The story goes that when Walt Disney presented his first short about a mischievous mouse to Louis B Mayer, head of MGM Studios, he was told that the idea was a disaster.
Mayer said women, who formed the prime audience of MGM Films, would be terrified of a ten-foot tall mouse towering over them on the screen.
Eighty-five years later, Mickey Mouse is the world’s most beloved animal, appearing in over a hundred movies and being the first cartoon character to have his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
December 5 marks the birthday of Walter Elias Disney, the man who revolutionized the animation industry with his stories about mice and ducks and goofy dogs. Born in 1901 to working-class parents, Disney went through a number of jobs before joining hands with his brother Roy and cartoonist Ub Iwerks to open his own animation business in Kansas.
That business went bankrupt, and Disney moved to Hollywood, achieving greater success with the animated short series Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, distributed by Universal Pictures. However, a quarrel with the boss of Universal over production budgets saw Disney lose most of his staff as well as trademark rights over Oswald to Universal.
Dejected, Disney started over, with the concept of a mouse who got into trouble while wooing his girlfriend. Steamboat Willie , the first short starring Mickey and Minnie Mouse, was pioneering in many respects, such as being the first animation to feature synchronized sound.
Mickey’s runaway success inspired Disney to dabble in full-length animated features, starting with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs , which earned him one full-size and seven miniature Oscar statuettes. He went on to become the most awarded person in Oscar history, with 22 wins from 59 nominations.
With classics such as Cinderella, Bambi, Lady and the Tramp and Sleeping Beauty , his studio became a powerhouse of animation. In 1950, Walt Disney Pictures released its first live-action movie, Treasure Island , which was followed by other hits such as Swiss Family Robinson and Mary Poppins .
With time, Disney got busy with his other ventures, like Disneyland, which opened in 1955, but he was always involved in the development of each of Disney Pictures’ animated features until his death of lung cancer in 1966.
Nearly nine decades after he released his first movie, Walt Disney remains an inspiration for storytellers and animators around the world.
Says animator Dapoon Rai Dewan, “Walt Disney had the ability to reinvent storytelling. Although he told fairy tales that had been around for centuries, he added his own touch to them that set them apart. His sense of humour and his ability to touch the right chords during emotional scenes serve as lessons for every animator.” Most of the early movies were musicals, and music remains a core reason for the popularity of Disney productions. Noted musicians like Elton John (‘Circle of Life’, Lion King ) and Phil Harris (‘Bare Necessities’, Jungle Book ) have lent their voices to soundtracks, and Disney movies are among the top winners of Best Song at the Oscars.
Says writer Kavitha Rao, “Along with the endearing, wide-eyed animals who drew you into the story, the catchy songs are part of the reason my kids and I love Disney movies. I still hum songs from Jungle Book and 101 Dalmatians , many years after I first saw them. The memorable characters and the fantastic music of those early movies stayed with you long after you had watched them.”
For most adults, Disney movies are a way to unwind and escape from the humdrum realities of modern life.
Says MBA student Atasi Giri, “The animated movies bring magic to life, and take you to a parallel dimension where real-life rules don’t apply.
“At the end of a long day, watching Lady and the Tramp gambol around is infinitely relaxing and make you believe in impossibilities becoming possible.”
Dewan adds, “I could sit and watch Disney movies for hours on end and not once feel bored. With an engaging story, appealing characters, hilarious gags, beautiful music, colours, animation, there was no way I would let my eyes wander off the screen for even a second.”
In Aladdin , when the urchin boy Aladdin takes the love of his life, Princess Jasmine, on a ride on the magic carpet, he sings to her, “ I can show you the world…/ A whole new world, / A fantastic point of view, / No one to tell us no or where to go / Or say we’re only dreaming. ”
Walt Disney opened the doors to many new worlds, worlds woven by his imagination and brought to life by his creativity.
His life and his movies encourage people to dream and to chase their dreams, and believe that someday they will come true.
