1901
Walter Elias Disney was born in Chicago in December 1901.
“we start in Chicago in December 1901, where Walter Elias Disney is born.”
Topic
Walt Disney
31 facts from 4 episodes, in date order. These are what speakers said on the shows, each linked to the moment it was said. They aren't independently verified.
1923
Walt Disney arrived in Hollywood in 1923, having sold his camera to buy a train ticket.
“He gets to Hollywood in 1923.”
1923
Walt Disney sold the Alice's Wonderland series to the distributor Margaret Winkler, who the host says was the first and only female film distributor in the country.
“he winds up immediately selling it to a distributor named Margaret Winkler.”
1923
Walt Disney's Laugh-O-Gram Films went bankrupt in 1923, leaving him a failed entrepreneur in Kansas City.
“in 1923, the company goes bankrupt and shuts down. And Walt is now this sort of 1.5 times disgraced entrepreneur”
1923
Distributor Margaret Winkler commissioned Walt Disney to make 12 more Alice comedies at roughly $1,500 to $1,800 each after seeing his Alice's Wonderland reel.
“Walt sends Alice's Wonderland off to Winkler and she likes it. So she commissions Walt to create 12 more Alice comedies for like $1,500 to $1,800 each.”
1923
Walt and Roy Disney founded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio in October 1923, with Roy running the business and finance and Walt the creative side.
“the two of them found the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio right there in October 1923. As a true partnership between the brothers, Roy manages the business and the finance.”
1928
Charles Mintz had secretly signed nearly all of Walt Disney's animators except Ub Iwerks before Walt's 1928 New York meeting.
“Mintz has an ace in the hole. He has, I think, signed contracts with nearly all the animators except Ub Iwerks.”
1937
Disney borrowed heavily from Bank of America to finish Snow White, including a $630,000 loan, then another $650,000 less than a year later.
“I had to mortgage everything I owned, including Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck and everything else to make Snow White.”
1938
Flora Disney, Walt's mother, died of carbon monoxide poisoning from a defective furnace in the house he had bought her, on November 26, 1938.
“On the morning of November twenty sixth, 1938, Flora went into the bathroom.”
1950s
Disney's deal with ABC gave Disney money for Disneyland in exchange for a weekly show, which helped ABC become one of the big three networks.
“ABC needed the television so so damn bad they bought an amusement park.”
1952
In March 1952 Walt Disney announced Disneyland, to be built on a small strip of land next to the Burbank studio for $1.5 million.
“in March of 1952, Walt announces it, Disneyland, to be constructed on that little strip of land for a cost of $1.5 million.”
1952
Walt Disney set up WED Enterprises, named for his initials, in 1952 as a personal company to develop Disneyland.
“start his own company that would get formalized later in the year in 1952 that ends up being called Wed Enterprises”
1966
Warren Buffett bought Disney stock in 1966 after meeting Walt Disney and sold it early.
“the reason I bring this up is cause Buffett bought Disney stock after meeting Walt Disney in 1966”
1966
Brian Chesky cites a former Disney CFO saying the company has done little fundamentally new since Walt Disney died in 1966.
“Walt died in 1966. Since 1966, you still make feature length animated films, TV and Magic Kingdoms.”
1966
Walt Disney died on December 15, 1966, ten days after his 65th birthday, after surgery for a lung tumor.
“December 15, 1966, just 10 days after his 65th birthday, Walt Disney passes away.”
Undated
Walt Disney had three older brothers, and two of them ran away because their father Elias kept taking the money they earned.
“Walt had three older brothers, two of them ran away because Elias kept taking their money.”
Undated
At fourteen Walt Disney grabbed the hammer from his father Elias, held his hands and ended the beatings.
“Walt grabbed his father's hand and removed the hammer.”
Undated
After returning from France, Walt Disney turned down his father's offer of a job at a jelly factory to pursue art.
“he gets back home, and this is where he's just rebelling against his father's offer to work at a jelly factory.”
Undated
After a one-week trial at a Kansas City commercial art shop, Walt Disney was offered a salary of $50 a month.
“immediately offers him a salary of $50 a month.”
Undated
Walt Disney met the animator Ub Iwerks in Kansas City and went into business with him.
“Walt had met another animator, this guy named Ub Iwerks.”
Undated
Disney's early animation work began with one-minute shorts sold to theaters, before he decided to make a full-length animated feature.
“And he's like, I'm going to build the world's first full feature length animated cartoon.”
Undated
Charles Mintz, who took over the distribution business from Margaret Winkler, took control of Oswald the Rabbit and many of Disney's staff.
“Charles Mintz steals Disney's company from him.”
Undated
Walt Disney wanted to name his new mouse character Mortimer, but his wife Lillian persuaded him to choose Mickey.
“Walt Disney wanted to call Mickey Mouse Mortimer Mouse, and his wife said that was a horrible name”
Undated
Walt and his brother Roy took out second mortgages on their houses, and Walt sold his car, to finance Mickey Mouse cartoons.
“Him and his brother, who's his business partner, Roy. They put mortgages and second mortgages on their house.”
Undated
The host cites a book saying Disney trained over a thousand artists through the studio's own classes.
“Disney himself trained over a thousand artists.”
Undated
Walt Disney created the animation industry's first Story Department.
“Walt demonstrated that story was king, and he did so through his actions because he appointed, for the very first time in the industry, a head of a new department called the Story Department.”
Undated
Henry Ford advised Walt Disney that if he sold any of his company he should sell all of it.
“Ford was blunt. If you sell any of it, you should sell all of it.”
Undated
Disney developed Disneyland through a separate company called WED, named for his initials, working from a bungalow at the edge of the studio lot.
“He's running it through this company called WED, which is his his initials.”
Undated
The host says that when Disney refused to give up television rights to United Artists, only about 4,000 television sets existed.
“When he said no, there was only about 4,000 TVs in existence.”
Undated
When Walt Disney was four, his father Elias moved the family from Chicago to Marceline, Missouri, where Elias's brother Robert had bought real estate.
“when Walt is four, Elias moves the family out of Chicago to an idyllic farm town, also in the Midwest, where Robert had just purchased another tract of real estate”
Undated
Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks founded Iwerks Disney Commercial Artists Incorporated in Kansas City, supposedly putting Iwerks first so the name would not sound like an optometrist shop.
“So they create Iwerks Disney Commercial Artists Incorporated. Supposedly in that naming order so that it didn't sound like an optometrist shop like Disney Iwerks.”
Episodes