Introducing The Walt Disney Story

On October 16, 1923, Walt Disney signed his first contract to produce the "Alice Comedies" in California. For the young filmmaker and his brother, Roy, it was a momentous occasion. For the company they founded, Walt Disney Productions, it was the first step on a long road that would lead to its eventual recognition as one of the foremost names in the world of entertainment.

Walt and Roy proudly displaying their first Oscar

with the world's most famous mouse

In a more personal sense, the success of the company was the triumph of its founder's hard-earned and deeply felt values — the belief in the inherent goodness of man, the conviction that life is meaningful and happiness relevant, and an abiding faith in the capacity of the human spirit for joy, for beauty, and for greatness.

"The Walt Disney Story," a new attraction recently opened on Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland and presented in cooperation with the Gulf Oil Corporation, presents, in a dramatic way, the evolution of Walt Disney's philosophy in his work, in his personal commitments, and in his dreams for the future.

Utilizing rare film footage, photographs from family archives, and a fascinating collection of memorabilia as well as national and international awards, a Disney team of more than 200 designers, technicians, archivists, musicians, writers, film editors, and artists spent nearly three years developing the attraction.

The central focus of the show, a 28-minute film tracing the lives of Walt and Roy Disney from their Midwestern boyhood through the tumultuous Hollywood years to eventual international celebrity, is unique.

Assembled from over 70 hours of taped interviews made by Walt Disney during his lifetime and combined with film footage obtained from sources as various as the Motion Picture Department of the Library of Congress and the Los Angeles County Museum, the film literally features Walt Disney telling the Disney story in his own words.

Guests will learn of the origin of Mickey Mouse as his creator first envisioned him, hear how the world's first full-length animated feature — "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," — developed and how it was received, share the creative thoughts which led to the development of "Audio-Animatronics" (the electronic process of animating three-dimensional figures), and enjoy the optimistic vision Walt Disney had of the future when he speaks of EPCOT, the community "where people actually live a life they can't find anywhere else in the world."

Prior to entering the motion-picture theater, guests pass through an elaborate exhibit area where individual Disney achievements and accomplishments are presented in a highly unusual manner.

An array of visual and audio media, including a speeded-up film of the creation of Disneyland and a demonstration of the complicated process of combining animation with live actors, is used to single out five important areas of the Disney career: Walt Disney the Film Maker; the TV Pioneer; the Naturalist; the International Ambassador; and the Artist and Impresario.

As guests stroll among the five areas, they will recognize many mementos of the past: Zorro's dashing black cape and shining sword from the early days of television; original Mickey Mouse posters and the earliest Mickey Mouse watches; some of the hundreds of insignias created for American forces during World War II; and original art from such Disney classics as "Cinderella," "Pinocchio," "Fantasia," "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and "Mary Poppins."

Guests will also see Walt Disney's original office, furnished with authentic pieces used during his lifetime, and will have the opportunity to view some of the most significant of the 950 honors, awards and citations presented to Walt Disney from every nation in the world.

Located in the Main Street Opera House in Town Square, "The Walt Disney Story" is a free attraction. It is a dramatic tribute to the "Master Storyteller of the World" no guest will want to miss.

From the Summer 1973 edition of Vacationland magazine, published by Disneyland.

Tom Nabbe - The Luckiest Boy in the World

Today, June 22, 1968, Disneyland's Cast Members Tom and Janice Nabbe are married. Tom's career started when he was just 12-years-old - as the park's first Tom Sawyer. (He will transfer to Walt Disney World in Orlando as part of its opening crew in 1971, and later be named a Disney Legend.)

This is his amazing history!


The last time Tom Nabbe paid to get into a Disney Park, it was July 18, 1955 — the first day Walt Disney opened his new Park to the public.

Tom was a rusty-haired 12-year-old, enjoying his day at Disneyland. The very next day he landed a job as a “newsie,” hawking “The Disneyland News” to Main Street Guests.

In 1956, Walt Disney recognized the “Tom Sawyer” in a young Nabbe, and he became the “Luckiest Boy in the World.” That’s what the cover of  the April 7, 1957 issue of “Parade” magazine said, beneath a full-color
photo of Tom dressed as Mark Twain’s paragon of American boyhood.

“I used to approach Walt every time I saw him around the Park,” Tom said of his yearlong pursuit of Disney and the starring role on Tom Sawyer Island.

Disney’s first response to Tom was “Why should I put you on the island when I can put a mannequin there? Especially considering the dummy won’t be running off for hot dogs every half-hour.”

Disney, quoted in the “Parade” article, had a somewhat more gracious recollection: ” He was friendly and bright — and he sure looked the part.” One job requirement was that Tom had to keep a C average in school. So every quarter, the boy brought his report card directly to Walt for inspection. It was perhaps the hardest part of playing the character.

After outgrowing the role of Tom Sawyer, Nabbe went on to manage other attractions. In 1964, he met his wife, Janice, while they were working together at Frontierland’s Oak Tavern at Disneyland. They were married on June 22, 1968.

In 1971, Tom was transferred to Walt Disney World in Orlando as part of its opening crew, where he started as the Transportation Supervisor for the Monorail System. He also helped in the opening of Disneyland
Paris.

