Disney family

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Disney Family
Walt-Disney-1956-crop.jpg
Walt Disney
Roy E. Disney (cropped).jpg
Roy E. Disney
Roy O. Disney with Company at Press Conference.jpg
Roy O. Disney
Current region Southern California, U.S.
EtymologyOriginally "d'Isigny" (transl. from Isigny)
Place of origin Isigny-sur-Mer, France
Founder Elias Disney
EstateDisney Storybook Mansion [1]

The Disney family is an American family that gained prominence when brothers Roy and Walt began creating films through the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, today known as mass media and entertainment conglomerate The Walt Disney Company. 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 Amusement park in 1955. Other Disney family members have been involved in the management and administration of the Disney company, filmmaking, and philanthropy.

Contents

The Disney family is of primarily Anglo-Irish, English and German descent. The Disneys trace its European origin to the 19th century, with Kepple Disney (grandfather of Walt) who left County Kilkenny, Ireland for Liverpool in 1834, settling in the Province of Upper Canada. [2] Walt’s father Elias Disney was the first Canadian-born ancestor, in 1859. The first American-born was Herbert Disney in 1888, Walt’s older brother. [3]

Family roots

The Walt Disney garden in Isigny-sur-Mer, Normandy is in front of the town hall. Jardin Walt Disney-Isigny1.jpg
The Walt Disney garden in Isigny-sur-Mer, Normandy is in front of the town hall.

The family name, originally d'Isigny ("from Isigny"), is of Norman French derivation, coming from the town of Isigny-sur-Mer. [4] [5]

Effigy of Sir William D'Isney in the parish church of Norton Disney, Lincolnshire. Sir William D'Isney - geograph.org.uk - 1395506.jpg
Effigy of Sir William D'Isney in the parish church of Norton Disney, Lincolnshire.

The Disneys, among others who took names from the Normans, settled in England and gave their name to Norton Disney in Lincolnshire. Some of the family moved to Ireland around the 11th century. [6]

Walt Disney visited the village on the afternoon of Thursday 7 July 1949, in an attempt to trace his ancestry. The visit is recorded in the British magazine Illustrated. [7] Disney had been in the UK from 20 June 1949, arriving at Southampton on RMS Queen Elizabeth; he embarked on a six-day motoring holiday with his two teenage daughters, Diane and Sharon, and his wife, with a convoy of cars. After seeing the village, he left for a night at Boroughbridge in North Yorkshire, later visiting 8 Howard Place in Edinburgh on 8 July. [8] He visited Loch Ness. [9]

Norton Disney, England. Walt Disney visited the ancestral settlement in 1949. The modern heart of Norton Disney - geograph.org.uk - 7655415.jpg
Norton Disney, England. Walt Disney visited the ancestral settlement in 1949.

Disney also planned to visit the Derbyshire Peaks, Stratford-upon-Avon, the Scottish Highlands, and Burns country. [11] [12] Disney spoke to the vicar, Rev R. K. Roper, who said that Disney was a 'charming unaffected person'. Disney's daughters had decided that their father had been working too hard, and needed a rest. [13]

History in Canada and America

First generation

Kepple Elias Disney (1832–1891) and Mary Disney (née Richardson) (1838–1909) had emigrated from Freshford, County Kilkenny in Ireland to Canada as children, accompanying their parents and were of Anglo-Irish Protestant descent. [14] They initially settled in Goderich Township. [15] [16] They would have eleven children with Elias being the first. The couple owned a 100-acre farm in near Bluevale and got into a variety of other business ventures to make money. [17]

Second generation

Elias Charles Disney (1859–1941) was born in the rural village of Bluevale, Province of Canada (now Ontario, Canada), to immigrants Kepple Elias Disney (1832–1891) and Mary Richardson (1838–1909). [18] Both parents had emigrated from Ireland to Canada as children, accompanying their parents. [19]

Disney married Flora Call (1868–1938) on January 1, 1888, in Kismet, Lake County, Florida. [20] The couple had five children: [21]

Third generation

Roy Oliver Disney (June 24, 1893 – December 20, 1971) [31] was an American businessman and co-founder of The Walt Disney Company. Roy was married to Edna Francis from April 1925 until his death. [32] Roy's nephew Charles Elias Disney chose to name his son Charles Roy Disney in Roy's honor. [33]

Their son, Roy Edward Disney (January 10, 1930 – December 16, 2009 [34] ), was a longtime senior executive for the Walt Disney Company 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; [35] his daughter Abigail Disney is a documentary filmmaker. [33] [36]

Walt Disney family

Walter 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. [37]

He married Lillian Bounds in 1925. [38] They had two daughters, bearing Diane (December 18, 1933 – November 19, 2013) and after, reportedly, suffering several miscarriages, [39] [40] adopting Sharon (in December 1936, born six weeks previously [41] – February 16, 1993).

