Dinner with Disney by Ashley

Dinner with Disney by Ashley - February 2016 Scholarship Essay

There are many historical figures whose accomplishments, struggles, and messages are still felt today. One individual’s imagination has stood the test of time and decade after decade, his imagination has been part of hundreds of thousands of children’s lives: Walt Disney.
Like many young children, I fell in love with Disney characters like Peter Pan, Snow White, Cinderella, Bambi, Simba, the Seven Dwarfs and so many others. What amazes me is several of these characters, such as Peter Pan and Snow White, were created in the 1940s. Myself as a child grew up in the 1990s and to this day, these characters are still among the top favorites of children. I call this nearly century-long success the “Disney Phenomenon.”
So many questions come to mind when I think of the Disney Phenomenon; Did Walt Disney recognize the possibility of this phenomenon? Was there a strategy behind the creation of his characters? Were his characters strictly the product of his imagination that he hoped society at large would accept? Are the desires of children today the same as in the 1940s? If not, what attributes of Disney characters allow this type of success over time? I would love to have the opportunity to discuss these questions with Walt over dinner. It has been my dream to build a successful business and the amount knowledge I would gain from a conversation with Walt Disney would be unmeasurable.