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The Walt Disney Company
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<p>The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational <a href="/facts/Mass_media/M1UE4TTp">mass media</a> and <a href="/facts/Entertainment_industry/XXRnLM62">entertainment</a> <a href="/facts/Conglomerate_(company)/YBbUVg1d">conglomerate</a> headquartered at the <a href="/facts/Walt_Disney_Studios_(Burbank)/dxvKBkt3">Walt Disney Studios</a> complex in <a href="/facts/Burbank%2c_California/xjNXM9AL">Burbank, California</a>. Disney was founded on October 16, 1923, as an <a href="/facts/Animation_studio/9AUg9v8W">animation studio</a>, by brothers <a href="/facts/Walt_Disney/6a3CPUKT">Walt Disney</a> and <a href="/facts/Roy_O._Disney/UR7IKe33">Roy Oliver Disney</a> as Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio; it later operated under the names Walt Disney Studio and Walt Disney Productions before adopting its current name in 1986. In 1928, Disney established itself as a leader in the <a href="/facts/Animation/093f9nUg">animation</a> industry with the short film <i><a href="/facts/Steamboat_Willie/KT7XEVbb">Steamboat Willie</a>.</i> The film used <a href="/facts/Synchronized_sound/NtImVJ3R">synchronized sound</a> to become the first post-produced sound cartoon, and popularized <a href="/facts/Mickey_Mouse/XHA50EJP">Mickey Mouse</a>, who became Disney's mascot and corporate icon.[<i>not verified in body</i>] </p><p>After becoming a success by the early 1940s, Disney diversified into live-action films, television, and <a href="/facts/Theme_parks/b7v2FTj0">theme parks</a> in the 1950s. However, following Walt Disney's death in 1966, the company's profits, especially in the animation sector, began to decline. In 1984, Disney's shareholders voted <a href="/facts/Michael_Eisner/AT9qkhHW">Michael Eisner</a> as CEO, who led a reversal of the company's decline through a combination of international theme park expansion and the highly successful <a href="/facts/Disney_Renaissance/gv9ASpbL">Disney Renaissance</a> period of animation from 1989 to 1999. In 2005, under the new CEO <a href="/facts/Bob_Iger/moTooHR2">Bob Iger</a>, the company continued to expand into a major entertainment conglomerate with the acquisitions of <a href="/facts/Pixar/McUyzor2">Pixar</a> in 2006, <a href="/facts/Marvel_Entertainment/xlnAcRHd">Marvel Entertainment</a> in 2009, <a href="/facts/Lucasfilm/7WjKBSjM">Lucasfilm</a> in 2012, and <a href="/facts/21st_Century_Fox/e97txeb3">21st Century Fox</a> in <a href="/facts/Acquisition_of_21st_Century_Fox_by_Disney/PgfxPfxU">2019</a>. In 2020, <a href="/facts/Bob_Chapek/klnjEBqc">Bob Chapek</a> became the head of Disney after Iger's retirement. However, Chapek was ousted in 2022 and Iger was reinstated as CEO. </p><p>The company’s namesake <a href="/facts/Walt_Disney_Studios_(division)/rdnUhzd1">film studio division</a> includes <a href="/facts/Walt_Disney_Pictures/22zg1xut">Walt Disney Pictures</a>, <a href="/facts/Walt_Disney_Animation_Studios/TwNCw6nf">Walt Disney Animation Studios</a>, Pixar, <a href="/facts/Marvel_Studios/1sz7HYQo">Marvel Studios</a>, Lucasfilm, <a href="/facts/20th_Century_Studios/vd5eeD3S">20th Century Studios</a>, <a href="/facts/20th_Century_Animation/nWq2Su7K">20th Century Animation</a>, and <a href="/facts/Searchlight_Pictures/NXXejHjx">Searchlight Pictures</a>. Disney's other main business units include divisions operating the <a href="/facts/American_Broadcasting_Company/WGxg4vRX">ABC television network</a>; cable television networks such as <a href="/facts/Disney_Channel/Xgoss0JR">Disney Channel</a>, <a href="/facts/ESPN/1FeLYofR">ESPN</a>, <a href="/facts/Freeform_(TV_channel)/4NFgDxGG">Freeform</a>, <a href="/facts/FX_(TV_channel)/YWglwVRT">FX</a>, and <a href="/facts/National_Geographic_(American_TV_channel)/19KuJFw6">National Geographic</a>; publishing, merchandising, music, and theater divisions; <a href="/facts/Direct-to-consumer/49y9pk0M">direct-to-consumer</a> streaming services such as <a href="/facts/Disney%252B/oKWuzTvQ">Disney+</a>, <a href="/facts/ESPN%252B/QTJLjoDY">ESPN+</a>, <a href="/facts/Hulu/BzDs7GsQ">Hulu</a>, and <a href="/facts/Disney%252B_Hotstar/zsE56kc4">Hotstar</a>; and <a href="/facts/Disney_Experiences/aHPMxFYX">Disney Experiences</a>, which includes several theme parks, resort hotels, and <a href="/facts/Disney_Cruise_Line/nEtwq0lM">cruise lines</a> around the world. </p><p>Disney is one of the biggest and best-known companies in the world. In 2023, it was ranked 87th on the 2023 <a href="/facts/Forbes_Global_2000/cpxW0UVa"><i>Forbes</i> Global 2000</a>, and 48th on the <a href="/facts/Fortune_500/BLeHWymz"><i>Fortune</i> 500</a> list of biggest companies in the United States by revenue. Since its founding, the company has won 135 <a href="/facts/Academy_Awards/CwTxYuNQ">Academy Awards</a>, 26 of which were <a href="/facts/List_of_Academy_Awards_for_Walt_Disney/YDXz35KG">awarded to Walt</a>. The company has produced films which have been featured on many <a href="/facts/List_of_films_considered_the_best/pGV2gfUG">lists of the greatest films of all time</a> and is one of the key players on the development of the theme park industry. The company has been public since 1940 and trades on the <a href="/facts/New_York_Stock_Exchange/XgSV32lk">New York Stock Exchange</a> (NYSE) and has been a component of the <a href="/facts/Dow_Jones_Industrial_Average/jHr3wKhj">Dow Jones Industrial Average</a> since 1991. In August 2020, about two-thirds of the stock was owned by large financial institutions. The company celebrated its <a href="/facts/Centennial/m8UNg9E9">100th anniversary</a> on October 16, 2023. </p>