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Walt Disney: The Driving Force Behind Animation Innovation Sophia Johnson Senior Division Individual Performance Process Paper: 490 Words Walt Disney is someone I knew from a young age. I watched many of his movies and have been to his greatest creation five times. But I didn’t know how he got there. Or how many minds he blew in the process. This all changed one night in November. My Mom was reading a book to my brother and I was astonished to learn that Disney was responsible for the ideas that changed entertainment and amusement parks forever. That book was called, From an Idea to Disney: How Branding Made Disney a Household Name by Lowey Bundy Sichol. My idea would be Disney. It was decided, from then on my life revolved around Mr. Walter Elias Disney. Most of my research took place through the library. I started looking for primary sources, bibliographies, basic books, and drawings. But soon, I had to broaden my research so I went online and looked through local university libraries. I discovered another book, a primary source, full of drawings and images. As I continued to find more and more information, I decided that presenting on all Disney’s achievements was going to be way too much information. I committed to narrowing the scope to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Steamboat Willie. With these two innovations in mind, I dug deeper and deeper into each picture. My knowledge of Disney’s whole life and achievements helped me understand each source better. Finally, I arrived at the end of my journey. There is always more research that can be done but I had to focus on bringing it all together Performance was always my preferred category. It is where my strengths lie and what I have the most fun doing. I knew that I would be able to be the most creative using this format. I love performing and being in front of an audience is very exciting. Lastly, I choose performance because it is not selected by many people. I love a challenge as the result is more rewarding. Walt Disney was a man with a big imagination and even bigger dreams who never gave up. That imagination and spirit led him to break entertainment barriers with the first sound cartoon Steamboat Willie. Steamboat Willie was a result of Walt’s “Dream It, Do It” mindset. That mindset set him apart from his competitors. Producing a cartoon with full audio post-production sound was unheard of at the time. It was a technological barrier that was broken by an orchestra, hundreds of drawings, and a voice. As the first feature-full length animated picture, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs broke another animation barrier. By pushing the boundaries of what was technologically possible and ignoring doubters, Walter Elias Disney set himself apart and showed the world that animation could be, not only a cartoon but a movie. Through an endless imagination and years of hard work, Walt Disney changed entertainment history becoming the driving force behind animation innovation. Annotated Bibliography By Sophia Johnson Primary Sources Animations, Disney. “Commando Duck”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XVRR1F1DPA Accessed 17 December 2019 During World War II the Walt Disney Company made propaganda. This cartoon shows the public what the soldiers are going through and why you should be proud of them. The company worked to make these cartoons so that their company stayed profitable during the war. Animations, Disney. “De Fuehrer’s Face”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L90smU0SOcQ Accessed 17 December 2019 This video is a propaganda film from WWll in which Donald Duck has a bad dream about being a Nazi. When he wakes up, he is glad to be an American and that his bad dream could not come true. The cartoon is meant to spark patriotism in Americans. The Disney company made numerous cartoons like this one during the war. Animations, Disney. “Donald Duck gets Drafted” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDDvpTMABOQ Accessed 17 December 2019 Starring Donald Duck, this video is the first of a few propaganda cartoons. Donald gets drafted and is very glad to help serve his country. It’s meant to make men feel like if they are drafted, they should feel blessed to be able to serve their country. Archives, Disney. Selected Disney Bibliography. Accessed 7 January 2020 This PDF was sent to me by an archivist from the Disney Archives. It is a list of Disney resources. I used this to aid and assist my research. Archives, Disney. Walt Disney, A Biography. Accessed 7 January 2020 This PDF includes a biography of Disney’s life and the many awards he won. This was also sent by an archivist from the Disney Archives. I used this to gain more information on Disney’s life from another source. Archives, Disney. History of the Walt Disney Company. Accessed 7 January 2020 From its humble beginnings to the empire it is today, this PDF has a detailed history of the Walt Disney Company. This PDF was also sent by an archivist from the Disney Archives. I used this PDF to gather information not only about Disney but also about the history of the company he started. Authors, Walt Disney Family Museum. A Brief Biography of Walt Disney. Accessed 12 January 2020 A detailed biography of Walt Disney and his rise to fame is included in this PDF. Jenna L’Italien Uppal, a correspondent from the education department of the Walt Disney Family Museum sent this document. This PDF was used to gather additional information from another source. Barrier, Michael. The Animated Man: A life of Walt Disney. