The Walt Disney Company
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For other uses, see Disney (disambiguation).
The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) is one of the largest media and entertainment corporations in the world. Founded on October 6, 1924 by brothers Walt and Roy Disney as an animation studio. It has become one of the biggest Hollywood studios, and owner of eleven theme parks and several television networks, including ABC and ESPN. Disney's corporate headquarters and primary production facilities are located at The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. The company is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
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[edit] Subsidiaries
[edit] Consumer products
[edit] Disney parks
The Walt Disney Company owns and operates a series of resorts around the world including the Walt Disney World Resort, the largest vacation resort in the world. These resorts are managed by the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts division. These are:
- Disneyland Resort
- Walt Disney World Resort
- Tokyo Disney Resort
- Disneyland Resort Paris
- Hong Kong Disneyland Resort
- Disney Cruise Line
- World of Disney stores
[edit] Timeline
[edit] Founding and early success (1922–1966)
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[edit] After Walt Disney's death (1967-1983)
| Year | Notable Business Events | Notable Releases (See List of Disney feature films for complete film listing) |
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[edit] Eisner era (1984–2004)
- 1984: Touchstone Films is created after the studio narrowly escapes a buyout attempt by Saul Steinberg, and releases its first film Splash. Roy Edward Disney and his business partner, Stanley Gold, remove Ron W. Miller as CEO and president, replacing him with Michael Eisner and Frank Wells. The Walt Disney Classics video collection starts up.
- 1985: The studio begins making cartoons for television beginning with Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears and The Wuzzles. The Black Cauldron, the studio's first PG-rated animated film, is a box-office failure, along with Return To Oz. The home video release of Pinocchio becomes a best-seller.
- 1986: The company's name is changed on February 6 from Walt Disney Productions to The Walt Disney Company. Disney's first R-rated film, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, is released under the Touchstone banner. The Great Mouse Detective was released.
- 1987: First Disney Store opens in Glendale, California. The company and the French government sign an agreement for the creation of the first Disney Resort in Europe: the Euro Disney project starts. The company opens up a Hall of Fame called Disney Legends with Fred MacMurray as the first induction. The Brave Little Toaster was released.
- 1988: Who Framed Roger Rabbit, from Touchstone Pictures and Amblin Entertainment and Oliver & Company are released.
- 1989: Disney offers a deal to buy Jim Henson's Muppets and have the famed puppeteer work with Disney resources; Disney-MGM Studios opens at Walt Disney World; The Little Mermaid is released.
- 1990: Jim Henson's death sours the deal to buy his holdings; the anthology series is canceled for the second time. The Disney Afternoon block debuts. Dick Tracy is released from Touchstone Pictures The Rescuers Down Under was released.
- 1991: Beauty and the Beast was released, becoming the only animated film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
- 1992: Euro Disney Resort opens outside Paris. The company is granted permission for a National Hockey League expansion franchise. The team is named the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim to coincide with the release of The Mighty Ducks. Disney releases the live action musical Newsies. Aladdin is released.
- 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. The Nightmare Before Christmas is released.
- 1994: Frank Wells is killed in a helicopter crash. Jeffrey Katzenberg resigns to co-found his own studio, DreamWorks SKG. Plans for Disney's America, a historical theme park in Haymarket, Virginia, are abruptly dropped. Euro Disneyland is renamed Disneyland Paris. The Classics video line is unofficially canceled and replaced with the Masterpiece Collection. The Lion King was released.[3]
- 1995: In October, the company hires Hollywood super agent Michael Ovitz to be president. Disney purchases DiC Entertainment, and owned rights to shows, including Inspector Gadget (which eventually would be made into a live-action film in 1999) and dubbing of the first two seasons of Sailor Moon. The first computer-animated feature film, Toy Story, produced by Pixar Animation Studios, is released by Disney, and becomes the year's top-grossing film. Pocahontas is also released.
- 1996: The company takes on the Disney Enterprises name and acquires the Capital Cities/ABC group, renaming it ABC, Inc. To celebrate the pairing, ABC's first Super Soap Weekend is held at Walt Disney World. Disney makes deal with Tokuma Shoten for dubbing and releasing of Studio Ghibli films in the U.S. In December, Michael Ovitz, president of the company, leaves "by mutual consent". The Hunchback of Notre Dame is released.
