The Man that Everyone Thinks They Know, Walter Elias Disney

It actually did, I just hoped that some people would recognize a similarity with my first and now this, my last post. When Trang assigned the option of either a blog or a research paper, I noticed just about the entire class deciding on the blog, so naturally I tried to take the road less traveled. With my “high and mighty” attitude set, I went forth into the depths of mind to decide what philosophical and sophisticated topic I could choose that would demonstrate my writing supperiority and the talent that is buried inside of me. I never found it. Two weeks after the assignement was given I came to my knees infront of Trang and polited surrendered to the demorifying blog project.

Starting two weeks late I understood that I needed to catch up by hitting the ground running, and that’s exactly what I did. Within three days I had my first four posts up, with embed quotes, pictures, and articles. Realizing my natural inclination to sitting in front of a computer screen and just typing what was on my mind really seemed…right. And after I had chosen to research about the life and times of Walt Disney, my heart was set on victory.

Well here I am typing my reflection post only two weeks later, after starting two weeks late, and I am 100 percent satisfied with my decision to “lessen” myself. Had it not been for the fact that I realized that the research paper was a… RESEARCH PAPER, I do not know what I would be doing. (Actually I do, I would be staying up until 3 a.m. as I hastidely attempted to type an unprepared paper that was insufficietly studied. With the blog I learned that Disney never drew the first Mickey Mouse, or the first cartoon featuring the rodent, and I was able to clarify that the great man was not anti0semitic, or frozen.

Above all, this project taught me how to be real with myself. It is when I realized that I could not climb the mountain that I had my sights set on that I began to climb down and finally eat my piece of humble pie. You see, I had wanted to not follow the crowd and do what everyone typically did, and usually this action works for me, but this time choosing to walk the beaten path created success. This taught me that when given the choice to follow the crowd or blaze my own trail, that I should take a step back and look for the obstacles that I would have to overtake in order to be just as, and even more successful, as the others.

So tonight I end with this:

When faced with the task of deciding between the road taken and a new trail, always calculate the path, because in the end everyone ends up in the same place.

When you hear the name Walt Disney what comes to mind? Mickey Mouse? Disney World? Or even happiness, hope, and joy? Well for at least for me it does. Or should I say did? We all know the Family Guy episode where we see one of the anecdotes with Walt Disney being thawed and immediately asks, “are all of the Jews gone?” (click here to watch the clip.) and when the doctor says no Disney replies, “Put me back in.” Though very humorous, it points out the two points that I will cover in this post so hold on to the edge of your seat, cause here we go!

Walt Disney… Frozen?

O the age old Disney myth that “the famous man not only had himself cryogenically frozen, but secured his frosty body beneath Pirates of the Caribbean (in Disneyland).” Let’s first establish the facts.

1. Walt Disney died of cancer in the left lung on December 15, 1966
2. Walt Disney was cremated two days afterwords at Forest Lawn Cemetery.
3. Walt’s death certificate states the cause of death and the day, even though it was not made public.

So in other words, “Walt was fried, not frozen.”

Walt Disney… Anti Semitic?

Now for the second part of the Family Guy segment where the cartoon suggests that Disney is ant-Semitic. For a topic as serious as this, there needs to be some understanding on what exactly anti-semtism actually is. Dictionary.com states that this act is “discrimination against or prejudice or hostility toward Jews.” So tgen we must dig into Walt’s life to search any discimination, prejudice, or hostility towards Jews.

Discrimination or Prejudice

The easiest to see if Walt Disney demonstarted any acts of discrimination or prejudice is by checking the workplace of the Disney Offices.  In fact,

Disney hired Jews, lots of Jews. Disney was not himself Jewish, of course, but the success of his business owed a great deal to a Jew. The bedrock of Disney was Walt’s merchandising partner, the Jewish Kay Kamen, the man who helped make Mickey Mouse into a cult and who once remarked that Disney had more Jews in it than the Book of Leviticus. This was not an accident, occurring against Walt’s wishes. When Harry Tytle joined the studio as a production manager and told Walt that he was half-Jewish, Disney replied: “It would be better if you were all Jewish.”

So then Walt Disney could not have been anti-semitic based off of the workplace, because if he was then he wouldn’t have hired all of the Jews, and more importantly be so open and optomistic about it.

