The Success of Roy O. Disney & Walt Disney Company

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Roy O. Disney & Walt Disney Company

Roy Oliver Disney is among the most influential people in the world. Before gaining popularity, Roy O. Disney had endured many failures when he was creating the “Happiest Place on the Earth” as IMDb reported. 

He was an American businessman who was the co-founder and partner of Walt Disney Productions. Together with his younger brother, they were the owner of The Walt Disney Company.

In the company, Roy Disney was the one who was behind the scenes but ensured the dreams came true. His role was to finance Walt’s nutty projects and ensure Walt (younger brother) finished them as the hero.

In the company, Walt Disney Production, Walt was regarded as the heart but Roy was considered as the head. Walter was a creative innovator but the company lacked the best brain to lead the business. However, it was through Roy’s guidance that the company survived the rough financial patches instead of derailing it as IMDb reported.

Roy and his brother started the studio as a Cartoon Studio but now has developed as a media powerhouse with amusement parks and properties as reported by Business Insider.

Here, we discuss

  • Roy O. Disney Early Life
  • How Walt Disney Productions was Started?
  • Roy Disney Legacy
  • How Did Roy Disney and Walt Disney Rise to Heroism?

Roy O. Disney Early Life

  • Roy Disney was born on June 24, 1983. His father, Elias Charles Disney was a French-Canadian, and mother Flora Call Marceline was an English-German-American as Fandom reported.
  • In 1911, the family moved to Kansa City from Marceline. His father, on July 1, 1991, bought a newspaper delivery route while at Kansas City Star. The place was extending from 27th Street and ended at 31st Street, from Prospect Avenue, and ended at Indiana Avenue. The two brothers, Roy and Walt used to be delivery boys for the newspaper. They used to deliver the morning newspaper to approximately 1,300 customers. With time, their customers also increased.
  • According to Fandom, Roy attended Manual Training High School located at Kansas City, and graduated in 1912. After that, he stopped the delivery of the newspaper and went to work on the farm during the summer. Later, he got a job as a bank clerk together with his other brother Raymond Anorld Disney where they were employed at First National Bank located in Kansas City.
  • He also served in the army from 1917 to 1919 in the United States Navy. When he was contracted by tuberculosis, he was discharged from his military duty. That time, he relocated and went to live in Los Angeles to work as a banker.
  • Later, in 1923, his brother Walt joined him in Hollywood where they were planning to start the Disney Brothers Studio. They ordered kit houses and in 1928, they built their homes adjacent to Los Feliz neighborhood as Britannica reported.

How Walt Disney Productions was Started?

  • In the company, Walt was the creative part while Roy was the guidance and finance provider. They formed the studio as brothers. Later, in 1929, Walter bought most of Roy’s shares in the company as Business Insider reported. But in all facets of their company, they had equal shares.
  • In the same year, Roy Disney became the first CEO of the company. He didn’t receive that title until 1966. He was sharing the chairman’s role with Wal since 1945. After that, Walt had to drop the chairman’s title so that he could focus on the creativity of the company.
  • In 1966, Walter died and Roy was left to take care of the company. He had to postpone his retirement so that he could construct Disney World. According to the IMDb report, Roy decided to name the company Walt Disney World which was a tribute for his brother. In 1966, he took the company as the president and headed Walt Disney Productions until 1968 as Fandom indicated in their pages.

Roy Disney Legacy

  • In a report by Britannica, there was a Railroad locomotive in Walt Disney World that was named after Roy Disney. This was to honor Roy Disney after his death. The locomotive turned a hundred years in 2016 as Fandom claimed. However, another Hong Kong Disneyland locomotive was also named after him. 
  • Another thing named after him was the Concert Hall which was the primary performance space by Herb Alpert School and located at California Institute of Arts. Roy Disney was also a beneficially. 
  • There is a statue that belongs to Roy and is seated at the park’s bench where it is located beside the Minnie Mouse. That is at the Town Square Section, USA. The park is called Magic Kingdom theme park which is in Florida. However, there is a duplicate that is at the outside of Team Disney Building in California where Disney’s corporate headquarters are based in Burbank.
  • Moreover, the third statue is located in the Tokyo Disneyland theme park.
  • In 2015, Roy Disney was also portrayed by John Heder in a film Walt Before Mickey.

How Did Roy Disney and Walt Disney Rise to Heroism?

  • Similar to comic book hero’s, that was the life of this successful businessman Roy Disney. He lived a life of shadows behind the brilliant genius, his younger brother Walt Disney according to Dad’s Guide to WDW report.
  • According to the biography, Walt was a man of dreams but only lacked money sense which was with his brother Roy Disney. When the first company became bankrupt, Walt moved to California to hook up with Roy Disney (older brother).
  • Roy Disney did get some financing where they had $750 that was to start on Walt’s newest project. From there, they did achieve more in the business.
  • In his life, Roy Disney spent most of his life to ensure Walt’s dreams are achieved. In his death in 1971 at 78 years, he died after he had opened Walt Disney World which was Walt’s Last Dream.

The Bottom Line

In Disney World, Roy was the lesser-known but he was the greatest contributor to the success of the company. He has made millions of people have their dreams come true including for his younger brother. However, the company he created turned its latest endeavor after becoming a colossal success. It has been able to clear all its financial debts and today, it has become an integral business empire. According to his life’s struggles to success, do you think troubles and obstacles should be an individual’s strengths?

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