- 1997: The anthology series is revived again; the home video division releases its first DVDs. Hercules is released. Disney takes control of the Major League Baseball franchise the California Angels of the American League, renaming the team the Anaheim Angels in order to coincide with Disney's hockey team the Mighty Ducks and to draw more tourism to Anaheim and nearby Disneyland.
- 1998: Disney's Animal Kingdom opens. Kiki's Delivery Service is released on video. Disney Cruise Line sets sail with its first ship, the Disney Magic. Mulan and A Bug's Life are released.
- 1999: Disney Cruise Line ship Disney Wonder sets sail.Tarzan and Toy Story 2 are released.
- 2000:Fantasia 2000 is released to IMAX theaters.
- 2000: Robert Iger becomes president. Disney-owned TV channels are pulled from Time Warner Cable briefly during a dispute over carriage fees. Disney begins its Gold Classic Collection DVD line. Dinosaur is released. The Emperor's New Groove is also released.
- 2001: Disney's California Adventure and Tokyo DisneySea open to the public. Disney buys Fox Family Network for $3 billion in July, giving Disney programming and cable network reaching 81 million homes. Disney changes Television networks preceding ABC Family|Fox Family Network to ABC Family. Fort Worth billionaire Sid Bass is forced to sell his Disney holdings due to a margin call caused partially by the stock market fall that followed the 9/11 attacks. The fact that Bass had bought his shares on margin was a shock when it was revealed. Losing Bass was a blow to Eisner; Bass was one of his major backers and had recruited Eisner to Disney. Disney begins its Platinum Edition DVD line with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, as well as the Walt Disney Treasures DVD box set line for the collector's market. Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Monsters, Inc. are released.
- 2002: Walt Disney Studios Park opens near Disneyland Paris (renamed Disneyland Park). The entire area is now called Disneyland Resort Paris. Disney finishes negotiations to acquire Saban Entertainment, owner of children's entertainment juggernaut Power Rangers. Miramax acquires the USA rights to the Pokémon movies starting with the fourth movie. Disney releases the Academy Award-nominated animated film Lilo & Stitch. Disney teams up with famous video game company Squaresoft (later known as Square-Enix) to release their first ever role-playing game with various Disney characters, Kingdom Hearts. Disney releases Spirited Away in the United States, which goes on to be the first anime film to win an Oscar for Best Animated Film. Disney begins joint venture business with Sanrio for Sanrio's greeting cards. Treasure Planet is released in theaters.
- 2003: Roy E. Disney resigns as the chairman of Feature 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 a group called "Save Disney" to apply public pressure to oust Michael Eisner. Brother Bear and Pixar's computer animated film Finding Nemo are released by Disney, the latter becoming the highest-grossing animated film in history until 2004's DreamWorks film Shrek 2. Live-action film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is released, becoming the first film released under the Disney label with a PG-13 rating. Pixar ends distribution agreement with Disney.[4] Animated films Disney buys the Power Ranger franchise from Saban.
- 2004: Comcast makes an unsuccessful hostile bid for the company. Eisner is replaced by George J. Mitchell as chairman of the board after a 43% vote of no confidence. Disney turns down distributing controversial documentary film Fahrenheit 9/11, which ends up making $100 million. On February 17, Disney buys the Muppets, excluding the Sesame Street characters. Disney creates Jetix the children's block that mainly consists of Fox Kids shows and original programming on ABC Family and Toon Disney. Disney Store chain licensed to The Children's Place. Home on the Range, National Treasure and The Incredibles are released. Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories is also released.
[edit] Iger era (2005–Present)
| Year | Notable Business Events | Notable Releases (See List of Disney feature films for complete listing) |
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[edit] Senior Executive Management
- Robert Iger (President and CEO)
- Roy E. Disney (Consultant and Director)
- Thomas O. Staggs (Senior Executive Vice President and CFO)
- Alan N. Braverman (Senior Executive Vice President, General Counsel)
- Dennis W. Shuler (Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer)
- John Lasseter (Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios)
- Zenia Mucha (Executive Vice President, Corporate Communications)
[edit] Current board of directors
- Susan Arneld
- John Bryson
- John S. Chen
- Judith Estrin
- Robert Iger (CEO)
- Steve Jobs
- Fred Langhammer
- Aylwin Lewis
- Mónica Lozano
- Robert Matschullat
- John E. Pepper, Jr. (Chairman)
- Orin C. Smith
- Roy E. Disney (non-Voting Director Emeritus)
[edit] Chairmen of the Board
- 1945-1960: Walt Disney
- 1945-1971: Roy O. Disney (Co-Chair 1945-1960)
- 1971-1980: Donn Tatum
- 1980-1983: Card Walker
- 1983-1984: Raymond Watson
- 1984-2004: Michael Eisner
- 2004-2006: George J. Mitchell
- 2007-present: John E. Pepper, Jr.
