Thank You Walt Disney

Laugh-O-gram Studios near 30th and Troost served as Walt Disney's first animation house in 1922. After preservationists saved the deteriorating building from collapse, an ambitious $4 million fundraising campaign wants to transform it into a digital storytelling center and teaching hub.

Walt Disney gets all the credit for creating Mickey Mouse, but it was actually his best friend Ub Iwerks who first brought the iconic character to life in 1928.

Walt Disney gets most of the credit for creating Mickey Mouse. But few know the real story: Kansas City animator Ub Iwerks, Disney’s best friend, was the first to bring the iconic character to life. Then Mickey's success almost tore them apart for good.

The cartoonist's first professional studio will become a community space.

Walt Disney's first professional studio was in Kansas City and is now getting a new lease on life, and a way to keep holiday dollars in the metro.