Walter Elias Disney (1901-1966) Inducted - Wednesday, May 12, 1993 Sculptor: William J. Williams Where is Walter Elias Disney in the Hall of Famous Missourians? Walter Elias Disney was a film and animation pioneer and innovator whose achievements sparked the imagination of people throughout the world. Disney moved to a farm outside of Marceline, Missouri, with his family in 1906. In 1910, his family moved to Kansas City, Missouri. After service as a World War I ambulance driver, Disney returned to Kansas City and opened his first animation studio. Winner of a record 32 Academy Awards in his lifetime, Disney amassed a remarkable body of work. His major accomplishments include producing the first synchronized sound cartoon, Steamboat Willie (1928); initiating the use of the three-color process in animation for motion pictures; producing the first feature-length animated picture, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937); and creating the family theme park Disneyland and such beloved characters as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck.