34 Revealing Secrets You Never Knew About Walt Disney, Mickey Mouse, and How It All Began

#McDisney. Walt Disney considered Mickey Mouse his alter ego. He would say he was closer to Mickey Mouse than anybody else.

Family Reservations. When it came time to have a family, it was Walt's wife, Lillian, who wasn't so sure. He actually talked her into it, and he made plans to build a bigger house (the one in Los Feliz that we visited last year). Sadly, Lillian miscarried, and Walt threw himself back into his work.

Walt's Nervous Breakdown. After Lillian's miscarriage, Walt insisted he was fine, but he revealed that in 1931 he had a "hell of a breakdown. I went to pieces." He even admitted that he got to a point where he'd talk on the phone and start to cry.

A New Way of Living. As part of Walt's recovery, he and Lillian went on vacation. Throughout his cross-country trip he realized there was more to life than work and developed hobbies that included horseback riding and polo.

Sign of the Times. Post-breakdown, Silly Symphonies debuted, and animators and cartoonists were desperate to work with Walt. His staff grew to 200, mostly men. In fact, the women who came to work for Disney were often relegated to the ink and paint department.

Daddy's Daughters. Walt was 35 years old when Lillian gave birth to their daughter Diane. Shortly thereafter, the Disney's adopted their daughter Sharon.

How Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Came to Be. Once Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs began preproduction, Walt brought live animals into the studio so animators could study their movement. On top of that, Walt even had his animators take acting classes so they could best understand facial movements, behavior, and more.

Carpel Tunnel Syndrome? Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs required more than 200,000 separate drawings.