Forty-eight years later, in June 2003, 60-year-old Tom retired from his job as manager of distribution services at Walt Disney World. He was the last working member of Club 55, a group of original Disneyland Cast
Members named for Disneyland’s inaugural year and for their chief qualification of membership — a paycheck from Walt Disney dated 1955.

Shortly after his retirement, Tom received the highly selective honor of having his name on one of the windows down Main Street at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.

In September 2005, he was inducted as a Disney Legend during a ceremony that took place at Disneyland. His wife Janice and son Ken were in attendance as he received this honor. Since then, he has spoken at
numerous Disney enthusiast events, telling of his experiences as the “Luckiest Boy in the World”.

Important Dates for Disney

IMPORTANT DATES IN THE HISTORY OF THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY

October 16, 1923	Walt signed a contract with M. J. Winkler to produce a series of "Alice Comedies" — the date used as the start of the Disney company first known as "The Disney Brothers Studio"
March 1, 1924	Release of first Alice Comedy - "Alice's Day at Sea."
January, 1926	The Disneys move to their new studio at 2719 Hyperion. The name of the company is changed from "The Disney Brothers Studio" to "Walt Disney Studios".
September 5, 1927	Release of first "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit" cartoon.
November 18, 1928	Steamboat Willie is released at the Colony Theatre in New York — the first Mickey Mouse cartoon released, also the first appearance of Minnie Mouse.
August 22, 1929	The Skeleton Dance, the first Silly Symphony, is released.
December 16, 1929	The Disney brothers' partnership is replaced by four companies: Walt Disney Productions, Ltd.; Walt Disney Enterprises; Liled Realty and Investment Company; and the Disney Film Recording Company.
January 13, 1930	Mickey Mouse comic strip begins.
September 5, 1930	The Chain Gang, first appearance of Pluto, is released. He did not receive the name Pluto until The Moose Hunt (1931).
November, 1930	First Disney book (Mickey Mouse Book).
July 30, 1932	Flowers and Trees, first full-color cartoon and first Academy Award winner, is released.
November 15, 1932	Art School formed at Disney Studio to train animators.
May 27, 1933	Three Little Pigs, Academy Award winner, is released.
June, 1933	First Mickey Mouse watch is sold by Ingersoll.
June 9, 1934	The Wise Little Hen, first appearance of Donald Duck, is released.
February 23, 1935	The Band Concert, first Mickey Mouse cartoon in color, is released.
December 21, 1937	Release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, first feature-length animated film, at the Carthay Circle Theatre.
February 7, 1940	Release of Pinocchio.
April 2, 1940	Walt Disney Productions issues its first stock.
May 6, 1940	Move of the Disney Studio to Burbank completed.
November 13, 1940	Release of Fantasia
August 17, 1941	Walt and artists leave on a goodwill trip to South America.
December 8, 1941	The U.S. Army moves onto the Disney Studio lot.
January 1, 1943	Der Fuehrer's Face, Academy Award winner, is released.
November 12, 1946	Song of the South released.
December 21, 1948	Release of Seal Island, first True-Life Adventure.
October, 1949	Walt Disney Music Company formed.
July 19, 1950	Release of Treasure Island, first completely live- action feature.
December 25, 1950	One Hour in Wonderland first television show.
December 16, 1952	WED Enterprises founded by Walt.
February 5, 1953	Peter Pan is released.
February 18, 1953	Release of first People and Places film — "The Alaskan Eskimo."
November 10, 1953	Release of The Living Desert, first film distributed by the new Buena Vista Distribution Company.
October 27, 1954	First airing of Disneyland television show.
December 15, 1954	Davy Crockett story is told on the Disneyland show.
December 23, 1954	Release of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
uly 17, 1955	Opening of Disneyland.
October 3, 1955	First program of the Mickey Mouse Club television series.
October 10, 1957	First program of the Zorro television series.
March 19, 1959	Release of The Shaggy Dog, first of a series of wacky comedies.
June 14, 1959	Vice-President Nixon dedicates Monorail. Matterhorn and Submarine Voyageopen also at Disneyland.
June 23, 1963	Enchanted Tiki Room opens at Disneyland, first use of Audio-Animatronicsfigures.
April 22, 1964	Four Disney exhibits open at the New York World's Fair.
August 29, 1964	Release of Mary Poppins.
February 3, 1965	WED Enterprises incorporated as a subsidiary of Walt Disney Productions (WED was personally owned by Walt from 1952 to 1965.)
July 23, 1965	MAPO incorporated.
December 15, 1966	Walt Disney dies.
March 13, 1969	Release of The Love Bug.
June 25, 1969	Walt Disney Educational Materials Co. incorporated.
December 25, 1969	"Disney on Parade" debuts in Chicago.
June 22, 1970	Establishment of the Walt Disney Archives.
June 17, 1971	100,000,000th guest welcomed at Disneyland.
October 1, 1971	Opening of Walt Disney World.
December 20, 1971	Roy O. Disney dies.
January 26, 1972	The Mouse Factory debuts on television.
October 16, 1973	50th Anniversary of Walt Disney Productions.
March 22, 1975	Walt Disney World Village opens.