[edit] Vice Chairman of the Board
- 1984-2003: Roy E. Disney
- 1999-2000: Sanford Litvack (Co-Vice Chair)
[edit] Chief Executive Officers
- 1968-1971: Roy O. Disney
- 1971-1976: Donn Tatum
- 1976-1983: Card Walker
- 1983-1984: Ron W. Miller
- 1984-2005: Michael Eisner
- 2005-present: Robert Iger
[edit] Criticism & conflict
Disney's media releases and company practices, have prompted action, including from activists, artists and causes around the world.
- Religious groups, such as the Catholic League, have spoken out against the release of material which they and others found offensive, including vehement protests of the Miramax Films features Priest (1994) and Dogma (1999).[5] Disney pushed back the release date for Dogma due to the controversy surrounding the movie, and eventually sold the distribution rights to Lions Gate Films. The ABC show Nothing Sacred, about a Jesuit priest, a children's book called Growing Up Gay (published by Disney-owned Hyperion Press), the annual Gay and Lesbian Days at Disney theme parks, and similar issues spurred boycotts of Disney and its advertisers by the Catholic League, the Assemblies of God, and other conservative groups.[6][5][7]
- The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and the American Family Association voted to boycott Disney over opposition to the latter offering domestic partnership benefits to gay employees, the ABC show Ellen, in which Ellen DeGeneres' character came out as a lesbian, Disney ignored the boycotts, which failed. Both were withdrawn in 2005.[8][9]
- In 1995 an anti-abortion group, American Life League (ALL), alleged that several Disney films, including The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, and Aladdin, contained subliminal messages and sexual imagery.[10][11] The allegation was later proved false when Tom Sito, a Disney animator and a writer for The Lion King, said that the letters written in the dust were actually "S.F.X". It was intended to be an easter egg signature from the animation department, and that the controversy that followed was entirely unintentional.[12]
- Disney is one among several American companies lobbying for more stringent enforcement of intellectual property around the world and continued copyright term extensions, posing a perceived threat to the existence of the public domain.
- The company has been accused of human rights violations regarding the working conditions in factories that produce their merchandise.[13][14] It has been criticized also by animal welfare groups, for their care of and procedures for wild animals at Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park.[15] and for using purebred dogs in movies such as 101 Dalmatians. Animal rights groups claim movies with purebreds create an artificial demand for purebreds from people who may not be prepared or temperamentally suited for the animals, many of whom end up abandoned or surrendered to shelters or rescue groups.[16]
- An environmental management plan for a zone of Great Guana Cay, in the Abaco Islands, criticized Disney for poor management of a 90-acre (36.4 ha) tract of the island. Disney partially developed but then abandoned the place, which was to have been a cruise ship resort called Treasure Island. The report, by the University of Miami and the College of the Bahamas, blames Disney for leaving hazardous materials, electrical transformers, and fuel tanks, and for introducing invasive alien plants and insects that threaten the natural flora and fauna of the island.[17]
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Company History". Corporate Information. The Walt Disney Company. Retrieved on 2008-08-30.
- ^ a b c "The Walt Disney Company 2007 Annual Report". The Walt Disney Company. Retrieved on 2008-08-30.
- ^ "Top 100 Animated Films @ Box Office". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved on 2008-08-30.
- ^ "Pixar dumps Disney". CNN (2004-01-30). Retrieved on 2008-08-30.
- ^ a b "75 Organizations Asked To Join Showtime Boycott". Catalyst Online. Catholic League (2001-05-29). Retrieved on 2008-08-29.
- ^ "Disney Boycott Expands". Catalyst. Catholic League (October 1996). Retrieved on 2008-08-29.
