When Walt Disney and his brother Roy created the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studios in 1923, they probably hardly imagined what a cultural juggernaut it would be 100 years later. What started as a cartoon studio has now grown into an empire of movies, TV shows, its own streaming platforms, an iconic theme park, and a beloved trademark that signals quality.
In their latest fiscal report, the company boasted:
- $23.6 billion in revenue,
- 180.7 Disney+ and Hulu subscribers,
- sports revenue at $687 million;
- theme parks and experiences generating $1.8 billion in revenue.
Walt was passionate about cartoons from an early age. As stated in his official biography, he supposedly tried selling his cartoons to neighbors when he was as young as seven years old. Yet he only became a professional cartoonist for advertisements after the First World War.
Many people think that Steamboat Willie was Disney's first creation. But in August of 2023, Walt visited his brother in California and created Alice Comedies, a series of silent cartoons with a live-action Alice roaming about in them. He then sent the pilot film Alice's Wonderland to distributors in New York and it got picked up.
Then came Steamboat Willie. If you were anywhere near Twitter (X) on New Year's Eve of 2024, you might have seen fans of Mickey Mouse rejoicing in the beloved character finally going back into the public domain after 95 years of copyright.
While many people think that Walt Disney created the iconic characters of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, it was actually a joint effort with animator and cartoonist Ub Iwerks. It's true that Disney voiced the character for many years, but the actual design was done by Iwerks. Reportedly, he did 700 drawings a day and single-handedly animated "Plane Crazy", the first project to feature Mickey Mouse.
Yet Steamboat Willie was the first cartoon with synchronized sound and animation. Disney continued to innovate and receive praise when he received Academy Awards for Flowers and Trees. Then came Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first feature length animated musical.
Created during the Great Depression, it cost a whopping $1.5 million. In five years time, other iconic features were released, such as Pinocchio, Fantasia, Bambi, and Dumbo.
Some people say that after Walt Disney passed away in 1966, the creativity of the animation stalled. Disneyland, opened in 1955, only say minor changes during the first years after the passing of Disney.
Its new CEO Michael Eisner then decided to revive the company's name as a pioneer in animation. Thus, films like The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast came out. Now, that period is referred to as The Disney Renaissance.
After 1999, the Disney Renaissance seemed to be over. During the 2000s, the company struggled to release any significant animations, resulting in their popularity stalling. The new CEO, Bob Iger, came up with a strategy to revive Disney animation. "As animation goes, so does the company," he was quoted saying. So, he made the decision to acquire the Pixar Animation studios.
