25 facts about Walt Disney that even the biggest fans don't know

Frank Olito,Mykenna ManieceJun 8, 2024, 20:16 IST

Walt Disney with a Donald Duck toy reading "Alice in Wonderland" in 1951.© Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

Walt Disney was born more than 120 years ago, on December 5, 1901.
He is remembered as one of the most legendary figures in entertainment history.

Walt Disney is one of the most legendary Americans in entertainment history.

A century ago, Walter "Walt" Disney and his brother, Roy Disney, co-founded Walt Disney Productions, which became one of the most well-known and revered motion-picture production companies in the world.

The innovative motion-picture animator and television producer created the beloved cartoon character of Mickey Mouse, won 22 Academy Awards during his lifetime, and was the founder of amusement parks Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

Here are 25 things about Walt Disney that even the biggest Disney fans might not know.

Joanna Fantozzi and Melissa Wells contributed to an earlier version of this report.

Walt Disney was born in 1901 on the second floor of a wooden cottage designed and built by his parents in Chicago.

Walt Disney's childhood home pictured in 2014.Christina Horsten/picture alliance via Getty Images

Walt Disney once played Peter Pan in a school play.

A production of Peter Pan.NICOLAS MAETERLINCK/Getty Images

Disney was a high school dropout, though.

Walt Disney decided to enlist in the army instead of finishing high school.Hulton Archive/Stringer/Getty Images

Before founding his studio, Disney got a job as an artist for a Kansas City advertising agency.

Walt Disney at work at his drawing board.Bettmann/Getty Images

Walt Disney's first animation studio went bankrupt in less than a year.

Disney's first studio was a failure.Bettmann/Getty Images

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was Disney's first cartoon, not Mickey Mouse.

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.LMPC/Getty Images

Mickey Mouse was originally called Mortimer Mouse until Walt's wife, Lillian, convinced him to change it.

Mickey Mouse wasn't his original name.Henry Guttmann/Stringer/Getty Images

Walt Disney did not actually design the final version of Mickey Mouse.

Walt Disney drawing a sketch of Mickey Mouse.Hulton Archive/Stringer/Getty Images

But he did voice the iconic character for two decades.

Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse.General Photographic Agency/Getty Images

At one time, Disney was the only person who was allowed to make a cartoon in full Technicolor.

Mickey Mouse poster circa 1930s.LMPC via Getty Images

Disney was laughed at for wanting to create a feature-length animated film.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs lobbycard from 1937.LMPC/Contributor/LMPC via Getty Images

The tables soon turned — Walt Disney still holds the record for most Academy Award wins ever.

Walt Disney's eight Oscar statuettes.David McNew/GettyImages

Disney's success allowed him to buy a house for his parents, but he was guilt-ridden when his mother later died of carbon-monoxide poisoning in that house.

Walt Disney's mother and father.Apic/Getty Images

Disney worked for the United States government during World War II to create propaganda cartoons.

"The Spirit of '43" cartoon starring Donald Duck.Walt Disney Studios

He was also an outspoken opponent of communism during the Cold War's Red Scare.

Walt Disney is shown as he told the House Un-American Activities Committee that communists "once, took over my studio."Bettmann/Getty Images

Walt Disney received a Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Disney won many accolades.Archivio Cameraphoto Epoche/Getty Images

Walt Disney was fascinated with trains for most of his life.

Walt Disney drives a miniature railroad with a line of passengers behind him at his home.Gene Lester/Archive Photos/Getty Images

Walt Disney thought of the idea of Disneyland while sitting on a park bench watching his daughters ride a merry-go-round.

The merry-go-round at Griffith Park.AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/Getty Images

Walt Disney bought the land that would become Disney World under several fake names to keep his identity secret.

Statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse at Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Florida.Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

He based the design of Main Street, USA, off the main street in his hometown in Missouri.

Main Street, USA.AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/Getty Images

Walt Disney had a secret apartment above the firehouse on Main Street.

Main Street, USA.Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Disney invented audio-animatronics, and the first was on display at the 1964 World's Fair.

Animatronics figure of Abraham Lincoln.Don Kelsen/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Walt Disney's housekeeper, whom he called the "real-life Mary Poppins," died a multimillionaire thanks to the stocks he gave her every year.

Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins.Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images

He came close to opening a major ski resort.

Walt Disney uses a baton to point to sketches of Disneyland.Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Contrary to popular belief, Disney was not cryogenically frozen.

Walt Disney rode proudly on January 1, 1966, as Grand Marshal of the Rose Parade with Mickey Mouse.Bettmann/Getty Images

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