- ^ "Petitions and Boycott Stir Disney". Catalyst Online. Catholic League (October 1997). Retrieved on 2008-08-29.
- ^ "Southern Baptists drop Disney boycott". Gay.com. PlanetOut Inc. (2005-06-22). Retrieved on 2008-08-29.
- ^ "Christian group calls off Disney boycott". Gay.com. PlanetOut Inc. (2005-05-24). Retrieved on 2008-08-29.
- ^ Ostman, Ronald E. (1996). "Disney and Its Conservative Critics: Images versus Realities". Journal of Popular Film and Television 24 (2): 82.
- ^ Smith, Leef (1995-09-01). "Disney's Loin King? Group Sees Dirt in the Dust", Washington Post. Retrieved on 2008-08-30.
- ^ Pinsky, Mark. The Gospel According to Disney: Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 0664225918.
- ^ "Beware of Mickey: Disney's Sweatshop in South China". Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (2007-02-10). Archived from the original on 2007-02-10. Retrieved on 2008-08-30.
- ^ Staff writer (2001-06-20). "source Disney's duds are tops in sweatshop labour, Oxfam", CBC.com. Retrieved on 2008-08-30.
- ^ Drummond, Tammerlin (1998-04-20). "Caution: Live Animals", TIME. Retrieved on 2008-08-30.
- ^ Walton, Marsha (2003-06-30). "'Nemo' fans net fish warning". CNN.com. Retrieved on 2008-08-30.
- ^ Sullivan-Sealey, K; Cushion, N., Semon, K., Constantine, S. (2005). "Environmental Management Program for Baker’s Bay Club. Great Guana Cay, Abaco, Bahamas" (PDF). University of Miami. Retrieved on 2008-08-30.
[edit] See also
- Notable television series produced by Disney subsidiaries
- List of assets owned by Disney
- A Trip Through the Walt Disney Studios
- List of Disney animated shorts
- List of Disney feature films
- List of Disney theatrical animated features
- List of Disney live-action films
- List of Disney direct-to-video films
- List of Disney featurettes
- Disney animated feature film source material
- Disney University
- Disneyfication
[edit] Books
- Walt Disney: An American Original, Bob Thomas, 1976, revised 1994
- The Story of Walt Disney, Diane Disney Miller & Pete Martin, 1957
- Cult of the Mouse: Can We Stop Corporate Greed from Killing Innovation in America?, Henry M. Caroselli, 2004, Ten Speed Press, ISBN
- The Disney Version: The Life, Times, Art and Commerce of Walt Disney, Richard Schickel, 1968, revised 1997, ISBN
- The Man Behind the Magic; the Story of Walt Disney, Katherine & Richard Greene, 1991, revised 1998
- Disney: The Mouse Betrayed, Peter Schweizer
- Storming the Magic Kingdom: Wall Street, the raiders, and the battle for Disney, John Taylor, 1987, [1], [2], ISBN ISBN
- Building a Company: Roy O. Disney and the Creation of an Entertainment Empire, Bob Thomas, 1998, ISBN
- How to Read Donald Duck: Imperialist Ideology in the Disney Comic ISBN 0-88477-023-0 (Anti-Disney Marxist Critique) Ariel Dorfman, Armand Mattelart, David Kunzle
- Donald Duck Joins Up; the Walt Disney Studio During World War II, Richard Shale, 1982
- The Keys to the Kingdom: How Michael Eisner Lost His Grip, Kim Masters, 20, ISBN
- Building a Dream; The Art of Disney Architecture, Beth Dunlop, 1996
- Disneyization of Society: Alan Bryman, 2004, ISBN
- DisneyWar, James B. Stewart, 2005, ISBN, ISBN
- Married to the Mouse, Richard E. Foglesorg, Yale University Press.
- Mouse Tracks: The Story of Walt Disney Records, Tim Hollis and Greg Ehrbar, 2006, ISBN
- Mouse Tales: A Behind-the-Ears Look at Disneyland, David Koenig, 1994, revised 2005, ISBN 0-9640605-4-X
- Inside the Dream: The Personal Story of Walt Disney, Katherine Greene & Richard Greene, 2001, ISBN
- Team Rodent, Carl Hiassen.
- Disneyana: Walt Disney Collectibles, Cecil Munsey, 1974
[edit] External links
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