Believed to be one of the world's greatest visionaries, Walt Disney was an American entrepreneur, cartoonist, animator, voice actorand film producer. As Walt often stated, "It all started with a mouse.” The mouse he referred to was none other than Mickey Mouse, a beloved cartoon character who began to chisel his way into the lives of youth and kids at heart in 1928. Over the years, Walt created Mickey’s co-stars, including his pet dog, Pluto; his best friends, Goofy and Donald Duck; and his girlfriend, Minnie Mouse, alongside her best friend, Daisy (Donald’s girlfriend.) Mickey and the other cast members have starred in numerous television shows over the course of the last nine decades, the most recent being "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" on Disney Junior.

Mickey was not Walt’s sole passion, however. Walt released more than 80 animated and live actions films through his company “Walt Disney Productions.” This impressive list begins with "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and ends with "The Jungle Book." Following his death, hundreds of other movies have been released through the Disney name. This includes big screen films (e.g "The Lion King"), direct-to-video specials ("The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea"), and Disney Channel Original Movies, also known as DCOMs ("Gotta Kick it Up").

Ah yes, in 1983– 17 years after Walt’s death, a television station was created in his name. It airs his original work, alongside Disney channel original series, DCOMs, and big screen films (Disney products and otherwise). Four years later, Disney Store opened in cities across America. Though Disney merchandise can be purchased pretty much anywhere [Have you ever walked down the "Frozen" aisle in Walmart on Black Friday?Don't do it!], the items sold at Disney Store can only be found there.

It is quite unfortunate Walt could not live to see how large of an impact he made and continues to make on the world. For a short while, he was able to bear witness to the joy he elicited in families at movie premieres and his first theme park, Disneyland. Walt opened “The Happiest Place on Earth” in 1955 and spent much of his time there. He even had a private apartment above the firehouse! He used the space to look on at his guests, spend time with his family, and do business. Almost five years after his death, DisneyWorld was opened. Over the years, additions to the theme parks, resorts, and cruises have been accredited to Disney.

Now that I have skimmed over the basic facts of Walt Disney’s later years, it is time I delve into his final month. A little known fact about the idolized Walt Disney was that he smoked three packs of cigarettes a day. In order to protect the children visiting the park, he took care to hide his habit. Walt’s addiction caught up with him in 1966. On November 2, Walt had an x-ray taken of his chest. It revealed a tumor on his left lung, which was removed a week later. Unfortunately, the cancer had spread throughout his body. Walt was given six months to two years to live, but he only survived 34 days. Walt Disney– entertainer, idol, and luminary– passed away on December 15, 1966. Cremated two days later, Walt was laid to rest at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California. He was joined by his wife, Lillian, 31 years and a day following his death; as well as his daughter, Diane, and son-in-law, Ron, in recent years.

Since humans are often conspiratorial, self-centered and lack sympathy, we cannot let Walt rest in peace. It is believed that Walt was never cremated, but frozen. Preceding his death, Walt Disney Studios contacted Bob Nelson– then president of the Cryonics Society of California. Detailed questions regarding the process of cryonics, the facilities, the staff, and their history were inquired. However, Walt never had it placed into his last will and testament that he wished to be frozen. When he passed away, Walt’s family did not like the idea and chose a traditional route for his remains.

This information was made public when Nelson gave an interview to the Los Angeles Times in 1972. Although Nelson went as far to say that he saw Walt’s ashes himself, the only information people took from the interview was that he wanted to be frozen. From there, rumors were created. A ludicrous, yet repetitive theory is that Walt’s frozen body is stored in a deep-freeze chamber somewhere in Disneyland. Potential housing sites include beneath “Pirates of the Caribbean” or inside “Matterhorn.”

In 2012, Diane did an interview for the Daily Mail. She spoke of how the Disney family opened the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, California to help combat numerous rumors regarding Walt Disney, including being frozen through cryonics. Diane said, “Other little kids would say to my kids, ‘Your grandfather is frozen, isn’t he?’ And I couldn’t let that stand.”

As I have previously stated, Walt Disney has touched the lives of many people throughout the last several decades. Walt’s death was heartbreaking to those who were alive and well during the time. As later generations became fond of Disney and discovered that he passed away far too soon, their hearts were broken, too. Although we lost him ages ago, it is still difficult to cope with the fact that one of the greatest men in the universe is no longer roaming the Earth. Thus, humans like to believe that there is still a chance for Walt to return. If he were truly frozen, he could suddenly roam the Earth, tomorrow! Can you imagine how life would be? The world is pumped, you are amped…and then you realize that this is just another conspiracy theory. Walt’s body is a large pile of dust lying inside of a box six feet underground and you want to binge watch his movies to make yourself feel better…or do you buy into it and truly believe?