26/02/2025
Convinced that his idea would work, he went from bank to bank, facing rejection after rejection until one finally agreed. It was the 305th bank he had approached. But when he tried to convince Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to distribute his film about a cheerful little mouse, they told him it wouldn't work because a giant mouse would scare women, and no one would want to watch it.
When he completed one of his greatest films in 1937, he held a preview screening for university students. To his dismay, many left halfway through. Later, he learned they had left because they had to meet the curfew at their dormitories. That determined young man was Walter Elias Disney.
The film those students left midway through was *Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs*, and the little mouse he had drawn on a train, initially named Mortimer, would come to be known as *Mickey Mouse*, a character that would change the world.
Disney went on to create more than 81 films and some of the most beloved animated characters of all time. During his lifetime, he received over 950 awards, including 22 Academy Awards and 4 honorary Oscars.
Reflecting on "failures," Disney once said: "All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me. You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.
Credits: Noticias de Hoy
