Once upon a time, I tried writing a musical about the life of Walt Disney. I only ever got as far as the opening number. Anyway, here it is. I may or may not have borrowed a bit from our pal Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Lyrics:
Narrator: Once upon a time, in a land not so far,
A man saw things not as they are
but as they could be.
You may know his name;
his tales are told across the world
proceeded by his fame.
But who was this boy from a town called Marceline,
who started out with nothing but some cash and a dream?
He tried to join the army, wasn't old enough to fight,
started drawing cartoons for the "Stars and Stripes."
But little does he know,
those same cartoons would be the stars of the show
Was original, pivotal, never off the shelf,
Let's get this fella out here let him introduce himself!
Walt: Walt Disney
That's what they call me
That's who they want me to be
Chorus: Walt Disney
Walt: W-E-D
You see....
Narrator: Walt needed money to fund his dream
found work at a studio for cartooning.
He got some experience, he found a friend
Ub Iwerks: his man till the end.
Ub: Our first enterprise lasted just a month,
moved from job to job, it was never enough.
Laugh-o-gram became the name of the game,
but that had to end, I'm afraid to say.
Narrator: Animated ads was what he did next
He learned the technique from library texts.
He then turned to shorts, which in turn, turned a profit
Didn't last long, but Walt had money in his pocket!
Westward to Californ-i-a
went to live with his brother in downtown L.A.
With a newfound fervor, and a gleam in his eye
he didn't know how to do it but he sure was gonna try!
Chorus: Walt Disney (Walt Disney)
The American Pioneer (American Pioneer)
You gave us hope, you gave us the memories we hold so dear.
Walt Disney (W.E.D.)
Indeed you changed the game
But they don't know your trials and your
Pain!
Narrator: The train is pulling in the station
Just came from across the nation
Gonna be the next sensation
Without a plan or any funds
He'll do what no one else has done
And win the praise of everyone
Chorus: His friends and enemies, just the same
Someday will all know the name...
All: Walt Disney!