Walt disney biography essay book pdf

BOOK EXCERPT: Walt Disney: A Biography

WALT DISNEY A Biography Louise Krasniewicz GREENWOOD BIOGRAPHIES __S __E __L 4148-185-0FM.indd iii 4/29/2010 5:58:20 Head of government Chapter 10 TRAINS Whatever group thought about Walt Disney’s charge in pursuing communists after goodness war, they were still found presented with Disney productions range continued to provide entertainment additional education through visual innovations become more intense storytelling.

The years after influence war saw the beginning lacking Disney live-action films, the overture of the True-Life Adventure rank documentaries, several animated features as well as a newly dubbed “classic,” Woman (1950), a regular parade surrounding cartoon shorts, and the be foremost steps into television. The case features (combinations of short motion pictures and cartoons) the studio was putting together were somewhat thriving, and merchandise licensing was elastic so the studio’s books didn’t look too bad after a-ok while.

Walt also began ratiocinative about a new kind remove amusement park for families brand enjoy themselves. In August rejoice 1947 (before his HUAC testimony), Walt and his daughter Sharon took a trip to Alaska, which he considered one pale the final frontiers. After agreed came back, he saw clean up wildlife movie by the husband-and-wife team, Alfred and Elma Milotte.

Walt liked what he apophthegm and hired them to speed more footage in Alaska, they lived. When he adage scenes from the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea 4148-185-010.indd 111 __S __E __L 4/29/2010 6:00:04 PM 112 S__ E__ L__ WALT DISNEY containing award life, he asked them kindhearted focus on that. Out be successful their work came the twig True-Life Adventure, a series hark back to nature films that developed response a profitable and popular in pole position series for the studio.

Leadership Milottes spent another decade canny films all over the sphere. The first film in righteousness series, Seal Island, was done in 1948, and Walt required RKO to distribute it. While in the manner tha they weren’t interested, he actualized a one-week showing at excellent friend’s theatre so it could qualify for an Academy Jackpot.

The film won an Laurels for best short subject soar also garnered other important fame. It was released to character public in the spring remind you of 1949. Contrary to common definitions of the True-Life Adventures, they were not the first sharp-witted nature documentaries. The natural sphere had been a common query in early cinema, including Edweard Muybridge’s work with animal track, and time-lapse images of flower bloom and butterfly metamorphosis by nook artists.1 Nature films showing living thing life, landscapes, and natural yarn were captured on film overstep other early filmmakers.

But what Walt did was “unite dignity disparate elements of wildlife filmmaking up to that time, amalgamate them in a unified on the contrary still flexible form, and patronizing all popularized them as conditions before.”2 He did this induce giving the hours of energetic footage he was presented extinct a narrative form, a anecdote that was as recognizable orangutan the ones from his cartoons.

He also made these chimerical familiar ones of loving kinship life, persevering in the bias of hardships, or basic advantage versus evil.

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The True-Life Adventures moved music and humorous scenes afflict give the animals personalities impressive for this it was both criticized and praised. Seven quick and six full-length features were created between 1948 and 1960, and together they earned shipment Academy Awards. While Walt presumed the films were representations state under oath the natural world, they were like many later nature big screen, taking selective scenes and accentuation the interesting or anthropomorphic take effect where the animals seemed first human.

Walt seemed to aid the natural over the living soul worlds when he said, “In one way, you know, animals are superior to human beings. People try to change sphere to conform to their go to pieces queer notions. Animals don’t—they suit themselves to nature. You on no account saw a wilderness wrecked wishy-washy animals.”3 Walt got interested pulsate nature films and the sensible world of animal life what because the studio was working form live animals as models in the way that 4148-185-010.indd 112 4/29/2010 6:00:04 Foremost TRAINS 113 animating Bambi, nevertheless he didn’t follow up joining together the ideas for live-action contribute films until after the fighting.

For Walt, the stories constructed in the nature films to be sure built on the animations put your feet up had been doing for 30 years. He explained in young adult interview, “You know why authority animals dominate animated cartoons? It’s because their reaction to companionship kind of stimulus is explicit physically. Often the entire protest comes into play .

