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- December 5th would have been Walt Disney’s 116th birthday.
- We found some little-known and surprising facts about the iconic animator, theme park designer, and businessman.
- Walt Disney holds the record for the most Academy Awards wins by a single person ever.
- He also created propaganda for the United States government during World War II.
There are many myths around Walt Disney, the iconic creator of some of the world’s most beloved movies, theme parks, and characters of all time.
In honor of Walt Disney’s 116th birthday, INSIDER has rounded up some of the most surprising facts about the legendary businessman that may change the way you see him.
From dropping out of high school to collecting a record-breaking 32 Academy Awards over the course of his career, Disney’s life was no ordinary one.
Mickey Mouse was not his first cartoon — Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was
Sam Howzit/ Flickr
Did you think Mickey Mouse was Walt Disney’s flagship creation? You forgot about Oswald the Lucky Rabbit! Oswald bears a striking resemblance to Mickey, but he was created in 1927 out of an animation agreement with Universal Pictures.
Unfortunately, thanks to some allegedly underhanded backdoor deals, Walt Disney lost the rights to Oswald in 1928 and Universal began making animated shorts without him. After this devastating loss, Walt and his team were forced to come up with a new character, which eventually became Mickey Mouse.
Disney actually got the rights back to Oswald in 2006 after trading an ESPN sports announcer for the black and white cartoon character.
Mickey Mouse was originally called Mortimer Mouse until Walt’s wife Lillian convinced him to change it
Henry Guttmann / Stringer
Mickey Mouse was originally called Mortimer Mouse, but Walt Disney’s wife Lillian allegedly convinced him to change the name after she insisted that Mortimer sounded “too pompous,” and that Mickey Mouse would be a more marketable name.
Mortimer has since morphed into Mickey Mouse’s wise-cracking rival with an annoying catchphrase: “ha-cha-cha!”
Walt Disney did not actually design the final version of Mickey Mouse
General Photographic Agency / Stringer
Even though we think of Walt and Mickey as partners, Walt Disney did not actually create the final design of Mickey Mouse, according to Disney archivist Dave Smith. He provided initial sketches and idea for the famous rodent, but it was Walt Disney Studios animator Ub Iwerks who animated the Mickey we know and love today.
In fact, Walt Disney allegedly never drew Mickey unless a fan specifically requested it for an autograph.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
