Who Was Walt Disney

Walt Disney is widely recognized as a pioneer of the animation industry, responsible for three major breakthroughs in traditional animation: the synching of sound, the introduction of color, and the lengthening of cartoons to accommodate emotionally complex storytelling. 

The first film with sound released in 1927, and barely a year later, Walt Disney Studios released the first Mickey Mouse short using this brand-new technology. Steamboat Willie was a tremendous success and the first step in making Mickey Mouse internationally famous. This early success established the Walt Disney brand as synonymous with novelty, as audiences sought out Disney productions not just for the stories and characters but also for the chance to see something that no one had seen before. In the book’s portrayal, this pursuit of the new is the single most defining feature of Walt’s career.

Because he was continually in pursuit of new things, Walt could never allow himself to rely on past successes. Even when a Disney character gained popularity, he was always chasing the next big thing. After incorporating sound, he knew that adding color would be the next big leap. As soon as he learned that a company called Technicolor was developing a technology that would add colors to films, he partnered with them to create colorized cartoons.