Disney Research Paper: Overview

Taylor Adams Prof. C Comp. 1 7 November 2008 Disney “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them” (Disney). This famous quote was made by a enormous dreamer that has bridged the idea for one of the most successful companies in the world. Walt Disney, theme parks, movies, jobs, and many other attributes make up this gigantic company. Walter Elias Disney was born on December 5, 1901 in Chicago Illinois and died on December 15, 1966 in Los Angeles California. Walt’s father, Elias Disney, was an Irish-Canadian and his mother, Flora Call Disney, was German-American.
Disney was born into a family of five where he was one of the four boys and one girl. While Walt was being brought up on a farm he learned his interest in drawing. After this discovery he contributed to his school paper in Chicago with his artsy talents and during the night he attended the Academy of Fine Arts. During 1918 Disney enlisted in the military but was reject so then joined the Red Cross as an ambulance driver but never gave up his interest in drawing. When he returned to Kansas City he started his career as an advertising cartoonist where his business grew little by little.
On July 13, 1925 Walt married Lillian Bounds who was one of his employees. After their marriage they had two daughters, Diane and Sharron. Both of their daughter’s husbands where greatly involved with the Disney company, holding the positions of chief executive officer and a board of director. In 1928, Walt brought to life the most important character of the company Disney, Mickey Mouse. After Mickey was born opportunities broke out for everything. Walt Disney left the door open for billions of ideas that in turn making billions of families happy day in and day out around the globe.

The most entertaining idea of the Disney company for people of all ages to have a good time is at its theme parks. The first park that was opened in 1965 in Orlando Florida was called EPCOT, standing for Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow. This theme park is primarily based on all the different countries uniting together. When first walking into EPCOT a guest will see the favorite attraction, a huge white globe that looks like a golf ball, which inside is a ride that shows how our country have evolved. Around the lake in the back guests can visit different buildings which look like a guest is actually in the country.
The countries include Germany, China, Japan, America, Norway, France, Ireland, England, and Mexico. Other amusing rides that EPCOT holds are Mission Space, Test Track, Finding Nemo, and several more. Another one of the six theme parks in Orlando is Magic Kingdom which opened, October 1, 1971. This park includes the famous, Cinderella Castle where Mickey and his friends put on shows hourly and Tinker Bell, another famous character flies from the top to the ground while a spectacular fireworks show goes off. Attractions include Pirates of the Caribbean, Snow White, Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, and plenty of other forms of entertainment.
Hollywood Studios opened May 1, 1989. This film based theme park is any future directors dream palace or anyone else who wants to have a good time! Many attractions in this park are based on how Disney movies and shows are created. Guests can ride behind the scenes to see how these magical films come to life. The two biggest hit rides at Hollywood studios are Tower of Terror, which puts you in an elevator that brings you up several stories and drops you numerous times in the dark and Rockin Roller Coaster, which is based on the hit band Aerosmith.
While doing loops and drops at high speeds on the coaster there are built in speakers that play the band’s music the entire journey. The last theme park that is not a water park is Animal Kingdom, which was established on April 22, 1998. This favorite park is combined with different continents and based on animals. The zoo-like park has many different stops where you can see exotic animals. The new and biggest ride in Animal Kingdom is Mount Everest. Guests climb a huge hill while being chased by a yeti then fall backwards down it. Other enjoyable rides are the Kilimanjaro Safari and Dinosaur.
Then Orlando consists of two exhilarating water parks, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. Blizzard Beach is based on a snowed in ski resort that has many water rides and a lazy river. The highest ride is Summit Plummet which is a body slide that guest drop directly down on. Typhoon Lagoon also has tons of attractions but the wave pool is by far the biggest and strongest around. There is also Disney parks in Tokyo, France and Los Angeles California. “You’ve got a friend in me”(Toy Story)! The next contribution to the Disney company is its’ movies. Children all around the world grow up to Walt’s creations and themes.
In 1929, December 1, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was appeared in a theater in Los Angeles. People could not fabricate the fact that there was going to be a full fill that was animated and therefore had bad thoughts. Surprisingly it was a success. People were begging for more films. Hundreds of more films were made by the Disney company and still are going strong today. Some examples are The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, The Jungle Book, and Cinderella. All of these movies tell colorful stories to children with a moral in each. Disney movies can bring families together and keep children entertained if needed.
Either way of use, Disney movies are a huge part of the Disney Company. Disney movies are also tied into the theme parks. The rides are based on specific parts of special movies. “I would rather entertain and hope that people learned something than educate people and hope they were entertained”(Disney). “I’d say it’s been my biggest problem all my life… it’s money. It takes a lot of money to make these dreams come true” (Disney). How could this successful company run without it is workers? It simply could not. The workers of this company make the magic come true for Disney guests.
Opportunities for Disney jobs are sought after by many people. Various jobs are offered throughout the parks, hotels and shops that include but not limited to janitorial duties, merchandise sales, guest services, recreational workers, ride operators, bellman and valets. All employees are expected to smile and follow a specific dress code. Each specific job requires a certain outfit. Training for each job can be as short as a week and as long as a month depending on the field and difficulty. Disney is an equal opportunity employer and offer many benefits to its employees that many other businesses do not offer.
Disney is very focused on the safety of its guests. Every Disney employee must go through a safety orientation that lasts approximately eight hours. Disney is opened three hundred and sixty five days a year, so employees have the opportunity to make their own schedules and work as many hours as they need. If it was not for Walt Disney, millions of people would not have the pleasure of experiencing the magic. People have the opportunity of visiting the parks world-wide. Children and families have enjoyed the many Disney movies that have been made throughout the years whether they have visited the parks or not.
The magic is made possible by the many dedicated employees that care and follow Walt Disney’s standards. Everyone should have the chance of visiting a Disney park at least once in their lifetime. Works Cited Disney, Walt. ” Encyclop? dia Britannica. 2008. Encyclop? dia Britannica Online. 7  Nov. 2008 <hattp://search. eb. com/eb/article-9030635>. “Walt Disney. ” Biography. 7 Nov 2008 <http://www. norsknettskole. no/fag/ressurser/itstud/fuv/gunnargrodal/bio. htm>. Walt, Disney. Brainy Quotes. 28 September 2008. 7 November 2008. <http://www. brainyquote. com/quotes/authors/w/walt_disney. html>.