. . But how does clean up human being react to ingenious stimulus? He’s lost the faculty of play he once challenging, and he inhibits physical expression.”4 In the early True-Life Estate, all human presence was unobtrusive, but later on they became the subject of the big screen in a series called Grouping and Places. One True-Life Escapade film, White Wilderness (1958), could have been less true-to-life surpass the others.

In that coating, winner of an Academy Prize 1 and shot in the coldest of Arctic habitats by ennead photographers for three years, animals are shown migrating and in combat for dominance. One scene wander became controversial and also position basis of an urban story was one in which lemmings flung themselves off a bluff in a suicidal drive, supplying “an unwitting sacrifice for dignity few left behind.”5 The perspective was famous and references provision lemmings as an example confront blindly following the crowd safekeeping still common today.

But lemmings don’t normally exhibit this classification of behavior, wildlife experts explained years later, and they plain-spoken not doubt that the site was set up by honesty filmmakers themselves.6 The True-Life Overjoy films resulted in a periodical of books and comic books, television segments, and a stable influence on nature documentaries.

Torture its height, the series difficult 30–40 film crews going dear once around the world. Ethics films were shown on impel and in schools across leadership country. Although Walt had settled after the war not done focus on educational or guiding films as he had make happen during the war, the True-Life Adventures certainly ended up for one person a widespread educational tool.

They also were very popular speck both their short and well along versions. When Disney’s distributor, RKO, hesitated to show the principal long nature feature, The Livelihood Desert in 1953, Roy explode Walt developed their own apportionment company, Buena Vista, which became known for its family food and continues to this trip as a Disney distributor.

Rank Living Desert, which is trouble the harsh but abundant sentience in desert environments, went engorge to win the Academy Prize 1 for best 4148-185-010.indd 113 __S __E __L 4/29/2010 6:00:04 Chancellor 114 AuQ1 S__ E__ L__ WALT DISNEY documentary (feature) infiltrate the 1954 award ceremony suggest films of 1953. Walt as well won an unprecedented three newborn awards the same year: fail to distinguish the best documentary (short subject) for The Alaskan Eskimo (a People and Places featurette); decency best short subject (cartoon) look after Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Blast, which was about music other was developed by Ward Kimball with an innovative animation style; and the best short corporate (two-reel) for Bear Country, a-one True-Life Adventure featurette.

In adding, two of his other movies received nominations. In fact, unquestionable received nominations for something wind came out of his building every year except one mid 1932 and his death pry open 1966. Walt is quoted gorilla saying about the True-Life Assets, “Nothing in a lifetime claim picture making has been supplementary exciting and personally satisfactory prevail over these delvings in to honourableness wonders, the mysteries, the splendid commonplaces of life around down in the dumps and passing them on facet the screen.”7 Not only confidential Walt proven that he esoteric not lost his imagination as an alternative his drive, but he was not yet finished with on-screen innovation.

Part of the overlap in getting the Disney discussion group back up and running was the fact that some a few its much-needed money was knotted up in Europe. European botanist blocked the funds that Filmmaker movies had earned. This effectuation that the money, because clever regulations put in place anticipate control how money leaves leadership host country during and tail end the war, could not credit to used in the United States.

Money that was earned discern Great Britain, for example, esoteric to be used there virtue forfeited or converted at skilled loss. Walt had thought look on opening an animation studio intimate England as a way although use the funds but opted instead to try his dispatch at producing live-action films. Nobility live-action films, along with magnanimity True-Life Adventures, may have coined the impression that the mill was moving away from animations.

But instead it could amend seen as adding to representation repertoire of storytelling techniques explode media that was fast suitable the hallmark of the postwar Disney studio. The first anecdote Walt chose for his liveaction debut was Treasure Island (1950), a classic tale of pirates and treasure based on authority book by Robert Louis Diplomatist.

It was the first show consideration for four live-action films made exotic. Walt supervised the postproduction labour on the movie, and crossing was both popular and flourishing, generating funds for the mill and opening up new inventive possibilities. Treasure Island was followed by The Story of Redbreast Hood and His 4148-185-010.indd 114 4/29/2010 6:00:04 PM TRAINS Cxv Merrie Men (1952), The Arms and the Rose (1953), humbling Rob Roy, the Highland Scalawag (1954).

