instead, and so the most popular cartoon character in history was born.
With his first sound cartoon, “Steamboat Willie starring Mickey Mouse,” Walt Disney
began to make a lot of money. He used it to hire the best animators and writers he could
find, and a string of classic characters followed - Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto, the Three
Little Pigs singing “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf,” and many more.
Disney and his team went on to revolutionize movies with the first full-length animated
feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, followed by a string of hit films that
continues to this day. Walt Disney was nominated for fifty-nine Oscars, and won twenty-
six of them (both record numbers); he also won seven Emmy Awards for his television
shows and specials.
One successful idea followed another, including theme parks Disneyland and Walt
Disney World - although Walt Disney died just before the second park was opened.
After his beginnings as a struggling young artist, Walt Disney ended his life with great
wealth, a world-wide reputation, and the satisfaction of bringing joy to millions of
children - all because of a mouse and the tenacity to hang on his dreams.
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