-
Walt DIsney's Great Grandfather is Born
Arundel Elias Disney, Walt Disney's great grandfather, is born in County Kikenny, Irelalnd -
Walt's Grandfather is Born
Kepple Disney, Walt's grandfather, is born to Arundel and wife Maria in Ireland. -
They Sail to America
Arundel and brother Robert sail from Liverpool toward America. -
Kepple moves to Kansas with his sons
Kepple with his sons Elias (Walt's father) & Robert (Walt's uncle) move to Ellis, Kansas. -
Elias DIsney marries Flora Call
Elias Disney marries Flora Call in Akron, Florida. -
Herbert is born
Herbert, the first (oldest) son, is born. -
Elias, Flora, & Herbert move to Chicago
Elias, Flora & Herbert move to Chicago. Elias builds their new house. -
Raymond is born.
Raymond Arnold Disney is born. The second brother. -
Roy is born
Roy Oliver Disney is born. The third brother. -
Naming each expecting child's name after each other.
Elias & Preacher Walter Parr agree to name each expecting child's name after each other. Both men had sons, Elias' son, named Walt, and the Preachers, Elias. -
Walter is born
Walter Elias Disney is born. The forth brother. -
Ruth is born.
Ruth Flora Disney is born. The first daughter. -
The familiy moves to Missouri
The Disney Family move to Marceline, Missouri. -
Move to Chicago
Herbert & Raymond move to Chicago. -
Selling the farm
Elias sells their farm, they rents a home until 1910. -
Move to Kansas
The Disney Family move to Kansas City. -
Roy leaves to work in Kansas
Roy Disney leaves family to work for Uncle Will Disney in Kansas. -
Walt gradutes
Walt graduates from Benton High School. -
Period: to
Walt works in France
Walt works as a member of the American Ambulance Corps in France. Walt lied about his age to be accepted. -
Returning to the US
After driving an ambulance through Europe, Walt returns to the US, moves to Kansas City and gets job at the Posman-Rubin Commercial Art Studio for $50 a month. -
"Laugh-O-Grams"
Walt & Ub work for the Kansas City Slide Company.
Walt names the films "Laugh-O-grams." -
Meeting Ub Iwweks
Walt meets Ub Iwwerks, together form Iwerks-Disney Commercial Artists. The small group survives for a month. -
Returning to Kansas
Elias & Flora Disney return to Kansas City, then move to Portland, OR. -
Quiting the Film Ad
Walt quits the Film Ad, then incorporates "Laugh-O-gram Films" with $15,000 from local investors. Walt persuades Ub Iwerks to leave the Film Ad. -
Becoming a Director
Walt resigns himself to bankrupcy, moves to Hollywood planning to become a director. Roy (Walt's brother) was already in California. -
Signing a Contract
Walt & Roy sign a contract with M.J. Winkler, a New York cartoon distributor. They rent a room at the back of a real estate office. Roy operates a secondhand camera while two girls were hired to ink & paint the celluloids. Walt does the animation. -
"Disney Bros. Studio."
Walt hires the first animator, Rollin Hamilton and moves into a small store with a window bearing "Disney Bros. Studio." -
"Alice Comedies"
The first "Alice Comedies" reaches theaters. -
Joining Disney Productions
Ub Iwerks moves to California to join Disney Productions. Walt wanted to concentrate on the scenarios of the film; his career as an animator is over. -
Inviting people to work for him
Walt invites Hugh Harmen & Rudy Ising to work for him. -
Roy marries Edna Francis
Roy marries Edna Francis. Walt meets Lillian Bounds, hired by the Studios as an inker. Walt recalled "I couldn't afford to pay her, so I married her!" -
Marring Lillian
Walt marries Lillian. -
Renaming the studio
Walt renames the studio to the "Walt Disney Studio." -
Walt Disney Studios authorized
Walt Disney Studios authorized to make "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit" series. All rights were sold to Mintz distribution. When costs became to high, Walt wanted to end distribution. As a result, "Oswald" becomes Mintz's own, and Mintz takes Walt's best animator, Ub Iwerks. -
Developing Mickey Mouse
Walt, on a train ride, develops Mickey Mouse and along with Ub Iwerks creates a new cartoon, "Plane Crazy." Audiences were in love with the mouse. "Steamboat Willie," the third cartoon is created. Walt pursues New York film companies to record the cartoon with sound. Walt urges Ub to go forward with the fourth Mickey Mouse Cartoon "The Barn Dance." -
"Steamboat Willie"
"Steamboat Willie" opens at the Colon Theater in New York. Billed as "the first animated cartoon with sound," it gets rave reviews."
