How A Four Page Contract Launched The Disney Empire
Today, The Walt Disney Company is a multi-billion dollar conglomerate that encompasses television, films, parks, and more.
Over the last century, Disney has expanded in ways that no one could have predicted on its way to establishing a media empire.
Photo: Disney
All of the things that combine to create today’s Disney — Mickey Mouse, the Disney Parks, the blockbuster movies, and the memories that we have made alongside them, however, began with a simple contract that was barely four pages long.
The Disney Brothers Studio Is Established
“The Walt Disney Company officially began on October 16, 1923, when Walt Disney signed a very simple contract in his uncle’s Hollywood home,” Rebecca Cline, director of the Walt Disney Archives, said.
Photo: Disney History 101
“With this agreement, Walt and Roy Disney were able to produce and distribute a series of silent cartoons, the Alice Comedies. This opened a door to the development and production of 100 years of Disney magic that has enchanted the whole world.”
Remembering ‘The Alice Comedies’
On this date a century ago, Walt Disney signed a contract with Margaret Winkler, a New York cartoon distributor. The contract would lead to the creation of the Alice Comedies, which were the first major success for Walt and Roy and would lay the foundation for today’s Disney company.
Photo: IMDB
The contract was signed at 4406 Kingswell Ave. in Los Angeles, where Walt was living at the time. In addition to Walt, the contract holds the signatures of Winkler, her future husband Charles Mintz, and Walt’s uncle Robert who stood as witness.
Photo: D23
“Walt was an optimistic young man who had earlier suffered what he himself called ‘good hard failures’ in Kansas City,” Cline added. “Having developed two earlier animation studios that had failed, he decided to leave his home in Kansas City and headed to Hollywood to find a new career in movies.”
Taking a Chance on Walt
According to Cline, when Walt was unable to find work directing or acting he shopped around a pilot film he made in Kansas City.
Photo:
Walt & Roy Disney ca. 1923 (Disney)
Eventually, he was able to convince his brother Roy to take a chance with him. Roy then left behind his stable banking career and together the two brothers founded another animation studio.
“The Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio—which eventually became The Walt Disney Company of today—was a risk that finally paid off,” she said.
A Piece of Disney History
Today, the Alice Comedy contract can be found in the Walt Disney Archives.
Photo: Walt Disney Archives
“The Alice Comedies contract is definitely the most important document that resides within the Walt Disney Archives’ collections,” Cline said. “One hundred years later, long after our founders left us, we still have a unique window into the exact origins of The Walt Disney Company.”
Photo: Walt Disney Archives
100 years later, Disney is still going strong. I wonder what Walt and Roy would think of their little company now.
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