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The birth of Disney
The story of Walt Disney Corporation begins on Oct. 16, 1923. That year, Walt Disney returned from World War I and moved to Los Angeles. Together with his brother, Roy, they decided to set up the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, which would eventually grow into the current Walt Disney Corporation. They committed to produce 12 animated films from their uncle Robert's garage. That was the beginning of the multimillion-dollar company.
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1928: Mickey Mouse arrives at Disney
Five years later, Walt Disney created what would go on to be the icon of Disney, Mickey Mouse. His first sketch was presented in 1928 in the short film "Steamboat Willie." After this, all the company's films contain the famous mouse that has been featured in many of the company's films and shows.
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'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,' Disney's first feature film
It was not until 1937 that Disney's first feature film arrived, introducing the first Disney princess. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" hit the big screen on Dec. 21, 1937, and gave audiences the first of the company's many famous princesses. In addition, the film made history by becoming the first animated feature film in color and sound.
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'Cinderella,' the movie that saved Disney from bankruptcy
World War II passed, and Disney was one of the hardest-hit companies. Its critically acclaimed film, "Pinocchio," didn't do as well as expected and, between that and the economic downturn during the war, the Walt Disney Corporation found itself in serious financial trouble. It also didn't help that the entertainment giant's next project, "Fantasia," also turned out to be a box office flop. "Dumbo" and "Bambi" were further attempts to save the company, but they ended up costing more than they earned. However, Walt Disney had one last trump card in store, a new Disney princess" "Cinderella." Released on Feb. 15, 1950, Disney decided to invest $3 million in the film. The bet succeeded, leading to Disney's first renaissance, saving itself from bankruptcy.
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The first amusement park is born
On July 17, 1955, Walt Disney opened his first amusement park. Located in California, the park was inaugurated by Walt Disney himself and featured the castle of "Sleeping Beauty" as its main attraction. This was followed by other amusement parks, such as in Florida, which has four theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios) and two water parks. There is another Disney park in Tokyo; Disneyland Paris, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary; and the most recent, opened a few decades ago, is Disneyland Hong Kong.
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'The Little Mermaid' and the beginning of Disney's golden age
The 1989 film "The Little Mermaid" marked Disney's golden age. Released in 1989, the film featured King Triton's daughter, the mermaid Ariel, and was a hit in theaters at the time. After that, Disney decided to return to one of its most fruitful markets, that of princesses. Ariel was soon followed by Jasmine ("Aladdin"), Belle ("Beauty and the Beast"), Pocahontas ("Pocahontas") and many more. At the production level, "The Little Mermaid" was also a milestone for the company as it was the first animated film to utilize computer animation.
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'Beauty and the Beast': Disney's first Oscar nomination
In 1991, the company achieved a new milestone: being nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. The feature film that achieved this recognition was "Beauty and the Beast," a film that also featured actress Angela Lansbury. On a technical level, the feature film was the company's first film to design the ballroom as a state-of-the-art 3D space. It thus combined traditional animation with computer-generated animation, something that had already been done, but more subtly, by another of the company's flagship films "The Little Mermaid."
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Disney acquires Pixar, Marvel Studios, 20th Century Fox and Lucasfilm
Disney began its expansion plans between the 2000s and 2020s. Its first major acquisition was none other than Pixar, the company that created "Toy Story" and was founded by Steve Jobs. It was absorbed by Disney in 2006. Three years later, in 2009, Disney entered the world of superheroes and acquired Marvel Studios. Having two of the most important franchises in the film industry was not enough for Disney which, in 2012, announced that it would be the new owner of Lucasfilm, the company that created "Star Wars." In 2017, Disney once again unveiled its plans to acquire one of its direct competitors, 20th Century Fox Studios. The plans took longer than expected but, two years later, in 2019, Disney managed to close the purchase. In doing so, it managed to acquire the film rights of Marvel Studios characters such as the X-Men and the Fantastic 4 by taking over one of its direct competitors.
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The launch of Disney+, the company's streaming platform
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Disney decided to enter the world of streaming. After seeing the success of streaming platforms such as HBO and Netflix, Disney+ was born. The platform premiered "The Mandalorian," a series that reboots the "Star Wars" universe and introduced audiences to Grogu. After this show, Disney Plus also decided to produce Marvel Studios series like "Wandavision" and Disney original series like "Willow."
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Disney celebrates its 100th anniversary with 'Once Upon a Studio'
One hundred years is significant milestone, and Walt Disney Studios has a very special gift in store for its viewers to celebrate the occasion. On Oct. 16, 2023, "Once Upon a Studio" will be released, a short film in which Mickey Mouse gathers all the characters from the franchise to take a family photo. At eight minutes long, the short film has had a great reception on social media, reminding that Disney, despite its current financial problems, is still a staple in the lives of many in the U.S. and around the world.