Walt Disney was born in Chicago, but he grew up on a farm in Missouri. In 1917 he returned to Chicago to attend art school. In 1923, after finishing his studies, he moved to Los Angeles, where he opened a studio and experimented with drawing moving cartoons. In 1928 he introduced his most famous character, Mickey Mouse, in Steamboat Willie, the first cartoon with sound. From 1929 until 1939 he produced a series of full-color cartoons introducing Donald Duck, Goofy, and other popular characters. In 1937 he risked all his money on the first full-length cartoon film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which enjoyed tremendous success. Disney produced many other cartoon films, including Pinocchio (1940), Bambi (1942), Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951), Peter Pan (1953), and Sleeping Beauty (1959). During World War II, Disney made training films for the government. Later in his career, he made movies with live actors, including Treasure Island (1950) and Mary Poppins (1964). In the 1950s Disney expanded into television and amusement parks, opening Disneyland in California in 1955. After his death in 1966, other amusement parks featuring Disney’s characters were built in Florida (1971), Tokyo (1983), and Paris (1992).
