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Walt Disney’s name is synonymous with innovation. A pioneer and trailblazer in his field, the founder of the Walt Disney Company is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of the animation industry and is known for creating iconic characters such as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy.
Throughout his career, Walt Disney steadily expanded his studio’s operations, culminating in the establishment of Disneyland Resort, the first Disney Theme Park. That eventually expanded to Central Florida with the Walt Disney World Resort and then internationally as well. Needless to say, the Walt Disney Company is a household name today.
“Partners” statue in front of Cinderella Castle, Magic Kingdom Park, Walt Disney World Resort / Credit: Disney
However, as many Disney Fanatics might know, Walt Disney built his empire from the ground up. He started first in Kansas City, Missouri, and then moved to Los Angeles, California, in August of 1923. Famously, Walt Disney is said to have had “$40 in [his] pocket and a coat and a pair of trousers that didn’t match.” Walt Disney settled in the Los Feliz area, and soon after, he and his brother Roy O. Disney opened the Disney Bros. Studio at a building on Kingswell Avenue.
The Walt Disney Company founder Walt Disney / Credit: Disney
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That building still exists today and continues to be a hidden gem of Disney history for those with a keen eye. Ben Proudfoot, a filmmaker who now rents the upstairs level of the building, shares, “It’s like a true California start-up story. It’s powerful to remember that the world’s largest entertainment company started in this corner unit.”
Los Feliz neighborhood, Los Angeles / Credit: GoodMigrations
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As reported by The New York Times, “Disney met his wife at the offices after the company hired her to work as an inker who traced the animators’ drawings onto celluloid sheets to be photographed for production. ‘They almost immediately started a courtship that led to their marriage,’” San Francisco-based Walt Disney Family Museum’s executive director Kirsten Komoroske added.
The space currently houses a copy shop, and the current owner, Marine Ter-Pogosyan, has photos of Walt Disney, Mickey Mouse, and more taped up so that people always remember that this was the first studio that the Walt Disney Company owned.
