The Walt Disney Company
- Alternate meanings: Disney (disambiguation)
| File:Logo disney.gif | |
| Company type | Public (NYSE: DIS) |
|---|---|
| Industry | leisure industries  |
| Founded | California (1923) |
| Founder | Roy O. Disney Walt Disney |
| Headquarters | Burbank, California |
Key people | George J. Mitchell, Chairman Michael D. Eisner, CEO Robert A. Iger, President/COO |
| Products | See full product listing. |
| Revenue | 59,434,000,000 United States dollar (2018) |
| 15,706,000,000 United States dollar (2018) | |
| 13,066,000,000 United States dollar (2018) | |
| Total assets | 203,631,000,000 United States dollar (2022) |
Number of employees | 112,000 (2003) |
| Website | www.disney.com |
The Walt Disney Company (also known as Disney Enterprises, Inc., or simply "Disney") NYSE: DIS is one of the largest media and entertainment corporations in the world. Founded in 1923 by Walt Disney and his brother Roy Oliver Disney as an animation studio, it is today the number two media company in the Untied States. The company's corporate headquarters are located in Burbank, California. Disney had revenues of 22 billion USD in 2002, and it is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company was originally named Walt Disney Productions; the name was changed on February 6, 1986.
Its movie studios include Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, Hollywood Pictures, Miramax Films, and Dimension Films. Disney also owns the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) television network (since 1996), The Disney Channel, and ESPN's family of cable television networks. Disney's music division includes Walt Disney Records, Mammoth Records, Lyric Street Records, and Hollywood Records. The company operates the Disney Vacation Club resorts and ESPN Zone restaurants. It owns Hyperion Books, Disney Publishing Worldwide and the Walt Disney Cruise Lines.
Disney operates many Disney Parks and Resorts at Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort Paris, and Tokyo Disney Resort. Hong Kong Disneyland is under construction and set to open in 2005. Disney uses its own terminology at its theme parks: park customers are called guests, Disney employees are called cast members, any area which can be reached or seen by a customer is onstage, and employees-only areas are backstage. Newly-hired cast members go through a course named Traditions in which the four "keys" of the theme parks - Safety, Courtesy, Efficiency, and Show - are taught, along with instructions such as "When pointing out something to a guest, always use two fingers or your entire hand, never a single finger."
The company also owns the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim hockey team and owned the Anaheim Angels baseball team, which was later sold to businessman Arturo Moreno. It also handles licensing of Disney products and sales through the Disney Store, Disney Publishing, and Disney Interactive.
Associations of librarians have objected to Disney's lobbying of the world's major legislative bodies into passing repeated retroactive copyright term extensions, calling it "manipulative" and "absurd". As well as the general limitation on the public domain that this implies, critics are quick to point out that Disney has made much of its fortune from stories that have passed out of copyright, such as Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty.
One of the company's most successful subsidiaries is its animation studio, Walt Disney Feature Animation, responsible for producing a number of succesful and influential traditionally animated features. After witnessing the box office failures of some of its recent animated films and the stellar successes of computer-animated films from Pixar, Disney has decided to shift its production from "traditional" hand-drawn animated films (which in recent years have incorporated much work done on computer) entirely to computer-animated films. The last traditionally-animated film produced by Disney was Home on the Range. Its first computer-animated film will be Chicken Little. Disney has fallen under much criticism for this change in direction, especially as fans see the strength of a movie as its plot and its characters and not as the technology used to make it. Additionally, by laying off all of its hand-drawn animation staff, Disney has released into the job market a large number of skilled artists who have a grudge against their former company and who could be very attractive to Disney's competitors. Disney is becoming a direct competitor to Pixar in a market dominated by the latter. Disney has failed to renew its contract with Pixar to release Pixar's films under the Disney name, an arrangement which had been extremely profitable to Disney and whose termination means that Pixar is now free to pair up with a competing studio.
