2. For more than nine decades, the name Walt Disney has been preeminent in
the field of family entertainment. From humble beginnings as a cartoon
studio in the 1920s to today's global corporation, The Walt Disney
Company continues to proudly provide quality entertainment for every
member of the family, across America and around the world.
4. October 16, 1923
Walt signed a contract with M. J. Winkler to produce a series of Alice
Comedies — this date is considered the start of the Disney company first
known as The Disney Brothers Studio.
September 5, 1927
Release of the first Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon, Trolley Troubles.
5. November 18, 1928
Steamboat Willie is released at the Colony Theatre in New York -- this
marks the release of the very first Mickey Mouse cartoon, and the first
appearance by Minnie Mouse.
January 13, 1930
Mickey Mouse comic strip debuts.
6. July 30, 1932
Flowers and Trees, first full-color cartoon and first Academy Award winner,
is released.
June 9, 1934
The Wise Little Hen, the first appearance of Donald Duck, is released.
7. February 23, 1935
The Band Concert, the first Mickey Mouse cartoon in color, is released.
December 21, 1937
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney's first feature-length animated film,
premieres at the Carthay Circle Theatre.
8. December 26, 1939
The Disney Studio begins its move to Burbank, California, from the
Hyperion Studio in Los Angeles.
April 2, 1940
Walt Disney Productions issues its first stock.
9. November 13, 1940
Disney releases one of its highly regarded classics, Fantasia.
October 1, 1949
Walt Disney Music Company is formed.
10. July 19, 1950
Treasure Island, Disney's first completely live-action feature, is released.
February 5, 1953
Peter Pan, based on characters created by Scottish playwright J.M.
Barrie, is released.
11. October 27, 1954
Emmy Award-winning Disneyland television show airs on ABC, starring Walt
Disney.
July 17, 1955
Disneyland, the first Disney park, opened in Anaheim, California, to an
invited audience on this day. The first guests were Kristine Vess and her
cousin Michael Schwartner, ages 5 and 7.
12. October 3, 1955
Mickey Mouse Club debuts on television.
June 23, 1963
Enchanted Tiki Room opens at Disneyland, using the first Audio-
Animatronics®.
13. August 29, 1964
Mary Poppins, the practically perfect tale directed by Robert Stevenson,
about a magical English nanny, is released.
December 15, 1966
Walt Disney, the visionary whose pioneering spirit and inimitable creativity
made the impossible possible, turning dreams into reality and building the
foundation of The Walt Disney Company of today, dies at age 65.
14. December 25, 1969
The arena show Disney on Parade, in which costumed Disney characters
put on lavish dance numbers, debuts in Chicago.
October 1, 1971
Walt Disney World Resort opens with the Magic Kingdom and two hotels
near Orlando, Florida.
15. December 20, 1971
Roy O. Disney, who, with younger brother Walt Disney, co-founded the
company that is now known as The Walt Disney Company, passes away.
March 22, 1975
Walt Disney World Village, a large outdoor mall with specialty shops all
built by Disney designers, which later became Disney Village Marketplace,
opens.
16. December 3, 1980
Tokyo Disneyland groundbreaking and site dedication takes place in
Urayasu, just outside of Tokyo.
October 1, 1982
EPCOT Center, a major undertaking for Disney, costing in the
neighborhood of $1 billion, opens at Walt Disney World Resort.
17. April 15, 1983
Tokyo Disneyland, the first international Disney theme park, opens in
Japan.
April 18, 1983
The Disney Channel begins broadcasting with 18 hours of programming a
day.
18. September 23, 1984
Michael Eisner and Frank Wells become chairman/CEO and president of
Walt Disney Productions.
March 28, 1987
The first Disney Store opens, in Glendale, California.
19. May 5, 1987
First Disney Dollars sold at Disneyland.
April 18, 1994
Beauty and the Beast, the first Disney Broadway show, opens in New York.
20. June 15, 1994
The Lion King opens to a limited audience in Los Angeles and New York
and nationwide on June 24, 1994.
October 1, 1995
The Disney Channel begins operation in the UK.
21. February 22, 1996
Disney Online launches Disney.com.
November 18, 1996
Radio Disney, a live 24-hour music-intensive radio network, debuts.
23. February 8, 2001
Disney California Adventure park opens at the Disneyland Resort, in
Anaheim, California.
October 1, 2005
Robert A. Iger becomes president and chief executive officer of The Walt
Disney Company.
24. October 12, 2005
Disney is first to license TV episodes, from ABC and Disney Channel series,
for download on Apple’s iTunes Music Store.
September 12, 2006
Disney feature films are made available on iTunes.
25. April 22, 2009
Disneynature label launches with the release of Earth.
