Everyone has heard of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Pluto. They are the inventions of Walt Disney, a talented screenwriter, filmmaker, voice actor, animator, and entrepreneur.

Walter Elias Disney was born in Chicago in 1901. During his lifetime, he created some of the most famous characters that have ever appeared on film. He is also the namesake for Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort theme parks in the United States, Japan, France, and China.

Disney began his career in Kansas City making short cartoons, but it wasn't long before his company went bankrupt. Afterward, he decided to set up a studio in the movie industry’s capital city—Hollywood, California.

Although his first Hollywood movies did not make much money, Disney refused to give up. In 1928, he created Mickey Mouse and a star was born. Mickey's first animated cartoon with sound was Steamboat Willie, and it was very successful. It was so popular that Walt Disney decided to use sound in all of his subsequent cartoons and movies. Disney himself did the voice of Mickey Mouse until 1947.

Walt Disney's animation company went on to make several masterpieces like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Bambi. In 1932, Walt Disney received a special Academy Award for creating Mickey Mouse. During his lifetime he received 59 Academy Award nominations and 26 Oscars. Many doubt that any other moviemaker will ever have as much influence as Walt Disney.

Walt Disney died of lung cancer on December 15, 1966, a few years before the opening of the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

Today, the company he cofounded, the Walt Disney Company, has annual revenues of over US$55 billion. It has become one of the most famous and profitable motion picture companies in the world.

It's hard to find someone who hasn't seen one of Walt Disney's movies or cartoons. His creativity and hard work have brought joy, fun, and laughter to children and adults everywhere.

每個人都聽過米老鼠、唐老鴨和布魯托，它們都是華特．迪士尼的創作。華特．迪士尼是一位有才幹的編劇家、導演兼製片人、配音員、動畫師和企業家。

華特．伊利亞斯．迪士尼在1901 年生於芝加哥。他一生中創造了不少影史最著名的角色。而迪士尼樂園和位於美國、日本、法國以及中國的迪士尼渡假主題樂園，都以他的名字命名。

迪士尼在堪薩斯市開創他的事業，製作了幾部卡通影片，但不久後公司就破產了。隨後，他決定在電影工業的首都──加州的好萊塢，成立一間電影製片廠。

雖然迪士尼的第一部電影並沒有大賣，但他不輕言放棄。1928 年，他創造了米老鼠，一個明星從此誕生了。米老鼠的首部有聲電影是《蒸汽船威利》，結果大受歡迎，也因此華特．迪士尼決定在他後續所有的卡通影片及電影中配上聲音。直到1947 年為止，他都親自為米老鼠配音。

華特．迪士尼的動畫公司接著創造出許多經典傑作，像是《白雪公主》，還有《小鹿斑比》。1932年，華特．迪士尼因為創造了米老鼠而獲得奧斯卡特別獎。他一生中獲得59次奧斯卡提名，贏得了26座獎。許多人懷疑是否還會有其他的電影製作人，可以像華特．迪士尼那樣具有影響力。

在佛羅里達州的迪士尼世界開幕前幾年，華特．迪士尼於1966 年12 月15 日死於肺癌。

如今，他所創辦的華特迪士尼公司，每年的收益超過550 億美金，成為全世界最有名、獲利最豐的電影公司。

很少有人沒看過迪士尼電影和卡通。他的創意與努力，為各地的小孩和大人帶來了許多的愉悅、歡樂與笑聲。