When it comes to important dates in the history of The Walt Disney Company, perhaps none is more important than this day, because October 16, 1923 is the official start of The Walt Disney Company. For this auspicious occasion, here’s a D23 trivia question: Who was Disney’s first recurring animated character that had a name? …
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An innovator right from the start, Walt Disney had an idea of taking a live-action character, Alice, and placing her in an animated land of cartoon characters. Animated characters had been seen in live-action worlds, but this technique was a first. On May 14, 1923, Walt wrote to film distributor Margaret Winkler, hoping that she …
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Before there was Snow White, Mickey Mouse, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, or even the Alice comedies, Walt Disney was determined to get into the animation business, so he took a borrowed camera to the shed behind his house and created his first film. Soon, having raised $15,000 from family and friends, Walt hired a minimal …
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On this day in 1918, 16-year-old Walt Disney enlisted in the Red Cross Ambulance Corps. A very patriotic citizen, Walt wanted to join the military, but he was too young. The military would not take 16 year olds. He had heard about a Red Cross unit that would take 17 year olds, and he knew …
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Born on this day in 1917 in Oxfordshire, England, David Tomlinson starred in more than 50 films in his long career, including playing the roles of Peter Thorndyke in Disney’s The Love Bug and Emelius Browne in Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Yet, he is undeniably best known for his role in Mary Poppins. As the father, …
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Ward Kimball, a Disney Legend and one of Walt Disney’s esteemed “Nine Old Men,” was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on this day in 1914. Joining Disney in 1934 at age 20, Ward progressed from apprentice animator to supervising animator to director and producer, working on most of Walt Disney’s animated films, many Disney television features …
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Disney Legend Peter Ellenshaw, whose large-scale paintings known as mattes made the impossible possible — taking audiences to the watery worlds with Captain Nemo and enabling Mary Poppins to soar above the rooftops of London — was born in London on this day in 1913. One of the most gifted painters and visual effects experts …
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On this day in 1913, Disney Legend Marc Davis was born in Bakersfield, California. It was some unpleasant experiences as a young child that indirectly led to his creating some of Disney’s most well-known characters, from Cruella De Vil to Tinker Bell, and developing some of the most iconic scenes in Disney attractions, such as …
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Disney animator Ollie Johnston was born on this day in 1912 in Palo Alto, California. From his earliest memories, he enjoyed drawing and he once said, “I can’t remember the first drawing I ever made, but I know I started in kindergarten. Like most people who like to draw, I drew all my life, all …
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On this day in 1912, Disney Legend Frank Thomas, an animator, author, and pianist, was born in Santa Monica, California. One of Walt’s famed Nine Old Men, Frank began his Disney career in 1934 along with Stanford University classmate and lifelong friend Ollie Johnston. Starting with Disney’s first full-length animated feature, Frank went on to …
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