The Disney family is an American family that gained prominence when brothers Roy and

Walt Walt is a masculine given name, generally a short form of Walter, and occasionally a surname. Notable people with the name include: People Given name * Walt Arfons (1916-2013), American drag racer and competition land speed record racer * Walt B ...

began creating films through the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, today known as

mass media Mass media refers to a diverse array of media technologies that reach a large audience via mass communication. The technologies through which this communication takes place include a variety of outlets. Broadcast media transmit information ...

and

entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousa ...

conglomerate

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on Octobe ...

. The Disney family's influence on American culture grew with successful feature films such as ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' in 1937 and the opening of the

Disneyland Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envisio ...

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

in 1955. Other Disney family members have been involved in the management and administration of the Disney company, filmmaking, and philanthropy.

Background

The family name, originally ''d'Isigny ("from Isigny")'', is of

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

French derivation, coming from the town of

Isigny-sur-Mer Isigny-sur-Mer (, literally ''Isigny on Sea'') is a commune in the Calvados department and Normandy region of north-western France. It is part of the communauté de communes Isigny-Omaha Intercom, the 59 communes of which have a combined popul ...

. The Disneys, among others, descended from

Normans The Normans ( Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Franks and Gallo-Romans. ...

who colonised

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

around the 11th century.

Elias Disney

Elias Charles Disney (1859–1941) was born in the rural village of Bluevale, in what is now

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada, to Irish

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

immigrants Kepple Elias Disney (1832–1891) and Mary Richardson (1838–1909). Both parents had emigrated from

to Canada as children, accompanying their parents. Disney married Flora Call (1868–1938) on January 1, 1888, in Kismet, Lake County, Florida. The couple had five children: *Herbert Arthur Disney (December 8, 1888 – January 29, 1961, aged 72) *Raymond Arnold Disney (December 30, 1890 – May 24, 1989, aged 98) * Roy Oliver Disney (June 24, 1893 – December 20, 1971, aged 78) * Walter "Walt" Elias Disney (December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966, aged 65) *Ruth Flora Disney (December 6, 1903 – April 7, 1995, aged 91)

Roy O. Disney family

Roy Oliver Disney (June 24, 1893 – December 20, 1971) was an American businessman and co-founder of

. Roy was married to Edna Francis from April 1925 until his death. Roy's nephew Charles Elias Disney chose to name his son Charles Roy Disney in Roy's honor. Their son, Roy Edward Disney (January 10, 1930 – December 17, 2009), was a longtime senior executive for

the Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on Octobe ...

and the last member of the Disney family to be actively involved in the company. Disney was often compared to his uncle and father. He had two sons (one, Tim Disney, a documentary film producer), and two daughters; his daughter

Abigail Disney Abigail Edna Disney (born January 24, 1960) is an American documentary film producer, philanthropist, and social activist. She produced the 2008 documentary '' Pray the Devil Back to Hell''. Disney and Kathleen Hughes are producers and directors ...

is a documentary filmmaker.

Walt Disney family

Walter "Walt" Elias Disney (December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966) was an American entrepreneur, animator, writer, voice actor and film producer who cofounded Disney Brothers Studio with his brother Roy. He received 59 Academy Award nominations, including 22 awards: both totals are records. He married Lillian Bounds in 1925. Their marriage produced two daughters, Diane (December 18, 1933 – November 19, 2013) and Sharon (adopted in December 1936, born six weeks previously). Diane married Ronald William Miller, who became president of

Walt Disney Productions The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on Octobe ...

in 1980 and

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especiall ...

in 1983, before being ousted by Roy E. Disney.

Legacy

In 2009, the Walt Disney Family Museum, designed by Disney's daughter Diane and her son (Walt's grandson) Walter E. D. Miller, opened in the

Presidio of San Francisco The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part ...

. The museum was established to promote and inspire creativity and innovation and celebrate and study the life of Walt Disney.

References

{{Reflist

External links

The Walt Disney Family Museum: Walt's Biography
with pictures

Disney Diane Disney: Walt Disney Family Museum HistoryA family feud over a $400 million trust fund, a massive fortune that left one heiress with an inferiority complex, and a sprawling media empire. Meet the Disney family.
American families of English ancestry American families of Irish ancestry American families of French ancestry American families of German ancestry