Who Was Walt Disney

Mickey Mouse was a great commercial success, but Walt was not satisfied: He was already thinking of creating something even bigger. He realized that animated productions of the time were all short, which made it difficult for them to tell a deep story. In fact, cartoons were usually episodic and full of slapstick humor.

Walt dreamed of making a feature-length animation, with a plot that included romance, drama, and excitement. This led to his conception of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. However, creating film like this was an enormous financial risk: Hand-drawn animation is extremely labor intensive, and to make an animated film as long and visually complex as Snow White required hundreds of artists producing over 250,000 drawings. To make Snow White a reality, Roy would have to borrow $1.5 million to pay for everything. If the film did not sell well, Walt Disney Studios would be bankrupt.

Walt, however, was not deterred. He deeply believed in Snow White’s potential to become a great success as the first of its kind. December 21, 1937, was opening night for Snow White. Many Hollywood stars flocked to Cathay Circle Theater in Los Angeles, and they left the movie theater deeply impressed with Snow White’s emotionally rich story and visual beauty.