Fifty-one years ago, on December 15, 1966, Walter Elias Disney passed away after losing his battle to lung cancer. Walt Disney gave us so much, and his contributions continue today long after his passing. So much of what he created for us lives on through his movies, the Disney theme parks, and within the Disney community. Whether you love Snow White or Jack Sparrow, without Walt Disney we have neither of these characters nor so many more. It has almost been half a century since Walt Disney passed away, and yet his impact on pop culture is still felt around the world everyday.
Walt Disney is the embodiment of imagination, creativity, and inspiration. His spirit lives on within The Walt Disney Company every day, but even with the company’s recent successes, there is still a clear void without him. Walt’s gift to the world was storytelling. Amusement parks, cartoons, and films had existed long before Walt Disney, but his ability to inject real life emotions into his creations through storytelling is something I’ve never seen effectively reproduced.
Walt Disney died when he was only 65 years old. He still had so much to accomplish, but unfortunately lung cancer stole that time from him. He had huge dreams for Disney World especially concerning his plans for the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, or Epcot. Epcot was the ultimate “the challenge and promise of the future.” In the 1950s and 60s America believed we were heading into the future we had always dreamed about. Flying cars, jetpacks, and a world beyond our imagination. In my opinion Walt Disney himself, along with his plans for Epcot, played a huge role in America having this confidence in the future. Without him we have forgotten what it feels like to truly believe in ourselves. We lack the optimism and creative spark that he gave our country.
Personally, much of my life is surrounded by the fact that Walt Disney made this world a better place. Without him I would have never met my wife while working in the Magic Kingdom, I would lack all the great memories I made with my family watching Disney movies growing up, and I owe him the job I have today because without him I would have nothing to write about. Not only is this written in memory of Walt, but it is also written as a thank you for all he has given me.
Early in Walt’s career after quitting Universal Studios, Oswald the Rabbit, along with most of Walt’s animation team, was taken from him leaving him back at square one. Yet, on a long train ride home Walt Disney imagined Mickey Mouse, and henceforth was an empire. Walt Disney’s life proves that you can be down, but not out. And most importantly as Walt said himself, “I only hope that we don’t lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse.”
Photo Credit: Wikipedia, All Labeled For Reuse
