The Life of Walt Disney

By, Lauren Burns

    “You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”(6) On December 5, 1901, a star was born, Walt Disney. (1)  Even at a young age Walt had always been interested in drawing and art. (2) Farm life was a bit boring so Walt would scurry over to his neighbor’s farm and draw pictures of their horses, but he drew them like cartoons.(7) In high school Walt took many drawing classes and photography.(1)

Drawing didn’t clinch it for Walt; he decided to drop out of high school and enlist in the army.(7) Unfortunately, Walt was underage so the army kicked him out. What a sad day, but then things looked up for him!(1) Instead, Walt worked for the Red Cross and was sent to France to drive an ambulance. (7) Bored with this, he started working for Kansas City Film Ad Company; there he met a man named Fred Harman.(1)

Fred and Walt  decided to start a cartoon called Laugh-O-Grams which turned out to be extremely popular.(1) Sadly, like all good things, it had to come to an end. Walt had gotten into so much debt that he had to sell the studio.(1)

Still interested in cartoons, Disney pooled his money with his brother Roy and they left to Hollywood.(5) They created a television show called Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and contracted about $1,500 each.(1) While working on Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Walt hired a girl named Lillian Bands. He later married her.(5) Lillian and Walt had two girls named Diane and Sharon.(8)

However the glory days of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit soon ended; one of Walt’s employees stole the rights for Oswald.(3) But thankfully, Walt had a backup plan. He had been working on a new character. You probably know him, Mickey Mouse! Very soon after, Walt starred Mickey in a show called Steamboat Willie. In fact, Mickey Mouse was so popular that Walt created a Mickey Mouse Club show which became very popular.(3)

Then it happened, Walt made his first full-length movie; Snow White! When Snow White first debuted, it won eight million dollars and to the present day it has won 1,499 million dollars and eight oscars!(2)(1) After Snow White debuted, Walt created another show called Dumbo; which was also extremely popular.(2)

    Walt Disney also did a lot more than make movies. Walt  helped establish California Institute of Arts.(2) Another one of Walt’s great interests were theme parks. So, the Walt Disney Company decided to make a theme park!(7)  Therefore Disneyland was born. Disneyland is located in several places including Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong, and California.(5)  Each one of those places are extremely fun and a main attraction.

    Walt Disney died on December 15, 1966 in California from lung cancer.(1) By the time Disney died, he had 493 short subjects, 47 live action films,  330 hours of Mickey Mouse Club, and 280 other television shows.(5) As you can see Disney had his ups and downs in life, but he persevered. He changed life as we know it, without him the world would be a much different place. “ When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable.”(6)

   

Works Cited Page

"Walt Disney Biography." Bio. N.p., n.d. Web.

http://www.biography.com/people/walt-disney-9275533

"Walt Disney: Long Biography." Walt Disney: Long Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2015.

http://www.justdisney.com/walt_disney/biography/long_bio.html

   

"Walt Disney's Life." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2015.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/walt-disney/timeline/

2015 The New York Times Company, n.d. Web.

http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/87871/Walt-Disney/biography

"Walt Disney Biography." - Life, Family, Children, Name, Story, Death, History, Wife, School, Information, Born, Contract. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2015.    

http://www.notablebiographies.com/De-Du/Disney-Walt.html

"Walt Disney Quotes." BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2015.

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/w/walt_disney.html

"31 Surprising Facts About Walt Disney." Inc.com. N.p., 29 Apr. 2015. Web. 11 Dec. 2015.

http://www.inc.com/larry-kim/31-surprising-facts-about-walt-disney.html

"Walt Disney." Famous Birthdays. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2016.

http://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/walt-disney.html

Walt Disney

By Alyssa Weil

    “Laughter is timeless; imagination has no age; and dreams are forever.” Walt Disney was born in Hermosa, Illinois on December 5, 1901.(1) In his lifetime, he originated and directed 12 classic movies, won 22 Academy Awards, established two well known amusement parks; Disneyland and Disney World, and inspired millions of people.