June, 1975	America on Parade debuts for the Bicentennial at Disneyland and Walt Disney World
January 17, 1977	The new Mickey Mouse Club airs.
November 18, 1978	Mickey Mouse celebrates 50th birthday.
July 17, 1980	Disneyland celebrates 25th anniversary.
October, 1980	First Home Video titles released
December 3, 1980	Tokyo Disneyland groundbreaking and site dedication.
October 1, 1982	EPCOT Center opens.
April 15, 1983	Tokyo Disneyland opens.
April 18, 1983	The Disney Channel begins broadcasting.
May 25, 1983	New Fantasyland opens at Disneyland.
March 9, 1984	Release of first Touchstone film, Splash.
June 9, 1984	Donald Duck celebrates 50th birthday.
September 23, 1984	Michael Eisner and Frank Wells become Chairman and President of Walt Disney Productions.
September 14, 1985	First Saturday morning animated TV shows air; "Golden Girls" debuts.
February 2, 1986	The Disney Sunday Movie debuts on television.
February 6, 1986	Walt Disney Productions name changed to The Walt Disney Company.
March 25, 1986	500,000,000th guest to a Disney park welcomed.
September 4, 1986	Airing of syndicated Disney features and TV shows begins.
January 9, 1987	Star Tours, built in collaboration with George Lucas, opens at Disneyland.
February 11, 1987	The Walt Disney Company re-incorporated in Delaware.
March 24, 1987	Euro Disneyland agreement signed in France.
March 28, 1987	First Disney Store opens, in Glendale Galleria.
May 5, 1987	First Disney Dollars sold at Disneyland.
September 21, 1987	DuckTales released in syndication.
January 21, 1988	The Wrather Corp. (including the Disneyland Hotel) is acquired.
February 2, 1988	First filming done at The Disney/MGM Studios.
May 26, 1988	Childcraft is acquired.
June 21, 1988	Who Framed Roger Rabbit released.
June 24, 1988	Grand Floridian Beach Resort dedicated at Walt Disney World.
October 1, 1988	Caribbean Beach Resort opens.
October 16, 1988	First Disney/Soviet Film Festival opens.
December 2, 1988	TV station KHJ acquired.
February 1, 1989	Hollywood Pictures begins operations.
May 1, 1989	Opening of Disney/MGM Studio Theme Park and Pleasure Island.
June 1, 1989	Opening of Typhoon Lagoon.
July 17, 1989	Splash Mountain opens at Disneyland.
September 1, 1989	Disneyland welcomes 300,000,000th guest.
December 1, 1989	KHJ-TV changes its call letters to KCAL-TV.
January 1, 1990	Hollywood Records begins operation
July 18, 1990	Release of Hollywood Pictures' first film, "Arachnophobia."
August 26, 1990	Disneyland begins a 5-year sponsorship of the Pigskin Classic football game at Anaheim Stadium.
September 10, 1990	Premiere of The Disney Afternoon syndicated TV programming.
November, 1990	Yacht and Beach Club Resorts open at Walt Disney World.
May 6, 1991	The Walt Disney Company joins the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
May 29, 1991	100,000,000th guest welcomed at Tokyo Disneyland.
September 26, 1991	Hyperion Books publishes its first book.
April 12, 1992	Euro Disney opens.
October 10, 1992	Approval of The Mighty Ducks hockey franchise by the NHL Board of Governors.
December 31, 1992	Stopped operating the Queen Mary in Long Beach
June 30, 1993	The Walt Disney Company acquires Miramax Film Corp.
October 8, 1993	Inaugural Game of The Mighty Ducks vs. The Detroit Red Wings at The Anaheim Pond.
April 18, 1994	Beauty and the Beast stage show opens on Broadway.
June 15, 1994	Release of The Lion King
November 4, 1994	The first Walt Disney Gallery opens at the MainPlace Mall in Santa Ana, California.
December 5, 1994	Disney Interactive formed.
April 1, 1995	Blizzard Beach opens at Walt Disney World
May 18, 1995	Agreement to purchase 25% of the California Angels baseball team from Gene Autry
July 31, 1995	Agreement to purchase Capital Cities/ABC for $19 billion
September, 1995	Disney Online, a business unit of Disney Interactive, is founded.
October 1, 1995	The Disney Channel begins operation in the UK.
October 2, 1995	Michael Ovitz becomes President of the Walt Disney Company.
January 4, 1996	Stockholders approve Disney merger with Capital Cities/ABC
January 27, 1996	Inaugural race of the Indy Racing League Indy 200 at Walt Disney World Speedway
February 22, 1996	Disney Online launches Disney.com on the World Wide Web
February 9, 1996	Final FCC approval of and filing of merger documents for completion of the acquisition of Capital Cities/ABC.
February 9, 1996	The Disney Institute opens at Walt Disney World.
April 18, 1996	Disney announced the purchase of Dream Quest Images, a visual-effects studio in Simi Valley, California
June 18, 1996	The Haber family is the first to move into their new home in Celebration.
July 17, 1996	Disney announced plans for Disney's California Adventure in Anaheim.
November 18, 1996	Debut of Radio Disney on the ABC Radio Networks.
November 25, 1996	The Main Street Electrical Parade makes its final appearance at Disneyland.
March 28, 1997	Disney's Wide World of Sports baseball stadium opened to the public for the first time (Atlanta Braves/Cincinnati Reds exhibition game).
March 31, 1997	Disney Online introduces Disney's Daily Blast website.
April 2, 1997	Inauguration ceremony officially opened the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York City.
June 1, 1997	Lyric Street Records founded as a country music label.
September 15, 1997	Downtown Disney West Side opens at Walt Disney World.
