He is Already a Tycoon at a Young Age! - Chapter 8



Only Krnovel

Episode 8

Episode 8 – You Ain’t Swinging At All

Kansas City.

A city in Missouri, central United States.

The most notable venue here was the Newman Theatre.

A thousand-seat auditorium.

A Louis XV style bathroom.

Down to the marble floor.

“It’s not a movie theater, it’s more like a palace.”

“Hey, these days, these kinds of high-end movie theaters are popular.”

“Richter said, handing me a chocolate bar.

“What is this?”

“Alf, you told me to buy some snacks?”

“I need to buy something like popcorn.”

Chocolate bar.

Caramel popcorn and cola are a national rule at the movies.

Of course, there are also original popcorn flavors, onion flavors, etc.

“You want to eat popcorn here?”

Richter looked around and whispered.

“If you do that, you’ll get scolded by other people. Just be satisfied with a chocolate bar.”

“What do you mean you can’t eat popcorn in a movie theater…”

It was only then that I noticed that no one was holding popcorn.

At best, chocolate bars and candy.

‘Isn’t that the culture yet?’

Reading comprehension is essential to enjoy silent films.

Unless it’s a total comedy, you have to know the letters to understand it.

‘The workers aren’t in the mood to come.’

A luxurious bathroom with a marble floor? It doesn’t match at all.

‘If I do this well, I could make a lot of money.’

Soon, a new movie will be released, bringing more people to the cinema.

The birth of superstars and the sale of snacks like popcorn and cola.

I guess I should have a hand in this too.

‘Let’s think about that later.’

There’s another reason I came all the way to Kansas City.

As we sat down, a black and white newsreel began to play.

[A massive police strike broke out in Boston. Massachusetts Governor Calvin Coolidge declared a hard-line response…]

[A vote for women? The sharp debate over women’s suffrage continues…]

Then a black cat appeared.

Animated characters in black and white.

Pointed ears and round eyes.

‘Is that an early animation?’

Cats went on strike to protest the cat ban.

“Um, that one’s really popular these days. It’s called Felix the Cat.”

Richter said with a smile.

The audience also burst into laughter at the ridiculous directing.

“Are you suggesting we invest there?”

“It’s not that, but it’s similar.”

Felix the cat.

Before Mickey Mouse, he was the most famous animated character.

‘But even in his prime, he wasn’t at the level of Mickey Mouse.’

Are there any other characters that represent America as much as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck?

“Should we go out now?”

After leaving the movie theater, we headed straight to the Kansas City Slide.

1015 Central Street.

A large sign greeted us.

[Handles mail order slides, motion pictures, film commercials and animations.]

As we entered, a woman who appeared to be a receptionist approached us.

“Hello, are you here on business?”

“Yes, I’m looking for someone to work here. My name is…”

He looked at the receptionist and said.

“This is Walt Disney.”

“Oh, you mean Walt. He’s probably resting right now. Let’s go get him.”

As the receptionist walked up the stairs, Richter opened his mouth.

“Walt Disney? Who, who is that?”

“Well, this is my first time meeting you like this.”

Walt Disney.

The builder of the Disney empire and a name that everyone in the 21st century knows.

How much charisma and ability do you need to have to be able to do that?

You’ll feel like a genius the moment you see him.

Pushing your dreams with great passion…

A loud crash was heard from above, and a man came running down.

“You came to see me?!”

Until I misstepped and slipped in the middle.

No, it’s a bit odd to call him a man.

A young face that looked like it wasn’t even twenty years old. He didn’t even have a moustache, which was common in that era.

‘What high school student?’

Could this guy be the famous Walt Disney?

I helped him up.

“I’m really sorry for the first time we met. The floor is slippery today.”

“Are you Mr. Walt Disney?”

“Yes, I am Walt Disney. I have your business card here, please.”

He rummaged through his overalls and took out a piece of paper.

[Available for all art work including comics, illustrations, designs and window cards, advertising purposes]

In the center of the business card was a character drawing a picture.

Is this the owner’s character?

“You came looking for me?”

“Yes, I saw a slide you made for this company a while ago. When I asked who was in charge, he introduced me by your name.”

Of course, it’s a blatant lie.

Disney looked impressed by my words.

“So, are you here to ask me to do some work for you?”

“I would say it’s more of an investment than a job. Are you interested in animation?”

“Are you interested in animation?”

Disney burst out laughing when he heard what I said.

“Come with me. I have a studio at my house.”

“If it’s still work time, then later…”

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ve got a doll that looks exactly like me sitting on the chair. The next two hours should be fine. Right, Cathy?”

“You’re going to get caught by Mr. Rubin someday, Walt.”

“Until then, please take good care of me.”

He winked at the receptionist.

An attitude that is so absurdly confident.

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘As expected, he was no ordinary person.’

＊＊＊

“Ah, no matter how I look at it, it’s just a young kid with blue eyes. The place called a studio is just a garage.”

Richter grumbled.

“Can anything good come out of a place like this?”

“Animation is a young market, and great businesses always start in garages.”

Steve Jobs also built Apple’s first computer in his garage.

The same goes for Google.

“So, who wants to bet on who will win this time? How about a hundred thousand dollars?”

“Who would want to make a fool of themselves?”

Richter and I laughed and went into the garage.

“Okay, it’s a bit shabby, but please come in. By the way, I haven’t even asked you two names yet. I’ve been so out of it.”

