History of The Walt Disney Studios
Excerpted
from
The
Walt
Disney
addi:onal
money
from
Winkler
for
Not
one
to
rest
on
his
laurels,
Walt
Company
Archives
a
second
year
of
the
cartoons,
he
Disney
soon
produced
another
found
out
that
the
distributor
had
series,
the
Silly
Symphonies.
Each
of
Walt
Disney
arrived
in
California
in
the
summer
of
1923
with
dreams
and
determina:on,
but
li=le
else.
He
had
made
a
short
film
in
Kansas
City
about
a
li=le
girl
in
a
cartoon
world,
called
Alice's
Wonderland,
and
he
planned
to
use
it
as
his
"pilot"
film
to
sell
a
series
of
these
Alice
Comedies
to
a
distributor.
On
October
16,
1923,
a
New
York
distributor,
M.
J.
Winkler,
contracted
to
release
the
Alice
Comedies,
and
this
date
became
the
formal
beginning
of
The
Walt
Disney
Company.
Originally
known
as
the
Disney
Brothers
Cartoon
Studio,
with
Walt
Disney
and
his
brother
Roy
as
equal
partners,
the
gone
behind
his
back
and
signed
up
the
films
in
this
series
featured
almost
all
of
his
animators,
hoping
different
casts
of
characters,
to
make
the
Oswald
cartoons
in
his
own
studio
for
less
money
without
enabling
the
animators
to
experiment
with
stories
that
relied
Walt.
Since
the
distributor
owned
less
on
the
gags
and
quick
humor
of
the
rights
to
Oswald,
there
was
the
Mickey
cartoons
and
more
on
nothing
Walt
could
do.
It
was
a
mood,
emo:on,
and
musical
painful
lesson
for
the
young
cartoon
themes.
Eventually
the
Silly
producer.
From
then
on,
he
saw
to
Symphonies
turned
into
the
training
it
that
he
owned
everything
that
he
ground
for
all
Disney
ar:sts,
as
they
made.
prepared
for
the
advent
of
Walt
now
had
to
come
up
with
a
animated
feature
films.
Flowers
and
name
Mor:mer,
but
his
wife
Lilly
1932,
the
first
year
that
the
Trees,
a
Silly
Symphony
and
the
first
new
character.
With
his
chief
animator,
Ub
Iwerks,
Walt
designed
full‐color
cartoon,
won
the
a
mouse
whom
Walt
first
wanted
to
Academy
Award
for
Best
Cartoon
in
preferred
Mickey.
And
so
a
star
was
Academy
offered
such
a
category.
For
the
rest
of
that
decade,
a
Disney
born.
Ub
animated
two
Mickey
company
soon
changed
its
name,
at
Mouse
cartoons.
But
the
first
film
Roy's
sugges:on,
to
the
Walt
Disney
with
synchronized
sound
The
Jazz
cartoon
won
the
Oscar
every
year.
The
most
sensa:onal
one,
Three
Li;le
Pigs,
was
released
in
1933.
Studio,
which
was
ini:ally
housed
in
Singer
had
premiered,
and
Walt
This
was
a
breakthrough
in
a
succession
of
storefront
buildings
decided
that
his
studio
should
make
character
anima:on
and
provided
the
first
sound
cartoon.
So,
the
in
Hollywood
before
becoming
something
of
an
anthem
for
figh:ng
studio
poured
all
of
its
resources
established
on
Hyperion
Avenue.
into
a
third
Mickey
Mouse
cartoon
the
Great
Depression
"Who's
Afraid
Walt
made
his
Alice
Comedies
for
before
the
first
two
were
released,
of
the
Big
Bad
Wolf?"
The
animated
four
years,
constantly
pushing
the
short
was
so
popular,
it
some:mes
this
one
with
fully
synchronized
visual
bounds
as
well
as
the
studio's
sound.
Steamboat
Willie
opened
to
was
listed
above
the
feature
film
on
finances
with
innova:ve
effects.