Film companies come calling for Walt to make a deal. All these distributors want the rights to Mickey Mouse, however Walt learned from his experience from Oswald the Rabbit. A deal with Pat Powers, who wants to promote Cinephone, is struck. Walt returns to California with a contract and $2500. -
"Skeleton Dance"
Walt plans to release "Skeleton Dance" as the 1st of a new series of cartoons called Silly Symphonies. This new film was also released in Technicolor, a brand new color technique, that Walt Disney held right to for two years. Walt hires a lawyer for legal assistance in regards to the deal with Pat Powers. Ub Iwerks signs a contract with Powers, stunning Walt. The lawyer negotiates an agreement to dissolve Iwerks' contract with Disney and is paid $2,920 for 1/5 interest.
Mickey Mouse turns into -
WAlt breaks off
Walt breaks off negotiations with Pat Powers, suspecting him of being crooked. Disney could not afford a lawsuit, so they walk away and start anew. Columbia Pictures signs with Disney, as Walt breaks all ties with Powers with a payment for relinquish of the 21 Disney cartoons.
Roy Disney signs the first contract for merchandising.
Walt assigns Ub Iwerks to devise a comic strip.
Syndication comes from King Features and Mickey Mouse makes his first comic strip on January 13, 1930. Pluto makes 1s -
Mickey Mouse Clubs
The Mickey Mouse Clubs reach a million members. Mickey Mouse is now known in every civilized country. Walt suffers a nervous breakdown, caused by pushing himself and animators on the job. Walt takes a vacation on doctor's orders. On return, exercise and work balancing is required. -
Goofy makes 1st appearance in "Mickey's Revue."
Goofy makes 1st appearance in "Mickey's Revue." Herman Kamen, a Kansas City advertising man, signs a contract to represent the Walt Disney Studios. He licenses Lionel Corporation for merchandising Mickey and Minnie toy trains. Lionel is hit hard by the Depression and files for bankrupcy. 253,000 toys were sold in 4 months, beginning the return of the Lionel Corporation. The association with Disney is credited for the return of Lionel. Disney asks Columbia to increase advance on each cartoon to -
"Flowers and Trees"
"Flowers and Trees" appears at the Hollywood Chinese Theater. -
The first class of the Disney Art School
The first class of the Disney Art School is held at the Chouinard Art Institue. Nelbert Chouinard agrees to help the Studio The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences awards "Flowers and Trees" to Walt Disney. -
The 36th Silly Symphony
"Three Little Pigs," the 36th Silly Symphony, is produced. Audiences everywhere love it and relate it to the people vs. the Depression. "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf" becomes a national rally cry. Roy convinces Walt to produce 3 more "Pig" movies, "The Big Bad Wolf,", "Three Little Wolves" and "The Practical Pig." None were as successful as the first one. -
Diane Marie Disney is born.
Lillian gives birth to Diane Marie Disney. Their first child. -
Period: to
Staff grows
1934, 1935, 1936
Donald Duck debut's in a Silly Symphony film, "The Wise Little Hen." Walt's staff grows to 187 employees. Walt announces that "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" will be the 1st feature film. Work on "Snow White" is the center of attention. Disneys disassociate themselves with United Artists.
