About the Company

Disney is one of the most famous names in the animation industry, known for providing
entertainment directed to adults and children alike; with international theme parks and a
world-class animation studio and business franchise, the company nearly dominates the
industry.

Famous names such as Mickey Mouse began with Disney, and were the foundation of a
company that has now branched out into several entertainment studios, theme parks,
products, other media productions and one of the biggest movie studios in the world

Company History

The Walt Disney company has a prestigious history in the entertainment industry,
stretching over 75 years. It started on October 16, 1923 as the Disney Brothers Cartoon
Studio, a joint venture of Walt Disney and his brother, Roy.

Three years later the company had produced two movies and purchased a studio in
Hollywood, California. By 1932, the Disney Company won its first Academy Award for
Best Cartoon, for the Silly Symphony.

1934 marked the production of Disney's first full-length feature film, Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs, which released in 1937 and became the highest grossing film of its time.
But afterward, the expenses of production caused difficulties with the next few animated
films; then the advent of World War II halted the production of films as the Walt Disney
company contributed its skills to the war effort.

After the war it was difficult for the company to pick up where it had left off, but 1950
proved a turning point with the production of its first live-action film, Treasure Island and
another animated film, Cinderella. In that time period, Disney also began several
television series; in 1955, The Mickey Mouse Club also made its debut.

1955 also provided another landmark moment: the opening of the first California Disney
theme park, Disneyland. Disney continued its rise in popularity, and survived even the
death of its founder in 1966. His brother Roy took over supervision at that time, and
then was succeeded by an executive team in 1971. Several more projects, from
merchandising to the continuing production of animated and live-action films to the
construction of more theme parks filled the years; in 1983, Disney went international
with the opening of Tokyo Disneyland.

In the past few decades, Disney has moved into a wider market, beginning The Disney
Channel on cable and establishing subdivisions such as Touchstone Pictures to
produce films other than the usual family-oriented fare, gaining a firmer footing on a
broader range. In the 1970s and 1980s, the company suffered from takeover attempts,
but eventually recovered; the recruiting of the current chairman, Michael D. Eisner, was
crucial to that. Eisner and executive partner Frank Wells have been a successful team,
leading Disney to continue its tradition of excellence into a new century.

31 Surprising Facts About

Walt Disney
1. Walt Disney began developing his skills as a cartoonist as a young kid. Stuck on a farm
in Missouri, he didn't have many subjects, but delighted in drawing cartoon pictures of
his neighbor's horses.
2. Disney's French family name was originally D'Isigny before being Anglicized to Disney.
3. Disney dropped out of high school at age 16 in hopes of joining the Army. He was
rejected for being underage, but was able to get a job as an ambulance driver with the
Red Cross in France.
4. Disney's very first animation studio was Laugh-O-Gram, where he began telling
modernized fairy tales based on Aesop's Fables (a trend Disney continued) before the
studio quickly went bankrupt (good thing he didn't quit back then!).
5. Mickey Mouse wasn't Disney's first iconic character--Mickey's predecessor, Oswald the
Lucky Rabbit, was created while Disney was under contract with Universal Pictures.
When he left, Oswald was barred from joining him, leading Disney to make a new
companion--everyone's favorite mouse.
6. Mickey Mouse was originally named Mortimer Mouse, but Disney's wife said the
name Mortimer sounded too pompous, convincing Disney to change the adorable
rodent's name to Mickey. The name Mortimer was instead given to Mickey's rival mouse
in later episodes.
7. From 1928 (the birth of Mickey Mouse) until 1947, Disney himself did the voice of
Mickey.
8. Disney was hell-bent on creating a feature-length animated Snow White film, despite
everyone else's doubt. Some in Hollywood even referred to the project as "Disney's
folly." They were the real fools though--Snow White earned more than $8 million during
its original release, which would be equal to about $130 million today.
9. Disney was good pals with Uncle Sam, producing animated war propaganda films and
training videos for the United States military.
10. Disney also created custom cartoon insignia for U.S. troops, which were used to boost
morale.
11. Disney helped fan the flames of the 1940s Red Scare. He was a founder of the Motion
Picture Alliance for the Preservation of Americans Ideals, accusing workers on strike of
communist plots, testifying against labor organizers, and icing out rumored communists
of Hollywood.
12. Disney was a pioneer for children's television entertainment, airing unique programming
for kids such as Zorro, Davy Crockett, and The Mickey Mouse Club.
13. Disney received more Academy Awards and nominations than has anyone else.
Between 1932 and 1969, he won 22 Academy Awards and was nominated 59 times,
postmortemly rubbing salt in the wounds of Leonardo DiCaprio.
14. At the 1938 Oscars, Disney was presented with one normal-size statuette and seven
miniature ones for Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.
15. Disney held the patent for Technicolor for two years, making him the only animator
allowed to make color animated films!
16. Rumored to be anti-Semitic, Disney attended meetings of the German American Bund in
the 1930s, a pro-Nazi organization. He also hosted known Nazi propagandist and
filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, giving her a tour of the Disney studios. Despite this, others
claim rumors of Disney's anti-Semitism to be false.
17. Disney's favorite character was Goofy (I personally prefer Pluto, although it is strange
how they are both officially dogs).
18. Disney films are famous for their absentee mothers, from Pinocchio to The Jungle
Book. Many believe this trend was the result of Disney's guilt and anguish over his own
mother's death. After the success of Snow White, Disney purchased a new home for his
parents. A broken heating system resulted in his mother's death from carbon monoxide
poisoning.
19. Disney had big dreams of opening a revolutionary theme park, telling a colleague that he
wanted it to look "like nothing else in the world." He achieved that dream with Disneyland
and, after his death, Disney World.
20. Disney was a train fanatic. His fascination began as a child, when he would watch the
trains pass by near his house. His uncle, a train conductor, would blow the whistle as a
 greeting. Later, as an adult, Disney built a miniature steam railroad in the backyard of his
L.A. home. Seeing the joy it brought his daughters, he became determined to
incorporate a monorail into Disneyland.
21. Disney was the head of pageantry for the 1960 Winter Olympics.
22. A minor planet is named after Disney--4017 Disneya (you thought it was going to be
Pluto, didn't you?). It was discovered by Soviet astronomer Lyudmila Karachkina in
1980.
23. Disney has a star along the Hollywood Walk of Fame, along with Mickey Mouse, who
was the first animated character to receive one.
24. The character Wall-E was named after Disney himself!
25. Disney once played the role of Peter Pan in a school play.
26. Disneyland employees have only their first name listed on their name tags because
Disney despised being called Mr. Disney.
27. Shortly before his death, Disney had plans to build a ski resort. The Walt Disney
Company ended up deciding to move forward with Disney World instead.
28. Disney's final words remain a bizarre mystery. On his deathbed, he wrote the name
"Kurt Russell" on a piece of paper. Even Kurt Russell himself is perplexed regarding the
meaning. He was a child actor at the time of Disney's death, having just recently signed
on with Disney studios.
29. The last film Disney personally oversaw was The Jungle Book, before his death from
lung cancer in 1966.
30. When Disney died, 25 percent of his estate went to CalArts, helping the private
university build up its campus.
31. Disney is not cryogenically frozen, despite the persistent rumors. He was cremated, and
his ashes were buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.

