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100 Years of Magic - Walt
Disney Quotes |
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Walt
Disney was an entertainment pioneer, introducing families to
groundbreaking cartoons, feature films, theme parks and more. Most
everyone knows when he was born (in Chicago on Dec. 5, 1901), his
first motion picture (a 1928 short titled “Steamboat Willie”) and his
other landmark family-entertainment ventures (“The Mickey Mouse Club,”
“Davy Crockett” and “The Wonderful World of Disney”).
But did you also know that:
- Walt Disney only attended one year of high
school.
- In 1923, in California, Walt and Roy formed the
Disney Brothers Studio. At Roy’s insistence, the company soon became
the Walt Disney Studio, since he felt that Walt’s name should be
emphasized. This is officially recognized as the starting date of
The Walt Disney Company.
- He grew his famous mustache at age 25.
- He was the voice of Mickey Mouse for two decades.
- He often ate lunch at his desk -- his favorite
meal was chili and beans, which he ate with tomato juice and soda
crackers.
- He admitted to being “scared to death” when he
had to face the camera to introduce episodes of the “Disneyland”
television series.
- He won more Oscars than anyone else -- 32.
Read a Biography of Walt Disney
Walt Disney was quoted on many topics of entertainment, his life and
career. Here’s a sampling from the new Disney Editions book, “The
Quotable Walt Disney,” compiled by Disney archivist Dave Smith . . .
On Mickey Mouse:
“I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing–that it was all
started by a mouse.”
“Mickey Mouse is, to me, a symbol of independence. He was a means to
an end. He popped out of my mind onto a drawing pad . . . on a train
ride from Manhattan to Hollywood at a time when business fortunes of
my brother Roy and myself were at lowest ebb and disaster seemed right
around the corner. Born of necessity, the little fellow literally
freed us of immediate worry. He provided the means for expanding our
organization . . . and for extending the medium of cartoon animation
toward new entertainment levels. He spelled production liberation for
us.”
“All we ever intended for him or expected of him was that he should
continue to make people everywhere chuckle with him and at him. We
didn’t burden him with any social symbolism, we made him no mouthpiece
for frustrations or harsh satire. Mickey was simply a little
personality assigned to the purposes of laughter.”
On the parks:
“When I started on Disneyland, my wife used to say, ‘But why do you
want to build an amusement park? They’re so dirty.’ I told her that
was just the point–mine wouldn’t be.”
“I think what I want Disneyland to be most of all is a happy place–a
place where adults and children can experience together some of the
wonders of life, of adventure, and feel better because of it.”
“Disneyland is a work of love. We didn’t go into Disneyland just with
the idea of making money.”
“Disneyland is like a piece of clay: If there is something I don’t
like, I’m not stuck with it. I can reshape and revamp.”
“Disneyland is often called a magic kingdom because it combines
fantasy and history, adventure and learning, together with every
variety of recreation and fun designed to appeal to everyone."
“Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long
as there is imagination left in the world.”
“Believe me, it’s the most exciting and challenging assignment we have
ever tackled at Walt Disney Productions.” (on Walt Disney World).”
On children, young and old, and the family:
“I do not make films primarily for children. I make them for the child
in all of us, whether we be six or sixty. Call the child innocence.
The worst of us is not without innocence, although buried deeply it
might be. In my work I try to reach and speak to that innocence,
showing it the fun and joy of living; showing it that laughter is
healthy; showing it that the human species, although happily
ridiculous at times, is still reaching for the stars.”
“Every child is born blessed with a vivid imagination. But just as a
muscle grows flabby with disuse, so the bright imagination of a child
pales in later years if he ceases to exercise it.”
“The way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in
things. Lecturing to children is no answer to delinquency. Preaching
won’t keep kids out of trouble. But keeping their minds occupied
will.”
“That’s the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up. They
forget. They don’t remember what it’s like to be twelve years old.
They patronize; they treat children as inferiors. I won’t do that.
I’ll temper a story, yes. But I won’t play down, and I won’t
patronize.”
“It’s a mistake not to give people a chance to learn to depend on
themselves while they are young.”
“To the youngsters of today, I say believe in the future, the world is
getting better; there still is plenty of opportunity. Why, would you
believe it, when I was a kid I thought it was already too late for me
to make good at anything.”
“Childishness? I think it’s the equivalent of never losing your sense
of humor. I mean, there’s a certain something that you retain. It’s
the equivalent of not getting so stuffy that you can’t laugh at
others.”
“The important thing is the family. If you can keep the family
together–and that’s the backbone of our whole business, catering to
families–that’s what we hope to do.”
“A man should never neglect his family for business.”
On America:
“Laughter is America’s most important export.”
“Actually, if you could see close in my eyes, the American flag is
waving in both of them and up my spine is growing this red, white and
blue stripe.”
“In my view, wholesome pleasure, sport, and recreation are as vital to
this nation as productive work and should have a large share in the
national budget.”
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