Walter Elias DisneyDisney has become a household name in American society, but most people are unaware of Walt Disney's struggles before becoming one of the most prominent and successful animators and directors of the twentieth century. Walt Disney is best known for his characters Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto, Goofy and Minnie Mouse, but his company can also be credited with successes such as the first fully synchronized sound film, "Steamboat Willie", the first animated color film, "Flowers and Trees,” and the first animated feature film, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” Walter Elias Disney was born on December 5, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois, to Elias Disney and Flora Call. Walt was the youngest of four boys before his younger sister was born. At the age of five he moved with his family from the city to a farm near Marceline, Missouri. Walt loved his years on the farm and his first drawings were of his beloved farm animals. Paper was scarce in Disney households, so Walt's original drawings were made on toilet paper, one of the reasons his early works were never preserved. About the time Walt was eight years old, his mother raised enough money to buy him a book for his drawings. Walt's father fell ill, and during Elias' convalescence, Disney's three youngest children, Flora and Elias, moved to Kansas City. To get more revenue, Elias forced Walt and his older brother and future partner Roy to deliver newspapers. Even though there was a ten-year age difference between Walt and Roy, the brothers always remained very close. After Roy ran away, the two youngest children and the Disney parents moved again, back to Chicago, where Walt became the junior editor of his school newspaper "The Voice". ..died of cancer on December 15, 1966, while Walt Disney World, Florida, was under construction. Walt saw his company achieve greatness, but never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined the legacy he would leave in this world. Today, the renamed Disney Company still produces animated feature films that children around the world enjoy, and trips to Disney theme parks have become pilgrimages for young and old alike. Works Cited: “Disney, Walt.” Encyclopedia Britannica. http://search.eb.com/eb/article?eu=31135Eliot, M., 1993: Walt Disney: The Dark Prince of Hollywood. Carol Publishing Group. New York, NY.Mosley, L., 1985: The World of Disney. Stein and Day Inc., New York, NY.Thomas, f. and O. Johnston, 1981: The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation. Hyperion, New York, NY."Chronology." http://disney.go.com/DisneyChannel/z4/TheMagicIsBorn/timeline.html