In
rave
reviews
at
the
Colony
Theater
theater
marquees.
1927,
he
decided
to
move
to
an
all‐
in
New
York
November
18,
1928.
One
night
in
1934,
Walt
brought
his
cartoon
series,
and
for
its
star
he
Mickey
Mouse
was
an
immediate
animators
together
to
tell
them
created
a
character
named
Oswald
sensa:on
around
the
world,
and
a
they
were
going
to
make
an
the
Lucky
Rabbit.
Within
a
year,
series
of
Mickey
Mouse
cartoons
animated
feature
film,
and
Walt
made
26
Oswald
cartoons,
but
followed.
proceeded
to
act
out
the
story
of
when
he
tried
to
get
some
1
Snow
White
and
the
Seven
Dwarfs.
art
form
in
li=le
more
than
a
Walt
saw
the
poten:al
of
television
At
the
:me,
this
was
a
radical
decade.
From
the
"rubber
hose"
and,
ader
another
Christmas
concept.
Most
people
thought
that
anima:on
of
Steamboat
Willie
to
special,
in
1954
he
launched
the
a
cartoon
couldn't
hold
an
the
extraordinary
imagery
and
Disneyland
anthology
series,
audience's
a=en:on
beyond
the
emo:onal
storytelling
of
the
famously
featuring
the
first
usual
eight‐minute
running
:me.
It
company's
first
five
feature
length
took
three
years
and
severely
taxed
films,
the
studio
had
revolu:onized
television
mini‐series
Davy
Crocke;.
the
resources
of
the
studio,
but
in
anima:on
forever.
December
1937,
the
film
was
highly
popular
filmed
During
the
war,
Walt
Disney
made
finished,
and
it
was
a
spectacular
two
films
about
South
America,
hit.
Snow
White
became
the
highest
Saludos
Amigos
and
The
Three
grossing
film
of
all
:me,
a
record
it
Caballeros,
at
the
request
of
the
held
un:l
it
was
surpassed
by
Gone
With
the
Wind.
Work
immediately
State
Department.
His
studio
also
concentrated
on
producing
began
on
other
feature
projects
and
propaganda
and
training
films
for
the
company
moved
to
its
current
the
military.
When
the
war
ended,
it
site
in
Burbank,
California.
But,
with
was
difficult
for
the
Disney
Studio
to
the
advent
of
World
War
II,
the
company
lost
access
to
most
of
its
foreign
markets.
Consequently,
its
next
two
features,
Pinocchio
and
Fantasia,
which
were
released
in
1940,
were
unable
to
recoup
their
produc:on
costs.
Both
were
masterpieces
that
would
be
financial
risk.
Then
came
Dumbo
in
1941,
which
was
produced
on
a
very
limited
budget
and
was
profitable.
This
was
followed
by
Bambi,
another
expensive
film
that
came
in
1942
ader
the
U.S.
had
entered
the
war.
For
the
next
number
of
years,
Walt
would
have
to
restrain
his
anima:on
ambi:ons.
However,
it
is
remarkable
to
consider
how
far
he
had
taken
the
entertainment,
with
animated
films
like
Lady
and
the
Tramp
and
Sleeping
Beauty,
live
ac:on
films
20,000
Leagues
Under
the
Sea
and
The
Shaggy
Dog,
and
a
popular
TV
series
about
the
legendary
hero,
Zorro.
In
the
1960s
came
more
classic
films,
like
101
DalmaOans
and
Pollyanna.
In
1964
came
Mary
regain
its
pre‐war
foo:ng.
Several
Poppins,
Walt
Disney's
crowning
years
went
by
during
which
the
achievement
as
a
filmmaker,
studio
released
"package"
feature
combining
live
ac:on,
anima:on
films,
such
as
Make
Mine
Music
and
and
animatronics
to
tell
a
classic
Melody
Time,
containing
groups
of
story
for
the
en:re
family.
Just
two
short
cartoons.