November 13, 1997	The Lion King stage production opens on Broadway.
March 23, 1998	ESPN Magazine debuts.
April 22, 1998	Opening of Disney's Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World.
June 19, 1998	Release of Mulan.
June 19, 1998	First Disney Quest opens at Downtown Disney West Side at Walt Disney World.
June 24, 1998	600,000,000th guest welcomed at Walt Disney World
July 12, 1998	First ESPN Zone opens in Baltimore, MD.
July 30, 1998	Disney Magic cruise ship departs on its inaugural cruise.
January 12, 1999	Launch of "GO" Network
January 15, 1999	All-Star Movies Resort opens at Walt Disney World
March 1, 1999	Asia opens at Disney's Animal Kingdom
March 31, 1999	Disney completes the purchase of the Anaheim Angels
May 1, 1999	Mickey MouseWorks debuts on television
June 18, 1999	Tarzan released
August 6,1999	The Sixth Sense released, and becomes the Company's highest-grossing live-action film
August 15, 1999	Maiden voyage of the Disney Wonder
September 29, 1999	Euro Disney announces plans for its second gate, The Disney Studios, to open in the Spring of 2002.
October 1, 1999	Millennium Celebration begins at Epcot
November 18, 1999	GO.com stock begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange
November 24, 1999	Toy Story 2 opens with Disney's highest weekend gross
January 1, 2000	Fantasia 2000 is released in IMAX theaters
March 23, 2000	Aida opens on Broadway
February 8, 2001	Disney's California Adventure opens
April 16, 2001	Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge opens
May 25, 2001	Pearl Harbor is released
June 15, 2001	Atlantis: The Lost Empire is released
September 4, 2001	Tokyo DisneySea opens
October 24, 2001	Fox Family Channel acquired and renamed ABC Family Channel
November 2, 2001	Monsters Inc. released
November, 2001	The Baby Einstein Company acquired
December 5, 2001	100th anniversary of Walt Disney's birth
March 16, 2002	Walt Disney Studios, Paris, opens
June 21, 2002	Lilo & Stitch is released
August 2, 2002	Signs is released
November 27, 2002	Treasure Planet is released
May 22, 2003	Disney sells the Anaheim Angels.
May 30, 2003	Finding Nemo is released, becoming Disney's highest grossing animated film.
July 9, 2003	Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl is released, and became Disney's highest-grossing live action film.
November 18, 2003	Mickey Mouse celebrates his 75th anniversary with the unveiling of 75 Mickey statues at Walt Disney World.
December 14, 2003	Pop Century Resort opens at Walt Disney World.
March 3, 2004	Senator George J. Mitchell becomes Chairman of the Board of The Walt Disney Company.
April 2004	Disney acquires the Muppet properties and Bear in the Big Blue House.
September 22, 2004	Lost debuts on ABC.
October 3, 2004	Desperate Housewives debuts on ABC.
November 5, 2004	The Incredibles is released.
February 25, 2005	Disney sells The Mighty Ducks hockey team.
March 27, 2005	Grey's Anatomy debuts on ABC.
May 5, 2005	Happiest Celebration on Earth begins at all Disney theme parks to honor 50 years of Disneyland.
June 15, 2005	Adventures by Disney runs their first trip with paying guests.
September 12, 2005	Hong Kong Disneyland opens.
October 1, 2005	Robert A. Iger becomes Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company.
October 12, 2005	Disney is first to license TV episodes, from ABC and Disney Channel series, for download on Apple's iTunes Music Store.
November 4, 2005	Chicken Little is released.
December 9, 2005	The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is released.
January 20, 2006	High School Musical airs and breaks all Disney Channel records, with its soundtrack going platinum.
March 14, 2006	High School Musical is the first full-length movie to be sold via digital download, on Apple's iTunes Music Store, followed by theatrical features in September.
March 24, 2006	Hannah Montana debuts on Disney Channel.
May 5, 2006	Disney purchases Pixar Animation Studios.
July 7, 2006	Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is released, and soon becomes the company's highest-grossing release.
September 28, 2006	Ugly Betty debuts on ABC.
October 1, 2006	The Year of a Million Dreams begins at the Disney parks with special prizes for guests.
January 1, 2007	John E. Pepper, Jr., becomes chairman of the board.
June 11, 2007	Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage opens at Disneyland.
June 29, 2007	The Secret of the Magic Gourd, first Disney co-production in China, is released.
June 29, 2007	Ratatouille, from Pixar, is released.
August 1, 2007	Club Penguin acquired.
August 17, 2007	High School Musical 2 set cable records on its premiere on Disney Channel.
October 16, 2007	Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert begins sold-out tour to 69 cities.
November 3, 2007	The Little Mermaid begins previews as a stage show on Broadway.
November 21, 2007	Enchanted is released.
December 21, 2007	National Treasure: Book of Secrets is released.
January 7, 2008	Disney-MGM Studios is renamed Disney's Hollywood Studios.
May 31, 2008	Toy Story Mania opens at Walt Disney World.
June 17, 2008	Toy Story Mania opens at Disneyland.
June 20, 2008	Camp Rock debuts as a Disney Channel Original Movie.
June 20, 2008	WALL·E, from Pixar, is released.
February 13, 2009	Disney XD channel is launched.
February 22, 2009	WALL·E wins Academy Award for Best Animated Film.

