I always think of an outlier as someone with a unique mind. A person who is bursting with creativity and the power to think outside the box. Someone who embodies these qualities the most is the one and only Walt Disney. Walter Elias Disney was born on December 5, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois. From an early age Walt Disney was interested in art and was constantly encouraged by his mother to practice his talents. As he got older took every opportunity he could get to practice and improve his art. In high school he took classes in art and photography as well as taking classes at night at the Chicago Art Institute.
After dropping out of school Disney joined the Red Cross and took a job driving an ambulance in France. Upon his return, Walt's brother Roy got him a job as a newspaper artist at Pesmen-Rueben Art Studio. During his time here Disney made friends with experienced cartoonist Ubbe Iweks. Walt, his brother Roy, and Ubbe tried to start their own studio producing short cartoon series but they quickly fell into debt and had to declare bankruptcy. Not willing to give up the three moved to Hollywood and started The Disney Brothers' Studio. The company survived but wasn't a huge success until the creation of Disney's famous character: Mickey Mouse. In 1923 Walt Disney made the cartoon "Steamboat Willie" and from then one Disney's career sky rocketed.
The work the followed "Steamboat Willie" showed Disney's creativity. Walt Disney pushed boundaries and did things no cartoonist had done before. He created his first feature film "Snow White" which is now considered the best animated movie of all time. From that point on each film did things that none had before. Fantasia combined color and sound. Bambi used realism and detail. Mary Poppins was the first movie to ever combined real life actors with animation. Then Disney created Disney Land "the most magical place on Earth".
Walt Disney follows many of the rules of an outlier. For the 10,000 hour rule he took classes and practiced his art form a young age. In Malcom Gladwell's book "Outliers" he says that the time where most people reach their 10,000 is when they're 20 years old. Walt Disney produced his first successful cartoon "Steamboat Willie" in 1923 at the age of 22. For parentage and patronage Disney was constantly encouraged by his mother and siblings. Even more, his brother Roy gave Walt financial backing numerous times and helped Disney create his companies. As for special opportunities, Walt Disney befriended Ubbe Iweks while working at Pesmen- Rueben who he learned from and went into business with. Finally for intelligences. There is no denying Walt Disney's creativity but he also had recognizable practical intelligence. Everyone during that time admired Disney and his skill for storytelling. He had a way of speaking to people that would keep them interested and he talked in a way that people could understand and relate to. He could pay attention to detail without drowning the listener. Overall Walt Disney, the man behind the magic, was a true outlier.