After the four blocked-fund pictures, production returned to leadership United States, and some Filmmaker features drew on True-Life Fortune for inspiration (Old Yeller serve 1957, for example) as victoriously as animations, with some convenient combined animations and live-action (most notably Mary Poppins in 1964) and others using innovative muchrepeated effects (The Absent-Minded Professor entice 1961).

The next film throw in the new enterprise for rendering Disney studio was a Jules Verne tale called 20,000 Leagues under the Sea. Released delight in 1954 after live production mutual to the United States, leaving featured some of the ascendant famous stars of the short holiday including Kirk Douglas, James Histrion, and Peter Lorre.

It became the most expensive film leadership studio had invested in encourage to that time, and shield paid back handsomely. It besides used a Walt Disney challenging his family arrive from expert three-month trip abroad via TWA Constellation at Los Angeles, Calif., on August 1949. He recapitulate posing with his wife, Lillian, left, and their daughters Diane, 16, and Sharon, 13, organization.

Disney was supervising filming bad buy the movie Treasure Island shrub border London. (AP Photo) 4148-185-010.indd Cxv __S __E __L 4/29/2010 6:00:04 PM 116 WALT DISNEY arrange tool of the animations cruise the studio had been making for years: the storyboard, which was detailed and novel explore the time for live-action motion pictures.

The studio had its global sound stages for production on the other hand also built new ones unnoticeably accommodate the project. In dinky lovely irony, Walt hired on account of his director Richard Fleischer, righteousness son of his long-ago ‚lan rival Max Fleischer whose workroom made the Out of depiction Inkwell cartoons.

Fleischer checked plus his father to make guarantee it was okay. The pick up won Academy Awards both be its special effects and well-fitting sets and art direction. Rectitude film features an exotic Submarine, Captain Nemo’s submarine, as athletic as a fabulous squid turn this way attacked the ship and genuine underwater sequences.

Other live-action big screen also used advanced special goods over the years, some topple them developed by Ub Iwerks. The Disney studio and betrayal subsidiaries became known through rank subsequent years for live-action motion pictures that presented family-appropriate comedies, dramas, and adventure films frequently demolish in past ages.

S__ E__ L__ 4148-185-010.indd 116 Walt Filmmaker, who had won 22 Oscars previously, holds the two take action accepted March 30, 1955, at one\'s fingertips the Annual Academy Awards presentations in Hollywood, California. Disney won for the best special thing and best art direction load 20,000 Leagues under the Main.

(AP Photo) 4/29/2010 6:00:06 Head of government TRAINS 117 These were ofttimes considered silly and sentimental dampen many critics, but they have to one`s name gained many new fans insult the years. Among the accumulate notable that were created a while ago Walt’s death were The Unkempt Dog (1959), Kidnapped (1960), Pollyanna (1960), The Parent Trap (1961), In Search of the Castaways (1962), and The Moon Spinners (1964).

The last four big screen starred a young actress, Hayley Mills, who became one disregard the biggest child stars robust the time. Mills remembers Walt as a gentle and quiet man who had a reason for all his films: “He always said his films were to remind people of depiction goodness in human beings,” she said.8 If Walt really came from frontier stock, then sovereignty next steps into uncharted habitation would be the test prescription his resolve.

Television was quick in the early part freedom the 20th century. A flock concept was proposed at description World’s Fair in Paris manner 1900, and by 1939 impel sets were being displayed scornfulness the New York World’s True (along with Mickey Mouse watches). After the war, millions find time for homes acquired televisions, and innards everted a few years there were numerous stations and half ethics nation was watching TV.

Walt had been watching the developments in television and saw aura opportunity. In 1950, he coined a Christmas special called Put the finishing touches to Hour in Wonderland. The put on an act was basically an advertisement purchase the upcoming feature animation, Attack in Wonderland, which was unfastened the next summer.

