VOICE ONE:
Walt Disney was one of America’s most famous film producers. Hecreated Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and some of the world’s mostsuccessful entertainment businesses. I’m Bob Doughty.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Doug Johnson. The world ofWalt Disney is our report today on the VOA Special English program,THIS IS AMERICA.
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VOICE ONE:
Film artist and producer Walt Disney died in Nineteen-Sixty-Six.Yet his work and influence live on. People around the world watchDisney movies and Disney television programs. They buy Disney music,books, videos, toys, clothes and games. They attend Disney shows.They stay in Disney hotels and ride on a Disney passenger ship. Theyvisit Disney entertainment parks in the United States, France andJapan.
VOICE TWO:
Last month was the one-hundredth anniversary of the birth of WaltDisney. He was born in Nineteen-Oh-One in Chicago, Illinois. InNineteen-Twenty-Three, Walt Disney moved to Hollywood, California.He hoped to become a movie producer or director. However, he couldnot find a job. So he decided to make animated movies or cartoons.Walt Disney was an artist.
He wanted to bring his pictures tolife. A cartoon is a series of drawings on film. Each drawing is alittle different from the one before it. Each shows a tiny change inmovement. When we see the movie, the cartoon people and animalsappear to move. They speak with voices recorded by actors.
Walt Disney believed that animated movies could be just aspopular as movies made with real people. He decided he needed acartoon hero. So he created Mickey Mouse.
This cartoon mouse had big eyesand ears. He stood on two legs like a human. He wore white gloves onhis hands. Disney’s first short cartoon films starring Mickey Mousegained great success. Both the mouse and his creator became famous.
VOICE ONE:
In Nineteen-Thirty-Two, Disney produced the first cartoon filmedin the full-color process called Technicolor. Mickey Mouse was themain character in this movie, called “Flowers and Trees.” Disneyserved as the voice of his mouse.
Disney created cartoons with other characters including MinnieMouse, Donald Duck and Pluto the dog. These cartoons were verypopular. But Walt Disney wanted to make other kinds of animatedmovies too.
VOICE TWO:
Disney’s first full-length cartoon movie was completed inNineteen-Thirty-Seven. It was “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.””Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” became one of Hollywood’s mostsuccessful movies.
Disney made a number of other extremely popular cartoon filmsduring the Nineteen-Forties and Nineteen-Fifties. They include”Fantasia,” “Cinderella,” “Pinocchio,” “Dumbo” and “Bambi.”
Disney’s skills in this animation process made him one of theworld’s most successful movie artists. Film experts say that withoutWalt Disney, the art of animation would not have developed so fully.
In the Nineteen-Fifties, Disney started producing live-actionfilms with actors. He also started producing several populartelevision series.
VOICE ONE:
In Nineteen-Sixty-Four, Disney made a popular film called “MaryPoppins.” It told about a woman who cares for other people’schildren. Human actors shared the action with cartoon characters.”Mary Poppins” was one of Disney’s last productions.
For about forty years, other filmmakers praised and honored thework of Walt Disney. He won thirty-two Academy Awards for hismovies. He also received honors for scientific and technicalinventions in filmmaking. However, Walt Disney was not just a greatartist and filmmaker. He also gained great success in business.
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VOICE TWO:
In Nineteen-Fifty-Five, Walt Disney opened an entertainment parkin Anaheim, California, near Los Angeles. He called the parkDisneyland. He wanted it to be the happiest place on Earth. Itre-created places from Disney movies. It also showed real places asDisney imagined them. For example, one area looked like anineteenth-century town in the American West. Another area lookedlike the world of the future. Disneyland had many exciting rides forchildren of all ages and for adults too.
Disneyland was so successful that Walt Disney developed plans fora second entertainment and educational park. The project was calledWalt Disney World. It opened near Orlando, Florida inNineteen-Seventy-One, five years after Disney died. It was largerthan Disneyland and had many more activities.
VOICE ONE:
Today, the Disney Company continues Walt Disney’s work andtraditions. Michael Eisner became the company chief inNineteen-Eighty-Four. At the time, the company was not makingsuccessful films. It was depending on the entertainment parks formuch of its profits.
Mister Eisner changed that situation. He ordered that old Disneycartoons, programs and films be sold to television stations. Heapproved the production of programs and movies for adults. Heexpanded the idea of the Disney parks to Japan and France. Disneyparks opened in Tokyo in Nineteen-Eighty-Four and in Paris inNineteen-Ninety-Two.
VOICE TWO:
Led by Mister Eisner, the Disney Company continues to buildentertainment centers. Disney’s California Adventure park openedlast year in Anaheim, next to Disneyland. It costone-point-four-thousand-million dollars. California Adventure issmaller than Disneyland. It celebrates the state of California, notsome make-believe place.
The park has three areas. Paradise Pier celebrates the greatAmerican amusement park. It has the world’s longest roller coaster,called “California Screamin.'” It is almost two-thousand meterslong. The park also has a ride that makes people feel like they arehang-gliding in the air over famous areas in California. Theyinclude Yosemite National Park, the Golden Gate Bridge and theSierra Mountains.
The second area in California Adventure is called HollywoodPictures Backlot. It shows visitors the movie-making industry. Thethird area, called The Golden State, shows important places inCalifornia including agricultural areas.
There are also new Disney parks in Paris and Tokyo. DisneyStudios Europe will open this year next to Disneyland Paris. It willbring a little bit of Hollywood to France. Tokyo DisneySea openedrecently next to Tokyo Disneyland. It has seven areas that celebrateexploration and discovery of the seas.
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VOICE ONE:
The Disney Company earns about twenty-five-thousand-milliondollars a year. It is one of the largest media companies in theworld. It operates movie and television companies. InNineteen-Ninety-Five it bought the Capital Cities A-B-C mediacompany which includes the A-B-C television network. The DisneyCompany recently bought a group of international cable televisionchannels. It also owns sports teams.
The Disney Company also has become a major Broadway theaterproducer in New York City. Its stage productions of “Beauty and theBeast” and “The Lion King” have been among the most popular plays onBroadway.
The company continues to make successful animated films. Itslatest movie is a computer-animated film produced with the PixarCompany. It is called “Monsters, Incorporated.” It was the thirdmost popular movie in the United States last year.
VOICE TWO:
Last year, however, a weak economy and the September terroristattacks hurt the Disney Company. It lost money on its Internetoperations. Sales of products at Disney stores decreased. The A-B-Ctelevision network lost viewers and advertising sales. Attendance atthe Disney parks fell. The company cut four-thousand jobs last year.Most financial experts, however, say the Disney Company will improvein the future. They believe people around the world will alwaysenjoy Disney entertainment.
((“WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR” INSTEAD OF CLOSING THEME))
VOICE ONE:
This program was written by Shelley Gollust and Jerilyn Watson.It was produced by George Grow. I’m Bob Doughty.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Doug Johnson. Join us again next week for another reportabout life in the United States on the VOA Special English program,THIS IS AMERICA.