Walt
also
moved
years
later
came
the
end
of
an
era,
into
live
ac:on
produc:on,
with
as
Walt
Disney
died
on
December
Song
of
the
South
and
So
Dear
to
phenomenally
profitable
in
My
Heart,
which
also
included
subsequent
releases
in
the
decades
animated
segments.
Walt
further
to
come,
but
their
immediate
effect
branched
out
with
the
award‐
was
to
put
the
studio
at
some
The
studio
con:nued
to
produce
winning
True‐Life
Adventure
series,
featuring
drama:c
nature
photography
of
a
style
never
seen
before.
15,
1966.
It
was
said
at
the
:me
that
he
was
probably
the
best
known
individual
in
the
world.
Roy
Disney,
who
was
older
than
Walt
and
had
been
planning
to
re:re,
took
over
supervision
of
the
company
The
Jungle
Book
in
1967
and
The
Aristocats
in
1970
showed
1950
saw
three
landmark
that
the
company
was
s:ll
the
achievements:
the
studio's
first
leader
in
anima:on,
and
The
Love
completely
live
ac:on
film,
Treasure
Bug
in
1969
was
the
highest
Island,
the
return
to
classic
animated
features
with
Cinderella
grossing
film
of
the
year.
Roy
Disney
died
just
two
months
ader
realizing
and
the
first
Disney
television
show
his
brother's
final
dream
in
1971,
at
Christmas
:me.
Unlike
the
heads
Walt
Disney
World
in
Orlando,
of
the
other
Hollywood
studios,
2
Florida.
In
an
effort
to
expand
its
business,
Disney
anima:on
experienced
a
restoring
the
historic
New
Disney
ini:ated
the
Disney
Channel
renaissance.
In
1989,
The
Li;le
Amsterdam
Theater
on
42nd
Street,
in
1983
and
established
a
new
film
Disney
became
the
catalyst
for
a
Mermaid
reminded
the
world
that
label,
Touchstone
Pictures,
with
the
anima:on
wasn't
just
for
kids.
In
successful
makeover
of
the
famous
release
of
Splash
in
1984.
However,
1991,
Beauty
and
the
Beast
became
Times
Square
area.
because
of
the
widespread
percep:on
that
Disney
stock
was
the
only
animated
film
ever
to
be
nominated
for
the
Academy
Award
undervalued
rela:ve
to
the
for
Best
Picture.
In
1992,
Aladdin
company's
assets,
in
1984
there
became
the
first
animated
film
to
were
a=empts
to
stage
hos:le
takeovers
of
the
company.
These
efforts
were
rebuffed
and,
in
October,
Michael
Eisner
and
Frank
with
Pirates
of
the
Caribbean:
The
Curse
of
the
Black
Pearl
and
Disney/
gross
more
than
$200
million
in
the
Pixar's
Finding
Nemo
both
grossing
U.S.
and,
in
1994,
The
Lion
King
more
than
$300
million
at
the
U.S.
sha=ered
records,
grossing
$312
million
in
the
U.S.
and
$783
million
Wells
became
chief
execu:ve
officer
worldwide.
and
president,
respec:vely.
The
company's
film
studio
had
a
par:cularly
banner
year
in
2003,
box
office.
That
year,
Disney
became
the
first
studio
in
history
to
surpass
$3
billion
in
global
box
Meanwhile,
Hollywood
Records
was
office.
The
new
management
team
formed
to
offer
a
wider
selec:on
of
On
October
1,
2005,
Robert
Iger
immediately
saw
ways
for
Disney
to
music.
assumed
the
posi:on
of
chief
maximize
its
assets.
Films
from
the
Disney's
leadership
in
anima:on
execu:ve
officer,
becoming
only
the
Disney
library
were
selected
for
the
con:nued
with
Pocahontas
in
1995,
seventh
individual
to
lead
The
Walt
television
syndica:on
market,
and
The
Hunchback
of
Notre
Dame
in
Disney
Company
in
its
en:re
some
of
the
classic
animated
films
1996,
Hercules
in
1997,
Mulan
in
history.
