Dear Walt,
This year, it will have been 50 years since you’ve been gone, and the world is a little less magical without you. But what you left behind is enough to keep your memory alive forever.
First off, thank you for teaching me never to give up. When you were my age, you had a company that was buried in debt and had to declare bankruptcy. But you never gave up. You knew what you wanted to do with your life, and you weren't going to let a little failure stop you. And I thank you so much for that because not only does it inspire me to pursue my dreams, but if you had given up, none of your magical world would have become a reality.
Thank you for creating timeless films that adults can enjoy and children will cherish. More importantly, thank you for spreading your creativity to your employees so that even after you passed away, Disney movies remained just as magical and mystical as they were when you were creating them. Even though you didn’t get a chance to see many of the films made under your name, I think you would be proud of them. Thank you for using princesses, villains and talking animals to teach children lessons they will hold dear for their entire life. Your films taught me endless life lessons; to always let my conscience be my guide, beauty is found within, learn from your past and to just keep swimming.
Thank you for creating a place where make believe becomes reality, for the young and the young at heart. While you were only able to see Disneyland, I like to think that you would be astounded by how much Disney Parks have grown. Walt Disney World has become a second home to me, and I am forever thankful for it. It is an escape from all the struggles of the real world; a place where princesses find true love, where children never have to grow up and where dreams come true. I can’t tell you how many days I’ve spent just exploring the parks, taking in all the magic there is to see. Disney cast members have so much pride in what they do, and truly make every experience wonderful for guests of all ages.
Thank you for reminding us that even though we grow older everyday, we don’t have to grow up. As a child, I dressed up as princesses and dreamed of the day my prince would sweep me off my feet. As a 22-year-old college student, I still get chills when I see Cinderella and Prince Charming dancing together. When I was younger, Disney World was a fantasy world where all of my favorite characters came to life in front of me. As I grew up, I feared that the Disney Magic would lose its touch on me. But after living and working at Disney World for almost a year, I could not have been more wrong. In fact, it’s almost more amazing now that I understand how much work is put into making a fantasy world become reality.
And finally, thank you for Mickey Mouse. As you’ve said, “It all started with a mouse.” Since the beginning, Mickey has been a perfect representation of the Disney company as a whole; cheerful, happy, upbeat and a little goofy. I never had a chance to meet Mickey when I was a kid, but I can’t tell you how starstruck I felt to meet him as an adult. Whenever I had a bad day, all it took to cheer me up was a big hug from my pal Mickey. Even though you’re no longer with us, I’ve always felt like a piece of you lives on within that little mouse.
Thank you for teaching all of us that dreams really do come true.
