英语故事Walt Disney — Ruler of the Magic Kingdom独一无二的沃尔特迪斯尼Walt Disney — Ruler of the Magic KingdomDuring a 43-year Hollywood career, which spanned the development of the motion picture medium as a modern American art, Walter Elias Disney, a modern Aesop, established himself and his product as agenuine part of Americana. David Low, the late British political cartoonist, called Disney “the most significant figure in graphic arts since Leonardo da Vinci ”. A pioneerand innovator, and the possessor of one of the most fertile imaginations the world has ever known, Walt Disney, along withmembers of his staff, received more than 950 honors and citations from every nation in the world, including 48 Academy Awards and 7 Emmys in his lifetime. Walt Disney ’ s personalawards included honorary degrees from Harvard, Yale, the University of Southern California and UCLA; the PresidentialMedal of Freedom; France ’s Legion of Honor and Officerd’ Academie decorations; Thailand ’ s Order of the Crown;Brazil ’s Order of the Southern Cross; Mexico ’s Order of the Aztec Eagle; and the Showmanof the World Award from theNational Association of Theatre Owners.The creator of Mickey Mouse and founder of Disneylandand Walt Disney World was born in Chicago, Illinois, on December 5, 1901. His father, Elias Disney, was an Irish-Canadian. His mother, Flora Call Disney, was of German-American descent. Walt was one of five children, fourboys and a girl.Raised on a farm near Marceline, Missouri, Walt became interested in drawing at an early age, selling his first sketches to neighbors when he was only seven years old. At McKinley High School in Chicago, Disney divided his attentionbetween drawing and photography, contributing both to the school paper. At night he attended the Academy of Fine Arts.During the fall of 1918, Disney attempted to enlist for military service. Rejected because he was only 16 years of age, Walt joined the Red Cross and was sent overseas, where he spenta year driving an ambulance and chauffeuring Red Cross officials. His ambulance was covered from stem to stern, notwith stock camouflage, but with drawings and cartoons.After the war, Walt returned to Kansas City, where hebegan his career as an advertising cartoonist. Here, in 1920, he created and marketed his first original animated cartoons, and later perfected a new method for combining live-action and animation.In August of 1923, Walt Disney left Kansas City forHollywood with nothing but a few drawing materials, $40 in his pocket and a completed animated and live-action film. Walt ’ s brother, Roy O. Disney, was already in California, with animmense amount of sympathy and encouragement, and $250. Pooling their resources, they borrowed an additional $500, and constructed a camera stand in their uncle ’s garage. Soon, they received an order from New York for the first Alice Comedyfeaturette, and the brothers began their production operation in the rear of a Hollywood real estate office two blocks away.OnJuly 13, 1925, Walt married one of his first employees,Lillian Bounds, in Lewiston, Idaho. They were blessed with two daughters: Diane, married to Ron Miller, former president and chief executive officer of Walt Disney Productions; and SharonDisney Lund, who served as a member of Disney ’ s Board ofDirectors and passed away in 1993. The Millers have seven children and Mrs. Lund had three.Mickey Mouse was created in 1928, and his talents werefirst used in a silent cartoon entitled Plane Crazy. However, before the cartoon could be released, sound burst upon themotion picture screen. Thus Mickey made his screen debut in Steamboat Willie, the world ’ s first fully-synchronized sound cartoon, which premiered at the Colony Theatre in New York onNovember 18, 1928.Walt ’ s drive to perfect the art of animation was endless.Technicolor was introduced to animation during the production of his Silly Symphonies. In 1932, the film entitled Flowersand Trees won Walt the first of his 32 personal AcademyAwards.In 1937, he released The Old Mill, the first short subject to utilize the multiplane camera technique.OnDecember21 of that sameyear, SnowWhite and the Seven Dwarfs, the first full-length animated musical feature, premiered at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Los Angeles.Produced at the unheard cost of $1,499,000 during the depths of the Depression, the film is still accounted as one of the great feats and imperishable monuments of the motion pictureindustry. During the next five years, Walt completed such other full-length animated classics as Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo,and Bambi.In 1940, construction was completed on Disney ’s Burbank studio. The staff swelled to more than 1,000 artists, animators, story menand technicians. Disney ’ s 1945 fea。