Disneys sign a releasing agreement for shorts and for "Snow White" with RKO. -
Adoption
Lillian and Walt adopt Sharon Mae Disney. -
A series of short films
Donald Duck gets his own series of short films. -
Period: to
Disney Studios expand
The Disney Studios are expanded and they put deposit down on property in Burbank, CA. Walt & Roy move their parents to Southern California. Work begins on a second feature, "Pinocchio." -
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is seen by the public in Los Angeles. It makes a 3 week run at Radio City Music Hall, then some New York theaters."Snow White" grosses $8 million and wins an Academy Award. Within 6 months, the Disneys pay off all bank loans. -
Mickey Mouse stars in movies
Walt decides that Mickey Mouse should star in a feature of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice." Leopold Stokwski volunteers to conduct the music. Stokowski tells Disney to create a single Feature. Fantasia. "Bambi" is started at the same time but is last to be released due to the time it took to draw the animals. The studio resembled a zoo at times with many animals on hand to be drawn. Video was captured and photos were donated for the film. -
Flora dies
Flora Disney dies of asphyxiation due to a defective furnace. Walt & Roy blame themselves because it occured in the house they purchased. -
Burbank Studio construction continues
Burbank Studio construction continues, making it a workers paradise. The start of World War II causes business of "Pinocchio" to fall short of what is expected. -
Dumbo
"Dumbo" is produced and finished in 1 year. Walt originally planned it as a 30 minute film but expanded it into a feature film of 64 minutes. It makes an $850,000 profit. Ub Iwerks returns to the Walt Disney Studios. -
Period: to
Movie studios unionize
Movie studios unionize and 2 unions sought to organize the Disney cartoonists. One union leader, Herb Sorrell, threatens to strike Disney by stating publicly Walt's business affairs. -
Fantasia
"Fantasia" opens at New York's Broadway Theater (formally called "The Colony"), the same place that Mickey Mouse made his debut. Walt was forced to cut "Fantasia" into a short version, cutting from his 3+ hours' version. "Fantasia" loses even more than "Pinocchio." -
Losing Pinocchio, Fantasia, and Bambi
Due to losses of "Pinocchio,""Fantasia" and "Bambi," along with the cost of the new studio being built, Disney is forced to offer public stock, something Walt & Roy did not want to do. 600,000 shares of common stock sold at $5 a piece. Stock offering sold out quickly and temporarily filled the hole of debt. Disney employees grow to 1,000 workers. -
"Saludos Amigos" and "The Three Caballeros"
"Saludos Amigos" and "The Three Caballeros" are the result of the the South America trip. Both films are successfull in North & South America.
High demand for war films occurs.
The draft takes 1/3 of Walt's artists. The army moves into the Disney Studios. -
Picket line
A picket line forms in front of the Walt Disney Studios, directed by Herb Sorrell. -
Film making and goodwill tour of South America
Walt makes a film making & goodwill tour of South America. Elias Disney passes away while Walt is away, never really recovering from the loss of Flora. When Walt returns, the strike has ended but takes away Disney employees due to production slow down. Walt arrives in time for the premiere of "Dumbo." -
Bambi
"Bambi" is released but has disappointing numbers at the box office in both the U.S. and foreign cities. -
Company's debt rises
The company's debt rises to $4.3 million. "Pinocchio", "Fantasia", "Bambi" & "Dumbo" are playing in Europe, but no revenue is coming in due to the damaged economy. Roy urges Walt to cut expenses & staff; Walt refuses. "Make Mine Music," a short cartoon, is released and produces a small profit. Walt really is not pleased with the film. The work on "Mickey And The Beanstalk," interrupted due to the war, is resumed. It is combined with another cartoon and released as "Fun and Fancy Free." It is -
Educational and commercial films
Walt considers making educational and commercial films, but decides that the company should be in the entertainment business. He decides that Alaska should be filmed, then takes a flying tour himself. The flight almost went bad due to heavy clouds and no radio contact to land. After circling for 2 hours, the plane lands safely. Walt, after reviewing the Alaska films, suggests a feature length film based on the life of seals. Due to it's short time, Walt books the film with a lengthy feature. The -
Period: to
Looking for property
Walt & Lillian had been looking for property to build a new house and Walt required the lot of land to be large enough to accommodate a train circling the home. They found property and built the new home in Holmby Hills, CA. Walt designs a half mile run and called the train's engine the "Lilly Belle," named after Mrs. Lillian Disney. He called it the Carolwood-Pacific Railroad. Walt began talking about letting people come to Hollywood and really "see" something. He started to formulate plans i -
Walt Disney Music Company
The Walt Disney Music Company is formed. -
Cinderella
"Cinderella" debuts and is well accepted, the first hit for Disney Studios since "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." By November of 1950, Disney Studios debt is reduced to $1.7 million. -
Alice in Woderland
Walt schedules "Alice In Wonderland" to follow "Cinderella." "Alice In Wonderland" had been an idea since 1933, as Walt contemplated both a live-action film and putting Ginger Rogers in a cartoon Wonderland. Once the film was completed, Walt and crew were relieved. The film was a disappointment in both London and America, while losing $1 million.
