No phenomenon in popular culture has inspired more legends, myths, and rumors than Walt Disney. This quiet, conservative Midwesterner was a visionary and technological innovator who built a major motion picture studio from scratch; pioneered the use of animation, sound, and color in films; entertained and enthralled millions in the early days of television; and single-handedly created the theme park industry. Intensely private yet always on the leading edge of the very public entertainment industry, Walt Disney was a man of tremendous achievements and a contradictory nature destined to be the stuff of legends. The memorable and beautiful films he produced, the complex and futuristic theme park attractions he created, the inner workings of the multi-billion dollar corporation he founded, and the details of his private life have been the objects of intense scrutiny and speculation for decades. As the persistent rumor of cryogenic storage demonstrates, the Disney legend has endured, quite literally, beyond the grave.
