Walt Disney: One Man's Dream

Do your children realize Walt Disney was a real man? Or do they think Walt Disney is just a company name? Although they may be enamored with his theme parks, his movies, and his toys, many children today have never seen a photo or video image of Walt himself. One exhibit at Disney’s Hollywood Studios was created to place a face on the magic of Disney entertainment.

In 2001, Walt Disney World launched 100 Years of Magic, a celebration commemorating the 100th anniversary of Walt Disney’s birth. Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream, an interactive gallery featuring artifacts and a brief film, illustrates Walt’s philosophy, “If you can dream it, you can do it.”

Located on Mickey Avenue at Disney's Hollywood Studios, One Man’s Dream courses Guests through time, tracking Walt’s dreams from his childhood through his visions of things the world had never seen before.

Among the 400-plus artifacts that are rotated through the Walt Disney: One Man's Dream gallery are:

• Previously unseen and unheard film clips and audio interviews with Walt Disney, which are triggered when Guests approach various sections

• Models of Twilight Zone Tower of Terror attraction, Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle, Disneyland’s Main Street, U.S.A., and Disney’s California Adventure theme park

• Academy Award statues for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

• Walt Disney's second-grade school desk, complete with his doodle carvings

• Walt's animation camera stand on which he animated Steamboat Willie and Plane Crazy

• Robotic toy bird that inspired The Enchanted Tiki Room

• An interactive re-creation of Project X (Walt Disney World Resort) Florida conference room

• A life-sized Roy Disney graphic with interactive audio of Roy dedicating Walt Disney World Resort in his brother's name

• Abraham Lincoln bust

Walt Disney had a limitless imagination. He truly believed if something could be visualized, if it could be dreamed up, there must be some way to make it reality. As Pat Williams says in his book, How to Be Like Walt, when we place limits on imagination, our creativity shuts down. Walt resisted those limitations. If someone suggested thinking outside the box, he’d refute, “No! Don’t think outside the box! Once you say that, you’ve established that there is a box.”[1]

Walt’s dreams could not be contained. He imagined things most people had never thought of. He could see his dreams and he executed his vision to make his dreams come true. As Bob Thomas pointed out to Pat Williams, “[Walt] was…the first to create a cartoon character with a real personality, the first to use synchronized sound, the first to use color, the first to produce a feature-length cartoon, the first to build a pleasure park.”[2] He invented a stereophonic sound system and the multi-plane camera. He brought dimension to a flat image and he brought a flat image into a dimensional world.

Thanks to the dreams of one man, millions of people around the world can step into the realm of imagination and discover new realities whenever they enter a Disney theme park. And when their heads rest on their pillows, they can fly to Neverland or freefall to Wonderland.

Today’s Takeaway:

Study your dreams. Scientists have theorized that certain experiences throughout the day inspire particular dreams during periods of unconsciousness. Record dreams in a journal over the course of a week. Chart the events of each day:
Were you under a lot of stress? Did you take a difficult test or have an important assingment due?
Were you physically exhausted? Did you participate in a sporting event or have a full schedule?
Were you relaxed? Did you have the day off school or go on vacation?

Also keep track of what you ate each day. Some have suggested different foods stir different emotions, even while sleeping.

Once you have the chart completed, experiment to see if you can control what you dream. Of course, I suggest you try not to repeat things that caused disturbing dreams!

Then, select one with positive potential and make it happen. Although Walt did not necessarily work from dreams he had as he slept, you can do as Walt did: test your dreams against your beliefs, dare to take risks, and execute your vision to make those dreams come true.[3]