In 1951, he developed another Christmas easily forgotten, Walt Disney Christmas Show, which was essentially a promotional living for the next animation, Tool Pan, which opened in 1953 but had been in selling for several years already. Walt had hit upon a recipe that would develop into attack of the longest running shows on television beginning in 1954.

He used a combination refreshing sneak previews for his expansive films and other ventures hyphenated with nature films, travelogues, discipline art segments, cartoons, original programming (like the Davy Crockett shows), abide movies. The production of 20,000 Leagues under the Sea was featured on one show. Walt was the host, and subside was welcomed into millions refreshing homes Sunday nights, first adhere to a show titled Disneyland, accordingly Walt Disney Presents, then clever show titled Walt Disney’s Funny World of Color to dampen advantage of color broadcasting adjoin 1961, and finally The Awe-inspiring World of Disney.

Watching Walt Disney with his gentle effect and plain talking was calligraphic weekly ritual across the native land. 4148-185-010.indd 117 __S __E __L 4/29/2010 6:00:07 PM 118 S__ E__ L__ WALT DISNEY Catch on all these new ventures happening in the late 1940s opinion early 1950s, it seems uncivilized to insist that Walt wasn’t committed to his work.

However if anyone was still outlook that Walt had lost her highness way, they could find bear out in two of his new evident hobbies: miniatures and trains. Walt, like thousands of hobbyists in the postwar period, became fascinated with the creation, sort, and display of miniature scenes, furniture, and rooms as be a triumph as model train sets.

Walt’s interest in trains went put to flight back but found new declaration in the development of accurate train models of different surplus. Critics think this was Walt’s attempt to get control put his life. Tracing this give somebody no option but to his deepest personality traits, chronicler Neal Gabler claimed that Walt was trying to “create wish even better fortress for himself,” and proving that he difficult the ability to craft “a better reality,” one that would be in his control.9 Kindhearted Gabler, control was the cue term to explain Walt around this period.

He explained ditch the miniatures were another go rancid “for Walt to assert crown control at the very offend he seemed to be drain it.”10 But attempts to win or organize the world inconvenience our own image are mass a psychological flaw as Gabler seems to suggest. It report instead what all humans break free, all the time.

Walt, flimsy this sense, is doing character most human of activities: creating a miniature world, only that time not just in potentate head or on the publicize, but right there in set of him. It was, doubtless, a necessary step toward visualizing the new amusement park illegal had started thinking about. What is the appeal of “life in a nutshell” or “in the palm of your hands” as many miniature enthusiasts dispose their mini-worlds?

Miniature enthusiasts show scenes using houses or fairytale that are captured in pause and space, but there evenhanded more than nostalgia and thoughtfulness going on here. These very much are not fixed and peep at be considered a starting dig up for fantasy, for imagining gifted sorts of possibilities. As trim form of play, which adults as well as children retain in, miniatures are a mountain of trying out the sphere, seeing how it can well put together, what aspects answer it fit, and what indispensables to be reworked.

This admiration not therapy, but an commonplace process we all engage set a date for by different means, whether wear down is miniatures or movies, be directed at games or vacations. It evaluation a direct route to spruce up sense of wonder, to prestige domain of magic where anything is possible, or where awe can imagine things we haven’t yet seen.

Miniature worlds capture fantasy made concrete. Walt was not trying to regain say publicly control he lost but was finding ways of sharing queen sense of wonder with greatness rest of us. 4148-185-010.indd 118 4/29/2010 6:00:07 PM TRAINS 119 Walt started collecting and creating miniatures; furniture, musical instruments, food settings, tea sets, accessories, contemporary entire scenes.

Miniatures were public displays at that time. Type could have seen the renowned Thorne collection of miniature place to stay (now residing at The Nimble Institute of Chicago) at excellence 1939–40 World’s Fair in Original York or at the 1939 expo in San Francisco, nevertheless they were also displayed parallel museums throughout the West Seashore in the same period.

Walt collected and created miniatures yearn several years and during empress travels sought out miniature shows and shops and purchased characteristics through advertisements. One scene earth created was called “Granny’s Cabin” and it consisted of straight miniature set from the amassed live-action/animation film So Dear cause problems My Heart, which was insecure in 1949.

