Midwest in the Making: Walt Disney

One of the more popular figures from the Midwestern area is Walt Disney. Walt was born in Chicago, Ill., in 1901. Walt’s father, Elias, moved the family to a farm located in Marceline, Missouri when Walt was four.  It was on the farm in Marceline that Walt developed his love of drawing. He was once paid by a local neighbor to draw the neighbor’s horse.

Photo from: http://www.abcpedia.us/people-celebrities/biography/walt-disney

The Disney’s remained in Marceline for four more years, before moving to Kansas City, Mo. in 1911. There, Walt was introduced to the world of motion pictures and vaudevilles. During his younger years, Walt would take Saturday courses at the Kansas City Art Institute, and was also a regular visitor of Electric Park. Walt would return to Chicago for his teenage years, taking night courses at the Chicago Art Institute while he attended McKinley High School during the day.

Clearly we know the rest of Walt’s story. He would go on to revolutionize the film industry as well as the cartoon industry. He created one of the most iconic characters in the film industry, Mickey Mouse, and would also win 26 academy awards, the most in the history of the ceremony.  His hand print can be seen anytime you watch a Pixar movie or any animated film in general.

It’s hard to imagine that one of America’s most creative individuals spend his formative years in the Midwest, which I find can be rather boring at times. I was, quite frankly, surprised myself.  Not only did he just live in the Midwest, but it appears that his years living in the Midwest provided the inspiration and drive that Walt used later in life. It just goes to show that, no matter where you’re from, whether it is a simple Midwestern farm, or a big city, motivation and creativity can come about because of it.