You think there's only one person who made it all happen, but you always miss their partners. Yes, it is called the "Walt Disney" company, but it was actually co-founded by Walt and his older brother, Roy Disney. Though they were closely related and a business team, they had quite opposite personalities: "Walt was the inventive dreamer, Roy the financial wizard" (1). Inevitably, you wonder which is better: having optimistic creativity and big visions or a down-to-earth sense of what is physically possible? Though the Disney brothers had their arguments, they still greatly acknowledged each other. When Walt spoke publicly about his older brother, he admitted, "I still love him. I argue with him. Sometimes I think he's the stubbornest so-and-so I ever met in my life. But I don't know what the hell I'd do without him...he kept me on the straight and narrow" (5). The attitude contrast they had clearly did not affect how the two entrepreneurs climbed up to success.
I was very surprised at how far the Disney family was able to be traced back. Hughes d'Isigny fought with William the Conqueror to invade
England in 1066. While living in
England, the name was shortened to Disney, and 600 years later, they settled in
Ireland. Then in 1834, a branch of the family set sail for
New York. This action reminded me of how foreign people looked up to the
United States as an assurance for a better life. Elias Disney, Walt and
Roy's great-grandfather, definitely followed this statement, spending his lifetime "in a futile search for the bounty that
America promised" (7). A big family was raised, and eventually, Roy and Walt were born in the turn of the 20th century. All the kids remembered their father's harsh demeanor, and they all "yearned to become independent of their father's commanding ways and occasional switchings" (24). This was probably an incentive for Walt and Roy to start their own lives and create their company. The Disney brothers are a fine example that no matter what your history is, anyone can be successful.
~ Outside Reading #1
Thomas, Bob. Building a Company: Roy O. Disney and the Creation of an Entertainment Empire. New York: Hyperion, 1998.
6 comments:
This sounds like a very interesting book. It has a lot of things I didn't know about before like their history in England and Ireland. It's amazing how they were able to rise from very humble backgrounds to build such a huge company.
I agree with "ABC" that the Disney family's story sounds like a classic example of the American dream--Elias coming to the United States in search of a profit and having his grandsons create one of the most successful businesses in the country. I also think it's interesting that Roy was such a big part of the Walt Disney company, because he is never talked about. I wonder if he ever felt bitter or jealous about this lack of credit to him.
It is very interesting to learn about the Disney family, especially given how big their company is now. You never hear much about their family history so I never would of guessed their great grandfather would have just came searching for the American dream like thousands of others; I guess their family found it! I agree with Katherine about Roy, you would think he would be jealous for not being given nearly as much credit as his brother although he may not have wanted to be in the public eye.
I am reading about Robert Kennedy who also had a troubled relationship with his father. Instead of the disney's situation however, Kennedy's father paid no attention to Bobby, who had 7 other siblings. Bobby was constantly trying too get his attention, while the Disney's were trying to escape theie father's. But similarly, they both made something of their lives. I think the motivation to either prove something to their father or prove him wrong helped them both a lot.
This is very interesting, I never would have guessed that Walt Disney had a brother as a partner. You pose the question, which is better, having optimistic creativity and big visions or a down to earth sense. I would have to say that when it comes to starting a business it is better to be optimistic and have big visions.
I like how you show us the difference in personalities of the the two brothers, but I think that their personalities were the best combination for the big company they were going to start.
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