Few people embody the idea of a Renaissance man like Walt Disney, who went on to build an empire of themed parks and resorts, home entertainment platforms, feature films and Academy Awards, all topped off by philanthropic efforts around the world.

Walt Disney was a cartoonist, voice actor, animator, and film producer, one of the most creative men ever lived on this planet whose huge dreams actually came true. He is regarded as a cultural icon and well known for his great contribution to the cartoon animation industry. He along with his brother Roy O. Disney co-founded ‘The Walter Disney Company’ commonly known as ‘Disney' on October 16, 1923.

So what is it that made Mr. Disney and his company so famous? Who exactly is the man behind what is one of the most successful businesses in the world?Walt Disney's story actually began in Illinois. Born in the Chicago suburbs to parents that emigrated to America during the California Gold Rush period, Disney's childhood was filled with movement – his parents relocated from farms to cities numerous times during his childhood.

Walter Disney was born on December 5, 1901, in Chicago, to Elias Charles Disney and Flora Call Disney. His childhood days were interrupted because his family moved from Chicago to Missouri and once again to Kansas City. He also worked as a newspaper boy to support his family and didn’t have much time for schools. Although he started the Park School of Marceline in fall, 1909 together with his younger sister Ruth. In his free time, Walter went to the theatre where he studied vaudeville. He was a big fan of Charlie Chaplin and loved drawing cartoons for the school paper.

When America entered the Great War, he showed his patriotism for his country and applied to join the army. Though he was rejected initially due to his young age of 16, Walter finally supported his country during the war by joining the Red Cross unit as an ambulance driver.

Disney's love of drawing and simple, charismatic artwork developed from when he was a young boy. In his spare time, he would draw stylized versions of the farm animals near his home, drawing praise from his parents and neighbors. After being rejected from the Army, Disney set about pursuing a career in animation – at the time an advanced form of art.

During an early job as an advertising artist, Disney discovered commercial animation. He quit his then job to pursue animation as a full-time career, seeing the fantastic potential in the newer cel-based forms of animation than in its predecessors. To call Disney's theory foresight would be a massive understatement – cel animation would eventually form the backbone of his company.

From Chicago to Kansas; Kansas to Los Angeles, Disney eventually ended up opening his own animation company in Hollywood, California. They invested in numerous cartoon characters and stories during their early years, including developments like Alice's Wonderland and the hit 1930s character Mickey Mouse - an iconic symbol of Disney.

It was the introduction of sound which made Mickey Mouse, among the most popular animated character in the industry. By that time, every child loved Mickey Mouse. Animations turned into reality with the release of Disney toys, caps, and dresses which became popular and revolutionized the cartoon industry.

While Mickey was officially created in the late 1920s as 'Willie' – as seen in the iconic 'Steamboat Willie' cartoon, the iconic figure didn't reach its extreme levels of popularity until a few years later. It was this foresight and willingness to invest in characters without any idea of their potential that was so instrumental in Disney's success, and so iconic about his character.

From Snow White to Pinocchio, Disney's company stormed through the 1930s and 40s with hit after hit, making it the most powerful animation studio in the world. However, the studio was left with a single disappointment from this period, which would eventually go on to become one of the studio's most important films: the retelling of classic Austrian tale Bambi."All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles have strengthened me. You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.” Walt Disney.

Following World War II, Disney expanded his empire into theme parks, turning his cartoon world into reality for people. He came up with the idea of Disneyland, also called Disney Parks, which was one of the biggest successes for his company. He is known for his experimenting style of working which made him incredibly successful.

However, at the peak of the company's success in the mid-1960s, feeling fatigued from a polo injury that had caused him mild neck pain for years, Walt Disney sought the advice of his doctor regarding surgery. The surgery preparation exposed something alarming – Disney had a tumor in his lungs, which was quickly spreading throughout his body. Later in the month, on December 15th, 1966, Disney died, which shook the world, but Disney's company remains a major force in media and entertainment today, over forty years after his sudden death.

The company that Walt has left behind has reached phenomenal success, especially in the Disney Renaissance period of the ’90s. But what its success comes down to is one very innovative and passionate man who demanded the highest quality and wasn’t afraid to experiment with every endeavor. He was a true hero of animation and cartoon industry for which he would always be loved and remembered.

Walt would say, "Get a good idea and stay with it. Dog it, and work at it until it's done, and done right."He once said "To some people, I am kind of a Merlin who takes lots of crazy chances, but rarely makes mistakes. I've made some bad ones, but, fortunately, the successes have come along fast enough to cover up the mistakes. When you go to bat as many times as I do. You’re bound to get a good average."

So what's the lesson for you:

Do you see the struggle as the road to opportunity?
Do you learn from your failures?
Do you seek to get up to bat as often as possible?

In the end, our own success is defined not by opportunity, but in our persistence in defeat. Here's to vision, persistence, courage, and simply hard effort. Even in these more difficult times.

These are the ingredients of any Merlin. Surely they are the ones held by Walt Disney.

~ I only hope we never lose sight of one thing, that it was all started by a mouse.- Walt Disney ~