Walt Disney's Milestones
Birth
Born in Chicago, Illinois, to Elias Disney and Flora Call; fourth of five children.
Moved to Marceline
Moved to Marceline, Missouri; developed love for drawing, trains, and rural life.
Moved to Kansas City
Moved to Kansas City, Missouri; attended Benton Grammar School, met Walter Pfeiffer, and began art classes at Kansas City Art Institute.
Began newspaper route
Worked early mornings and evenings delivering newspapers with brother Roy, which instilled discipline and work ethic.
Family moved to Chicago
Family moved to Chicago; attended McKinley High School, cartoonist for school paper, and took night courses at Chicago Academy of Fine Arts.
Joined Red Cross in France
Forged age to join Red Cross Ambulance Corps during WWI; served in France, decorated ambulances with cartoons.
Commercial art beginnings
Returned to Kansas City; worked at Pesmen-Rubin Commercial Art Studio, met Ub Iwerks, and started Iwerks-Disney Commercial Artists.
Entered animation industry
Joined Kansas City Film Ad Company; began experimenting with animation and produced early 'Laugh-O-Grams.'
Founded Laugh-O-Gram Studio
Founded Laugh-O-Gram Studio in Kansas City; produced modernized fairy tales and 'Alice's Wonderland,' but studio went bankrupt.
Moved to Hollywood
Moved to Hollywood to pursue film; co-founded Disney Brothers Studio (later Walt Disney Company) with Roy Disney.
Created Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
Created Oswald the Lucky Rabbit for Universal Pictures; lost rights to the character, prompting new creative direction.
Created Mickey Mouse
Created Mickey Mouse (originally Mortimer Mouse) with Ub Iwerks; debuted in 'Steamboat Willie,' the first synchronized sound cartoon.
Introduced Silly Symphonies
Launched Silly Symphonies series; pioneered use of Technicolor and synchronized sound in animation.
Flowers and Trees wins first Oscar
'Flowers and Trees' became first cartoon to win Academy Award for Best Animated Short; Disney received honorary Oscar for Mickey Mouse.
Released 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'
Released first full-length animated feature film; critical and commercial success, became highest-grossing film of its time.
Golden Age of Animation
Oversaw production of classics: 'Pinocchio,' 'Fantasia,' 'Dumbo,' and 'Bambi.' Studio faced financial crisis during WWII.
Produced war propaganda films
Produced training and propaganda films for U.S. government during WWII, including 'Der Fuehrer's Face' and 'Victory Through Air Power.'
Launched True-Life Adventures
Created award-winning live-action nature documentary series, beginning with 'Seal Island.'
Major live-action and animated films
Produced classics including 'Cinderella,' 'Peter Pan,' 'Lady and the Tramp,' 'Sleeping Beauty,' and 'Mary Poppins.'
Founded WED Enterprises
Founded WED Enterprises (later Walt Disney Imagineering) to design Disneyland and future theme parks.
Entered television
Launched 'Disneyland' TV series and 'The Mickey Mouse Club,' expanding Disney brand into television and merchandising.
Opened Disneyland
Opened Disneyland in Anaheim, California; first theme park of its kind; broadcast opening on ABC to 70 million viewers.
Final creative projects
Oversaw World's Fair exhibits, 'It's a Small World,' and contributed to 'The Jungle Book' and 'Winnie the Pooh.'
Announced Walt Disney World
Announced plans for Walt Disney World and EPCOT in Florida; began acquiring land and planning new attractions.
Death
Died of lung cancer in Burbank, California, at age 65; cremated and interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale.
Posthumous honors and legacy
Walt Disney World opened in Florida; EPCOT Center opened in 1982; Disney's legacy continued with global theme parks and the Walt Disney Family Museum.