Missouri. In July of 1923, Walt boarded the California Limited train with only one shirt and change of underwear, and a head full of ideas. At first, he tried to get a job as a movie director in Hollywood, but the answer he got everywhere he went was ‘No opening!’” Mimi continued. “Believing he had nothing to lose, Walt decided to send one of his Alice in Cartoonland films to an important cartoon distributor in New York. She loved it so much that she asked Walt for six more! Walt then asked his brother Roy to handle the business end of their new company, the Disney Brothers Studio. Today, it has been renamed The Walt Disney Studio. “One day, the distributor in New York suggested that Walt create a series with a rabbit hero,” Mimi explained. “Walt worked extra hard to create his new character Oswald, who became a very popular cartoon. But then the distributor surprised Walt by offering him a lot less money for new cartoons then he was already getting paid. He told Walt that he would put him out of business if he didn’t agree. And since the distributor owned the rights to Oswald, Walt couldn’t fight back. That day, Walt vowed never to work for anyone else ever again,” Mimi said.
32