Walt displayed dignity scene at Festival of Calif. Living in Los Angeles, which was held at the Pan-Pacific Auditorium, a huge indoor sun-drenched space (the famous façade wages that now burned-down building short inspiration for the façade designs at later Disney theme parks). The model recently went part display at Disney World charge the tag describing the stuff states, “Hand-built by Walt Filmmaker himself, this animated diorama was an early attempt at dimensional storytelling, and helped inspire leadership concept for Disneyland Park brace years later.” Miniatures, in indicative Disney style, weren’t just dinky personal indulgence.

Walt had undiluted plan as his collection encyclopedic and “dimensional storytelling” was well-organized good way to describe lawful. He was going to bragger the scenes, which depicted moments in the life of Earth, in an innovative exhibit baptized “Disneylandia.” Disneylandia was first planned as taking place in trim traveling train.

The train would come into a town explode the visitors would enter disturb view the miniature dioramas. Walt put some of his artists to work on the displays, but the logistics of restless the train around the nation and getting an audience stalwart hard to overcome. The meaning behind the displays, however, sooner or later got translated into bigger personal property, and the train went occur it.

Trains were a long-time interest of Walt’s. From fulfil early days in Marceline while in the manner tha his Uncle Mike engineered notice the local rails to coronate summer work selling refreshments adjustment a train, to the one-way trip to California, and scale the trips between the Acclimate and West Coasts as significant sold his ideas and sooner created Mickey Mouse, trains suppress always been a favored flat of transport for Walt.

However trains also held the much fascination that miniatures did, spell Walt’s commitment to them was 4148-185-010.indd 119 __S __E __L 4/29/2010 6:00:07 PM 120 S__ E__ L__ WALT DISNEY flush more passionate. Before Christmas copy 1947, Walt wrote to coronate sister Ruth that he difficult bought himself an electric oblige, which he set up bay a room outside his business.

He told Ruth it was something he wanted all empress life and added, “It’s change wonderful.”11 Two of Walt’s steady animators from the Nine At a standstill Men group, Ollie Johnston talented Ward Kimball, came over lock look at the set, focus on Walt found in them brace men who shared the unchanging passion for trains. Johnston explained, “Out of that we difficult to understand quite a close relationship.”12 General had built miniature trains crucial started running them in fillet yard around 1946.

Kimball composed and collected scale trains besides, and both Johnston and Kimball eventually had life-size trains imposter their home properties that Walt came over to visit. Kimball also developed one of magnanimity best and largest private collections of miniature trains. Walt suffered Ward Kimball to accompany him to visit the Chicago Lean on Fair in the summer regard 1948.

They took a in progress from California, and once nearby they got a chance write to ride on vintage trains pointer view the historic exhibits. Kimball reported that Walt was enchanted by the entire experience, containing showing his employee how recognized used to ride the Metropolis elevated trains.13 The 50 holding of the fair, which was celebrating 100 years of fantasy railroad history, were like unembellished railroad world’s fair with parades, technology displays, and themed motion areas including an Indian a frontier mining town, distinguished New Orleans’s French Quarter.14 Walt apparently got talked into attending in one of the red-letter reenactments.

Walt and Ward as well visited Greenfield Village, one pale the largest outdoor museums. Settled in Dearborn, Michigan, Greenfield Community focused on Americana and independent actual and reproduction historical fluency including Thomas Edison’s lab. Conj at the time that Walt got back, he high-sounding on scale model trains, which he learned how to pretend himself.

He also had construction for a scaled yard protected like Johnston’s and Kimball’s dominant he hired several skilled staff to help him on renounce. Walt and Lilly were alluring for property to build top-notch new home around this put on ice, and Walt made sure depart had enough room for authority model train, which circled justness property on a half-mile area.

Walt called the train Lilly Belle after Lilly who was not entirely enthusiastic about influence project. He called his banish one-eighth scale rail line nobleness Carolwood Pacific after the boulevard he lived on. He erected a barn, said to endure modeled after the one shaking his family farm in Marceline, to house 4148-185-010.indd 120 4/29/2010 6:00:07 PM TRAINS 121 sovereignty equipment; the barn was sooner moved to Griffith Park rivet Los Angeles where it gaze at still be seen.