The Walt Disney Company

Steamboat Willie was the first Mickey Mouse cartoon released, the first cartoon with synchronized sound. "Let's never forget. It all started with a mouse," Walt once famously said.

Walt Disney arrived in California in the summer of 1923 with a lot of hopes but little else. He had made a cartoon in Kansas City about a little girl in a cartoon world, calledAlice's Wonderland, and he decided that he could use it as his "pilot" film to sell a series of these "Alice Comedies" to a distributor. Soon after arriving in California, he was successful. A distributor in New York, M. J. Winkler, contracted to distribute the "Alice Comedies" on October 16, 1923, and this date became the start of the Disney company. Originally known as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, with Walt Disney and his brother, Roy, as equal partners, the company soon changed its name, at Roy's suggestion, to the Walt Disney Studio.

Walt Disney made his Alice Comedies for four years, but in 1927, he decided to move instead to an all-cartoon series. To star in this new series, he created a character named Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Within a year, Walt made 26 of these Oswald cartoons, but when he tried to get some additional money from his distributor for a second year of the cartoons, he found out that the distributor had gone behind his back and signed up almost all of his animators, hoping to make the Oswald cartoons in his own studio for less money without Walt Disney. On rereading his contract, Walt realized that he did not own the rights to Oswald-the distributor did. It was a painful lesson for the young cartoon producer to learn. From then on, he saw to it that he owned everything that he made.

The original Disney Studio had been in the back half of a real estate office on Kingswell Avenue in Hollywood, but soon Walt had enough money to move next door and rent a whole store for his studio. That small studio was sufficient for a couple of years, but the company eventually outgrew it and Walt had to look elsewhere. He found an ideal piece of property on Hyperion Avenue in Hollywood, built a studio, and in 1926 moved his staff to the new facility.

It was at the Hyperion Studio, after the loss of Oswald, that Walt had to come up with a new character, and that character was Mickey Mouse. With his chief animator, Ub Iwerks, Walt designed the famous mouse and gave him a personality that endeared him to all. Ub animated two Mickey Mouse cartoons, but Walt was unable to sell them because they were silent films, and sound was revolutionizing the movie industry. So, they made a third Mickey Mouse cartoon, this time with fully synchronized sound, and Steamboat Willie opened to rave reviews at the Colony Theater in New York November 18, 1928. A cartoon star, Mickey Mouse, was born. The new character was immediately popular, and a lengthy series of Mickey Mouse cartoons followed.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Walt Disney soon produced another series — the Silly Symphonies — to go with the Mickey series. It featured different casts of characters in each film and enabled the animators to experiment with stories that relied less on the gags and quick humor of the Mickey cartoons and more on mood, emotion, and musical themes. Eventually the Silly Symphonies turned into the training ground for all Disney artists as they prepared for the advent of animated feature films. Flowers and Trees, a Silly Symphony and the first full-color cartoon, won the Academy Award® for Best Cartoon for 1932, the first year that the Academy offered such a category. For the rest of that decade, a Disney cartoon won the Oscar® every year.

While the cartoons were gaining popularity in movie houses, the Disney staff found that merchandising the characters was an additional source of revenue. A man in New York offered Walt $300 for the license to put Mickey Mouse on some pencil tablets he was manufacturing. Walt Disney needed the $300, so he said okay. That was the start of Disney merchandising. Soon there were Mickey Mouse dolls, dishes, toothbrushes, radios, figurines-almost everything you could think of bore Mickey's likeness. The first Mickey Mouse book was published in 1930, as was the first Mickey Mouse newspaper comic strip.

In 1934, Walt Disney informed his animators one night that they were going to make an animated feature film, and then he told them the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. There were some skeptics in the group, but before long everyone had caught Walt's enthusiasm, and work began in earnest. It took three years, but at Christmas time, 1937, the film was finished, and it was a spectacular hit. Snow White soon became the highest grossing film of all time, a record it held until it was surpassed by Gone With the Wind. Now Walt Disney's studio was on a firmer footing. The short cartoons paid the bills, but Walt knew that future profits would come from feature films.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first animated feature and the highest grossing film of all time until Gone With the Wind.

