Rumor: Was Walt Disney Spanish??

DisneyPrincess5

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Hi all :wave:

WOW have I got a good one for you!

In context today, my Spanish professor said that there has been a rumor for many years that Walt Disney was born in Spain as Jose Luis Girao and that he and his parents fled to the US when he was a young child.
His parents soon passed away and he was adopted by the Disney's and they changed his name.
He also said that there is no Spanish birth certificate for Disney because it was destroyed in a war.

I'll say...I've heard many a rumor about WDI, WDW and Disney himself, but never have I heard this before!!

What are your thoughts on this? True? Not true?
Does anyone have any solid info on this?
I did do a web search and there is some mention of this.

***Please do not attack me saying it's false like someone who I told today did to me...I'm not saying it's true or false...I don't know the answer!
 

a2grafix

Well-Known Member
Actually, during the development and partnership with the French Fifth Republic in the mid-1980s, it was learned that Walt Disney's ancestors actually came from Normandy, in northwestern France.

This is according to a 13 July 1993 Independent UK article by Gail Counsell, just after a year EuroDisney, nee Disneyland Paris, opened.

"Other inducements were subtler. French enthusiasm for the deal started at the very top, and Francois Mitterrand, the country's regal president, stooped to press the French cause personally. But what showed the French were serious about Euro Disney was their acceptance of a claim to French ancestry for the Disney patriarch.

"THE unlikely tale offered a double source of Gallic satisfaction, beginning as it did with the celebrated crushing of the English by the French in 1066.

"As the story goes, Guillaume de Normandie was ably assisted in this task by two French soldiers, Hugh d'Isigny and his son, Robert. Natives of the Normandy village of d'Isigny-sur-Mer, the d'Isignys decided to remain on English soil following the great victory over King Harold.

"Naturally, in the course of the next few dozen generations, the family name mutated into Disney. A brief sojourn in Ireland later, and Arundel and Robert Disney, Walt's forbears, embarked for New York. The year was 1834 and the rest, as they say, is history, albeit American not French."

I'm finishing up on my third French-German comparative politics term paper for my poly sci class this week about the immediate failure of EuroDisney and I stumbled upon this article dealing with the early years of the European-centered resort complex about an hour east of Paris. It's been a very interesting read on what took place and I hope that my prof digs it.

So, no Walt Disney's lineage does not go through Spain, but actually France, by way of Ireland.
 

MousDad

New Member
Man, I need to read Dark Prince. If the rest of the book is anything like Walt's birth, that's got to be some entertaining reading.
 

Lucky

Well-Known Member
The Normans were originally Vikings. So now we have Scandinavia, France, England, Ireland and the US as part of Walt's heritage. But no Spain.
 

Joseph

New Member
Walt Disney being Spanish

Ah okay for those that dont believe then you should read

Hollywoods Dark Prince". Also understand that Walt Disneys parents were not his biological and he was adopted..thus all the Disney story lines along that.

In the 1940's tabloids would always mention that Mr Disney had castillian (spanish) facial features which he did. He was very good friends with Salvador Dali and when asked if he was spanish he would always replyu with a smile...' Quien sabe"

His baptismal papers were taken in Mojacar Spain ..this is documented.

I would say for all those that doubt...read the book. Remember Spain is in Europe. So i would say to the girl that posted and the other...you are 100 % correct. Its hard to believe and digest at times. But truth was he was adopted..he himself even admitted to the fact that he could be spanish.

Once you read the book...see what he wrote and said, read articles and know the facts..then you determine.
 

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