Walt Disney was and is identified with the company he founded in an almost unique way. The pair are often indistinguishable – Walt was the pioneer, the driving creative force, the moral guardian and the soul of the studio. He was personally involved in every film released during his lifetime, and the company suffered a decades-long crisis of confidence after he was gone.

He was born in Chicago on December 5th, 1901. He grew up on his parents’ farm and, after some animation work in Kansas, moved out to California with his brother Roy in 1923 to look for work. They created the Disney Brothers’ Studio, and had early success with a series of mixed live action/animation shorts based on Alice In Wonderland, and an original cartoon character called Oswald The Lucky Rabbit.

By 1927, the company had moved into new premises on Hyperion Avenue in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, and following a suggestion from Roy changed its name to The Walt Disney Company.