Disney

The Walt Disney Company logo | Alex Tai/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Disney — formally known as the Walt Disney Company — is a juggernaut in the entertainment industry.

Brothers Walt Disney and Roy Disney founded the company in 1923 in California as an animation studio. It produced cartoons such as Steamboat Willie, an eight-minute short introducing a character who would become one of the world’s most recognizable brand mascots: Mickey Mouse.

But Walt’s creative vision and Roy’s business acumen led to much more.

Disney is now a global entertainment and media conglomerate responsible for award-winning movies, theme parks, TV shows, retail stores, a cruise line, streaming services, and more. Well-known properties include ABC, Disney+, ESPN, Hulu, Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, and Walt Disney Pictures.

Disney’s cultural impact is immense, pervading modern culture through a century of family-friendly entertainment.

And, as Walt once said, it all began with a mouse.

Founded: October 16, 1923, Los Angeles, California
Founders: Walt Disney, Roy O. Disney
CEO: Bob Chapek (February 25, 2020-)
Headquarters: Burbank, California
Subsidiaries: Pixar; Hulu; Walt Disney Pictures; Marvel Entertainment; ABC; ESPN; Lucasfilm; shopDisney; Disney Parks, Experiences and Products; Disney Cruise Line; and more
Best known for: Animated characters, acclaimed movies, theme parks
Awards: 135 Academy Awards and many other honors and accolades
Top movies: 101 Dalmations, Avengers: Endgame, Beauty & the Beast, Black Panther, Cinderella, Coco, Fantasia, Frozen, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins, Moana, Mulan, The Princess and the Frog, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Toy Story
Theme parks: Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World, Shanghai Disney Resort, Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disney Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland
Iconic characters: Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto