A century has passed since the establishment of the Walt Disney film studio, renowned for creating some of the most beloved movies of all time. However, few people know the story of how its founder had connections to a small village in England. Norton Disney, with a population of just 242, has been immortalized in the title sequence of every Disney movie since 2006. The live action and animated versions of “Little Mermaid” and “Elemental,” respectively, pay tribute to the village with a display of a shooting star around Sleeping Beauty’s castle, accompanied by When You Wish Upon a Star and a perfect arc of light in the sky.
Disney historian Sebastien Durand revealed to the BBC that St Peter’s Church in Lincolnshire, dating back to the 11th century, is the oldest place in England where traces of Walt Disney’s history, family tree, and even his coat of arms can be found. It was also the church that Disney visited on 7th July 1949, while he was supervising the live-action “Treasure Island” shooting. His family accompanied him, and they spent an afternoon in Norton Disney. Walt was intrigued by the village, given that he only knew his great-grandfather was Irish, so visiting the village and understanding his ancestry became an important addition to his itinerary.
The French Disney expert explains that the Disneys came to England from France with William the conqueror after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. They settled in the area, and the name evolved from de Isignys to D’Iseny and eventually became Disney in the 13th or 14th Centuries. Walt also saw the magnificent 14th-century tomb of Sir William d’Isney with the family crest depicting three lions, facing left in the Normandy symbol. Although no one can trace a direct history over a thousand years, people sharing the name Disney, including Walt Disney, share the same history. Durand claims that the chances of Walt Disney being related to the Disneys of Norton Disney are approximately 99%.
The people of Norton Disney have a longstanding connection with Walt Disney and his legacy. During Walt’s visit in 1949, he gifted the village with three prints of Disney characters, which he had on him at all times in case of autograph hunters. In celebration of the studio’s 100th anniversary, Disney gifted the village a specially commissioned picture drawn by Disney illustrator Kim Raymond. It was of Mickey and Minnie Mouse walking through Norton Disney, embodying the link between the most significant movie studio of all time and a small English village
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