"Peter Pan" was the next cartoon in production. Walt bought the rights to the play in 1939 and spent years trying to convert it into a cartoon. -
Script production begins.
Script production begins on "Lady and the Tramp," a script started in 1943 but dropped for almost a decade. "The Sword and the Rose" and "Rob Roy" are produced, Walt contemplates "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," a Jules Verne classic adventure. The film ultimately costs $ 4.2 million to make. Walt works for a year to develop the script. The giant squid scene requires 8 days to film and added $250,000 to the film budget. It is worth it as this scene is the highlight of the film. -
Vision for an amusement park
Walt's vision of an amusement park begins. He visits fairs, carnivals, circuses and parks to study the attractions and the people. He borrows on his life insurance and starts to assemble a staff to help plan the park. He decides that the name of the park would be called Disneyland. Walt creates WED Enterprises to organize the project. Walt and Herb Ryman draws out the plans for the park in one weekend.
Roy visits New York to seek a contract with a television network. Roy & Leonard Goldman come -
Adventures in Music
Disney's first "Adventures in Music" animated film, "Melody" is released. The film was made in 3-D, the first such film to be released in the US. -
Commisioning the Stanford Research Institute
Walt commisions the Stanford Research Institute to find the ideal location for Disneyland. Anaheim, California is selected as the place. Other amusement park owners don't believe that Walt should spend the money on the park and that too much of the park would not produce revenue. They felt that the park would not work. -
Designing the park
Walt designed the park with one entrance gate, reasoning that people, when entering by different gates, become disoriented. Walt also designs the park to have "Main Street" with the idea of it being the hub, stating that it would lead to different areas of interest and not cause people to become tired from "museum feet."
Walt designs the park with "wienies", which are lures that draw people into different parts of the park. The lure of Main Street would be a castle. -
Davy Crockett
"Davy Crockett" is the hit of the inaugural Disneyland season and "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" is #1 for 13 weeks, selling over 10 million records. More than 10 million Davy Crockett racoon skin hats are sold.
"Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier" profits almost $2.5 million.
Ronald Miller works for Disney as a liason between WED and Disneyland before he is inducted for the draft. -
Plans are announced.
Plans for Disneyland park and tv show are announced. Walt states that the tv series would begin in October, 1954 and the park would open in July, 1955. The tv show would be paterned after the different "lands" of Disneyland. -
DIane Disney
Diane Disney marries Ronald Miller. -
The television series
The television series opens with "The Disneyland Story" describing coming attractions of the park and tv show. The Television shows are introduced by Walt himself. -
Walt Disney production animated feature film
The Walt Disney Production animated feature film, "Lady and the Tramp" is released in the US by Buena Vista. It is the first cartoon feature filmed in CinemaScope and processed in Technicolor. -
30th wedding anniversary
The Disney's, celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary, send out invitations to 300 people, friends & co-workers for the opening of Disneyland. -
Black Sunday
Disneyland opens as invitation only, given to studio workers, construction workers, the press and officials of company sponsors. Tickets to the grand opening are counterfeited and 30,000 people enter the park. Rides break down and park stands run out of food & drink. Walt reads about all the problems the next day and refers to it as "Black Sunday." -
Walt's wishes come true
Diane & Ron Miller's 5th child is born and is named Walter Elias Disney Miller. Walt had complained to Diane that she had not named any of her four children after her father or mother. Walt's wish comes true. -
60th birthday
Walt Disney celebrates his 60th birthday. -
Enchanted Tiki Room
Enchanted Tiki Room opens at Disneyland. It is originally planned as a restaurant but Walt feels that there wouldn't be enough time to serve meals and perform a show.
Audio-Animatronics is developed by WED. -
Walt Disney dies
Walt Disney dies at 9:35 a.m. from an Acute Circulatory Collapse.
