Walt Disney had a difficult childhood growing up in Minnesota and had to work from a young age, leaving little time for childhood. He moved to Los Angeles with just a few dollars and started drawing and animating. He created Mickey Mouse in 1928 which became a huge success with the advent of talking films. Disney further developed his strategy of synergistic cross-promotion across various media. The 1950 opening of Disneyland was hugely profitable and proved critics wrong. Walt Disney died of lung cancer in 1962 while overseeing construction of Disney World.