Early Life
Disney grew up in Missouri, served as an ambulance driver with the Red Cross in France after World War I, and began his career in commercial art in Kansas City.
Career
With his brother Roy he founded a cartoon studio in 1923, and Mickey Mouse made his debut in 1928 in Steamboat Willie. His studio produced Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), the first full-length cel-animated feature, followed by Pinocchio, Fantasia and Bambi. He opened Disneyland in Anaheim, California, in 1955.
Legacy
Disney won 22 competitive Academy Awards, the most of any individual. He died in December 1966; Walt Disney World, which he had planned, opened in Florida in 1971.
Sources and further reading
Last updated: 2026-09-24