Making Dreams Come True Essay

As a child, did you ever wish upon a star? Did you ever dream of being a prince or princess in a magnificent castle? Or dream of being able to fly high above the tallest buildings? I know I did, I had many dreams. Many children dream of magical places they want to go, people they want to be, and things they want to feel. The Walt Disney Company has strived to make these dreams of children a reality. Whether it is getting to meet a princess, or getting a new pair of shoes, The Walt Disney Company wants to make every child feel special. The founders, Walt and Roy Disney, originally strived to create animations of fantasy worlds filled with scenes that would make anyone feel warmth. They continued their works by creating physical worlds of excitement; ones that children and their parents could enjoy together. Past and present, Disney also has helped out the community in numerous ways. Today The Walt Disney Company is still making dreams come true. On December 5, 1901, the creator and backbone of Disney, for many years, was born. Walter Elias Disney was most famous for his contribution to the entertainment world in the twentieth century. He went on to become very well known for his motion pictures. Walt Disney created many short films and full length animations; he also was the mind behind the world famous Disney theme parks. Throughout his career, he won 26 Oscars, 37 other awards, and 41 nominations. Walt still holds the record for the most awards ever (Walt). Although Walt Disney is most famously associated with Disney, he was not the only one in on the business. Roy Oliver Disney was Walter Disney’s older brother. Roy was born on June 24, 1893 in Chicago, Illinois. He co-founded Disney along with his brother and served as the chief executive officer of Disney for most of his life. He contributed to all the work that was done with Disney up until his death in 1971. Unlike Walt, Roy was alive to see the opening of Walt Disney World three months before he passed away (Roy). The Walt Disney Company started in a small Los Angeles office in 1923 by the Disney brothers. Their first real production was The Alice Comedies. The Alice Comedies grew popularity quick, and The Disney Company began to flourish. Five years later, the most famous Mickey Mouse was born; Goofy, Pluto, Donald Duck and other Disney characters soon followed. Then in 1937 Disney’s first animated movie was produced; Snow White and the Seven Dwarves was pure success worldwide. Over the next few years, Disney decided to expand his ever-growing company, so he moved to Burbank to build a new studio. There, during the 1940s and 1950s, he along with his team created some of the classic Disney animations including Bambi, Fantasia, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan (History). Mickey Mouse has a long history; he celebrated his 80th birthday in 2008. Oswald the lucky rabbit was the original character. He starred in a black and white short film cartoon, where he had long black ears, a round pudgy belly, big goofy feet, and a huge but thin smile. He wore high white shorts, with white shoes and white gloves. Walters’s idea of Oswald came after The Alice Comedies series, but was influenced by them. The design came from Alice’s husband Charles Mintz. Walt later decided he wanted to give Oswald a makeover, so he decided to turn him into a mouse. At first he named this mouse Mortimer, but the name did not last. To this day, no one really knows the reason the mouse’s name was changed, but the most popular story is that Walter’s wife did not really care for the name. I am sure Disney was happy that he changed the name, seeing what success would come from the new revised character. After much debate, the character was created and named Mickey Mouse (Suddath). Mickey’s first couple appearances were not a success. All doubts were put to rest when Steamboat Willie hit the big screen, starring Mickey Mouse. The film was the first animation with synchronized sound effects and music. Mickey Mouse’s career had begun, and it was just the beginning. A little over ten years later, animator Fred Moore had an idea to make over Mickey once again; this was another brilliant idea in my eyes. Mickey was originally designed out of circles, therefore limiting his movements. The new Mickey was hoped to move more freely across the screen. Moore also proposed the idea of making a cuter Mickey. As a result, he gave him a pear-shaped body, eyes with pupils and a cute shortened noise. The new Mickey first appeared in one of the earliest and well-known classics, Fantasia; and for the first time, he appeared in color. Mickey continued to appear in short films throughout the years (Suddath). Today Mickey is not as popular in animated films, but I would not hesitate to say he is still alive in the Disney atmosphere. Mickey and Minnie are still recognized worldwide today. After the initial years of getting the Disney Company started, a lot of progress happened very quickly. In 1937 Disney made history by making the first full length animated motion picture; it was titled Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. The famous film was written based on the tale Snow White by Brothers Grimm (Snow). To follow were many Disney classics that children still enjoy watching today. Some of my favorites include Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid and The Beauty and the Beast. Disney has created 96 animations and is still created them today. Of those 96 movies, 45 of them are considered classics (The Walt Disney Company). Many of these Disney characters are the focus of two main theme parks that Disney created for everyone to enjoy first hand. To many children and even adults, the Disney parks are magical places. Nothing says it better than their slogan, â€Å"Where all dreams come true. † This is exactly what Walt Disney wanted; he wanted to create a place of magic for both children and their parents. Disneyland is located in Anaheim, California and Disneyworld is located in Orlando, Florida; they are the two amusement parks in the United States. There are also four other parks around the world, along with a Disney cruise line (Walt Disney). Disneyland was the first of the two to be created; it was the only park that Walt Disney himself actually got to witness being built and finished. Construction of the park was started on July 17, 1954, and was opened exactly one year later. Disneyland was a hit from the beginning, opening day was said to be a disaster because it was so overcrowded. The original park cost a massive 17 million dollars to complete. In the 1990s The Disney Company decided to expand the park. It was transformed into a park along with a resort. Along with the Disney Resort, Disney’s California Adventure Park, Downtown Disney, and Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel were created. Inside of Disneyland, there are a handful of mini lands, or at least this is how I see them. I would describe these as brief, but nonetheless powerful and exciting places that are seen around the world or in Disney productions, all composed inside one theme park. One that I particularly remember is the Haunted Mansion which is found in the New Orleans section of the park. The Haunted Mansion was constructed to look like an old southern plantation; inside it, it was created into a haunted adventure. These marvelous attractions draw many guests from around the world every year. As of 2007, Disneyland had been visited by over 14,800,000 people (Disneyland). In 1959 Walt Disney thought about creating another theme park. His main concern was the location because most of the people who came to Disneyland were from the west; which was a downfall because at the time most people lived in the east. Therefore, he wanted to open the Disney experience up to the whole nation by creating a new park closer to those on the east coast. The process of just getting approved for a large piece of land took many years. He had been denied numerous times. Finally, Orlando, Florida was chosen as a site for the new park. Sadly, Walt died in 1966, five years before the park was ever opened. Along with Walt Disney World, Epcot was created in 1982. Epcot is known today as the community of tomorrow. Like Disneyland, Walt Disney World also contains a resort and other parks within. Walt Disney World has not only become the most popular Disney Park, but the most popular entertainment attraction in the United States. On average, 40 million people visit each year. (Walt Disney World). Disney does not only vision to give children an experience of a lifetime through movies and theme parks, but through more heartfelt ways such as giving to charities. In 2008, Disney donated 209 million dollars to charities around the world, hoping to make wishes come true among families. They also have a program for volunteers called VoluntEARS. The company has been serving the community for over 26 years. In those years, the members have helped in 42 countries and contributed 5,000,000 hours of volunteer work. Most recently, in honor of Disney’s 55th anniversary, they are running a deal to promote community service. Disney is offering a free ticket to their park if anyone donates a day to a participating Disney organization (The Walt Disney Company – Corporate). Disney has a long history and it is still striving to create magic every day. Children still enjoy watching the same Disney classics that children watched over 50 years ago. Although Disney’s first few movies are still popular today, new animations are still being made, and are still becoming great hits. Disneyland and Walt Disney World are still magical places that will surely bring a smile to a child’s face. But most importantly, Disney is continuing to fulfill dreams through their community service; these dream come trues are truly magical.