Disney wiped his hands and held them out.

“My name is Adolf Hitler. This is my colleague Ernst Richter.”

I said as we shook hands.

“You are both of German descent.”

“Actually, it’s only been a few months since I came to the United States from Germany.”

Then I saw the photos on the garage shelf.

Walt Disney in a leather military uniform.

Then the Red Cross ambulance was painted with a funny caricature of a soldier.

“When my brother enlisted in the Navy, I followed him without knowing what was going on. I worked as a truck driver for the Red Cross.”

Disney said, scratching his head. There was another picture next to the photo.

A picture of an American soldier kicking the German Kaiser’s butt.

A short text was written below.

[Kaiser, get out!]

Disney noticed our gaze and hid the picture in a fuss.

“This is a drawing I had no choice but to draw because my colleagues kept asking me to do so, but this is how it is…”

“There’s no need to do that. The empire has already collapsed anyway.”

Richter shrugged.

“I’m glad you understand. Oh! So you came because of the animation.”

Disney rummaged through his garage and pulled something out.

Clear vinyl.

Is it celluloid?

“Until recently, animation was a very inefficient process. But with this celloid, or Cel, you can create much more natural works in a short period of time. You draw characters on a transparent plate…”

His explanation went on and on.

Richter and I stood there dumbfounded, listening to the pouring out explanation.

If you leave me alone, I’ll keep talking until the sun goes down.

“Yes, yes, I understand.”

I have a rough idea of ​​what cell animation is.

An animation technique used before the introduction of computers.

The animated works directly managed by Disney boasted incredible quality.

Because it was made by putting in manpower.

After coughing, he opened his mouth.

“I have high hopes for the animation business. I think it is a market with great potential. After hearing Mr. Disney’s explanation, I can definitely say that he is an expert.”

“You can just call me Walt. All my friends call me Walt.”

“Well then, Walt. Anyway, I’d like to invest in you.”

“You’re investing in me?”

“Yes, why don’t you start your own animation company? What do you need to create a proper animation work?”

“First of all, a camera. And you’ll need a ton of celloloid. They’re all bought in New York, so they’re a bit pricey.”

I took out a check and wrote down twenty thousand dollars.

“This is the initial investment amount. We will discuss the details later.”

“Twenty thousand dollars?!”

Disney carefully took the check I handed him with both hands.

Like Moses receiving the Ten Commandments.

“I don’t know what to say. I was thinking of starting an animation company soon, but I never thought I would get a helping hand like this…”

Of course it would be.

It was around the next year that Disney created Ref-O-Gram Animation.

‘Of course it ended in a huge failure.’

Due to the distributors’ indifference and lack of funds, Laugh-O-Gram soon goes bankrupt.

Disney’s comeback was after he moved to Hollywood.

“First of all, how about going to Hollywood and studying various filming techniques? It will definitely help you with your animation work.”

“Yes? Oh, yes!”

Disney, who had been blank-faced, was startled.

“Why don’t you stop by New York before that? Here’s my address and contact information. How about we discuss the terms of the contract then?”

I roughly scribbled it down on a notepad.

I guess I should make a business card too.

Maybe I should ask Disney for a favor.

Hitler’s business card designed by Walt Disney.

That would be fun too.

After calming down the excited Disney, we went back out onto the street.

“You’re the only one who’d hand over ten thousand dollars to someone you just met, Alf.”

“Walt has the dream and the skills. And I have the money to help him achieve his dream.”

Disney’s dream was simple.

Creating animation that everyone can enjoy.

Furthermore, the establishment of an entertainment industry that provides fantasy.

With or without my support, Disney would work tirelessly toward that dream.

Disney has unlimited funds. How much sooner will success come?

I also earn a lot of money from side jobs.

“If I just invest money like this, I can make a profit without having to work myself, right?”

“Well, that would be true if it were successful. But how much money can you make from just a moving cartoon?”

“A few hundred billion dollars? It’ll be around that much in a hundred years.”

Disney’s market cap in 2020 was $300 billion.

Richter shook his head as if he was dumbfounded after hearing what I said.

“Then, should we head back to New York now?”

“Already? Oh, I haven’t even seen California yet. I have to go to Hollywood.”

“Let’s go West once the Morgan thing is finished.”

I guess I’ll be hearing from Morgan soon.

You shouldn’t go too far.

I’ve been feeling strange stares since I came to Kansas City.

“Then how about stopping by New Orleans on the way back?”

“New Orleans?”

“Yeah, let’s go drink some wine and pick up some girls by the Mississippi River.”

“Alp, I thought you weren’t interested in girls.”

“what?”

“No, that’s not it… I thought it was because you were the only one who didn’t talk about women even during the war.”

“Let’s call him the old Hitler. I’m a new person now.”

He is literally a completely new person.

He said that he was different from Hitler, who couldn’t even talk to his crush and only fantasized about it.

Two days later.

We were on a steamboat going down the Mississippi River to St. Louis.

“Now, ladies and gentlemen! Let me introduce the Fate Marble Band! Henderson on trumpet, Kid Ori on trombone! And Armstrong on cornet!”

I drank whiskey and immersed myself in jazz melodies.

How many opportunities do you have to hear the King of Jazz, Louis Armstrong, perform live?

‘One swing kills me.’

Business cards used by Disney (estimated 1919-1921)

“Comic cartoons, advertising cartoons, animations, picture cartoons – Cartoonist Walt Disney”

※Public domain※