I take exception to the assertion there was nothing extraordinary about Walt Disney, that he was just a man with a dream. He had a rare artistic talent and totally dedicated himself to make something of it. By the time he was 22 years old, he had moved from a safely established practice in Kansas City drawing cartoon art for advertisements to Hollywood to start his own business in cartoon shorts.
He was never content to settle for what was successful, but always pushed himself to the next level. At age 27, He created Mickey Mouse whose cartoons took the country by storm. In doing so, he was the first to put his cartoons to a fully synchronized sound track (Steamboat Willie) When he could have made a small fortune simply cranking out Mickey Mouse cartoons, he staked his all on an unheard of venture of making a full length animated film -Snow White. All the while, people around him tried to talk him out of it, to take the safe route.
With the success of Snow White, he expanded his film business. Before age 40, he'd built the Disney Studios in Burbank, employing 1,000 people. From there, Disneyland. From there, the thousands of acres in Florida. Right up until the time of his death, he pushed himself.
Walt Disney was a very extraordinary man.
Here is a link to his bio.
Walt Disney