Iger
quickly
established
his
were
released
on
video
casse=e.
Eventually,
the
company
pioneered
the
"sell‐through"
approach
of
pricing
video
releases
at
lower
prices
and
Disney
classics
were
suddenly
sekng
a
whole
new
kind
1998,
Tarzan
in
1999
and
Fantasia/
inten:on
to
take
advantage
of
2000
at
the
turn
of
the
century.
In
emerging
technologies
in
order
to
1995,
in
partnership
with
Pixar
connect
with
consumers
in
new
Anima:on,
the
company
released
ways.
Iger
also
emphasized
his
the
first
computer‐animated
feature
determina:on
to
grow
the
company
film,
Toy
Story.
This
was
followed
by
by
building
on
its
legacy
of
great
of
box
office
record
as
they
reached
a
series
of
highly
successful
Disney/ crea:vity
and
his
first
major
a
new
genera:on
of
kids,
who
could
Pixar
collabora:ons,
a
bug's
life,
Toy
ini:a:ve,
announced
in
January
watch
them
in
the
convenience
of
Story
2,
Monsters,
Inc.,
Finding
2006,
was
the
acquisi:on
of
their
home.
Nemo
and
The
Incredibles.
crea:ve
powerhouse
Pixar
Filmmaking
hit
new
heights
in
1988
In
1994,
Disney
ventured
onto
Anima:on.
as,
for
the
first
:me,
Disney
led
all
Broadway
with
the
stage
produc:on
2007
was
a
very
successful
year
for
the
Hollywood
studios
in
box‐office
of
Beauty
and
the
Beast,
followed
in
the
studio
segment
with
films
like
gross,
with
Who
Framed
Roger
1997
by
The
Lion
King,
which
won
Rabbit,
Good
Morning,
Vietnam,
the
Tony
Award
for
best
musical.
Three
Men
and
a
Baby
each
earning
Aida
was
Disney
Theatrical's
first
more
than
$100
million
at
the
U.S.
produc:on
not
based
on
an
box
office.
animated
film
and,
in
2006,
Tarzan
opened
on
The
Great
White
Way.
By
3
Pirates
of
the
Caribbean:
At
World’s
End,
Ratatouille,
Enchanted
and
NaOonal
Treasure:
Book
of
Secrets
topping
the
box
office.
Disneynature,
the
first
new
Disney‐
branded
film
label
in
over
60
years,
Entertainment,
a
global
brand
with
Disney’s
Alice
in
Wonderland
was
created
in
April
2008
to
a
world‐renowned
library
of
became
The
Walt
Disney
Studios’
produce
nature
documentaries
for
characters
including
Iron
Man,
biggest
interna:onal
success
the
big
screen.
Spider‐Man,
X‐Men,
Captain
genera:ng
more
than
$1
billion
at
In
February
2009,
Disney
made
a
America,
Fantas:c
Four
and
Thor.
the
global
box
office,
while
Disney/
And
in
October,
The
Walt
Disney
long‐term
distribu:on
agreement
with
Steven
Spielberg,
Stacey
Snider
Company
named
Rich
Ross
chairman
of
The
Walt
Disney
and
The
Reliance
Anil
Dhirubhai
Pixar’s
Toy
Story
3
became
the
highest
grossing
animated
film
of
all
:me
with
over
$1
billion
in
global
Studios,
overseeing
the
movie,
receipts.
As
a
result
of
their
music
and
theatrical
opera:ons
of
individual
success,
Disney
became
DreamWorks
Studios
under
the
the
company.
the
first
studio
in
history
to
have
Touchstone
Pictures
banner.
In
2010
has
been
another
significant
two
$1
billion
films
in
one
year.
August,
Disney
acquired
Marvel
year
for
the
studio’s
film
business.
Ambani
Group
to
market
and
distribute
live‐ac:on
films
from
4