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Walt with Diane and Sharon

1933
DIANE AND SHARON
Walt always loved children, and in 1933, Lilly gave birth to a baby girl whom they named Diane Marie. Walt and Lilly wanted more children, but when Lilly's doctors advised against another pregnancy, they decided to adopt. In January, 1937, Diane got a baby sister named Sharon Mae. In this home movie clip, Walt proudly shows off his two young daughters. Naturally, the film is in color! (More about Diane and Sharon) To see the clip, choose either 56K modem or DSL/ISDN.

 

 

1936
"DISNEY'S FOLLY": "SNOW WHITE"
Buoyed by the success of the "natural" look of the Silly Symphonies, Walt set out on the biggest risk of his career: to make a feature-length cartoon in color and sound. Many Hollywood insiders didn't expect people to buy a movie ticket just to see a cartoon. They called the project "Disney's Folly." But Walt's instincts were right. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" was a huge success in its first release in 1937. (More about "Snow White") Walt received a special Academy Award® for "Snow White" in 1939. To see Shirley Temple present the award, choose either 56K modem or DSL/ISDN.

 

Elias and Flora's 50th Anniversary

1938
ELIAS AND FLORA'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY
Shortly after the successful launch of "Snow White," in January, 1938, the whole Disney family came together to celebrate Elias and Flora's 50th wedding anniversary. It was a wonderful party, and no one could foresee that later that year, Flora would be killed in her home by gas fumes from a malfunctioning furnace. Only Elias survived. (More about the death of Flora)

 

 

1940
"PINOCCHIO"
Many people expected Walt to capitalize on the success of "Snow White" by making a sequel using the same characters, but Walt always searched for new ideas. He put three new animated features in production: "Pinocchio," "Fantasia," and "Bambi." By the time "Pinocchio" entered the theaters, in February, 1940, World War II had started. People were worried about the future and less inclined to see a fairy-tale picture. In spite of its wonderful effects (made possible in part by the use of the multiplane camera), "Pinocchio" did not repeat the success of "Snow White" at the box office. (More about "Pinocchio")

 

Fantasia

1940
"FANTASIA"
"Fantasia" was Walt's most ambitious and experimental picture to date. The feature-length animated film, with music by the famous conductor Leopold Stokowski, sought to blend classical music with virtuoso animated imagery, such as a dinosaur-age battle accompanying Igor Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring," shown here. "Fantasia" was even produced with an early version of stereophonic sound. The end result was dazzling, but "Fantasia" lost money in theaters. Today, it is recognized as one of Walt's greatest masterpieces. (More about "Fantasia")


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