commissioned a miniature locomotive behind their family home in Holmby Hills,
California.
In truth though, the train was just as much for Walt as it was for his kids.
He was an avid model railroad hobbyist and never quite let go of his inner child.
One day, his wife told him that he would have to find a new place for it since it was taking
over her rose garden.
That new place ended up being Disneyland.
According to Walt's daughters and others who were closest to him, he loved showing off
his train and various other grown-up toys but didn't socialize easily.
He could be shy and introverted and didn't have many friends.
To compensate for his lack of social skills, Walt immersed himself in his work.
His brother Roy once said that he never saw Walt when he wasn't working.
Playwright Robert E. Sherwood once described Walt as being painfully shy, bashful, and
self-deprecating.
Despite this, he went to great lengths to protect his public image and home life.
Not As Clean-Cut As He Appeared
According to biographer, Jeffrey A Barnes, Walt smoked three packs of cigarettes a day
and drank nightly nearly to the point of excess.
Staffers at Disneyland started referring to him as the 'Man of the Forest', referencing
his smokey odor, which some thought was reminiscent of a forest fire.
It's also been reported that Disney kept its workers on their toes.
He would often subject them to harsh criticism and would only rarely ever dish out any praise.
The closest thing to commendation that anyone would ever hear from him was something like
'that'll work'.
Instead of praising anyone directly, he would show his approval through financial bonuses
and promotions.
Diane Had Nothing But Fond Memories Of Her Father
Before her death in 2013, Diane sat down for an interview with Slash Film.
In that discussion, she opened up about what it was like to grow up as Walt Disney's daughter.
Diane praised her father for always treating her and her sister with tender love and compassion.
She described him as being extraordinarily attentive and compassionate while noting that
he drew a strong distinction between his work and home life.
He kept the two separate.
Whenever he was at home, he made it a point to not discuss his projects.
Diane said that Walt was able to compartmentalize his mind in such a way that his various obligations
wouldn't come into conflict.
He would tell stories and play games with his kids and never was too busy to give them
the care and attention they needed.
Walt would drive his daughters to school every morning until Diane got her license, and even
then, he continued to drive Sharon.
While clearly the Disney's were a very wealthy family, Diane said that they lived a fairly
typical life and didn't flaunt their wealth.
The Disney Family Feud
Sharon Disney Lund, Walt's youngest daughter, died of breast cancer at the age of 56 in
1993.
Shortly before her death, her three adult children were told that they had a vast inheritance
that soon awaited them.
While Michele, Brad, and Victoria Disney already were living comfortably, this was a whole
new level of wealth that they were lined up to receive.
Walt Disney's grandkids were to receive a combined total that would amount to roughly
$400 million in today's figures, spread out in a series of payments made every five years
after they turned 30.
There was just one minor caveat.
Sharon designated three trustees, including her ex-husband Bill, his wife Sherry, and
her older sister Diane Disney Miller.
These trustees could withhold the distributions if they felt that the children failed to demonstrate
that they were mature and capable of managing and utilizing the funds in a responsible and
prudent manner.
Ultimately, these stipulations would lead to disastrous consequences that eventually
led to accusations in probate court of conspiracy, mental incompetence, and even incest.
Brad ended up being falsely accused of having Down syndrome and was denied his share of
the inheritance while Michelle received hers – but just barely.
In court, her mental faculties were also questioned following an aneurysm that she suffered in
2009.
Victoria died in 2002 before she was able to receive her chunk of the Disney-family
pie.
What are your thoughts on Walt Disney?
Do you think that he was the evil, racist monster that some like to paint him out to
be, or do you feel like he was just a hardworking family man who happened to get really lucky
by being at the right place at the right time?
Let us know in the comments.
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