Chapter One

Before the Beginning

One man with one dream and one philosophy was all it took.

With his two hands and original mind, Walter Elias Disney completely reworked the

complex structure of the entertainment industry and created an empire worth billions of dollars.

However, to Mr. Disney, the money and the fame was just icing on the cake. His ultimate goal

was simple- he wanted to open the doors of imagination to everyone. This vision started at a very

young age.

Walt Disney was born in Chicago, Illinois on December 5th, 1901 (Miller 4). Soon after

his birth, Elias and Flora Disney, his parents, moved their five children to Marceline, Missouri

where Walt would spend the bulk of his early childhood on a 45-acre farm (“Walt Disney

History”). This country living made

Walt Disney appreciate the flora and

fauna that surrounded him. In fact, he

appreciated wildlife so much that he was

often found sketching critters in the

margins of his papers instead of doing

Marceline Farm where Walt Disney grew up
his schoolwork (Miller 11). Once, his
Source: Keith Eggener
sister, Ruth, even convinced Walter to

broaden his canvas space a little; the two children painted on the side of the family’s farmhouse

with sticky tar (“Walt Disney History”)! Even though they did get in trouble, it was the first time

Walt Disney would experiment with alternative drawing techniques.

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 Life on the farm was peaceful and very family oriented. Unfortunately, the cherished,

peaceful, country living ended dramatically in the fall of 1910 when Walt’s father, Elias, fell

victim to the tenacious grasp of typhoid fever and almost passed away (“Walt Disney History”).

The disease left Elias and the Disney family incapable of performing the grueling tasks required

around the farm, and it was eventually put on the

market. The family packed up and headed to

Kansas City in the beginning of 1911.

In Kansas City, Elias bought a paper route

and, when he was of age, Walter began his first

job (Miller 19). His father’s perfectionism

regarding this job most likely shaped Walter into

the man he was as an adult- a man who accepted

nothing perfection. The job required an early

Walt Disney’s parents, Flora
wakeup call (around 3:30 AM) and Walter was
and Elias.
“required to place every paper behind the

customer’s door,” not thrown across the lawn

(Miller 23). The attention to details made a great difference and set the Disney family paper

route apart from others. The route’s profit was even invested in a jelly company in Chicago,

foreshadowing another move (Miller 35). Eventually, the Disney family had enough money

endowed in the jelly company and decided to move back to the Windy City. However, Walter

had different plans.

Walter, the youngest Disney stayed back and took a brother’s advice to work on the Santé

Fe Railroad for a summer (Miller 36). Trains intrigued Walter and, better yet, he was able to

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converse with people while selling sweets, drinks, and newspapers. Unfortunately, Walter never

made much of a profit since he was more interested in the discussions. Before the summer was

over, he was back with his parents in Chicago where he would spend the last of his childhood

days.

When Walter was sixteen, he

wanted to join the army. The army

turned him down because he was not of

age, though. Like anything else, this

didn’t stop Disney. Instead, he went to

the American Red Cross, lied about his

age, and was one of fifty young men

selected to join (“Walt Disney

Walt Disney in front of his truck. 1917
Biography”). Disney’s duty in the Red
Source: “World War I”
Cross was to drive anything with

wheels upon order and to guard the vehicle with his life (Miller 48). One night, after an enduring

three day shift of no sleep, Walter fell asleep guarding his truck and when he woke up, the truck

was gone(Miller 49). Luckily, it wasn’t Walter’s fault because the officer, who was supposed to

relieve Disney of his duties days before, had forgotten all about him (Miller 50). Walter was let

off the hook and managed to stay out of trouble until his discharge in 1918.

After his duties as a Red Cross volunteer were over, Walter Disney returned home to

Chicago. Immediately after his arrival, his father offered him a job at the jelly factory. Walter

turned it down and went against his father’s wishes. Instead, he moved to Kansas City and was

set on becoming a cartoonist. Nothing and no one was going to stop him.

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