Diane married Ronald William Miller, who became president of Walt Disney Productions in 1980 and CEO in 1983, before being ousted by Roy E. Disney. [42]

Sharon, [43] who became an actress, [44] had three children from two marriages, to Robert Brown [45] and later, to William Lund, [46] and died, of complications of breast cancer, [47] [48] February 16, 1993. [49] [50] [51]

Legacy

In 2001, the Walt Disney Hometown Museum, housing a collection of memorabilia from the Disney family, many of which were donated by the family of Ruth Flora Disney Beecher, Walt's sister, opened, in the restored Santa Fe Railway Depot in Marceline, Missouri. [30] [52]

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. [53] The museum was established to promote and inspire creativity and innovation and celebrate and study the life of Walt Disney. [54]

Further reading

References

  1. ↑ Houlton, Lola (June 21, 2023). "Inside Storybook Mansion, the home Walt Disney designed himself – it's an homage to the fairytales he captured". Homes & Gardens. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Walt Disney's Grandfather, Kepple Elias Disney". waltdisney. 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Walt Disney's Grandfather, Kepple Elias Disney". waltdisney. 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  4. ↑ Disney's World, Leonard Mosley, Scarborough House Books, 1990, p. 22
  5. ↑ The Origin of Names, Words and Everything In-Between, Patrick Foote, Turner Publishing, 2018
  6. ↑ "The Lincolnshire village honoured in every Disney film since 2006". BBC News. October 16, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Walt Disney's Lincolnshire connection". RideRater. December 6, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  8. ↑ Scotsman Saturday 9 July 1949, page 6
  9. ↑ The Sunday Post Sunday 10 July 1949, page 4
  10. ↑ "The Lincolnshire village honoured in every Disney film since 2006". BBC . October 16, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  11. ↑ Liverpool Echo Thursday 7 July 1949, page 3
  12. ↑ Dundee Evening Telegraph Thursday 7 July 1949, page 3
  13. ↑ Lincolnshire Echo Thursday 7 July 1949, page 3 'Mickey Mouse Man Visits Lincs'
  14. ↑ "Walt Disney's Canadian Connection, 1963". YouTube . 1963. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  15. ↑ Thomas, Bob (2025). WALT DISNEY An American Original. p. 33 – via Google Books.
  16. ↑ Barrier (2007), p. 12
  17. ↑ Kiste, Andrew (2021). "Chapter One: Heritage". The Early Life of Walt Disney. White Owl. p. 6. ISBN   978-1526780836 – via Google Books.
  18. ↑ "Walt Disney's Canadian Connection, 1963". 1963. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  19. ↑ Barrier, J. Michael (1999). Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in Its Golden Age. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 3. ISBN   978-0-19-503759-3.
  20. ↑ Walt Disney by Neal Gabler - eBook - Random House at www.randomhouse.com
  21. ↑ Barrier, J. Michael (1999). Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in Its Golden Age. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 9–10. ISBN   978-0-19-503759-3.
  22. ↑ "Disney, Herbert A." D23 . Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  23. ↑ "Obituary for Raymond Arnold Disney". The Kansas City Star . Kansas City, Missouri. November 15, 2020. pp. A29. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024. He owned his own insurance company and insured Disney Bros. Animation Co. for Walt and Roy O. Disney when they first started their business.
  24. ↑ "Raymond Disney, Walt's Brother, is Born". D23 . December 30, 1890. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  25. ↑ "1630 SE Morrison St. Portland, Multnomah County (97214)". Oregon Historic Site Record. Oregon Archaeological Services Sites Database and Oregon Historic Sites Database. Retrieved July 10, 2024. 'Ruth Beecher, Walt Disney's Sister, Dies at 91.' [The Oregonian, (Portland, OR), 1995, C11.]
  26. ↑ "Walt's Sister, Ruth Flora Disney Beecher, is Born". D23. December 6, 1903. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  27. ↑ "Disney, Ruth F." D23 . Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  28. ↑ DiCologero, Brittany (December 6, 2021). "Today in Disney History, 1903: Walt Disney's Sister, Ruth Flora Disney, Was Born". WDW Magazine. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  29. ↑ "Obituary: Ruth Disney Beecher". The Modesto Bee . April 9, 1995. p. 21. Retrieved July 10, 2024. Walt Disney's sister Ruth Disney Beecher, youngest of Walt Disney's siblings, has died. She was 91.
