The Walt Disney Company

Walt Disney is an entertainment company that deals with the production of varied works. It aims to manufacture and provide elements that are amusing, educating and comforting to individuals, mainly children (Wasko, 2016). Its unique commodities and services have garnered an array of clients globally. For instance, people universally travel to visit its parks, especially Disney world. It has provided job opportunities to a vast number of people and contributes to a large portion of government revenue (Glover, 2015). Hence, its benefits are evident in various sectors of the economy worldwide. The central segment of the company is the production of animations. Since it was initiated, it has substantially advanced due to significant innovations. The main contributor to the given specialty was the initiator of the company, Walt Elias Disney who was a creative entrepreneur (Mannheim, 2016). His resilience led to major discoveries in animation that led to positive implications on the subject.

Walt was an opportunistic and a very observant individual. When he moved to Los Angeles, he studied the cartoon market and realized he had to develop something unique to gain part of the market share and thus gain a competitive advantage over the prevailing rivals at that time. Therefore, his first major contribution was the discovery of how to incorporate live action into animation (Glover, 2015). The technique revolutionized the cartoon industry and led to advanced and more entertaining results. Before venturing into his own company, Walt tried to convince his boss to take up the idea, but he declined. Hence, he paved pay for more innovations as Walt worked hard to develop his works. The next major contribution to the animation world was in 1928. It entailed formulation of techniques that enabled animations to harmonize sound in the cartoons. Walt first tested the method in the Mickey Mouse caricature, and it turned out to be a big success. He was determined to escalate the accomplishment since he also voiced the Mickey Mouse characters. Moreover, through his distributor at that time, he was also able to add music to his cartoons. For instance, he used the discovery in other works other than for mickey mouse such as in 'The Three Little Pigs' (Wasko, 2016). The theme song of the animation produced favorable results which further increased Walt's motivation.

The next major Walt's contribution to animation was the implementation of the Technicolor innovation. Before 1931, when the discovery was made, animations used to be produced in black and white colors which were dull (Wasko, 2016). Hence the adding of hue to the cartoons increased life in them as they became more realistic. After the discovery, the company gained a high degree of competitive advantage over other similar company especially since Walt Disney obtained legal right to be the only firm using the technique for two years. One of the initial cartoons to utilize the Technicolor was the 'Flowers and Trees' which garnered vast viewership and fans. Moreover, the incorporation of human faces into the animation escalated its fame and won an award for best caricature. Disney then aspired to introduce chronological storytelling into his animations (Mannheim, 2016). The process would involve creating dramatical scenes that would be aired for a significant amount of time. His feature-length ambitions were met with negativity from those close to him such as his wife. Nevertheless, he was resilient and decided to implement his goal which proved to be highly rewarding. The first animation was the 'snow white and the seven dwarfs' which gained favorable reception among viewers (Jackson, 2017). Since then there have been arrays of feature-length creations that have even developed into sequels. Therefore, through not giving up, Disney depicted that innovation and success required hard work, resilience, and preparedness to take the risk.

Via his contributions in the animation discipline, Disney caused substantial effects on the subject up to contemporary periods. For instance, he had significant support in his work that enhanced the discovery and improvement of cartoons (Jackson, 2017). Therefore, he portrayed that teamwork was important and has influenced individuals to work harmoniously. Through group effort, there has been tremendous discoveries and improvements in the animation entertainment industry. Moreover, before joining the industry, there had been the production of mediocre caricatures since their manufacturing cost was low thus produced heightened profits (Glover, 2015). When he started producing his works, Disney was quality oriented, and he strived to produce the best by continuously improving the state of the animations. Consequently, he set standards in the field that have been followed since then. Furthermore, his works formed the foundation on what current animations are built on. The fairy tales and villains in stories, although in different techniques, are still evident in current works. His improvements in the sector further increased the market base for animations. High-quality cartoons were more alluring to not only kids but every age group (Jackson, 2017). It, therefore, escalated animation awareness globally. Hence, the fame has aided in the provision of incentives to expand production of caricatures and has further helped in fresh discoveries in the field.

Disney's feature-length animations with the incorporation of fairy telling influence children's lives globally (Jackson, 2017). They often look up to the characters as a basis of how their lives should be. Since they are influenced at a very young age, the effect of the animations is a controversial topic. Some people perceive it as a negative impact as they expose children to sensitive issues at a very young age. For instance, the deaths in the story may adversely affect the psychological conditions of the kids. Moreover, romance may sway children to engage in such activities at inappropriate times when they are too young. Kids further aspire to be as beautiful as the protagonists in the story such as snow white and to be as masculine as the male main character. When they grow contrary to their expectations, it may mess up their morale and self-confidence as the not looking individuals are often associated with the villains. On the other hand, the experiences and exposure kids get from the animations are abundantly beneficial. When they witness loss, kindness, sorrow, and happiness, they are prepared to face the unpredictable outcomes in life (Mannheim, 2016). Additionally, as the antagonist is often met with an undesirable outcome, animations may mold the character of the kids positively as they want to be linked with the heroes.

The synchronization of music in animations by Disney was the foundation of musical improvements in the field. For instance, it impacts the contemporary caricature musicals (Glover, 2015). Moreover, Walt's contribution to the animation field caused major developments in the technology in the discipline. For instance, the improvements of animation tables such as the utilization of Xerox enhanced time-saving and reduced vast labor amounts initially required (Wasko, 2016). Additionally, through his hard work, he continuously influences people in the animation industry not to give up. He is a symbol of success and a foundation of creativity for individuals in the field (Mannheim 2016). Consequently, through him, the discipline has significantly expanded universally with innovations that enable the works to look realistic thus attracting more audience. Similarly, through animation, he has impacted the whole entertainments and film industry positively. Many movies have been based on his storylines which turned out to be successful. For instance, the Star Wars movies have been produced over the years and have a huge fan base. He is a legend in the industry whose works will always be remembered and appreciated.

In conclusion, the founder of the Walt Disney was a hardworking and creative individual. He made animation discoveries such as the synchronization of music into the cartoons. Moreover, he made the first feature-length animation despite the reservations of the people close to him. He was a risk taker whose discoveries impacted and continue to affect the animation discipline positively. For instance, he is responsible for the wide awareness animation has globally. Though improvements in quality and general structure of his works, he was able to expand cartoon's fanbase across all age groups. Additionally, he set the standards in the contemporary caricature that aid guide professionals in the field. His determination to improve quality further aided discoveries that are used in other sectors of the film and entertainment industry. Furthermore, his storylines help in educating children and preparing them to face unpredictable life occurrences. His contributions have caused vast expansion of the animation field through inspiring people to produce better works since he proved that the industry is rewarding.

References

Glover, A. S. (2015). Cartoons & Counterculture. California State University, Northridge. Retrieved from: https://scholarworks.csun.edu/bitstream/handle/10211.3/140622/Glover.pdf?sequence=1

Jackson, K. M. (2017). Mickey Mouse: Emblem of the American Spirit: Music in Disney's Animated Features: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to The Jungle Book. The Journal of American Culture, 40(4), 422-424.

Mannheim, S. (2016). Walt Disney and the quest for community. Routledge.

Wasko, J. (2016). The Walt Disney Company. In Global Media Giants (pp. 25-39). Routledge.

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