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4 Trivia Questions about Walt Disney
Walt Disney passed away on December 15, 1966. See how much you know about the man who changed the world of entertainment forever ...
Fun bonus trivia factoid: Contrary to popular belief, Walt Disney did not get cryogenically frozen after he died.
1 - What Film Earned the Nickname "Disney's Folly?"
There is perhaps no filmmaker with a higher success rate in history than Walt Disney. But once upon a time, he was a newbie, just as subject to doubt as the rest of us. He had never done a feature length animated movie before, and his idea for a reimagining of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs sounded like a giant waste of money to plenty of critics. The movie that was supposed to cost $250,000 ended up draining $1.5 million in resources, a staggering amount at the time. Disney borrowed heavily to pay the 750 or so artists he had hired to crank out over 2 million paintings. The press called the film "Disney's Folly" and even his wife predicted the movie would be a failure.
So how did it turn out? Snow White became the highest grossing film ever to that point, he won an honorary academy award, Charlie Chaplin called Dopey "one of the greatest comedians of all time," and Disney launched arguably the most successful movie career in cinema history. Not bad.
2 - What Did Walt Disney Give His Housekeeper as a Christmas Gift Every Year for 30 Years?
The Disney family was quite fond of their housekeeper, Thelma Howard. She was great at her job and wonderful with the kids. Walt even called her "the real-life Mary Poppins." Every year, for Christmas, he would give her some Disney stock. It wasn't worth much at the time, but that would eventually change. By the time she died in 1994, that stock was worth over $9 million.
She left half to her son and half to help disadvantaged and homeless children.
3 - Walt Disney and Others Formed the MPA, an Organization Devoted to What?
We often hear of the celebrities attacked in the era of McCarthyism, but we don't always talk about the celebrities who were leading the charge. One of those celebrities was Walt Disney who cooperated with the House Un-American Activities Committee as a "friendly witness," helped found the anti-communist Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals (called the MPA because abbreviating all those letters would have just taken too long), and alleged that the Screen Actors Guild was a communist front. He even said the communists were responsible for a strike at his studio.
4 - Fill in the Blank: Walt Disney Has Won 22 _____________s.
More Than Anyone Else Ever.
As mentioned, Disney took home an Oscar statue for Snow White (well, actually, he took home one regular statue and seven miniature ones as The Academy paid homage to the film), but that's not the only award he won. He racked up 22 Academy Awards over the years, more than anyone ever. He also holds the following Oscar records: most nominations all time (59), most consecutive years with a nomination (22), and most wins by a person at a single show (4). No wonder Thelma Howard's stock was worth all that money
🎄☃
Walt Disney passed away on December 15, 1966. See how much you know about the man who changed the world of entertainment forever ...
Fun bonus trivia factoid: Contrary to popular belief, Walt Disney did not get cryogenically frozen after he died.
1 - What Film Earned the Nickname "Disney's Folly?"
There is perhaps no filmmaker with a higher success rate in history than Walt Disney. But once upon a time, he was a newbie, just as subject to doubt as the rest of us. He had never done a feature length animated movie before, and his idea for a reimagining of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs sounded like a giant waste of money to plenty of critics. The movie that was supposed to cost $250,000 ended up draining $1.5 million in resources, a staggering amount at the time. Disney borrowed heavily to pay the 750 or so artists he had hired to crank out over 2 million paintings. The press called the film "Disney's Folly" and even his wife predicted the movie would be a failure.
So how did it turn out? Snow White became the highest grossing film ever to that point, he won an honorary academy award, Charlie Chaplin called Dopey "one of the greatest comedians of all time," and Disney launched arguably the most successful movie career in cinema history. Not bad.
2 - What Did Walt Disney Give His Housekeeper as a Christmas Gift Every Year for 30 Years?
The Disney family was quite fond of their housekeeper, Thelma Howard. She was great at her job and wonderful with the kids. Walt even called her "the real-life Mary Poppins." Every year, for Christmas, he would give her some Disney stock. It wasn't worth much at the time, but that would eventually change. By the time she died in 1994, that stock was worth over $9 million.
She left half to her son and half to help disadvantaged and homeless children.
3 - Walt Disney and Others Formed the MPA, an Organization Devoted to What?
We often hear of the celebrities attacked in the era of McCarthyism, but we don't always talk about the celebrities who were leading the charge. One of those celebrities was Walt Disney who cooperated with the House Un-American Activities Committee as a "friendly witness," helped found the anti-communist Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals (called the MPA because abbreviating all those letters would have just taken too long), and alleged that the Screen Actors Guild was a communist front. He even said the communists were responsible for a strike at his studio.
4 - Fill in the Blank: Walt Disney Has Won 22 _____________s.
More Than Anyone Else Ever.
As mentioned, Disney took home an Oscar statue for Snow White (well, actually, he took home one regular statue and seven miniature ones as The Academy paid homage to the film), but that's not the only award he won. He racked up 22 Academy Awards over the years, more than anyone ever. He also holds the following Oscar records: most nominations all time (59), most consecutive years with a nomination (22), and most wins by a person at a single show (4). No wonder Thelma Howard's stock was worth all that money
🎄☃