Then it must be hostility…

Wrong again world. Had there actually been any hostility towards the Jews, or in fact any specefic race, the man would have been destroyed from the inside and today we wouldnot even be thinking about going to Disney World or seeing the new animated film. This is all due to the Red Scare that was going during the post WWII era that had all of the United States citizens questioning their friends and family about their loyalty. An act like anti-semitism would point the finger at Disney, labeling him a facist, and the public media would have eaten the man alive.

In the end it is all about what you read and what you choose to listen too. Inall cases there are the radicals that are so set on their beliefs that they are blind to the facts, and it is the FACTS that should effect the public opinion. And NOT some satirical cartoon on adult television. So the only truth in this matter is that public opinion is not always right, and if guided and manipulated enough, it can be swayed. Hitler did it with his take over, we did it with Jim Crow, and American media planted the seed that this great man was anit-semitic.

Sad isn’t it?

Disney is drawing Mickey here...

...and so is Iwerks here!

Mickey Mouse. Two words that would forever change the path of success for the Disney Company. Except there is some serious discretion on the creation story of this animated titan. On one side, the mass majority of people that know of the cute rodent believe that Walt Disney “came up with Mickey Mouse on the train ride back from New York after losing Oswald, [one of the first characters that Walt imagined]“. And on the other side lies the truth. Well based off of the interview of Roy E. Disney, the nephew of Walt, revelation arose as I dug deeper. And this view point came from a man by the name of Ubbe Iwerks, or in other words, The Hand that Drew the Mouse. As famous story goes, after the mouse was brought to life, “[Disney] took it home to his wife Lilian and said “Let’s call him Mortimer” and she said, “No, “Mickey!” — that’s a cuter name.”" Now between the time that Mickey was originally drawn and when he was named, the conflict surfaces. From an interview of Leslie Iwerks, the daughter of Ubbe Irwerks, she states that “In an interview from 1956 Ub said that Walt came back from New York all dejected, but realizing that he needed to come up with another character fast. They began looking through magazines, searching for ideas. Ub sketched out four different characters, one of which was this little mouse. Walt loved it and thought “that’s a cute character.”‘ It is then clear that both icons that established the Disney legacy      have differing views of who actually drew the mouse.

Personally, I have been brought up to believe the Disney and the train story. In fact, The choir that I sing in happened to visit Disney World ( which is how this whole inspiration for this blog arose) and at the park, the employees, or “Cast Members,” asked the vacationers assorted Disney Trivia. And guess what questioned was asked? Yep, that’s right. “Where did Walt Disney draw Mickey Mouse?” Quickly I raised my voice and shouted the alleged answer that Mickey, or Mortimer at first, was drawn on a train  departing from New York. Today I sit on my couch baffled that my answer was deemed “correct.” Actually I am pretty sure that if I return to Disney World and am asked about the origin of the Mouse, and I reply that Ubbe Iwerks did, that the employee would try to correct me. I have come to this conclusion because of the casual research I took when I asked the young gymnasts that I coach throughout the week about their knowledge about Disney. Out of the 47 girls and the 8 boys that I questioned, ever single one of them did not know who Ubbe Iwerks is or answer that this man actually drew Mickey Mouse. This therefore proves that we are brought up under the influence that the man Ubbe Iwerks and his contributions to Disney do not exist.

Maybe it is because that people naturally assume that Walt Disney drew the most recognized animated character in the country, or that people believe the Disney side of the story, but for me, I choose to follow the facts:

Both interviews state that Disney was discouraged because he had just lost his animated character, Oswald, because of Disney’s discontinuation with the New York animation industry. Also Roy DIsney’s interview and Leslie Iwerk’s research state that Disney actually did refer to his wife for the change in name from Mortimer to Mickey. The rest is up to you to decide. Do you:

Believe what you have been brought up to think that Walt Disney drew the mouse on his way home from New York

or

Believe the new information that a man named Ubbe Iwerks drew up multiple characters for a saddened Disney and after some thought Disney decided on the mouse that Iwerks drew.

It is up to you, my friends, to decide and continue with my new poll to determine who the public will believe. Roy Disney, the nephew of Walter Disney, or Lesslie Iwerks, the granddaughter of Ubbe Iwerks.