Walt Disney Studios, the company's main film and television production facility in Burbank, California, is the only major Hollywood film studio that has never offered tours to the public. A parital tour of the Orlando, Florida feature animation satellite studio was available to attendees of Disney-MGM Studios until 2003.
Timeline
1923-1939
- 1923: The Disney Bros. studio, founded by Walt and his brother Roy Oliver Disney, produces the Alice in Cartoonland series
- 1927: The Alice series ends; Walt picks up the contract to animate Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
- 1928: Walt loses of the Oswald series; first Mickey Mouse cartoon: Steamboat Willie
- 1929: First Silly Symphony: The Skeleton Dance
- 1930: First appearance of Pluto
- 1932: First three-strip Technicolor short released: Flowers and Trees; first appearance of Goofy
- 1934: First appearance of Donald Duck
- 1937: Studio produces its first feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
1940-1966
- 1940: Studio moves to the Burbank, California buildings where it is located to this day
- 1941: A bitter animators' strike occurs; as the USA enters World War II, the studio begins making morale-boosting propaganda films for the government
- 1944: The company is short on cash; a theatrical rerelease of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs generates much-needed revenue and begins a reissue pattern for the animated feature films
- 1945: The studio hires its first-ever live actor for a film, James Baskett, to star as Uncle Remus in Song of the South
- 1949: The studio begins production on its first all-live action feature, Treasure Island; the popular True-Life Adventures series begins
- 1954: The studio founds 'Buena Vista Distribution Company, Inc.' to distribute its feature films; beginning of the Disneyland TV program
- 1955: Opening of Disneyland in Anaheim, California
- 1961: The studio licenses the film rights to Winnie-the-Pooh, whose characters continue to be highly profitable to this day; international distribution arm Buena Vista International is established
- 1964: The company starts buying land near Orlando, Florida for Walt Disney World
- 1965: The regular production of short subjects ceases, as theatres no longer have any demand for them
- 1966: Walt Disney dies
1967-1984
- 1967: Construction begins on Walt Disney World; the underlying governmental structure (see Reedy Creek Improvement District) is signed into law
- 1971: Walt Disney World opens in Orlando, Florida; Roy Oliver Disney dies
- 1977: Roy Edward Disney, son of Roy and nephew of Walt, resigns from the company citing a decline in overall product quality
- 1978: The studio licenses several minor titles to MCA Discovision for laserdisc release; only TV compilations of cartoons ever see the light of day through this deal
- 1979: Don Bluth and a number of his allies leave the animation division; the studio releases its first PG-rated film, The Black Hole
- 1980: Tom Wilhite becomes head of the film division with the intent of modernizing studio product; a home video division is created
- 1981: Plans for a cable network are announced
- 1982: EPCOT Center opens at Walt Disney World
- 1983: As the anthology series is canceled, The Disney Channel begins operation on US cable systems; Tom Wilhite resigns his post; Tokyo Disneyland opens in Japan
- 1984: Touchstone Pictures is created; after the studio narrowly escapes a buyout attempt by Saul Steinberg, Roy Edward Disney and his business partner, Stanley Gold, remove the current board of directors, replacing them with Michael Eisner, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Frank Wells
1985-1999
- 1985: The studio begins making cartoons for television; The home video release of Pinocchio is a best-seller
- 1986: The studio's first R-rated release comes from Touchstone Pictures; the anthology series is revived; the company's name is changed from Walt Disney Productions to The Walt Disney Company.
