The Legend of Walt Disney

The Three Theories Surrounding Walt Disney 

There are three main theories surrounding the death of Walt Disney.Although many people believed that all three of these theories could be true. There is only one that could be the correct answer. The three theories we will be discussing is that he was buried underneath The Pirates of the Caribbean, frozen in a capsule, and that he was cremated. There was a lot of mystery and unanswered questions surrounding his death. How he had died and where he was buried in the end?      The first theory states that he was buried underneath The Pirates of the Caribbean ride. “Walt Disney died on December 15, 1966 in a hospital due to lung cancer.” (Trimborn 1) Making his death a very startling and awful shock to the world. “Disney’s death stunned millions around the world.” (1). This unexpected death created many to wonder why and how he could have died. At the time doctors and his family wouldn’t release information about his disturbing death. “Hospital and studio spokesman declined to state the specific cause of death, saying only that he died of “acute circulatory collapse.” (1). This suspicious denial from many made it easier for theories about his death to spread. The theory that he was buried underneath a ride began to get more attention throughout the world.  This theory fails to address how and why he had been buried underneath this ride. Furthermore nobody had seen his body being buried during any part of the day.     This theory became one of the most believed theories out of them all. Many people began to believe that he truly was buried underneath The Pirates of the Caribbean. The only problem with this was there was no evidence of him truly being buried in the Disney parks. “No one can place the alleged rumors of Walt Disney’s body and where it was hidden.” (Hicks 1).  This made it easier for people to report that this was a false statement and just a rumor created by the public. Even his own daughter wrote, “ My father was not in fact underneath a ride or anything of the sort.” (Markel 1). All of this evidence proves that this theory can not be in fact true due to the lack of affirmation from witnesses.      The most outlandish theory was he was locked in a capsule to be brought back to life. Many had believed Walt Disney to be a brilliant mind and extraordinary human being. For him to have died at such a young age and unexpectedly made it hard for people to understand (Markel 1). Not long after his death a news reporter claimed he had snuck into the hospital and seen Disney suspended in a cylinder frozen and unmoving (l). This crazy news sparked many to question if Disney knew about cryonics. This was a new, very fascinating field where a body could be frozen and brought back to life. Many speculated he had read the book “The Prospect of Immortality” which was created by Robert C.W. Ettinger. This was a fairly new concept to many during the time and had a lot about the procedure of cryonics (1). Walt was always obsessed with the future and trying to create something new and achievable. This didn’t seem unachievable for the creator of one of the biggest theme parks in the world (1). Making this a truly suspicious theory.   This theory can not be in fact logical because there is no real evidence behind it at all. Walt Disney was in fact very obsessed with the future but not in that way. Even his own daughter wrote, “There is absolutely no truth that my father, Walt Disney, wished to be frozen. I doubt my father had ever even heard of cryonics.” (Markel 1) This makes this theory implausible and just a rumor someone had created to attract attention.     The most believable theory is he was simply cremated somewhere his family had chosen. He did in fact pass away from a very deadly lung cancer. It had spread very far throughout his system when he was first admitted to the hospital. His death wasn’t that of a surprise considering he smoked almost three packs of cigarettes a day. “Disney’s staff knew he was coming down the hall because of his hacking dry cough.” (Markel 1). When Disney had complained about his severe neck and leg pain. He was rushed to the hospital. This proved not to have helped as he died on December 15 just two weeks later (1). “His death certificate shows he was in fact cremated just 34 days after finding the cancer.” (Hicks 1).     This theory is by far the most plausible and realistic one there is. There are many facts and statements made by his family supporting his cremation and where he was buried. The most recent fact being that you can go to his actual burial ground in California and find the memorial set up for him. In many interviews his daughter Diane stated, “My father was simply cremated, he knew he had wanted to do that for many years.” (Markel 1). The urn of Walt Disney’s ashes was inherited at the Forrest Lawn Cemetery of Glendale, California (1). They kept his burial a secret because it was one of his last wishes for it not to be published.   The three theories surrounding Walt Disney are truly puzzling. These theories are filled with mystery and wonder surrounding the legend. The research throughout the essay brought to the conclusion that the last theory is by far the most likely. The facts that were provided make this theory the only true one. These three theories being he was buried underneath The Pirates ride, stuck in a capsule somewhere, and he was cremated are all mind boggling. Walt Disney truly was a mysterious, bold, and puzzling individual and has many strange theories about him.