December 31, 2009
Marvel Entertainment joins the Disney family.
26. March 23, 2012
Disney Junior, a 24-hour stand-alone television network, launches in the
U.S.
December 21, 2012
The Walt Disney Company completes its acquisition of Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC –
the global entertainment company founded by George Lucas and the home
of the legendary Star Wars franchise.
28. Pinocchio-1940
Bambi-1942
Cinderella-1950
Alice in the wonderland-1951
Sleeping beauty-1959
The jungle book-1967
The little mermaid-1989
Beauty and the beast-1991
Aladdin-1992
The lion king-1994
Toy story-1995
Monster Inc-2001
Finding Nemo-2003
The incredibles-2004
Ratatoullie-2007
Tinker Bell-2008
Tangled-2010
Brave-2012
Frozen-2013
29. The reluctant dragon-1941
Victory through air power-1943
Saludos Amigos-1943
The three cabelleros-1945
Song of the south-1946
Fun and the fancy free-1947
Melody time-1948
So dear to my heart-1949
Mary poppins-1964
Bedknobs and broomsticks-1971
Peters Dragon-1977
Who framed roger rabbit-1988
James and the giant peach-1996
Enchanted-2007
G-force-2009
Alice in the wonderland-2010
Maleficent-2014
31. Matthew Broderick in The Lion King
The actor best known for his role in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", voiced the Older
Simba in "The Lion King". He became quick friends with his co-star, Nathan Lane
(who was Timon the meerkat). Later they starred together in "The Producers" stage
musical.
Eddie Murphy in Mulan!
Mushu is a miniature Chinese dragon and a former guardian of the Fa family in
"Mulan". Eddie Murphy voice acted in the first appearance only, but he really set
the sharp tone for this comedic character.
32. Selena Marie Gomez
(born July 22, 1992) is an American actress, singer and fashion designer seen
on Disney Channel. She first appeared in one episode of The Suite Life of Zack and
Cody as Gwen, and in some episodes of Hannah Montana as Mikayla. She also stars
as Alex Russo in the Disney Channel Original Series Wizard of Waverly Place. She
also appeared in an episode of Sonny with a Chance and its spin-off, So Random! as
herself. She performed the theme song of Shake It Up and made a cameo
appearance as herself in The Muppets. She also guest starred in Episode 1 of the
Disney Channel reality series: PrankStars.
33. Destiny Hope "Miley" Cyrus
(born November 23, 1992) is an American actress and singer-songwriter, best
known for her breakout role as Miley Stewart in the popular Disney Channel
sitcom, Hannah Montana, and its related films. Before posing for Vanity
Fair, Miley also provided the voice of Penny in Disney's 2008 animated
film, Bolt, and has loaned her voice to several other Disney characters from
various television shows, including Celebrity Starr in The Replacements
and Yatta in The Emperor's New School. She also appeared in several other
Disney Channel sitcoms, including The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and The
Suite Life on Deck as her alter-ego, Hannah Montana. Miley even made a brief
cameo in High School Musical 2. One of her songs "Fly on the Wall" was heard
playing at the beginning of Disney's 2009 science fiction/thriller movie, Race
to Witch Mountain.
34. Zachary David Alexander Efron
(born October 18, 1987)is an American actor and singer who began acting in the
early 2000s, and became known to young audiences after his roles in the Disney
Channel Original Movie High School Musical, the WB series Summerland, and the
film version of the Broadway musical Hairspray. Speaking to Newsweek in June
2006, director Adam Shankman described Efron as "arguably the biggest teen star in
America right now." In 2007, right before the release of High School Musical 2,
Rolling Stone declared him the "poster boy for tweenyboppers" and featured him in
their late August issue. He plays Troy Bolton in the movies High School Musical,
High School Musical 2 and High School Musical 3: Senior Year.
36. Hamilton Luske
Hamilton Luske (October 16, 1903 - February 19, 1968) was an American animator
and film director. He joined the Disney Studio in 1931 and he was soon trusted
enough by Walt Disney to be made supervising animator of Snow White in Snow
White and the Seven Dwarfs. He directed many Disney films and shorts from 1936
until his death in 1968. He won an Academy Award in 1965. Luske died in Bel Air,
California on February 19, 1968 at age 64.
Jack Ryan Kinney
Kinney began his long career in cartoons at the Walt Disney Studios in 1931 as
an animator on several shorts, including Santa's Workshop (released on
December 10, 1932), The Band Concert (released on February 23, 1935),
and Moose Hunters (released on April 17, 1937). He then became a director of
cartoons at Disney, including as a sequence director for both Pinocchio
and Dumbo. He also started directing Disney cartoon shots then.