The Banned Donald Duck Nazi Cartoon

Before continuing on, please watch the above video. Finished? What happened to your ideas of the pure hearted Disney studios? Where they swept away as Donald Duck cried “Hailed Hitler?” Or the extremely racist figure of Japan’s Emperor, Hirohito? All of these and other sublime messages filled the movie screens across America as the United States Military contracted Walt Disney Studios to create propaganda for the war effort in Europe and the Pacific. But Disney was active in more than just filmmaking; the company’s artists “designed insignia for American troop units” and “many soldiers decorated their tanks and fighters themselves with Mickeys, Donalds, and Plutos. These were symbols of the American way of life, of freedom and democracy, of everything that was at stake.” After all by this time, Walt Disney had released Bambi,  Pinocchio, Fantasia, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; so the company had cemented itself into the American Household as a family ideal of joy and imagination. So watching Donald Duck hail the dictator over and over again would really cause a scare in the household’s of the 1940s. Imagine if the same power was given to a largely predominant company now such as Facebook. What would happen if every time you opened your News Feed there was Propaganda throughout that included pictures from the war that would guilt you into serving or helping out. Or perhaps every time you went to get away from the world and go see a movie, you were greeted with those gut-wrenching ASPCA-like previews, urging the audience members to enlist or support the war effort. It is thanks to these actions that led to an overall majority of support for WWII in America during the time and it is with these questions that I will leave you with. Do you believe that if mass media was influenced, not controlled, by governmental propaganda for the war in Afghanistan, would there be a greater support for it? What about the length of this war? Would it be longer or shorter? And finally do you believe that the war in the European and Pacific theaters during WWII would have been so widely accepted had mass media not been filled with propaganda? And would have the American citizens of the time supported the war if they had the modes of communication that we have today, such as satellites, constant news, and live updates; with color and high definition television?

Donald-"Stupid Nazis..." Soldier-"What was that?!?" Donald- "I mean Hail Hilter!" Soldier-"...Good! Back to Work!

When Walter Elias Disney dreamed of a place where kids could be kids and their parents could be too, he must have realized that his idea would last more than lifetime. Today there are four “Disneylands,” including the one in Anaheim, California, which is the original; Orlando, Florida, as Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World; Tokyo, Japan, titled as Tokyo Disneyland; and most recently, Disneyland Paris, in Paris, France. As a child from the beginning of the 20th century, I am not too sure that Walt Disney had even thought of building Disneyland in Japan, as he lived through WWII and created propaganda for the U.S. military, but on April 15th, 1983, Tokyo Disneyland opened its gates.” It was the first Disney theme park to open outside of the U.S.” From opening day this “Magic Kingdom” in Tokyo included most of the rides that any Orlando or Anaheim visit would give an attendee, such as “Space Mountain”,” The Swiss Robinson Family Tree house”, “Tom Sawyers Steam Boat”, and many more. Because this park is the first theme park separated by an ocean, rides such as “The Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour” and “The Beaver Brother’s Explorer Canoes” separate this Disneyland from the others. This year the park will celebrate its 28th Anniversary and its 56th anniversary with the Disneyland blueprint.Now that the history of Tokyo Disney land has been established, the effect of the Japanese Tsunami will discussed.

Based on light research, it is apparent that:

Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea will remain closed for the time being, the Walt Disney Co. announced yesterday, as a result of the disaster that struck Japan on March

11.While the Disney Co. will start back some operations in Japan, which it did not give details about, the theme parks, owned by partner Oriental Land Co., will not reopen yet,

reports the Associated Press. No date was given for when they might…The 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan over a week ago appears not to have done any

major damage to the to buildings and facilities, but no stable electricity and transportation issues to and from the parks are still a problem, Oriental Land said after an

inspection. The parking lot did suffer some damage, which was being repaired.

