Walt Disney Company Essay

The name was eventually changed to The Walt Disney Studios. By the end of 1927, the Disney brothers created a total of 56 Alice comedies, which proved Walt as a producer and built up his animation studio that rivaled others in the business. In 1928, their company took a hit when almost all of their animators jumped ship and went to work for Universal Pictures. It was projected that Walt Disney’s animation career was over, but he kept fighting and it taught him to never give up control of his creations. Though the tale of how he came about isn’t clear, Mickey Mouse debuted on November 18, 1928. From that day, the Walt Disney Studios took off with the creation of Snow White in 1937 and Pinocchio and Fantasia in 1940. However, the studio took a break from movies after Pearl Harbor in order to aid in the war effort by converting the studio into a wartime industrial plant. After the war, Disney reconquered the title of leader of animation and rest is history. With the opening of Disneyland and the premiere of The Mickey Mouse Club in 1955, the company has only flourished. In 1963, there was the first use of audio-animatronics at Disneyland and Walt began the foundation of a project that would lead to Disneyworld. However, he was diagnosed with lung cancer in November 1966 and passed in December; therefore, unable to see his plan play out. Walter Elias Disney was a small-town boy who turned into a

Disney’s long-run success is mainly due to creating value through diversification. Their corporate strategies (primarily under CEO Eisner) include three dimensions: horizontal and geographic expansion as well as vertical integration. Disney is a prime example of how to achieve long-run success through the choices of business, the choice of how many activities to undertake, the choice of how many businesses to be in, the choice of how to manage a portfolio of businesses and the choice of how to create synergies between those businesses (3, p.191-221). All these choices and decisions are

The Walt Disney Company (Disney) from character animation and expanding into other adjacent businesses with the aim to bring happiness to the family through several different, but related channels. In October 1923, Walter (Walt) Disney and Roy Disney Brothers Studio set up and start creating animated films that would eventually become the basis for Disney "3". In 1937, Disney created Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This film is the only animated film to the position of the American Film Institute list of the 100 greatest American films of all time "4".

As a matter of fact, Walt Disney had a tremendous influence on mass media! He influenced the media to expand their business deals and resources. The release of his very successful movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs led the film to become the most successful motion picture! “The film became the most successful motion picture in 1938 and earned over $8 million on its initial release.” (“Walt Disney”) Likewise, the release of the film encouraged the media to use different special effects and record better frames. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first American film to be made in color, so it influenced the media to use the Technicolor process for their upcoming movies. “Snow White, the first animated feature in America made in Technicolor, was released in February 1938…” (“Walt Disney”) In the movie there is also sound. The sound, yet again caused the sensation to make a soundtrack.

The Walt Disney Company, more commonly known as Disney, is a company that was founded in October 16, 1923 by brothers Walt Disney and Roy O. Disney under the name of Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio. The company eventually changed its name to the current Walt Disney Company in 1986. The company was headquartered in Burbank, California. The company is a public company that has diversified to live-action film, television, and even theme parks.

The history of how The Walt Disney Company came to be started from a small individual who enjoyed drawing and used art as a way to escape reality, his name was Walt Disney. After the World War 1 ended, Disney went to Kansas City where he later created an animated company that went bankruptcy. Walt Disney moved to Hollywood where he met M.J Winkler a distributor, Disney become part of her production partner. (The Walt Disney Company) In 1927 Disney created a series where the distributor copyright the main character and Disney only made a few hundred dollars, therefore Disney decide to leave and created that same series with a different name which was Mickey Mouse. Disney decided to go with his brother Roy and created Mickey Mouse films. When Disney wanted to put out Steamboat Willie many film producers did not like the film’s idea until Pat Powers decided to release the film in theaters. The film gave Disney enough money to start on other projects which later those project turn out to be such as the amusement parks, merchandise, etc. In December 15, 1966 Walt Disney died from Lung Cancer, Disney’s brother Roy made sure that Disney’s believes and philosophy about the company would still be passed on by the company 's employee. (The Walt Disney Company) The company kept going which has become of the greatest companies that are socially responsible and sustainable.

Today, the Walt Disney Company is highly diversified - it is divided into 5 major business segments: Studio Entertainment, Parks and Resorts, Media Networks, Consumer Products, and Internet & Direct Marketing. Since this paper stresses on only one strategic business unit of Walt Disney, Parks and Resorts, the following discussion of the elements of marketing mix will be with respect to this SBU only.

Walt Disney started out by producing short animated films in 1922 and in 1928 introduced Mickey Mouse, the world most famous cartoon character shown in Figure 4 below (Olsson 1996; Kramer 2002). Following this breakthrough, Kramer (2002) found that Disney proceeded innovatively with new film technologies of sound and colour that resulted in the first successful animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937.

Founded in 1923 by Walter Elias Disney, Walt Disney is the pioneer of the animation industry (“The Walt Disney Company”, 2014). The first two cartoons that Disney created were silent films and could not be sold; he then created the third Mickey Mouse cartoon with sound – Steamboat Willie in November of 1928 ("Disney History," n.d.). Disney went on to win the Academy Award ® for Best Cartoon in 1932, which was the first year that this award was offered, for his cartoon Flowers and Trees ("Disney History," n.d.). Shortly after his cartoons were gaining popularity, Disney went into the merchandising industry, when Walt Disney accepted an offer of $300 by a man to put Mickey Mouse on some pencil tablets ("Disney History," n.d.). That was just the beginning for Disney merchandising, which soon included everything from “Mickey Mouse dolls, dishes,

There have been many animated movies that were very popular during the 1940’s and 50’s. Some are still watched and have been recreated in today’s times: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, and Dumbo. Although not the first animated movie to be created, Fantasia (1940) was the first movie to connect classical music with animations.

The success of movies and television programs were due to diversity and distribution. It does its own distribution and targets several markets from children to adults. Finally, the Disney character consumer product sector, which includes clothing, home goods, and toys, has been an extremely important asset to the company. For example, by establishing deals such as an agreement with Mattel, Disney was able to manufacture more than 14,000 Disney licensed products. Furthermore, Disney expanded it’s retailing by opening up Disney stores.

While making animated films projected at youth and at others who Disney hoped to infuse innocence into, being the entrepreneur he was, he also had to keep in mind the business of his company. Disney wanted to promote the carelessness of being young, and desired to show even adults that they, too, could be happy and relaxed. Being able to do so and keep audiences of all ages interested enough to save his company from bankruptcy is indeed a challenge. Nevertheless, Disney was able to generate films that people of many different generations to enjoy, and all the while become extremely successful.

“Try to imagine a world without Walt Disney. A world without his magic, whimsy, and optimism..”(Brad A.) Well all know Walt Disney as the creator of Mickey Mouse and the man who made the first Disney movies and cartoons famous. Walt Disney did so much more than just make Mickey Mouse. He touched hearts and made a positive impact on so many people’s lives. He also made Disney famous around the world. Today there is Disney themed parks in Hong Kong, Paris, and Tokyo. Along with the famous Disney Land in California and the famous Disney World in Florida.

In the last decades, the number of major corporations that manage to control media has decreased significantly, resulting in a high concentration of ownership. In 2011, only six media companies were responsible for 90% of the things we saw and heard on a daily basis compared to fifty companies in 1983 (Lutz, 2012). The Walt Disney Company is one of them. In this report, we will take a look at how the Company has succeeded in growing into the media corporation it is today.

The Disney brothers began creating countless cartoons (some successful and others not so much), and in 1928, introduced Mickey Mouse to the world in the animated short, Steamboat Willie—widely described as the