American Icons

Walt Disney is a name that brings a smile to the faces of almost everyone who hears it, and is recognized by

thousands of people acrossAamerica. Disney i

s a multiple Academy-Award winning film producer, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, and philanthropist, who is known mostly for being the co-founder of Walt Disney Productions, an achievement that changed the lives of people all over America and helped him to become one of the most well-known motion picture producers in the world. He was a dream weaver, a creator of fairy tales and lands far far away which he brought to life using colorful animation that captured the hearts of children everywhere.

On July 18th, 1955, Disney made these far away fairy tales acces

sible to children everywhere when he opened Disneyland Theme Park, also known as "the happiest place on earth". This revolutionary theme park s

oon opened in locations in Japan, France, and China, and became the second most visited theme park in the world. "To all who come to this happy place - welcome. Disneyland is

your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America ... with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world. Thank you." Disney said about the magical park that he had created.

Disney books and movies caused a revolution in America. The classic children's movies inspire children to dream and use their imagination, and escape to a world in which pumpkins can turn into horse-drawn carriages and fairy tales really do come true. Growing up, the world of disney was my inspiration for almost everything i did and helped me get through difficult times by bringing a little bit of magic to my life, the way it did for countless others.

Lucille Ball, one of the most powerful and influential popular and influential stars in America during her lif

etime, brought tears to the eyes of television viewers across the country. Tears of laughter, that is. A successful comedienne, television, stage and radio actress, model,and film and television executive, Ball had a long list of things to be proud of. But her greatest and most well-known achievement was her starring role in the hit show I Love Lucy, in which captured hearts playing the quirky and klutzy Lucy who lit up television screens all over America from 1948 to 1960. I Love Lucy became a classic and was soon followed by the Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, and Here's Lucy.

She is known as the "queen of Bs" because of her many roles in B-list films rather than well known movies on the big screen, but will always be someone i look up to for working as hard as she did and putting herself wholly into her career, in which she achieved more than most by simply being herself and not worrying about critique on her unusual behavior.

Andy Warhol is a leading figure in the visual movement of pop art and one of the most inspirational and original artists of America, in my opinion at least. He began with a successful career in commercial illustrating and soon became famous worldwide for his unique and revolutionary paintings. In addition to painting and illustrating, Warhol became an avant-garde filmmaker, record producer, author, and public figure known for his membership in wildly diverse social circles that included bohemian street people, distinguished intellectuals, Hollywood celebrities and wealthy aristocrats. Warhol's work inspired many people with his flair for thinking outside of the box and coloring outside the lines, and was made to be the subject of many retrospective exhibitions, books, and feature and documentary films.

Warhol is someone who I will always admire, for his way of being able to look at something in a way that no one else could see it, and turning it into a form of art. This is a skill that most people strive to achieve but doesn't come naturally to many. It can open a whole new world of opportunities that never seemed possible. There was a time when no one would ever consider seeing a soup can label a work of art, until Warhol came along and changed everyone's view on what beauty is.