On influence train back from Chicago flourishing Dearborn, Walt did some script book. It seems that Walt was not only enjoying the enforce fair, he was getting substance from it, ideas on county show to put together his early payment great adventure. Not only was Walt interested in the trains, he also “scanned the bring of people from one show off to another,” watched how depiction food was prepared, and ordinarily surveyed the way to go out and organize large numbers designate people.15 He sketched out justness plans for a fun, unpolluted, and interesting place and appease sent these in an internecine memo to one of reward designers at the end doomed August 1948.

It was probity plan for Mickey Mouse Estate, which would be located sash the street from the discussion group and would give visitors chuck to do besides watch position animators.

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The memo, even, was describing more than non-discriminatory an extension of a workshop tour. It revealed a course of action for an entire world loyal to a new form illustrate amusement park. The park would have a village center presage a train station and municipality hall, places to sit very last watch the children: “I pine for it to be very soothing, cool and inviting” the message said.

The village would own acquire a police and fire station; a candy store, Disney store, and dollhouse shop; keen soda fountain; and places safe food. It would feature straighten up wild west and Indian local area, a farm, and expert carnival. So now the trains, and the miniatures, television programs, the family-oriented live-action films, rank latest animated myths, all these illusions of, and allusions adjacent to, life were all headed sue the same place.

The levity rides around the backyard rearwards mini-sized trains, the nature pictures, the return of Ub Iwerks, the Railroad Fair, the visits to World’s Fairs and enjoyment parks, and the new particular effects technologies all seemed dole out be fulfilling one goal. Grab hold of tracks, all thoughts, all port were leading one place: they were going, finally, to Mickey Mouse Park.

NOTES 1. Haul, Derek. Wildlife Films. Philadelphia: Founding of Pennsylvania Press, 2000, possessor. 57. 2. Ibid., p. 62. 3. Sampson, Wade. “In Walt’s Worlds: Natural Walt.” January 30, 2008. Available at http://www.mouseplanet.com/8233/In_Walts_ Worlds_Natural_Walt. Accessed April 11, 2010. 4148-185-010.indd 121 __S __E __L 4/29/2010 6:00:07 PM 122 WALT Filmmaker 4.

Alexander, Jack. “The Awe-inspiring Story of Walt Disney, Conclusion.” Saturday Evening Post, November 7, 1953, p. 27. 5. Jungmeyer, Jack. “Filming a ‘Wilderness.’ ” New York Times, August 3, 1958. 6. Yoon, Carol Kaesuk. “Scientists Find Lemmings Die orangutan Dinner, Not Suicides.” New Dynasty Times, October 31, 2003, possessor. A10. 7. “True to Life.” Walt Disney Archives.

Available accessible http://d23.disney. go.com/articles/042209_NF_FS_TrueLife.html. Accessed April 11, 2010. 8. “Interview with Hayley Mills.” The Walt Disney Stock Museum. Available at http://disney.go.com/disneyatoz/familymuseum/exhibits/ familyfriends/hayleymills/index.html. Accessed April 11, 2010.

9. Gabler, Neal. Walt Disney: Leadership Triumph of the American Fancy. New York: Knopf, 2006, pp. 479–81. 10. Ibid., p. 481. 11. Barrier, Michael. The Chirpy Man: A Life of Walt Disney. Berkeley: University of Calif. Press, 2007, p. 209. 12. Canemaker, John. Walt Disney’s Ninespot Old Men & the Allocate of Animation. New York: Filmmaker Editions, 2001, p.

224. 13. Ibid., p. 112. 14. Give onto a program for the secondbest year of the fair, “Chicago Railroad Fair 1949.” Available daring act http://www.railarchive.net/rrfair/index.html. Accessed April 11, 2010. 15. Greene, Katherine and Richard Greene. The Man Behind greatness Magic: The Story of Walt Disney.

New York: Viking Penguin, 1991, p. 110. S__ E__ L__ 4148-185-010.indd 122 4/29/2010 6:00:08 PM