Work immediately began on other feature projects, but just as things were looking rosy, along came World War II. The next two features, Pinocchio and Fantasia, were released in 1940. They were technical masterpieces, but their costs were too high for a company losing most of its foreign markets because of the war. Dumbo was made in 1941 on a very limited budget, butBambi, in 1942, was another expensive film, and caused the studio to retrench. It would be many years before animated features of the highest caliber could be put into production.

During the war, Walt Disney made two films in South America, Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros, at the request of the State Department. His studio concentrated on making propaganda and training films for the military. When the war ended, it was difficult for the Disney Studio to regain its pre-war footing. Several years went by with the release of "package" features-films such asMake Mine Music and Melody Time, containing groups of short cartoons packaged together. Walt also moved into live action production with Song of the South and So Dear to My Heart, but because audiences expected animation from Walt Disney, these films included animated segments. Walt opened some new doors by beginning the award-winning True-Life Adventure series featuring nature photography of a style never seen before.

1950 saw big successes at Disney-the first completely live action film, Treasure Island, the return to classic animated features with Cinderella and the first Disney television show at Christmas time. The Company was moving forward again. After two Christmas specials, Walt Disney went onto television in a big way in 1954 with the beginning of the Disneyland anthology series. This series eventually would run on all three networks and go through six title changes, but it remained on the air for 29 years, making it the longest-running primetime television series ever. The Mickey Mouse Club, one of television's most popular children's series, debuted in 1955 and made stars of a group of talented Mouseketeers.

Walt Disney was never satisfied with what he had already accomplished. As his motion pictures and television programs became successful, he felt a desire to branch out. One area that intrigued him was amusement parks. As a father, he had taken his two young daughters to zoos, carnivals and other entertainment enterprises, but he always ended up sitting on the bench as they rode the merry-go-round and had all the fun. He felt that there should be a park where parents and children could go and have a good time together. This was the genesis of Disneyland. After several years of planning and construction, the new park opened July 17, 1955.

They called it "Walt's folly" when he began work on the project, but Disneyland is still as popular as it was in 1955.

Disneyland was a totally new kind of park. Observers coined the term "theme park," but even that does not seem to do Disneyland justice. It has been used as a pattern for every amusement park built since its opening, becoming internationally famous, and attracting hundreds of millions of visitors. Walt said that Disneyland would never be completed as long as there was imagination left in the world, and that statement remains true today. New attractions are added regularly, and Disneyland still is as popular as it was in 1955.

The 1950s saw the release of the classic20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the first in a series of wacky comedies The Shaggy Dogand a popular TV series about the legendary hero Zorro. In the 1960s came Audio-Animatronics®, pioneered with theEnchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland and then four shows at the 1964 New York World's Fair, and Mary Poppins, perhaps the culmination of all Walt Disney had learned during his long movie-making career. But the '60s also brought the end of an era: Walt Disney died December 15, 1966.

Plans that Walt left behind carried the company for a number of years under the supervision of Roy Disney. The Jungle Book in 1967 and The Aristocats in 1970 showed that the Company could still make animated classics, and The Love Bug in 1969 was the highest grossing film of the year. Disney got into educational films and materials in a big way with the start of an educational subsidiary in 1969.

After the success of Disneyland, it was only natural for Walt to consider another park on the East Coast. Prior to his death the Company purchased land in Florida, and the Walt Disney World project, located on some 28,000 acres near Orlando, was announced. It opened October 1, 1971. In Florida, the Company had the space it lacked in California. Finally there was room to create a destination resort, unencumbered by the urban sprawl that had grown up around Disneyland. Walt Disney World would include not only a Magic Kingdom theme park like Disneyland but also hotels, campgrounds, golf courses, and shopping villages. It did not take long for Walt Disney World to become the premier vacation destination in the world.

Roy O. Disney, who after Walt's death oversaw the building and financing of Walt Disney World, died late in 1971, and for the next decade the Company was led by a team including Card Walker, Donn Tatum and Ron Miller — all originally trained by the Disney brothers. One of Walt Disney's last plans had been for the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, or EPCOT, as he called it. While he died before the plans could be refined, they were brought out again in a few years, and in 1979 ground was broken for the new park in Florida. Epcot Center, a combination of Future World and World Showcase representing an investment of over a billion dollars, opened to great acclaim October 1, 1982.

WED Enterprises (later renamed Walt Disney Imagineering), the design and development division for the parks, had several projects in the works during the early 1980s. In addition to designing Epcot, it was hard at work on plans for Tokyo Disneyland, the first foreign Disney park. Tokyo Disneyland opened April 15, 1983, and was an immediate success in a country that had always loved anything Disney. Now that the Japanese had their own Disneyland, they flocked to it in increasing numbers.

Moviemaking also was changing in America in the early 1980s. Audiences were diminishing for the family films that had been the mainstay of the Company for many years, and Disney was not meeting the competition for films that attracted the huge teenage and adult market. To reverse that trend, Disney established a new label, Touchstone Pictures, with the release of Splash in 1984. At the same time, because of the widespread perception that Disney stock was undervalued relative to the company's assets, two "corporate raiders" attempted to take over Disney. The efforts to keep the company from being broken up ended when Michael Eisner and Frank Wells became chairman and president, respectively.

