Walt Disney Archives

This Day in Disney

Walt Disney Incorporates Laugh-O-Gram Films

Before there was Snow White, Mickey Mouse, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit or even the Alice comedies, Walt Disney was determined to get into the animation business, so he took a borrowed camera to the shed behind his house and created his first film. Soon, having raised $15,000 from family and friends, Walt hired a minimal staff and on this day in 1922, incorporated Laugh-O-Gram Films. Although he sold his animated Laugh-O-Grams to the Newman Theatre in Kansas City, in less than a year it was no laughing matter when the company declared bankruptcy when a distributor defaulted on his payments. With only $40 in cash, Walt headed for Hollywood, unbeknownst to him that he would indeed find great success in animation. Today the original Laugh-O-Gram studio is being restored by a non-profit organization headed by Dan Viets who told us, “Our project is making slow-but-sure progress. We have a new first floor, new steel framing, a new second floor and a new roof on the building where Walt created the first Walt Disney company!”