Ronald Reagan

“ Walt Disney's true drawing table was the imagination, his themes were virtues like courage and hope, and his audience was composed of young people-in years or at heart-who, through the creations of this American genius, found new ways to laugh, to cry, and to just plain appreciate the "simple bare necessities of life." ”

“ The standards of excellence Walt Disney upheld in animation extended to his later productions, from nature films to movie versions of ancient fables, tales of American heroes, and stories of youthful adventure. His love for technology and the future, his desire to entertain and educate, and his sense of childlike wonder led him to establish two popular amusement parks, Disneyland and Disney World, which today draw visitors from around the globe. ”

“ With Steamboat Willie in 1928-a sound film with Disney's artwork and his own voice for the diminutive hero's-Mickey Mouse and Walt Disney had an instant hit, the first of many.
Achievements and awards followed in droves. Disney won 30 Academy Awards. He produced the first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, in 1937; launched numerous technical innovations in sound and color; produced the first television series in color in 1961; found new and effective ways of combining live actors with cartoon characters in films like Song of the South and Mary Poppins ”