The new management team immediately saw ways for Disney to maximize its assets. The Company had left network television in 1983 to prepare for the launch of a cable network, The Disney Channel. While the pay-TV service was successful, Eisner and Wells felt Disney should have a strong network presence as well, so in 1985 Disney's Touchstone division began the immensely successful Golden Girls, followed in 1986 by a return to Sunday night television with the Disney Sunday Movie (later The Magical World of Disney and The Wonderful World of Disney). Films from the Disney library were selected for the syndication market, and some of the classic animated films were released on video cassette. Using the sell-through technique, Disney classics soon reached the top of the all-time best seller lists.

At Disneyland, new collaborations with filmmakers George Lucas and Francis Coppola brought Captain EO and Star Tours to the park, and Splash Mountain opened in 1989. Disney's Grand Floridian Beach and Caribbean Beach Resorts opened at Walt Disney World in 1988, and three new gated attractions opened in 1989: the Disney/MGM Studios Theme Park, Pleasure Island, and Typhoon Lagoon. More resort hotels opened in 1990 and 1991.

Filmmaking hit new heights in 1988 as Disney for the first time led Hollywood studios in box-office gross. Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Good Morning, Vietnam, Three Men and a Baby, and later, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Dick Tracy, Pretty Woman and Sister Act, passed the $100 million milestone. Disney moved into new areas by starting Hollywood Pictures and acquiring the Wrather Corp. (owner of the Disneyland Hotel) and television station KHJ (Los Angeles), which was renamed KCAL. In merchandising, Disney purchased Childcraft and opened numerous highly successful and profitable Disney Stores.

Disney animation began reaching even greater audiences, with The Little Mermaid being topped byBeauty and the Beast which was in turn topped by Aladdin (1992). Hollywood Records was formed to offer a wide selection of recordings ranging from rap to movie soundtracks. New television shows, such as Live With Regis and Kathy Lee, Empty Nest, Dinosaurs and Home Improvement, expanded Disney's television base. For the first time, Disney moved into publishing, forming Hyperion Books, Hyperion Books for Childre and Disney Press, which released books on Disney and non-Disney subjects. In 1991, Disney purchased Discover magazine, the leading consumer science monthly. As a totally new venture, Disney was awarded in 1993 the franchise for a National Hockey League team, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

Over in France, the park now known as Disneyland Paris opened on April 12, 1992. Eagerly anticipated, the beautifully designed park attracted almost 11 million visitors during its first year. Disneyland Paris is complemented by six uniquely designed resort hotels and a campground. Dixie Landings and Port Orleans, and a well-received Disney Vacation Club enlarged lodging possibilities at the Walt Disney World Resort, while Mickey's Toontown and the Indiana Jones Adventure helped increase attendance at Disneyland. Walt Disney World opened the All-Star Resorts, Wilderness Lodge, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Blizzard Beach, the BoardWalk Resort, the Coronado Springs Resort, the Disney Institute, Downtown Disney West Side and redesigned Tomorrowland in the Magic Kingdom.

The Disney success with animated films continued in 1994 with The Lion King, which soon became one of the highest-grossing films of all-time. It was followed by Pocahontas in 1995, The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1996, Hercules in 1997, Mulan in 1998, Tarzan in 1999 and Fantasia/2000 at the turn of the century. Toy Story pioneered computer-animation techniques, and was followed by a successful sequel. Disney also continued its strong presence in children's animated programs for television, and found success with sequels to animated features released directly to the video market.

In 1994, Disney ventured onto Broadway with a very successful stage production of Beauty and the Beast, followed in 1997 by a unique staging of a show based on The Lion King and in 2000 by Aida. By restoring the historic New Amsterdam Theatre on 42nd Street, Disney became the catalyst for a successful makeover of the famous Times Square area. A musical version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame opened in Berlin, Germany.

By 1996, there were more than 450 Disney Stores worldwide, and by 1999 that number was up to 725. In Florida, the first home sites were sold in the new city of Celebration, located next to Walt Disney World. Eventually, 20,000 people will call Celebration their home. After the death of the owner Gene Autry, Disney acquired the California Angels baseball team to add to its hockey team, and in 1997 opened Disney's Wide World of Sports at Walt Disney World.

Early in 1996, Disney completed its acquisition of Capital Cities/ABC. The $19 billion transaction, second-largest in U.S. history, brought the country's top television network to Disney, in addition to 10 TV stations, 21 radio stations, seven daily newspapers and ownership positions in four cable networks.

Recent years have seen the release of a group of very popular live action films, such as Mr. Holland's Opus, The Rock, Ransom, Flubber, Con Air, Armageddon, and culminating in the hugely successful The Sixth Sense, which soon reached the 10th spot among the all-time highest grossing releases. Computer animation was showcased in A Bug's Life and Dinosaur.

A whole new park, Disney's Animal Kingdom opened at Walt Disney World in 1998. With a gigantic Tree of Life as its centerpiece, the park was Disney's largest, spanning 500 acres. A major attraction was theKilimanjaro Safaris, where Guests could experience live African animals in an amazingly accurate reproduction of the African savannah. An Asian area opened at Animal Kingdom in 1999. In California, Tomorrowland at Disneyland was redesigned.

