Death of Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney (December 5, 1901 - December 15, 1966) was an American entrepreneur, animator, writer, voice actor, and film producer. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film producer, Disney holds the record for most Academy Awards earned by an individual, having won 22 Oscars from 59 nominations. He was presented with two Golden Globe Special Achievement Awards and an Emmy Award, among other honors. Several of his films are included in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
Death
However, Disney's involvement in Disney World ended in late 1966, when he was diagnosed with lung cancer in his left lung, after a lifelong habit of chain-smoking (where his dreams of advancements in the improvement of human health would have come in handy) since World War 1. He was checked into the St. Joseph's Hospital across the street from the Disney Studio lot and his health eventually deteriorated. His dedication to his projects was still visible while lying in his deathbed. On the evening of December 14, Roy came to visit him. Here, Walt pointed up to the ceiling using the tiles as a grip map. He then signaled Roy about the roads and major places in EPCOT and Disney World. Even sick and near death, Walt's mind was clear, active, and vibrant; his imagination fully engaged and his voice enthusiastic.
It came as a complete shock to the Disney Family and to the whole world when Walt passed away the next morning. He was pronounced dead at 9:35 AM PST on December 15, 1966 having just celebrated his sixty-fifth birthday two weeks earlier. The official cause of death was "acute circulatory collapse." His heart simply stopped beating.
Contrary to urban legend, he was not cryogenically frozen. He was cremated and his ashes were interred in the Disney family garden in the Court of Freedom section of Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.
At the time of his death, The Jungle Book was the final animated film Disney has ever worked on, which was released posthumously after his death. Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, soon to be the first part of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh], was the last short film he ever produced, ten months before his death.
Impact
It was truly unthinkable. Walt Disney was dead. Roy, who had always been supportive to Walt, looking for and helping him, had lost his reason for living. After an hour or so, Walt's foot was sticking out from under the blanket. Roy was by the bed, gently rubbing Walt's foot and said "Well kid, it looks like the end of the road." Roy was still the older brother to the end.
Roy Disney carried out the Florida project, insisting that the name becomes Walt Disney World in honor of his brother. Roy O. Disney died only three months after that resort's opening in 1971.
Following the death of Walt Disney, its feature animation studio started declining in quality, hence resulting to the Disney Dark Age where critical and commercial reception of these films were much weaker than during Walt Disney's lifetime, which continued from 1970-1988, beginning with 1970's The AristoCats and ending with 1988's Oliver and Company, though the animation studio did enjoyed a few critical and commercial successes here and there such as 1977's The Rescuers and 1986's The Great Mouse Detective, even though they're still considered moderate successes compared to the studio's heyday in the 1930s-1960s. Some of the animators left the company like Don Bluth, who would go on to become the creator of The Secret of NIMH, An American Tail, The Land Before Time, All Dogs Go to Heaven, Anastasia and mh:greatestmovies:Titan A.E., in which the last two would later become part of Disney's library as part of Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2019. Disney wouldn't bounce back to its high quality roots until the Disney Renaissance beginning with 1989's The Little Mermaid.