Disney, Walt
Disney, Walt (1901–66),pioneer American animator, producer, entrepreneur, and founder of a media conglomerate. Perhaps the single most influential figure in American children's literature of the 20th century, Walt Disney set his personal stamp upon almost every classic story for children, simultaneously determining what was to become a classic and the way in which that classic was to be read. In fairy tales Disney harnessed wonder through animation, using it to create visual effects notable for their ingenuity while at the same time maintaining a securely middle‐American sensibility (see film and fairy tales).
Walt Disney himself embodied the fairy tale of the American Dream he so successfully marketed. He was the fourth of five children born to a struggling lower middle‐class family. Disney moved frequently during his childhood, his father Elias Disney endlessly seeking the financial security...
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