"I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing- that it all started with a mouse."- Walt Disney

Disney Research | Disney Sources | Disney Sites

Netzero Essay | Notes | Netzero Sites

The Magic in Walt Disney

Walt Disney Research

Walter Elias Disney holds a unique place in history for his contributions to the world of animation. Since he first began in the mid-nineteen twenties, he has been marked as an icon of the mass media. From the creation of a simple animation in a silent feature film to the use of color, sound and background music in live-action films, Disney has amazed his audiences time after time. All of Disney's creations played a key role in his success, however, the one character that has been the most influential throughout the history of Walt Disney is Mickey Mouse. Mickey Mouse was created by Walt Disney in collaboration with his long time coworker Ubbe Iwerks. Today, Mickey is recognized by men, women and children all over the world. Walt always knew there was something very special about Mickey Mouse. Disney created his dreams through Mickey, and Mickey brought them out for the world to enjoy. Walt Disney died in 1966 of cancer, but his legacy lives on.

Five Sources from UNC-CH Libraries:

Finch, Christopher. The Art of Walt Disney (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1995). Call number: NC1766.U52 D53

Jackson, Kathy Merlock. Walt Disney, a biography (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1993). Call number: NC1766.U52 D5437

"The Little Mermaid" prod. Howard Ashman and John Musker, 83 min., Walt Disney Pictures with Silver Screen Partners, 1989, Digital Video Disc. Call number: 65-DVD259.

Brodie, Allison. (2001, April 6). Media Week. Disney Offers First Access to Classics, [online magazine], p.18, 275words. Available: Lexis-Nexis WMWK [May 28, 2001].

Forgey, Benjamen. (2001, March 18). The Washington Post. Make-Believe Architecture: The Real Deal; Exhibit Explores the Reach of Disney's Design Style [online magazine], p.G01, 1980 words. Available: Lexis-Nexis [May 28, 2001].

Nelson, Chris. (2001, February 14). The Toronto Sun. Disney's New Park All About California Dreaming [online newspaper], p.46, 819 words. Available: Lexis-Nexis [May 28, 2001].

Visit Five Interesting Web Sites:

Title: Walt Disney- His life and works
Address: http://www.intergraffix.com/walt/xindex.htm
Description: Walter Elias Disney through the years from 1901-1966. This page also includes a timeline of all his accomplishments and significant points in life (months and years), as well as many photos, information about his characters and feature films.
Source: Intergraffix, prod. Steven Reese

Title: Where the Magic Lives Online! Disney.com
Address: http://disney.go.com/park/homepage/today/flash/index.html? Clk= 1004398
Description: This is a site where kids and parents can go to learn all about Walt Disney and his creations. They can also plan trips to Disneyland/Disney World, play games, etc.
Source: Disney.com

Title: The Magic is Born-Walt Quotes
Address: http://disney.go.com/DisneyChannel/z4/TheMagicIsBorn/quotes.html
Description: This page features quotes and information about Walt Disney. It also gives quotes from Walt Disney about his animations, creating them, Mickey Mouse, nature of animation, and children.
Source: Disney.com

Title: Walt Disney Pictures
Address: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/recess/index.html
Description: At this site you can find out the latest Disney movie releases, get a sneak preview about upcoming films and cartoons and even download Disney graphics.
Source: Disney Pictures and Disney.com

Title: Justdisney.com Walt Disney, Disney World, Disney News
Address: http://justdisney.com
Description: This is a complete resource on Walt Disney and Disneyland. It features Disneyland history, Walt Disney photos, and Walt Disney Filmography.
Source: justdisney.com

Mini-Essay on an Internet Issue

Despite the high risk of failure ISP companies face, Netzero has managed to succeed and rise to the top. Netzero is a free Internet Service Provider based in Westlake Village, California. Since it first appeared in October of 1998, the company has accumulated over 8 million registered users in more than 5,000 cities across the United States and Canada. In the first months running, Netzero signed an average of 2500 customers a day. (1) Besides providing free Internet service for 40 hours a month, Netzero offers integrated email and voicemail, a multilingual page design, 98 percent connection rate, connection speed of 48Kbps to 53Kbps, and their setup process beat others by a landslide. (2)

The reason Netzero has been so successful and able to provide free Internet for customers is simple. There is a small banner that runs across the top of the user's screen (about 3 ½in. x 1in.) that contains flashing advertisements, changing about every 30 seconds. If clicked on at any point in time, the user will be taken directly to that particular site. These special advertisements are designed to benefit the user as well as the Netzero Company. When a customer signs up for Netzero service, he/she submits a Netzero profile listing his/her demographics, hobbies, interests, etc. Also, the zCast records the movement of their customers around the Internet with a unique tracking device. Both of these tools enable sponsors to target the exact customers they want to reach with something they call Marquee Ads. Marquee ads are the first three ads that pop up in the banner of the requested target audience. Being able to track the user's interests allows the sponsors to provide ads that coincide with their interests.

In the past, Netzero has run off these advertisement revenues alone, but now Netzero Platinum is available for $9.95 a month. President Bob Pack knew it would not be long before people were tired of having their screen cluttered with those annoying ads. As a result, Netzero Platinum offers unlimited web access, a faster loading time and free email accounts all without the advertising banner in the toolbar. Currently, Netzero has 8 registered patents and 56 pending, and they are suing Juno.com for using the marketing idea of running an ad banner in the toolbar. However, given their previous success, Bob Pack remains optimistic about Netzero and reveals that there are bigger and better plans for the future. (1)

Notes:

(1) Brian Caulfield, "Still Seeking Feasible No-Fee Access Model," Internet World, 14
December 1998, v4 i41, p.31 Also available [online]: Expanded Academic ASAP Info-Trac Article A54332675 [Accessed: 27 May 2001].

(2) Robert Strohmeyer, "Free ISP's," Smart Business for the New Economy, 1 March 2001, p.46 Also available [online]: Expanded Academic ASAP Info-Trac Article A69711301 [Accessed: 28 May 2001].

Additional Websites:

Title: Netzero Platinum: The Ultimate Internet
Address: http://my.netzero.net/zplat/ptpage.html
Brief Description: Netzero Platinum costs and what services it offers
Source: Netzero email and ad banner

Title: Netzero: Superior Service for Customers and Marketers
Address: http://www.netzero.com/about_us/about_us.html
Brief Description: About netzero, what it offers and how it works
Source: Netzero ad banner