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PETER PAN (1953)
The boy who wouldn’t grow up got his start with
Disney as one of the founder’s favorite stories.

A lively Technicolor adventure that will go down as the

most kid-friendly Disney feature of the 1950s, Peter Pan is
most praised now for its iconic characters, a long list which
includes the likes of the boy wonder himself, the daunting
Captain Hook, and the cutesy, hot-tempered Tinker Bell.
Cinderella’
Snow White may have been the first Disney princess, but
Cinderella was the first Disney Princess. Every Disney heroine
lives in her shadow: the plucky girl who dreams big and,
through a little luck and a lot of courage, achieves her dreams.
Think of how many real life events and people we compare to
‘Cinderella.’ Think of the cultural impact this story has had on
our psyche. Think of the images and ideas that have entered the
pop culture lexicon. Glass slippers. Fairy Godmother. Singing
mice. “Bippity-boppity-boo.” ‘Cinderella’ earns a spot on this
list because it’s as effortlessly charming and lovely as most
classic Disney movies, but it earns a spot this high because our
cultural landscape would feel so different without it.
‘

Sleeping Beauty’
The princess at the center of ‘Sleeping Beauty’ is fairly dull. Her
heroic prince doesn’t have much character either. Their love
story isn’t that impressive or deep or interesting. So what makes
this one of the best Disney movies and one of the best animated
films of all time? Simple: it feels huge. This is an epic movie, a
beautifully crafted adventure where every single frame is worthy
of being put on a canvas and hung on the wall. Disney’s
animated films have never looked this incredible before or since
and when the big action climax arrives, it feels like you’re lost
in a painting rather than watching a movie. It’s astonishing. It
helps that the villainous Maleficent is nothing short of
incredible, of course.

‘Beauty and the Beast’

And here we are at the greatest animated Disney movie of all
time. Let’s not beat around the bush: ‘Beauty and the Beast’ is a
perfect movie that represents everything that Disney animation
has aiming for since its inception and it does it all better than
everyone. It’s a smart update on a classic story, a stirring
adventure, a truly touching romance and silly comedy. Every
song is great and belted memorably, with the title song instantly
entering “Greatest Movie Theme Song Of All Time” territory.
The smart, adventurous Belle is the greatest of the Disney
princesses, the brooding Beast is the greatest Disney hero and
the despicable Gaston is the greatest Disney villain. Oh, and it’s
just plain gorgeous to look at. Come on. Say another Disney
movie is better. We’ll fight you.