The Walt Disney Company (most commonly known as Disney) (Template:Nyse) is one of the largest media and entertainment corporations in the world. Founded on October 16, 1899 by brothers Walt and Roy Disney as a small animation studio, today it is one of the largest Hollywood studios and also owns nine theme parks and several television networks, including ABC.
Disney's corporate headquarters and primary production facilities are located at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. The company is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. It had revenues of $31.9 billion in 2005.
Divisions
Disney's main operating units are Walt Disney Studio Entertainment, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Walt Disney Media Networks, and Walt Disney Consumer Products.
Studio Entertainment
Walt Disney Studio Entertainment, also known as the Walt Disney Studios, is possibly the most important function of the company. Headed by chairman Dick Cook, until 1990, the Walt Disney Company's main form of business was motion pictures. Today, the Walt Disney Studios is the collective name of Disney's movie studios, record labels, distribution companies, television studios, animation houses and any other form of optical media.
Record labels
Buena Vista Music Group
- Walt Disney Records
- New Line Records
Theatrical
- Walt Disney Theatrical
- Hyperion Theatrical:produces non-Disney-branded shows.
Animation
Parks and Resorts
Under Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, the company also operates the ESPN Zone sports-themed restaurants. The company also owned through Anaheim Sports, Inc. the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim hockey club, which it recently agreed to sell to Broadcom executive Henry Samueli, and owned the Anaheim Angels baseball team, which was later sold to advertising magnate Arturo Moreno. Parks and Resorts also includes the two design studios, Walt Disney Imagineering and Walt Disney Creative Entertainment.
Media Networks
Its Media Networks unit is centered around the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) television network, which it acquired through a merger with Capital Cities/ABC in 1996.
Disney also operates its Hyperion publishing company and Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG) through Media Networks. Hyperion has recently published books by comedian-author Steve Martin and bestselling author Mitch Albom. WDIG includes the Go.com web portal, based on the old Infoseek search engine which it purchased in 1998, and leading websites such as Disney.com, ESPN.com, and ABCNews.com.
Consumer Products
- Disney Publishing Worldwide
- Disney Store
- Disney DVD & Video
- Walt Disney Records
Current board of directors
- John Bryson
- John S. Chen
- Judith Estrin
- Robert Iger
- Fred Langhammer
- Aylwin Lewis
- Monica Lozano
- Robert Matschullat
- George J. Mitchell (Chairman)
- Leo J. O'Donovan
- John E. Pepper, Jr.
- Orin C. Smith
- Gary L. Wilson
- Roy E. Disney(Director Emeritus)
- Steve Jobs(by summer 2006)
Current division heads
- Walt Disney International - Andy Bird
- Walt Disney Parks and Resorts - Jay Rasulo
- Walt Disney Imagineering - Don Goodman
- Walt Disney Creative Entertainment - Anne Hamburger
- Walt Disney Imagineering - Don Goodman
- Walt Disney Studios - Dick Cook
- Pixar Animation Studios - Ed Catmull
- Walt Disney Feature Animation - Ed Catmull
- Buena Vista Music Group - Bob Cavallo
- Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group - Nina Jacobson
- Walt Disney Theatrical - Thomas Schumacher
- Consumer Products - Andrew P. Mooney
- Disney-ABC Television Group - Anne Sweeney
Disney Chairmen of the Board
- 1945-1960: Walt Disney
- 1964-1971: Roy O. Disney
- 1971-1980: Donn Tatum
- 1980-1983: E. Cardon Walker
- 1983-1984: Raymond Watson
- 1984-2004: Michael Eisner
- 2004-present: George J. Mitchell
Disney CEOs
- 1968-1971: Roy O. Disney
- 1971-1976: Donn Tatum
- 1976-1983: E. Cardon Walker
- 1983-1984: Ron W. Miller
- 1984-2005: Michael Eisner
- 2005-present: Robert Iger
Disney Presidents
- 1940-1945: Walt Disney
- 1945-1968: Roy O. Disney
- 1968-1971: Donn Tatum
- 1971-1977: E. Cardon Walker
- 1980-1984: Ron W. Miller
- 1984-1994: Frank Wells
- 1994-1995: Michael Eisner
- 1995-1997: Michael Ovitz
- 2000-Present: Robert Iger
Disney COOs
- 1968-1977: E. Cardon Walker
- 1977-1983: Ron W. Miller
- 1984-1994: Frank Wells
- 2000-2005: Robert Iger
I personally LOVE the Lion King. The good tgihns about it is that a really good, touching story that has a balance of good and evil. sad and happy at the same time, and it also has cool, catchy songs. I think this is [...]
I personally LOVE the Lion King. The good tgihns about it is that a really good, touching story that has a balance of good and evil. sad and happy at the same time, and it also has cool, catchy songs. I think this is [...]
External links
- Disney Online, The Official Home Page of The Walt Disney Company
- The Walt Disney Company - Corporate information
- UltimateDisney.com - Premiere Disney website with lists of all movies and series created and/or distributed by Disney
- United States Securities and Exchange Commission - Company Information: WALT DISNEY CO/
Most recent financial statements
Annual reports
Books
- The Disney Version: the life, times, art, and commerce of Walt Disney, Richard Schickel, 1968
- Walt Disney: An American Original, Bob Thomas, 1976, revised 1994
- Storming the Magic Kingdom: Wall Street, the raiders, and the battle for Disney, John Taylor, 1987
- Building a Company: Roy O. Disney and the creation of an entertainment empire, Bob Thomas, 1998
- The Keys to the Kingdom: how Michael Eisner lost his grip, Kim Masters, 2000
- DisneyWar, James B. Stewart, 2005
External Links
The Disney Wiki[1]