  30. 1 2 Korkis, Jim (October 31, 2012). "Letters to Ruth Disney". mouseplanet.com. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  31. ↑ Jones, Jack (December 21, 1971). "Roy O. Disney". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  32. ↑ Daniel (August 1, 2009). "Disney's Magic Makers: Edna Francis Disney". Netcot.com. Archived from the original on April 1, 2012. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
  33. 1 2 "Women, War & Peace ~ About the Producers : Wide Angle". PBS.org. January 21, 2009. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  34. ↑ Chmielewski, Dawn C.; Bates, James (December 17, 2009). "Roy Edward Disney dies at 79; nephew of Walt helped revive animation". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on August 12, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
  35. ↑ "Roy E. Disney Dies at 79; Rejuvenated Animation". The New York Times. December 17, 2009.
  36. ↑ "About". Fork Films. Archived from the original on October 19, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  37. ↑ "Nominee Facts – Most Nominations and Awards" (PDF). Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
  38. ↑ "Walt Disney dies of cancer at 65". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. Associated Press. December 16, 1966. p. 1.
  39. ↑ Holzer, Leo N. (June 30, 2005). "Disney's daughter reflects on life with her father". East Bay Times . Vacaville Reporter. Archived from the original on September 28, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  40. ↑ "Walt Disney: Devoted Family Man and Adoptive Father". Considering Adoption .com. January 12, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  41. ↑ Barrier, J. Michael (1999). Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in Its Golden Age. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 102, 131. ISBN   978-0-19-503759-3.
  42. ↑ Stewart, James (2005). DisneyWar . New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN   0-684-80993-1.
  43. ↑ "Sharon Mae Disney". Getty Images . Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  44. ↑ "Walt Disney Observing His Daughter in Makeup Session". Getty Images . March 22, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2024. (Original Caption) The proud father, Walt Disney, who won his first fame producing cartoon films, looks on fondly as his younger daughter, Sharon, is made up for her first theatrical role---in Walt Disney's picture, 'Johnny Tremain'.
  45. ↑ "Sharon Mae Disney Receiving Kisses on Wedding Day". Getty Images . March 10, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2024. (Original Caption) Mrs. Robert Brown (center), the former Sharon Mae Disney, receives two kisses here after her marriage. Kissing on the left is her father, cartoonist Walt Disney, and planting a kiss at right is husband Robert Brown.
  46. ↑ "Sharon Mae Disney". ccsnyder.com. Archived from the original on July 9, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  47. ↑ "Walt Disney's Daughter Diane Passes Away At 79". cbsnews.com. November 19, 2013. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  48. ↑ "The Full Family Tree of Walt Elias Disney". medium.com . Archived from the original on July 9, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  49. ↑ "Sharon Lund; Daughter of Walt Disney". Los Angeles Times. February 17, 1993. Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  50. ↑ "Sharon Mae Disney is Born". D23 . December 31, 1936. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  51. ↑ "Disney, Sharon M." D23 .
  52. ↑ "Museum". Walt Disney Hometown Museum. Archived from the original on November 30, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2024. The original museum was built on the personal collection of Ruth Disney Beecher, Walt's sister.
  53. ↑ "About Us". The Walt Disney Family Museum. Archived from the original on March 30, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
  54. ↑ "The Walt Disney Family Museum Mourns the Loss of Diane Disney Miller". The Walt Disney Family Museum. November 19, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  55. ↑ Gardner, Eriq (May 21, 2014). "Walt Disney Family Feud: Inside His Grandkids' Weird, Sad Battle Over a $400 Million Fortune". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  56. ↑ Allen, Nick (November 30, 2013). "Walt Disney's twin grandchildren in bitter row over inheritance". The Telegraph . Archived from the original on May 1, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
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