Happy Birthday, Walt!

So today is a very special today: it is Walt Disney's birthday!!

This legend of a man was born December 5, 1901 in Illinois. He did crazy stupid things like dropping out of high school at 16 to move to Europe and running his first business to the ground, therefore getting kicked out of his house because of bankruptcy. His perseverance and charisma were his downfalls, but ultimately, they were what drove him to create the outstanding company that is now Walt Disney Studios. I seriously have never loved a dead guy this much.

If you know anything about me, you know I adore Disney. I have an abundance of Disney decor all over my room. I have a small Mickey mouse tattoo on my shoulder. The students that sit next to me in my college classes give me looks when I pull out my Finding Dory pencil case and folders and set them on my desk next to my Cars water bottle. It's been my dream to work at the company for as long as I can remember. I applied to the Disney College Program and I will until I make it. I'm from California and we would visit Disneyland fairly often when I was young.

When I was in tenth grade, a friend and I started a small party princess company to dress up like characters and attend community events and birthday parties.

(It was a blast, but after a couple years we realized we did not have enough time to keep up with it) This experience helped grow my love for Disney into a serious passion.

I honestly tear up every time I see this at the beginning of a Disney movie. Like, hello, this is where it all started !!!

In a business class I took in high school, we were told to choose an entrepreneur and talk about how they started their business. It was through my research in that project that I first learned of the struggles and hardships Walt overcame to end up as the owner of a world-renown legacy. He knew he had always had a dream: to publish his cartoons and entertain people and eventually make an amusement park out of his characters. He kept his goal in mind, set a plan, and stuck to it. Even when everything failed and he had to start over again, he.never.gave.up. He is the founder of what is now a billion-dollar legacy. There are competitors in the movie-making and entertainment field but nothing will ever match Disney. (Like, literally nothing. You can try but nothing will be as profound and dream-gifting and magical).

The result of him following his dream is a corporation that brings joy to billions of people every day; whether it be going to the parks, seeing the newest movie Moana and laughing your head off, drinking out of your favorite Cinderella mug, or watching your son laugh at Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on TV. He's made himself absolutely timeless. Walt died in 1966 but he'll never truly leave our hearts.

As a business major, I admire Walt because of his unique ability to persist through turmoil, to understand what his consumers want, and to exceed their expectations. He rapidly changed the industries of art, entertainment, and film like no one else. He made a ton of money. He created what is one of the most recognizable and consistent brands out of his passion for putting ink on paper. Disney now has parks in Japan, France, and China: his characters have brought humankind together in a fairy-dust-frenzie of magical Disney appreciation.

As a writer, I admire Walt because of his endless creativity and his ability to problem solve his way out of seemingly-impossible situations. I love how he took old fairy tales and stories and adapted them to teach his audience about people and places that were different than us. The movies he made were hilarious. They were heart-breaking. As a writer, all I ever want to do is connect with people like he did.

I love that his idea behind Disneyland was to create a place where you couldn't see the outside world, because sometimes reality is too hard for us to handle- and he wanted to provide a safe place, even if it was swamped with sunburnt kids and long lines and a melting dole whip.

He brought characters to life and amplified them to relatable, 3-D people who fall in love too hard & doubt themselves & lose parents & wish everything will be better someday- just like we do. And he shows us that things do get better and dreams do come true. He connects to the child in all of us that has limitless imagination and amazing faith in the world around us.

Gah, I'm getting so emotional right now. I could go on about this forever.

Even if you're a grinch and don't like Disney because you hate joy/imagination, or think the parks are too crowded, and think the overarching theme of "following your dreams" is cliche, you cannot doubt the talent and passion that is behind the scenes at Walt Disney.

Thanks for reading & remember,

"If you can dream it, you can do it. This all started with a mouse."

(This includes me dreaming that I can make it through finals)

~Beth