Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo and Bambi filmed during the Second World War, who had every chance to repeat the success of Snow White, did not bring Disney the expected profits. During the war the studio had to concentrate mainly on shooting propaganda and educational films for the military at the request of the U.S. State Department. But everything bad ever ends. By the beginning of the 50's Disney Company managed to return the foreign markets taken away from it by the war, and again began to shoot full-length films, including with the participation of live actors.
In 1954, the Disney Company began to produce TV programs, becoming one of the pioneers of first black-and-white and then color television in the United States. The first television hit from Disney was a series of Disneyland, which, several times changing the name, lasted on the screens of America for 29 years, and was shown exclusively in prime time. A year later, the famous Mickey Mouse Club debut took place, in which many future stars of the American show business made their first steps.
However, gradually Walt Disney's talent has become closely associated with the film and television business. His new field of activity was prompted by his father's experience. Walking with his daughters, Walt often went to zoos, carnivals and other entertainment activities. While the kids were riding the merry-go-rounds, Walt's father was patiently sitting on the bench waiting for his daughters to sober up. During these gatherings, he came to the conclusion that America is very much lacking a place where it would be interesting to spend time for both adults and children. And then Disney decided to create such a place himself.
Disneyland
The first Disneyland opened on July 17, 1955 in Anaheim, California, south of Los Angeles. It cost $17 million to build it, but very soon all the investments paid off tenfold. During the first 25 years of its existence, the park was visited by more than 200 million people. In 1983, Disneyland appeared in Tokyo, and in 1992 - in Paris.
At the opening of the park arrived 28 thousand people. And another ninety million viewers were able to see this grand celebration live. The opening ceremony of the first Disneyland on television was led by the future president of the United States actor Ronald Reagan. It was a completely original and unlike anything park, founded on four basic principles.
- The general idea is to restore the magical kingdom of Walt Disney's cartoons.
- Add to this a variety of new technical tricks that would give visitors the impression that they are, for example, sailing through the jungle, or seeing ghosts in front of them, or sitting in a submarine at the bottom of the sea.
- Exciting walks around the neighborhood with a special theme plan.
- The amusement park was supposed to be a resting place for the whole family, with special attention paid to safety, politeness and cleanliness.
California Institute of the Arts
The next major Disney project was the California Institute of Art, which was founded in 1961, near Los Angeles. Music, painting, theatre, sculpture, cinematography and fashion were studied here.
In 1963, Disney began to implement an even more ambitious idea - the so-called project of H. With the help of his people, he found a suitable plot of land in Florida and bought it in parts, hiding behind the names of fictitious companies (such precautions were taken to ensure that the owners of the land did not inflate the price of the plots). Eventually, the Walt Disney Company's property turned out to be a land parcel of two Manhattans. The construction of a new park, called The Walt Disney World, began here. It opened in October 1971 after Walt's death.
Walt Disney died on December 15, 1966 of lung cancer, leaving unembodied ideas, no less than the "city of the future" and "university for creative youth" - the name of Walt Disney.
"I do not create films just to earn money. I earn money to make films. Walt Disney, the man of the era.