Walt Disney - Overcoming
Adversity
Walt Disney may have been a controversial figure, particularly retrospectively,
but the story of how he overcame adversity and multiple setbacks to become
one of the most famous names in entertainment is a testament to his immense
passion.
A Self-Taught Artist
While in France he earned money drawing cartoons and caricatures for the men he served
with, and drew and submitted cartoons to humour magazines, though all were rejected.
Upon returning to the United States he landed a job as an apprentice at a commercial art
studio, based on the samples he’d drawn in France, but the job lasted less than a month
before he was laid off. Undeterred, he began working on samples and went into business for
himself, founding a company called Iwerks-Disney with Ub Iwerks, a colleague who had also
been laid off. Shortly after, he left for a job as an animator for Kansas City Film Ad Company,
which produced short advertisements for movie theatres.
Animation intrigued Disney, so he set out to learn more. “I gained my first information on
animation from a book, which I procured from the Kansas City Public Library,” he said.
Gradually, Disney made improvements at the company based on what he had learned. he
continued working at night, producing one Laugh-O-gram a week while working his day job.
Eventually he saved enough to buy a camera and rent a studio. His shop grew, and he
produced several longer films but was unable to keep the company afloat. Laugh-O-gram
Films went bankrupt in 1923 and at 21, Disney left for Southern California with $40 in his
pocket.
Bankrupt aged 22 following the failure of his second company, Walt Disney’s
career suffered numerous setbacks. Yet by the time of his death he had won 21
Oscars and owned a stake in the multimillion dollar company bearing his name.
Disney had formed a legacy as one of the most inspirational cartoonists and
animators – and as a great storyteller. The biggest driving factor was the innate
passion he held for both his drawings and for entertaining people.
“I have never been interested in personal gain or profit. This business and this
studio have been my entire life.”
Passion, the compelling desire or enthusiasm to entertain, was Disney’s driving
force. Disney loved to draw, selling sketches to neighbours from the age of seven
then, at high school, drawing comics for the school paper. Aged 16 he dropped out
of school and, after being rejected from the army for being underage, he
volunteered as an ambulance driver for the red cross in France. Though far from
being his dream job as a cartoonist, he paid heed to his passion,
covering his ambulance in drawings.
Disney’s big break came with his third venture, Walt Disney Studios,
where he produced successes such as ‘The Alice Comedies.’ However,
in 1928 he discovered that he did not own the rights to his most
successful character creation – Oswald the Lucky Rabbit –- and to add
insult to injury, most of his staff had been poached. On the train ride
back to Hollywood, preparing to give the bad news to his brother and
business partner, he sat and doodled. On that train he drew the sketch
that ultimately became Disney’s most famous character – Mickey
Mouse. Disney released his first animation to feature sound, Steamboat
Willie. The star was Mickey Mouse and both the cartoon and the
character were instant hits.
Disney’s passion for entertainment was not limited to his own desire to be
an entertainer. Disney loved entertainment and wanted to nurture future
artists. In 1960, Walt Disney developed a plan for a school for performing
and visual arts – a platform for budding artists, musicians and actors to
learn under one roof and inspire one another. Along with his brother, he
guided the merger of two arts schools which were suffering financial
difficulties, the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music and the Chouinard Art
Institute, to form The Californian Institute of the Arts. Sadly, Walt died
before his vision was realized, but he ensured that it was provided for
within his will, with 25% of his estate given to developing the institute.
Today, Cal Art (as it is commonly referred to) continues to act on Disney’s
idea. Academic results are not considered when reviewing applicants for
the college, entry is based solely on artistic merit and potential.
Disney faced a lot of adversity in his career. His first venture, Iwerks-Disney
Commercial Artists, lasted one month. His second, Laugh-O-Grams, went
bankrupt a year after incorporation. The work he produced was criticized,
with Walt famously being fired from a newspaper job for lacking creativity.
Financial triumphs such as Snow White were followed by epic flops such as
Fantasia. But in spite of this, Disney persevered, creating a lasting legacy in
the entertainment industry