So based off of this recent article it is obvious that there is no threat of radiation for the theme park, in fact this park is in less danger than the Motherland because of air currents. And because of these air currents a chilling fact that will crawl up your spine and make you tense is in this map:

Mind Boggling isn’t it? Continuing on, with only a few shakes and rumbles on the theme park itself, there has also been some in the pockets of the investors. “The Wall Street Journal” stated that Walt Disney stocks were “[down] 2.8%.” and “The company’s Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea theme parks on the outskirts of Tokyo are expected to be closed for about 10 days following the earthquake [in Japan].” All of this because of an earthquake and not the RADIATION from the NUCLEAR reactors. Nature is just so odd at times and with that said here are some conversational topics for you:

• The Impact of Future Vacationers to the Area
• Whether or not the Japanese Nuclear Plant will be operating and exporting a stable amount of energy for the park to re-open soon
• and if the employees will be able to be safe from contamination from Nuclear exposure.

From Google Images

Born in 1901 on December 5th, in Chicago, Illinois; Walter Elias Disney joined his four other brothers and soon to be sister with his parents Elias Disney, an Irish-Canadian, and Flora Call Disney, a German-American. Beginning as a young child, Walter Disney sold his first piece of art to his neighbors at the age of Seven. As history progressed, so did world-wide events, and after America entered World War one in 1917, so did Walter enlist for the Army. The problem was was that he was only 16 at the time so he was not allowed to join, but that did not stop the boy. In fact, he decided to join the Red Cross, and during the war he drove around Medical Officials and Red Cross Member throughout Europe in an Ambulance that stood out from all others. Do you know why? Because it was covered from bumbper to bumper in his artwork. After the war, Disney returned back to America to find a new job in advertising in Kansas City for local comapnies where, during this time, he prefected the art of combining live acting with his cartoons that he drew. And like his future productions like Mary Poppins and Snow White, Disney set the stage for success. Fast forward a couple years and its 1923. The year that after leaving Kansas with his brother Roy, and the money in their pockets, the two started their first job in their soon-to-be series “Alice Comedy” featurettes. By now Walt had some employees under his belt and as time went on, he ended up marrying one his first employees, Lillian Bounds, in the summer of 1925. And the story that no one forgets as Walt’s biography is given. Mickey Mouse was created in 1928 where his antics where used in his first short… And its not Steam Boat Willie, but the silent cartoon “Plane Crazy.” The reason why this cartoon is not known as the first is because it was never relaeased, but fell under the tabke when the opportunity for syncronized sound for animation came along. Thus Steam Boat Willie arose and premiered at the Colony Theatre in New York on November 18th, 1928. The rest is history, as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves hit the screens during the Great Depression and raked in almost $1.5 million, and truly kick started the road to fame. AT the end of it all, “Walt Disney, along with members of his staff, received more than 950 honors and citations from every nation in the world, including 48 Academy Awards® and seven Emmys® in his lifetime.“ So people say that “it all started with a mouse” but if you plan to be accurate, then you must say that it all started with an imagination and an endurance of a Seven year old boy from Missouri.

The name Walt Disney is as distinguishable as McDonald’s. Beginning as a young teenager, the man joined together with his business oriented brother, Arthur, and the company was off on its feet. Now between The two Disneys working together from the beginning and the creation and splendor of Walt Disney World, I do not know much about this pivotal figure. Recently my choir organization journeyed to Disney World, and from the point that I stepped onto the plane for Orlando, my desire to learn more about Walt has ignited into a burning passion. I happen to already understand that Mickey Mouse was originally named Mortimer and that the name was changed due to Walt’s wife’s opinion of the said name. Along with a well known fact, I also am able to recall some “fun” facts. How many fingers do all of the Disney characters have? Four. How many bricks are in Cinderella’s castle? None, in fact it is made of steel, plaster, and cement. What was Disney’s first full-length animated film? Snow White. All of these facts have come from my previous 8th grade project in which we were required to do a full out biography of a hero. Naturally I decided on Waly himself, but today as I recollect my research and the poorly written paper, I now understand that I could have discovered so much more. This blog will scrutinize the efforts that Walt and his company had during World War II , the Korean War, and Vietnam. Questions including the true racism that Walt may or may not have dealt with and how it came to be will also be addressed. The famous quote that the Walt Disney Company so often uses is “It all started with a Mouse,” but my blog will go beyond that statement and dig down into the skeleton’s of Walt Disney’s closet, that way the true face of this icon will be comprehended.

I look forward to your comments

-italiansteelers