Walt Disney Inside His Private World

Warm and gentle 'Uncle Walt' was just a small part of the real man

- By Louise A. Barile

Generations of children have grown up anticipating the newest Disney animated feature with excitement usually reserved for Christmas morning. From Cinderella and The Little Mermaid to Frozen and Encanto, Disney films have enchanted viewers with magical adventures populated by characters destined to become lifelong friends. Today, the Walt Disney Company is a multinational, publicly traded conglomerate that includes film production, television and theme parks, and has a net worth near $100 billion.

The man who started it all, Walter Elias Disney, spent his boyhood on a farm in Marceline, Mo. where he learned to draw animals - and never graduated high school. Too young to enlist during WWI, Walt drove an ambulance in Europe decorated with his own cartoons.

In the 1920s, Walt moved to California, began an animation studio with his brother Roy and dreamed up a mouse to compete with Felix the Cat, Steamboat Willie, a cartoon short with sound, starred Mickey Mouse and was a crowd-pleaser from the day it opened in 1928. I'm not in business to make unhappy pictures, Walt said of the secret of his success. I'm an optimist.

BEHIND THE CURTAIN