From Being Rejected As A Soldier To Driving An Ambulance During World War I, Walt Disney Overcame His Failure To Become One Of The Most Influxntial People On Earth And The Owner Of ‘the Happiest Place On Earth

Walt Disney was born to Elias Disney and Flora Call in Chicago in 1901. He was born to a family of 5, with him being the 4th child with a little sister.

His father was a construction worker and, at the same time, a well-known disciplinarian. He’d beat Disney’s brothers, who happened to be paper boys, as he wished.

When Disney was 4, his family moved to Missouri in Marceline. Disney’s uncle Robert had just bought a farm there. And the whole family was there to work on the farm.

In Chicago, Disney would keep himself occupied with papers and drawing pens whenever his father was dishing out lashes to his brothers for some misconduct.

He would create amazing characters. He’d picture them in a world full of happiness, people laughing and celebrating—something missing in his family and his world.

Disney later developed a strong interest in his drawing. They always fascinate him. It was only when, in Missouri, he was paid to draw their neighbor’s horse – a retired doctor- that he took his talent seriously.

He’d later copy drawings from the front page of his father’s newspaper. Subtly, he developed an interest in working with watercolors and crayons.

This is where little Disney will find solace. He continued to perfect his drawings and went straight into turning them into cartoons.

A little touch of acquaintance significantly changed Disney’s perception of drawings. In 1911, the whole family moved again from Marceline to Kansas City.

Disney was enrolled in Benton Grammar School, where he met Walter Pfeiffer, who introduced him to the world of motion pictures. He’d spend hours at Pfeiffer’s than at home.

Stuck between school, opportunity, and his daily paper route, Disney’s grade at school dropped. His father did not care as long as Disney and his brother Roy made their paper runs on the streets of Kansas.

To pursue his dream as a cartoonist, Disney attended the Kansas institute of Arts on Saturdays.

As World War I looms, Disney’s family moved again to Chicago after his father had bought a stock at O-Zell, a jelly-producing company. Disney saw an opportunity that he could not miss. He enrolled at McKinley High School.

There he became the cartoonist for the school’s newspaper. He’d draw heroic cartoons about World War I. He thought that should be his contribution to the fight against the Germans.

But with time, he felt the urge to pick up a gun and fight for his country. He tried joining the U.S Army but was rejected because of his age.

Disney could not withstand this. Drawing patriotic cartoons wasn’t enough. So, he pushed further. He forged his birth certificate and joined the Red Cross in 1918, where he worked as an ambulance driver. He was posted to France in November.

There, he demonstrated his talent on the side of his ambulance and got some of his beautiful works published in the Army’s newspaper.

After his service in France in 1919, Disney returned to Kansas City. He got an apprenticeship at a commercial art studio. His job was to make creative illustrations for theaters and commercial advertising.

He met a fellow cartoonist, Ub Iwerks, at Pesmen-Rubin Commercial Art Studio, with whom they explored the world together.