- 1989: Disney offers a deal to buy Jim Henson's Muppets and have the famed puppeteer work with Disney resources; the Disney-MGM Studios open at Walt Disney World
- 1990: Jim Henson's death sours the deal to buy his holdings; the anthology series canceled for second time
- 1992: The controversial Euro Disney opens outside Paris, France
- 1993: Disney acquires independent film distributor Miramax Films; Winnie-the-Pooh merchandise outsells Mickey Mouse merchandise for the first time; the policy of periodic theatrical re-issues ends with this year's re-issue of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs but is augmented for video
- 1994: Frank Wells is killed in a helicopter crash; Jeffrey Katzenberg resigns to co-found his own studio, DreamWorks SKG
- 1995: In October, the company hires Hollywood superagent, Michael Ovitz, to be president
- 1996: The company takes on the "Disney Enterprises" name and acquires the ABC television network and Jumbo Pictures; in December, Michael Ovitz, president of the company, leaves "by mutual consent"
- 1997: The anthology series is revived again; the home video division releases its first DVDs
- 1998: Disney's Animal Kingdom opens at Walt Disney World
2000-present
- 2001: Disney-owned TV channels are pulled from Time Warner Cable briefly during a dispute over carriage fees; Disney's California Adventure opens to the public; Disney begins releasing Walt Disney Treasures DVD box sets for the collector's market
- 2003: Roy Edward Disney again resigns as head of animation and from the board of directors, citing similar reasons to those that drove him off 26 years earlier; fellow director Stanley Gold resigns with him; they establish "Save Disney"[1] to apply public pressure to oust Michael Eisner
- 2003: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl becomes the first film released under the Disney label with a PG-13 rating
- 2004:
- The studio breaks off renegotiation talks with Pixar (their current contract expires in 2006); Disney announces it will convert its animation studio to all computer-animated production
- Announced the closure of their florida feature-film animation department;
- Comcast makes a $66 billion unsolicited bid to buy The Walt Disney Company (Comcast withdraws its bid in April);
- Disney purchases rights to The Muppets;
- Company stockholders give Michael Eisner a 43% vote of no confidence; as a result, Eisner is removed from the role as chairman of the board (but maintains his position as CEO) and George J. Mitchell becomes chairman in his place.
- After investing $6 million into production of the documentary film Fahrenheit 9/11 by Michael Moore, Walt Disney Pictures announced their previously mentioned intentions of not distributing the film. The director and the heads of Miramax arrange an alternate distribution arrangement and the film becomes the most successful documentary film of all time. At $100 million+, that film earns more than most of Disney's other film releases that year.
Notable feature films under the Disney label
Notable feature films produced by the studio over the years include:
1930s
1940s
- Pinocchio (1940)
- Fantasia (1940)
- Dumbo (1941)
- The Reluctant Dragon (1941)
- Bambi (1942)
- Saludos Amigos (1943)
- Victory Thru Air Power (1943)
- The Three Caballeros (1945)
- Song of the South (1946)
- So Dear to My Heart (1949)
- The Wind in the Willows (1949)
1950s
- Cinderella (1950)
- Treasure Island (1950)
- Alice in Wonderland (1951)
- Peter Pan (1953)
- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
- Lady and the Tramp (1955)
- Old Yeller (1957)
- Sleeping Beauty (1959)
- Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959)
- The Shaggy Dog (1959)
1960s
- Pollyanna (1960)
- Swiss Family Robinson (1960)
- One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
- The Parent Trap (1961)
- Babes in Toyland (1961)
- The Absent-Minded Professor (1961)
- Son of Flubber (1963)
- Summer Magic (1963)
- The Sword in the Stone (1963)
- The Incredible Journey (1963)
- Mary Poppins (1964)
- The Misadventures of Merlin Jones (1964)
- That Darn Cat! (1965)
- Those Calloways (1965)
- The Monkey's Uncle (1965)
- Follow Me, Boys! (1966)
- The Jungle Book (1967)
- The Happiest Millionaire (1967)
- Blackbeard's Ghost (1968)
- The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (1968)
- The Love Bug (1969)
1970s