    Even at a young age, Disney had a strong creativity pallet, and put it to use in drawings, photography, and cartoons. He would spend most of his time doodling instead of doing his schoolwork, so at age 19, he enlisted in the army to put him to work, but was underage so he was kicked out. (1) Disney soon found a job at a cartoon company which was where his whole career took off.(1) There he created his own tv show, “Laugh-o-Grams”, which was a big hit, but unfortunately, the small company was shut down because of financial debt.(2) Disney did not let this get in his way, so he and his brother, Roy, formed his own Disney Studios, and they created short animated cartoons, movies, and the still famous character, Mickey Mouse. “I hope we never lose sight of one thing; it was all started by a mouse” -Disney. (6)

    Disney’s first movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves was released in 1938, and was the biggest hit of the year. (4) After this movie was produced, Disney became one of the most renowned names around since Snow White and the Seven Dwarves was the first ever full-length animated movie. (4) This was a huge accomplishment for Disney, and he was motivated to create more films, which included Cinderella, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, Treasure Island, Sleeping Beauty, and 101 Dalmations. The total of Academy Awards Disney’s movies won holds the all time record, as he was nominated 59 times and won 22 of them. (5)

    One of Disney’s best ideas was to create a theme park that has rides inspired by his movies and cartoons. The $17 million amusement park (Disneyland) was constructed in Anaheim, California in the year 1955. (2) Rides, special events, and more were featured at Disneyland, and were all based on his own characters. However, the theme park opening day didn’t turn out as he wanted, because food and water ran out, the restrooms didn’t work, and some of the most attracting rides broke down.(1) Disney and his staff quickly bounced back, and pretty soon, Disneyland was given the name “The Happiest Place on Earth.”  "You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality," -Disney. (7) Since Disneyland was such a big hit, Walt wanted to expand his park and began the construction for another location. DisneyWorld is located in Bay Lake, Florida and is a lot like Disneyland, but contains more complex rides and is much larger. (2) Today, there are six Disney parks which are in Tokyo, Hawaii, China, Paris, and California and Florida.

    Everything comes to an end, and Disney passed away from lung cancer December 16, 1955. To this day his products, movies, and theme parks are very popular, and will live on for centuries. (1) “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them. It's kind of fun to do the impossible. The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing”-Disney. (7) A few setbacks in his early career didn’t give him second thoughts about pursuing his ambition; and you should do the same.

Work Cited Page

"Walt Disney Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television,

2 Dec. 2014. Web. 05 Dec. 2015.

<http://www.biography.com/people/walt-disney-9275533>.    

  TFP. "Walt Disney Biography." Walt Disney Accomplishments. TFP,

33 July 2013. Web. 05 Dec. 2015. <http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/walter-elias-disney-3151.php>.

"How Disney Changed History." Welcome to Walt Disney.

Students, n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2015. <http://waltdisneyhistoryfair.weebly.com/how-disney-changed-history.html>.

Imdb. "Walt Disney's Movies." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web.

    24 February 2014. 05 Dec. 2015.

<http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000370/bio>.

"Walt Disney’s Awards." IMDb. IMDb.com,

16 Oct. 2015. Web. 05 Dec. 2015.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000370/awards

All about me

Jaden E

   Hey guys and girls, my name is Jaden E and I am 12 years old. My birthday is Oct.10 and I was born in the year of 2003. I was adopted from China when I was fourteen months old and now I love living in Co. I have two older brothers Colton who is 19 and Jensen who 17  they are attending front range, my mom stays home while my dad works at Xcel energy. I also, have the best dog in the world named Misty. I love drama, music, dance, directing, singing, football, friends , family, nature, and crime. When I grow up I would love to be a professional actress or a choreographer for movies or plays. I also love having fun with my friends, going on scary rides, having a sleepover , and jumping on my trampoline :) I attended  3 schools including a homeschool program:) I love my new school. Everyone is so nice, and the teachers are great:)  If you are wondering what kind of person I am I will probably say I’m, crazy, dorky, fun,  fashionable, nice, generous, understanding, and a tiny bit of a tomboy , and a great friend:)

Paper Towns Movie Review

By Alyssa Weil
What would you do if your best friend went missing for over a week? Well that’s what Quentin experienced with his friend Margo in the mystery/ young romance movie Paper Towns. In Paper Towns, Margo plays an all-nighter revenge prank on her friends and asks Quentin to assist; the prank goes well but the next day, Margo goes missing. Quentin makes it his mission to locate Margo, so he and his friends journey up the east coast, led by clues Margo has left behind to find her. Overall, I thought it was an excellent, high spirited movie for lots of reasons.

