The Uphill Route of an Ambulance Driver
by Brian Dexter M. Medija

Just as he drove the ambulance during the First World War to transport lives into the realm of hope and survival, Walter Elias Disney drove animation to transport lives into a dimension of color and fantasy. Arguably the name above all names in cartoon animation, he has elevated the techniques and standards of his craft, constantly breaking new grounds and in doing so winning himself a multitude of honors, awards, recognition and fame the world over. He has risen as a major pillar in the halls of cartoon animation and filmmaking.

Born in Chicago on December 5, 1901, Walt Disney grew up in Marceline and Kansas City, Missouri. Equipped with his inborn talent and passion for drawing, he crawled into the Fine Arts academy in Chicago, emerging as a professional artist ready to conquer the industry. At the onset of the First World War, Disney was employed in the military, but since he was too young for the army or navy, he was instead tasked to drive a Red Cross Ambulance. And for good.

After his military service, he went back to Kansas City in 1918, setting his foot in and advertising firm as a commercial artist and cartoonist. Contemplating his moviemaking potentials, he went ot Hollywood in 1923. There he witnessed his early struggles and gradual rise to stardom.

Disney's path to eminence was not immediate, nor was it without humps and potholes. In Hollywood, he experimented with animated cartoons, and from 1923 to 26 produced a series of film combining live and animated action called Alice in Cartoonland. He elevated the cartoon technique, taking on the effort of photographing thousands of drawings, each altered slightly, with the resulting films giving the illusion of movement. Disney's pioneering efforts, however, were not rewarded as Alice in Cartoonland and the subsequent Oswald the Rabbit did poorly at the tills.

Unfazed by his lack of success and consequent lack of financial backing, Walt Disney persevered, trying a new character named 'Mickey (originally 'Mortimer') Mouse. The character's first two films attracted meager attention, but the third, Steamboat Willie, the first to employ a sound track, was an immediate and smashing success. Financial backing came rushing, enabling Disney to produce more Mickey Mouse shorts and gaining a worldwide audience. Delighted with his newfound success, he embarked on a new series called Silly Symphonies and introduced such new characters as Donald Duck and Pluto.

Children's stories and fairy tales had always inspired Disney that in 1938 he released Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first feature-length cartoon movie, which quickly became a classic. A succession of fairy-tale movies soon followed, including Fantasia and Pinocchio (1940), Dumbo (1941), Bambi (1942), Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951), Peter Pan (1953), and Sleeping Beauty (1959)-all of which have remained favorites through periodic revivals. Add to this many documentaries (e.g., The Living Desert, 1953) which won him the title of "Officier d'Academie," France's highest decoration for artists.

His rise after more than a dozen movies was rapid and soon Disney Studios began branching out to different areas of entertainment such as Television (e.g., Disneyland and Mickey Mouse Club). Along with this rise came financial growth. With Disney's rapidly increasing financial strength and guaranteed popularity, Disney embarked on theme park development such as Disneyland (1955) and Disney World (1971-Disney Studios). All these developments have gained enormous popularity that even Soviet Permier Nikita Krushchev was bitterly disappointed when security considerations prevented him from visiting it in 1959.

Disney, as a result of his genius in cartoon animation and movie productions, was recipient of hundreds of honors and awards from around the world: he received a record 29 Academy Awards. He died in Los Angeles on December 15, 1966.

Long after his death, Disney's legacy lives on. His employment of the fullest technology and groundbreaking efforts had earned him much of his success-and to this day Disney movies never fail to stun the audience with their prowess at technology and technique.

It is no doubt Disney has made a mark in the lives of people the world over. From their childhood, they have grown with Mickey and Donald, and learned the morals behind their stories, that, for instance, Donald Duck's chronic nagging brings no good. It is a mark second only to the parents'. He has become and Icon for World Entertainment. ¤

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