- The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1970)
- The Boatniks (1970)
- The Aristocats (1970)
- Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)
- Robin Hood (1973)
- Herbie Rides Again (1974)
- Escape to Witch Mountain (1975)
- The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975)
- Freaky Friday (1977)
- Pete's Dragon (1977)
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
- The Rescuers (1977)
- Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977)
- Candleshoe (1978)
- The Black Hole (1979)
1980s
- Herbie Goes Bananas (1980)
- Midnight Madness (1980) (released without any mention of Disney's involvement)
- The Watcher in the Woods (1981)
- The Fox and the Hound (1981)
- Tron (1982)
- Tex (1982)
- Never Cry Wolf (1983)
- Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)
- The Black Cauldron (1985)
- Return to Oz (1985)
- Flight of the Navigator (1986)
- The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
- Oliver and Company (1988)
- The Little Mermaid (1989)
- Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)
1990s
- The Rescuers Down Under (1990)
- Beauty and the Beast (1991)
- The Rocketeer (1991)
- Newsies (1992)
- Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992)
- Aladdin (1992)
- The Mighty Ducks (1992)
- The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
- Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993) (remake of 1963 film)
- The Lion King (1994)
- The Santa Clause (1994)
- Pocahontas (1995)
- Toy Story (1995)
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
- 101 Dalmatians (1996) (live-action remake of 1961 film)
- Hercules (1997)
- George of the Jungle (1997)
- Mulan (1998)
- A Bug's Life (1998)
- The Parent Trap (1998) (remake of 1961 film)
- Tarzan (1999)
- Toy Story 2 (1999)
- The Straight Story (1999)
- Doug's 1st Movie (1999)
2000s
- Fantasia 2000 (2000)
- The Tigger Movie (2000)
- Dinosaur (2000)
- The Kid (2000)
- Remember the Titans (2000)
- 102 Dalmatians (2000)
- The Emperor's New Groove (2000)
- Recess: School's Out (2001)
- Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
- The Princess Diaries (2001)
- Max Keeble's Big Move (2001)
- Monsters, Inc. (2001)
- Snow Dogs (2002)
- Return to Never Land (2002)
- The Rookie (2002)
- Lilo and Stitch (2002)
- The Country Bears (2002)
- Tuck Everlasting (2002)
- The Santa Clause 2 (2002)
- Treasure Planet (2002)
- The Jungle Book 2 (2003)
- Piglet's Big Movie (2003)
- Holes (2003)
- The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003)
- Finding Nemo (2003)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
- Freaky Friday (2003) (remake of 1977 film)
- Brother Bear (2003)
- The Haunted Mansion (2003)
- Teacher's Pet (2004)
- Miracle (2004)
- Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004)
- Home on the Range (2004)
- Around the World in 80 Days (2004)
- The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004)
- The Incredibles (2004)
- National Treasure (2004)
Notable television series
This includes those by the subsidiaries.
Live Action series
- Walt Disney anthology series (1954-1983, 1986-1990, 1997-2004 under several names)
- Mickey Mouse Club (1955-1959, 1977-1978, 1989-1994)
- Zorro (1957-1959)
- The Mouse Factory (1971-1973)
- The Golden Girls (1985-1992)
- Empty Nest (1988-1995)
- Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee (1988-2000)
- Home Improvement (1991-1999)
- Boy Meets World (1993-2000)
- Who Wants to be a Millionaire? (US Version) (1999-2002)
- Lizzie McGuire (2001-2004)
Walt Disney Television Animation
(Ironically, Walt Disney refused to do TV animation because he knew it was economically impossible to do theatrical-quality material in a TV series. It was not until 1985 that the studio finally relented.)
- The Wuzzles
- Adventures of the Gummi Bears
- Ducktales
- Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers
- Talespin
- Darkwing Duck
- Bonkers
- Aladdin: The Series
- Timon & Pumbaa
- Gargoyles
- Quack Pack
- Jungle Cubs
- Pepper Ann
- Hercules: The Series
- Recess
- Fillmore!
- Kim Possible
- Dave the Barbarian
- Brandy & Mr. Whiskers
- American Dragon: Jake Long
See also
- Disney characters' names in various languages
- List of assets owned by Disney
- List of Disney characters
- Disney feature film source material
- List of Disney animated features
- List of Disney people
- 100 Years of Magic lists