Dinner with Disney by Kathryn

Dinner with Disney by Kathryn - February 2016 Scholarship Essay

Walt and I begin to discuss how he was able to pursue his dreams, despite how many people doubted him. After moving to Burbank, California Walt proposed the idea of his magic kingdom to several banks, all of them telling him it was a waste of time and money. With only a mouse named Mickey at his side, Walt still persevered and eventually lived out his dream. He wanted to create a place of happiness, and magic. His legacy impresses, and motivates thousands. Walt motivates people that are held back by the naysayers, and encourages them to live out their passions and dreams.
The waiter brought us our appetizers, bruschetta and half of a loaf of sourdough, and I ask Walt how he didn’t lose his drive, and motivation even after all of his success. He chuckles, and tells me that true passion never burns out. I think about what I’m passionate about, school? my friends? family? I ask him how he found his true passion, and he tells me that whenever he thought about creating movies, his smile widened from ear to ear. I could hear the happiness and excitement in his voice, and could see the creativity and passion in his eyes. Walt explains that passion is more than something that you care for, passion is something you love, something you think about constantly, something that makes you so happy you can’t help but smile when you think about it. During his speech the waiter interrupts us with our dinner.
As I try not to make a fool of myself in front of my biggest icon, I think why did I order spaghetti? but also, how does one man create such wonderful, and beautiful movies that appeal to both children and adults? But before I interrupt him he and another awestruck fan, I remember one of his most famous quotes “I do not make films primarily for children. I make them for the child in all of us.” His movies display a sense of humor, and reality that everyone can relate to. At this moment, I realize how brilliant his movies, and works are. The same movie, the three year old I babysit gets excited to stay up and watch, is the same movie I watch when I’m sad, happy, excited, you get the point. Walt was able to attract every crowd, child, and adult because vicariously through his movies he is telling us despite any hardships we encounter, we can do anything we set our minds to.
I could say that his motivation and passion seeped from his skin and out through his breath, and I absorbed it all, but that would be weird. So I’ll say that if I were to have dinner with any historical figure, I would want to have dinner with Walt Disney. His genius, and brilliant mind has encouraged me to chase every single one of my dreams, until I have exhausted every single last bit of it. Walt inspires me to find my passions and live them out to their fullest potential, despite any hate I encounter along the way.