Let’s start with the characters; the actors really get into their characters; Margo (Cara Delevingne) is a mysterious daredevil, but still has a certain charm about her that makes her one of the popular girls that every guy likes. “What’s the point of being alive if you don’t even try to do something remarkable?” Margo says to Q.  Margo also loves traveling and we can see from the movie that she does it unexpectedly, "I'm in love with places I’ve never been to and people I’ve never met.” On the other hand, Quentin (Nat Wolff) is nerdy and conservative (don’t worry, he comes around) since he is always questioning “Are you sure we should be doing this?” about Margo’s ideas. But, his nerdiness comes to good use when he’s deciphering Margo’s clues. Also, the rest of the characters are fully developed, especially Quentin’s comical and geeky friends, Radar and Ben, and Margo’s friend Lacey who assists Quentin in their search for Margo. Each character has their own personality, which is something I found entertaining.

Another reason why I enjoyed this movie is how the story follows the plot line really well. At the beginning of the movie Quentin and Margo are 11 years old when they meet. The two kids get along, but go along different ways and barely see each other for the next seven years. The movie then fast-forwards to when they're 18, and they meet up again for the prank. The rising action would be the intense search for Margo. During Quentin’s road trip throughout Florida with Radar, Ben, and Lacey, they find subtle clues and riddles Margo has left behind that they must unravel.

My final reason why I found Paper Towns entertaining is that it brings out your emotions. When Margo goes missing, it makes you wonder “What would happen if my sibling, friend, or child went missing?” Margo’s family didn’t think much of her disappearance, “It’s just her way of getting attention; she’ll come back eventually,” her mother assures the police. Quentin and Lacey are the only ones who are worried about Margo and make the effort to find her. Paper Towns will keep you laughing when Margo plays the prank on her friends, chewing your nails and you’ll be on the edge of your seat during some intense parts of this movie.

Overall, Paper Towns is a high quality, attention grabbing movie because the characters were well developed, the plot followed the plot line, and it brings out emotions. If you enjoy mystery/ romance movies, I would definitely recommend that you watch Paper Towns today!

Paper Towns

Would you ever leave your home to find your best friend? That’s what Quentin did with his friend Margo in the book Paper Towns.  In this book Margo Roth Spiegelman plans an all-nighter revenge plot and asks, old friend, Quentin to help.  The revenge plot goes well but the next day she goes missing, so Quentin goes on a mission to find Margo, following the mysterious clues she leaves behind.  Quentin and his friends travel up the east coast to find where Margo and her secrets might be hiding.  I thought this was an amazing and fun book for many reasons.

Let’s start with the characters.  The author John Green portrays the characters in a way that makes you think that they are real.  Their actions and dialogue make you forget that the author is obviously not a teenager.  Even though the story is not in any way cliche the two main characters slightly are.  Q (Quentin) is the nerdy, quiet, and quirky, guy; he hangs out with the band geeks and sometimes over thinks things, while on the other hand Margo is the high spirited, fun, and the popular, pretty girl who has all the guys lining up for her.  All Margo really wants though is an adventure.  

Next is the description in this book.  For example: I crawl into a room lined with clothing racks, the stainless-steel poles still bolted into walls wine-stained with water damage...there are several holes in the roof, tar paper hangs down, and I can see places where the roof sags against exposed steel girders.  Another example is: Beneath us I could see the flashing DON’T WALK signs at intersections, and the street lights running up and down the city in a perfect grid until downtown ended and the winding streets and cul-de-sacs of Orlando’s infinite suburb ended.  The imagery in this book makes you feel like you are there looking at the same thing.

The last reason is because of the dialogue.  John Green writes in the point of view of a teenager really well.  He adds so much emotion and meaning to the characters while only using dialogue.  What the characters say are also deep and inspirational.  For example:

“‘From here you can’t see the rust or the cracked paint or whatever, but you can tell what the place really is, you see how fake it all is. It’s not even hard enough to be made out of plastic.  It’s a paper town..., look at all the houses that were built to fall apart, those streets that turn in on themselves.  All those paper people living in their paper houses, burning the future to stay warm, and all of the paper kids...Everyone determined with the mania of owning things.  All the things paper-thin and paper-frail... I've lived here for eighteen years and I have never once in my life come across anyone who cares about anything that matters.’” -Margo.  

As you can see, John Green makes the characters have emotion and meaning using only dialogue.  

Overall Paper Towns was an exciting and fun book because the characters were well-developed, the description had lots of imagery in it, and the dialogue was funny, deep, inspirational, and had lots of emotion content.  Paper Towns is a great coming of age contemporary book that I think everyone should enjoy.  So go pick up this book sit down and read.

