100 Years of Disney

We celebrate a couple of important anniversaries in this issue of Teen magazine – you’ll find the other one on page 8. In this article, we focus on the world’s most famous film and production company – The Walt Disney Company, which this year celebrates its 100th birthday.

Steamboat Willie

The first Disney character, created in 1928, was, famously, Mickey Mouse – originally known as Steamboat Willie. This cute mouse with the high voice became an instant hit in the new cinemas being opened up in the US and around the world. Did you know that Walt Disney was the first voice of Mickey Mouse? And did you also know that Mickey was inspired by the films and persona of Charlie Chaplin? Mickey is the archetypal* ‘nice guy’,

Happy Birthday

It’s hard to imagine what the world of entertainment was like 100 years ago, but it is perhaps easier to understand just how forward-thinking* Walt Disney was when he, and his brother, set up a small animation studio in California in 1923. There was literally nothing else like it, and even if you’re not a fan, it is hard to deny* how much influence Disney has had on global culture over the last one hundred years. In fact, there’s a good chance you’ve been influenced by Disney movies more than you realise. You might be interested to know that Walt won (22) and was nominated for (59) more Oscars than anyone else in the history of film.

who has adventures with his equally famous companions – Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy the dog. Mickey is the official Disney mascot* now. It’s impossible to imagine Disney without him.

Bambi and the First Disney Princess

Disney’s first full-length animation took its inspiration from the European fairy tale, Snow White. With memorable songs and iconic characters, but also some very

Disney have given us some memorable quotes over the years. Here are just a few.

“You must not let anyone define your limits because of where you come from. Your only limit is your soul.” — Gusteau, Ratatouille

“Life is a journey to be experienced, not a problem to be solved.” — Pooh, Winnie the Pooh

“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” — Walt Disney

Disney

To all who come to this happy place: welcome dark themes of betrayal* and cruelty, this 1937 film was a completely new form of entertainment for families to enjoy together. Dumbo, Bambi and Pinocchio soon followed but Cinderella didn’t appear until 1950. In fact, the Heroes and heroines

1950s were a golden era for Disney with hits such as Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan and Lady and the Tramp

Live-Action*

It’s tempting* to think of Disney as producing mainly animated movies, but in Disney Studios have created over 140 movies that have at least some live action. Think of Mary Poppins and 101 Dalmations, which were an innovative* mixture of animation and live action, or

Disney Quiz. Can you match each Disney hero or heroine with their enemy?

1. Peter Pan

2. Snow White

3. The Little Mermaid

4. Alice

5. Beauty

6. Simba

Baddies

A Ursula

B Gaston

C Scar

D Queen of Hearts

E Captain Hook

F Maleficent the Pirates of the Caribbean films and The Queen of Katwe, which were only live action. One of the secrets of Disney’s success, even after the death of its founder in 1966, was the ability to change with the times, and with the available technology.

Do you agree with the following statements?

Why/why not?

1. I like films to have a happy ending.

2. My favourite films are action adventures.

3. I prefer live action to animation, even if the animation is CGI.

4. I like movies that have a strong sense of right and wrong.

Re-makes

Besides expanding into superhero movies like the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Disney has been remaking its old classic animations as live-action movies, and replacing the animation with CGI. Most of these live-action remakes have been popular with the public. Over coming years watch out for live-action Snow White, Moana and Bambi

Cleaning up its Act*

Unsurprisingly, for one of the world’s biggest media corporations, Disney have come in for plenty of criticism over the years. Early female characters have been described as unrealistic and extremely sexist*, while non-white characters were often little more than unflattering* stereotypes. But Disney have tried to make amends*. From around 2016, Disney put out Moana, the story of a brave Hawaiian girl, where some of the characters even speak Hawaiian, the acclaimed The Queen of Katwe, and the hugely popular Black Panther, all examples of a more diverse, and inclusive, output. Thankfully, many of Disney’s female characters are also more realistic and interesting these days. They even create their own adventures and rescue themselves! And you, do you have a favourite Disney movie?

Glossary

forward-thinking: being aware of the future deny: (here) refuse to admit something is true archetypal: (here) original, first mascot: person/thing that brings good luck to an organisation betrayal: when someone you trust does something bad to you live action: (film) involving real people/animals tempting: something you want to do even if incorrect innovative: original and creative cleaning up its act: (idiom) behaving in a better way than before sexist: stereotype beliefs about someone because of their gender unflattering: that makes someone look unattractive make amends: do something to correct a previous mistake