The History of The Walt

Disney Company
1923 - 2009
 1923
November – Walt and Roy Disney


found the Disney Brothers Cartoon

Studio in California
 1927
March - Production begins on “Oswald


the Lucky Rabbit” films for Universal

Pictures
 1928
May – Loses Oswald contract
November – First Mickey Mouse film

“Steamboat Willie” debuts


 1929
December- Walt Disney Productions


formed to handle film production, real

estate and merchandising
 1930
January – First Mickey Mouse comic
strip published in the New York Mirror
September – Pluto debuts in film

“Chain Gang”
 1932
May - “Mickey’s Revue” debuts Goofy
July - Debuts “Flowers and Trees” – first

full-color animated film

November – Walt Disney receives Oscar

for “Flowers and Trees”

 1934
June - Donald Duck debuts in the Silly


Symphony film “The Wise Little Hen”

 1937
Disney releases “Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs” - the first feature-
length animated film
 1940
February - Disney releases “Pinocchio”
November - Disney releases “Fantasia”
 1941
October – “Dumbo” released to


theatres
 1942
“Bambi” is released

 1943
“Saludos Amigos” is released



 1944
Rerelease of “Snow White and the


Seven Dwarfs” gives much-needed

money and sets a reissue pattern for
the animated films
 1948
“True Life Adventures” – a nature film


series begins
 1949
Production begins on “Treasure Island”


– Disney’s first all live-action feature

 1950
“Cinderella” and “Treasure Island” are


released
 1951
“Alice in Wonderland” is released

 1952
WED Enterprises is formed to design


what will become Disneyland

 1953
“Peter Pan” is released

 1954
Disneyland TV program starts on ABC

 1955
“Lady and the Tramp” is released

 1957
“Old Yeller” is released

 1959
“Sleeping Beauty” and “The Shaggy


Dog” are released

 1961
Purchases the film rights to “Winnie-
the-Pooh”
Releases “One Hundred and One

Dalmatians” and “Parent Trap”


 1964
“Mary Poppins” is released



 1966
Walt Disney dies of lung cancer

 1967
Production begins on the Walt Disney
World Resort near Orlando, Florida
“The Jungle Book” is released
 1970
“The Aristocats” is released

 1971
Walt Disney World Resort opens

 1973
“Robin Hood” is released

 1977
“The Rescuer’s” and “The Many


Adventures of Winnie the Pooh” are

released
 1980
Walt Disney Home Entertainment


releases its first video tapes

 1981
Plans for a cable network are
announced
Released “The Fox and the Hound”
 1982
Released “Tron”

 1983
Disney Channel began
Tokyo Disneyland is opened
 1984
Touchstone Pictures is founded to
created more mature content
Walt Disney Classics video collection

started
 1986
Company name changed to The Walt


Disney Company
 1987
First Disney Store opened in Glendale,
California
Released “The Brave Little Toaster”
 1988
Released “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”

 1989
Released “The Little Mermaid” and
“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids”
Disney-MGM Studios opens


 1990
Hollywood Pictures is formed to create
mature adult-oriented content
Released “The Rescuers Down Under”
 1991
Released “The Beauty and the Beast”

 1992
Euro Disney Resort opens outside Paris
Released “Aladdin”
 1993
Acquired Miramax Films
Released “The Nightmare Before

Christmas”

 1994
Euro Disney renamed Disneyland Paris
Released “The Lion King”


 1995
Purchased DIC Entertainment
Released “Toy Story” and

“Pocahontas”
 1996
Name changed to Disney Enterprises
Acquired Capital Cities/ABC and

renamed ABC Inc.

Deal to dub and release Studio Ghibli

films in U.S.
Released “The Hunchback of Notre

Dame”
 1997
The home video division releases its
first DVDs
Released “Hercules”


 1998
Disney Cruise Lines opened
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Opened

Toon Disney began

Released “Mulan” and “A Bug’s Life”


 1999
Disney Wonder (cruise ship) sets sail
Released “Tarzan” and “Toy Story 2”
 2000
Disney sells DIC Entertainment
Released “The Emperor’s New Groove”


 2001
Disney acquired Fox Family Network
for $3 Billion and renamed ABC Family
Opened Disney’s California Adventure

Park and Tokyo DisneySea

Released “Monsters, Inc”
 2002
Acquired Saban Entertainment
(owners of Power Rangers)
Partnered with Square Enix for

Kingdom Hearts
Walt Disney Studio Parks opened

Released Lilo & Stitch


 2003
Pixar seeks new distribution partner
Released “Finding Nemo” and “Pirates

of the Caribbean: The Curse of the

Black Pearl”
 2004
Acquired The Muppets after Jim
Hensen’s death
Disney Store chain license to The

Children’s Place
Released “National Treasure” and “The

Incredibles”
 2005
Bob Iger becomes the CEO
Hong Kong Disneyland opened

Released “Chicken Little” and “The

Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the

Witch, and the Wardrobe”
 2006
Acquired Pixar Animation Studios
Reacquired “Oswald the Lucky Rabbit”

rights
Released “Cars” and “Pirates of the

Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”

 2007
Acquires New Horizon Interactive (Club
Penguin)
Significant releases:

 Ratatouille
 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's
End
 Enchanted
 National Treasure: Book of Secrets
 2008
Reacquired Disney Store chain from
The Children’s Place
Turned down next Chronicles of Narnia

Significant releases:

• The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince

Caspian
• WALL-E
• High School Musical 3: Senior Year
 2009 Business Moves
Disney XD and DisneyXD.com are
launched, replacing Toon Disney and
Jetix
December 31, 2009 – Disney acquired

Marvel Entertainment for $4.24 Billion,

gaining access to Marvel’s collection of
5,000+ characters
•
 2009 Significant Releases
 Hannah Montana: The Movie
 Race to Witch Mountain
 Up
 G-Force
 A Christmas Carol
 The Princess and the Frog

The End