The Children of Willesden Lane

By, Lauren Burns

“The music will give you strength… It will be your best friend in life.” When the Nazis come to Vienna, Lisa Jura, the piano prodigy, is shipped to England on the Kindertransport. There she moves into Willesden Lane and meets many friends. This book was extremely well-written and I enjoyed it very much!

One of the best parts of this book was the characters. First Lisa. She is a determined Jewish girl who strives to be the best pianist she can be. “Her hands flew lightly into the trills and arpeggios, speeding up and down the keyboard.” (p. 208) The next character is Aaron. Aaron is a carefree, romantic, almost a troublemaker, and a charming person. He is always bringing Lisa to concerts, getting her little gifts, and being a great friend. “She heard a crashing from the stairs and, Aaron, breaking the rules…” (p.162) The last person is her piano teacher, Professor Isseles. He is the teacher behind Lisa’s phenomena. But was forced to stop when the Nazis forbade Jews from mingling with any other race. The characters in this book are amazing!

Next, the description. The description in this book is amazing! “The girls were even more intimidating; most wore simple but elegant black dresses, often accented by a single strand of pearls.” (p.205) “Soon the basement was almost toasty, and the walls and bottles became coated with condensation as the dampness was replaced by a pleasing warmth.” (p.196)  The description ties the whole book together and keeps you interested for a long time!

Mona Golabek, the author, writes everything in this book perfectly. This book is so nicely organized you’ll never be confused. The theme of this book is also very touching. While Lisa experiences love, a growing sense of music, and a fight to survive, you will not be able to put the book down. The last thing is the flow in this book. This book flows so nicely. You will never get bored and you will never find a choppy sentence.

The Children of Willesden Lane is a beautiful memoir, filled with love, music and survival.The authors Mona Golabek and Lee Cohen are both very accomplished people. Fun Fact: Mona Golabek is Lisa Jura’s daughter!   If memoirs interest you, you should definitely read The Children of Willesden Lane.                                                                                                                                                                         

Oz The Great And Powerful

By Jaden

                               Have you seen The Wizard Of Oz and loved it? Do you ever wonder how Oz became the   wonderful wizard of oz? Then Oz The Great And Powerful is the movie for you. I personally love this movie because,it has amazing actors ,  astounding animation, has a great plot, and grabs your emotions.  

        In Kansas, famous magician Oscar Diggs aka James Franco ends up in a cyclone that takes him over the rainbow into the world of Oz.  There he meets new friends who help him fight the two evil sisters of Oz. Will Oscar save the world and find love? In Oz  Oscar  meets a beautiful witch named Theodora ( Mila Kunis  another amazing actress ) who then falls in love with Oscar Diggs. Sadly Theodora is not good throughout the movie thanks to her evil sister Evanora who gives her an apple of envie. Theodora then turns into the evil, cackling, scary witch of the west.

     

      The best part of Oz The Great And Powerful is the acting. One of the amazing actors is James Franco who plays the main character Oscar Diggs who is a magician in the world wide travelling circus. James Franco really has you believe that all of this is really happening. James expressions are totally believable and carries them throughout the movie. Mila Kunis another amazing actor who plays Theodora who really grabs your emotions that are really genuine and strong. Even as she changes into the wicked witch of the west she is so believable. Mila never breaks character, not even for a second. As Theodora grabs the apple from Evanora she takes a bite desperate to have everything her way, then all of the sudden she feels pain starts screaming and then collapsed on the floor. This is one of the most intense scene in the whole movie thanks to Milas amazing acting.

 

     Another astounding part of this movie is the animation. For example, Evanora’s flying monkeys are so realistic, looking at them will send the shivers down your spine. Other great animations are, how the creators made the glass village  made out of teapots, the cyclone on how it looks like you are in a cyclone, and most important the emerald city.

     The main reason why  you should see Oz The Great And Powerful is because of the plot.  The plot is so intriguing and suspenseful that it keeps you at the edge of your seat. There are so many of these moments but one of the greatest moments is when Oscar Diggs is about to kill Glinda ( the good witch of the north who is played by Michelle Williams). The twist that includes a love triangle between Glinda, Theodora, and Oscar adds a shocking entertaining part in the movie.  Oz The Great And Powerful is so full of energy and action. There is not one single second that is dull throughout this movie.  When my mom watched the movie she was so overwhelmed by the energy that we had to go straight home so she could go to bed.

     This high intens energy film may not be right for some but, it has everything a amazing movie needs, which is the great actors, the plot, and the animation. So if you want the wildest ride of your life go see Oz The Great And Powerful !