The movie empire of Walter Elias Disney that brought us Mickey Mouse and hundreds of other characters continues to be a major Hollywood presence today.
I like Mickey Mouse!
The Disney movie legacy began in 1923 when a young Walt Disney and fellow animator Ub Iwerks developed the Alice Comedies, about a real child’s adventures among animated characters. After the rights to their next successful character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, were stolen in 1928, Walt Disney began doodling on a piece of paper, unintentionally creating the soon-to-be-famous mouse -- whom Walt originally named Mortimer.
The animation duo, backed by Walt’s brother Roy Disney, produced two unsuccessful Mickey Mouse cartoons; they then added sound to a third: Steam Boat Willie, in which Mickey won the hearts of the movie-going public in this first-ever synchronized sound cartoon.
Animated Disney Movies
In 1932, another pioneering Disney production, Flowers and Trees, was the first color cartoon, and the short feature became the first cartoon to win an Oscar award. The next year, The Three Little Pigs came out, and four years later, the full-length feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs won a total of eight Oscars.
In quick succession came Pinocchio, Dumbo and Bambi. In later years, The Lady and the Tramp, 101 Dalmations, Toy Story and Wall-E would join the growing roster of animated Disney films. Today, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid rank as the three all-time favorites, based on a Disney poll.
In 1991, Disney began a business relationship with Pixar Animation Studios to develop computer animated films, which resulted in “Toy Story,” “Cars” and many other films. In 2006, Pixar became a subsidiary of Disney.
Non-Animated Disney Movies
In 1950, Disney began producing live-action films, the first of which was Treasure Island. Sports were incorporated into Disney’s live-action films, with favorites like the hockey-themed The Mighty Ducks and basketball-inspired tales such as Air Bud and Full Court Miracle.
Disney fans now rate Mary Poppins, Enchanted and Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl as the best non-animated films of all time.
For his animated and non-animated films, Walt Disney won 32 Oscars, more than any other nominee. In his lifetime, Disney took home dozens of other coveted industry prizes from the Golden Globes, New York Film Critics Circle and Berlin International Film Festival.
Careers Launched by Disney Movies
Mickey Mouse and his animated friends weren’t the only stars to come out of Disney films. The careers of many actors were also born at Disney Studios, owned by the Walt Disney Company.
One of Disney’s best-known child stars -- who continued a film career as an adult -- is Hayley Mills. Her debut at 12 years old in Pollyanna along with her aunt Juliet Mills earned her an Academy Award. Soon after, she was cast as twins in The Parent Trap, which featured her cover of Let’s Get Together. The song hit No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Those successes were quickly followed by Summer Magic and That Darn Cat!
Mills’ duel role in The Parent Trap was reprised in 1998 by Lindsay Lohan, who went on to also remake Jodie Foster’s 1976 Disney hit Freaky Friday in which she played a teenager who switches bodies with her mother. Lohan’s career took off in earnest with the 2004 non-Disney release of Mean Girls, and she returned to Disney Studios for Herbie: Fully Loaded, a sequel to The Love Bug.
Controversies
Disney movie lore is not without controversy. What some claim as obvious and others see as contrived interpretations are subliminal messages allegedly contained in Disney films. The most well-known message is found in The Lion King, in which clouds are said to spell out the word “sex.”
The recurring theme of motherless children in Disney films (Dumbo, Bambi, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, to name a few) is criticized by some, but explained by others as also being a common theme in literature.
Disney Studios faced charges of racism for its 1946 film Song of the South, a movie that portrayed a historically inaccurate, idyllic master-slave relationship. These charges resurfaced in 2007 when Disney considered re-releasing the movie on DVD. It remains one of the few Disney films not available for home-viewing.
Upcoming Disney Movies
The Disney movie juggernaut continues as the studio works on upcoming films including several Pixar releases.
Toy Story 3 is expected to be out in August 2010, followed in December by Rapunzel. Cars 2 is planned for summer 2012 and King of the Elves for December of that same year.
Related Disney Movies Resources
About.com Animation: The Walt Disney Company [1]
About.com Hollywood Movies: Freaky Friday [2]
About.com Classic Films: Hayley Mills in Classic Disney Films [3]
About.com Hollywood Movies: Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005) [4]
About.com Inventors: History of Mickey Mouse [5]
About.com Classic Movies: The Last of the Great Old Disney Animators Passes On: Ollie Johnston [6]
About.com Collectibles: Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse [7]
About.com DVD: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs DVD [8]
About.com Florida Travel: Walt Disney: Did You Know? [9]
About.com Hollywood Movies: Pixar and Disney Reveal Their Upcoming Movies [10]
Cinematical.com: Disney Strongly Considering Releasing Controversial Song of the South [11]
DisneyClips.com: Walt Disney [12]
Disney Movie Club: Official Website [13]
Disney Movie Guide: Animated Disney Movies [14]
Disney Movie Guide: Best Disney Movies [15]
Disney Movie Guide: Best Animated Disney Movies [16]
Disney Movie Guide: Disney Channel Movies [17]
Disney Movie Guide: Top 15 Dog Movies by Disney [18]
Disney Movie Guide: Disney Movies Guide [19]
Disney Movie Guide: Best Animated Disney Movies [20]
Disney Movie Guide: Best Disney Sports Movies [21]
DisneyShorts.org: Three Little Pigs [22]
Disney.com: Flowers and Trees [23]
Disney.com: Roy E. Disney [24]
Disney.com: Characters [25]
IMDb: Awards for Walt Disney [26]
IMDb: Treasure Island [27]
Mickey News: Disney History [28]
Movie Land Pro: Does Disney Really Use Subliminal Messages? [29]
Pixar: Corporate Overview [30]
Studio Services: The Walt Disney Studios History [31]
Disney.com: Walt Disney Company [32]
Disney.com: Walt Disney Pictures [33]
WDW Magic Forums: Why do Disney Movie's seem to have Single Parents? [34]