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2007 Information about the first performance of Steamboat Willie for the wives and girlfriends of the staff provided insight into the production of Disney’s first sound cartoon. I used this knowledge to bring authenticity to my performance as Walt Disney. Disney, Walt. “Walt Disney Interview” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7c5EZwZLFA Accessed 19 January 2020 This video is an interview with Walt Disney. I used it to understand how he spoke to make my performance historically correct and more authentic. Editors, D23, Disney History. d23.com/disney-history/ Accessed 15 December 2019 As the archive site, this contains a detailed history of the Walt Disney Company. Portraying Walt Disney’s rise from the ashes to make an empire. Editors, Walt Disney Company. Contact Us thewaltdisneycompany.com/contact-us/ Accessed 23 December 2019 This site contains links to contact the Archives and Student Research Resources. I used this link to send an email to the Archives to try to secure an interview. Finch, Christoper. The Art of Walt Disney: From Mickey Mouse to the Magic Kingdom. New York: Harry N Abrams, INC, 1995 This book is based on hundreds of interviews with Disney Cast members. It contains more than 800 of their illustrations. Information about how Steamboat Willie and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs affected the future of animation was provided in this book. Gabler, Neal. The Triumph of American Imagination: Walt Disney. New York: Alfred A Knopf 2006. A biography of Disney gives a complete view of his life. It describes how he got into the animation and entertainment business. It is one of the most accurate portrayals as Gabler was given complete access to the Disney Archives. Lasseter, John. Walt Disney Animation Studios, The Archive Series: Story New York: Disney Editions, 2008 This book has many of Disney’s cartoonists drawings. It also details how storyboards were invented and used by Walt Disney and his company. Lasseter, John, Walt Disney Animation Studios, The Archive Series, Animation. New York: Disney Editions, 2009 Principally this book contains stage one animation drawings. It contains a small number of words and information about the author and how he got the information. The author was an employee of the Archives and really enjoyed watching the drawings come to life. Many of the drawings used on my backdrop come from this book. Smith, Dave. Steamboat Willie. http://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation- board/documents/steamboat_willie.pdf Accessed 20 December 2019 Written by the chief archivist Dave Smith, this site tells about Steamboat Willie and the creative process. It describes to the readers the orchestra’s involvement in the production. It also mentions that Disney could be credited with creating the first metronome. Thomas, Bob. Walt Disney: An American Original. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1976 Bob Thomas gives an expert look at Walt Disney. He interviewed Disney many times during his life. The book describes how Walt Disney rose to fame and how his early failures lead him to entertainment success. Secondary Sources Authors, Cincinnati. Enquirer Artist Influenced Walt Disney. cincinnati.com/story/news/2014/03/19/enquirer-artist-influenced-walt-disney/6608049. Accessed 12 December 2019 The cartoonist Winsor McCay influenced and inspired Walt Disney to become an animator. Disney paid homage to him during his television series. Authors, Disney, Walt Disney Timeline. https://www.waltdisney.org/sites/default/files/Walt%20Disney%20Timeline_0.pdf. Accessed 21 December 2019 A complete timeline of Disney’s life and business until his death in 1966 is the purpose of this site. Barbieri, Andy, Movie Poster Art: Snow White and The Seven Dwarves (1937) https://geekynerfherder.blogspot.com/2012/05/movie-poster-art-snow-white-and-seven.html. Accessed 19 January 2020 This is the source of the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs poster on the backdrop. Cinema, One Hundred Years. “1928: Steamboat Willie- the surprising origin of Mickey Mouse”.