As the world moved toward a new century, Epcot became the host of Millennium Celebration, Test Track (the longest and fastest Disney park attraction) opened, and other attractions were revised and updated. The Walt Disney Company welcomed a new president — Robert A. Iger — and the Company reached the $25 billion revenue threshold for the first time.

Disney regional entertainment expanded with DisneyQuest and the ESPN Zone in 1998, and that same year, the Disney Magic, the first of two luxury cruise ships made its maiden voyage to the Caribbean, stopping at Disney's own island paradise, Castaway Cay.

2000 opened with the release in IMAX theaters of an almost totally new version of Fantasia entitledFantasia/2000. Other classically animated features were The Emperor's New Groove, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Lilo & Stitch, Treasure Planet and Brother Bear. Continuing collaborations with Pixar brought the computer-animated blockbuster, Monsters, Inc. Popular live action productions continued withRemember the Titans, Mission to Mars, Pearl Harbor, The Princess Diaries, and The Rookie. The new cable network, SoapNet, was launched, and award-winning productions on ABC included The Miracle Worker, Anne Frank, and Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story.

DVD releases became increasingly popular, especially when the company began adding generous amounts of bonus material for viewers. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' DVD in 2001 sold more than one million units on the first day of release.

For the first time, in 2001, Walt Disney Attractions opened two new theme parks in the same year. In February, Disney's California Adventure opened after several years of major construction which transformed the entire Anaheim area. The new park celebrates the history, culture and spirit of California, with areas ranging from a Hollywood Pictures Backlot to the amusements of Paradise Pier. Joining it was an upscale shopping area, Downtown Disney and the Grand Californian Hotel, celebrating the Craftsman style of architecture. Across the Pacific in Japan, Tokyo DisneySea opened in September, looking to the myths, legends and lore of the ocean as the inspiration for its attractions and shows. March, 2002, saw the opening of another foreign park, Walt Disney Studios, featuring the history and lore and excitement of the movies, adjacent to Disneyland Paris. Ground was broken in January, 2003, for Hong Kong Disneyland.

In 2001, the entire Walt Disney Company honored the 100th Anniversary of the birth of its founder, Walt Disney. The celebration, called "100 Years of Magic," was centered at the Disney-MGM Studios theme park in Florida, and included several parades, an exhibit of archival memorabilia and the installation of a gigantic Mickey's sorcerer cap in the Chinese Theater plaza.

2003 saw two Disney films grossing over $300 million at the box office — Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and Disney-Pixar's Finding Nemo. In fact, Disney became the first studio in history to surpass $3 billion in global box office. In October, Mission: Space opened at Epcot to great acclaim, and the following month the Company celebrated the 75th anniversary of Mickey Mouse. As the year drew to a close the Pop Century Resort opened at Walt Disney World.

After years of partnering, Disney acquired The Muppets and Bear in the Big Blue House in April 2004. Senator George Mitchell became chairman of the board, and movie theaters welcomed The Incredibles. ABC had a rebirth with such popular series as Desperate Housewives, Lost and Grey's Anatomy.

Robert A. Iger was named President and CEO of The Walt Disney Company in 2005.

A major anniversary came in 2005 as Disneyland celebrated its 50th, and all of the Disney theme parks joined in a Happiest Celebration on Earth. A brand new theme park, Hong Kong Disneyland, opened in September and the fall saw the successful releases of Chicken Little and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Robert Iger took over as CEO on October 1 with the retirement of Michael Eisner.

2006 saw High School Musical air on Disney Channel and become an overnight sensation. In May, Disney made a major purchase of Pixar Animation Studios, at the same time gaining the services of Ed Catmull and John Lasseter to be creative heads of Disney Feature Animation. Disney-Pixar'sCars was released in June. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest beat Company records to become the company's highest grossing feature after its July release. Disney parks celebrated the Year of a Million Dreams with special promotions.

With 2007 came another popular release from Pixar, Ratatouille, and Disney had its first co-production in China— The Secret of the Magic Gourd. The year ended with the hits Enchanted and National Treasure: Book of Secrets. The third Pirates of the Caribbean feature, subtitled At World's End, became the top-grossing film of the year internationally. Disney Channel reached new heights with High School Musical 2, and Hannah Montana shot Miley Cyrus to stardom. In the summer, Disney acquired Club Penguin. At the parks, Disney built on the Pixar brand with the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage at Disneyland, The Seas with Nemo and Friends at Epcot and Finding Nemo — The Musical at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

For more than eight decades, The Walt Disney Company has succeeded in making its name preeminent in the field of family entertainment. From humble beginnings as a cartoon studio in the 1920s to today's major corporation, it continues its mandate of providing quality entertainment for the entire family. 

750 "Hippies" infiltrate Disneyland

August 06, 1970

A bizarre occurence takes place at Disneyland when 750 "Hippies" and "Radical Yippies" infiltrate the park, and take over the Wilderness Fort. They raise the Vietcong flag and pass reefers out to passersbys.

Later, they march in a Main Street parade, and sing their own lyrics to "Zipadee Doo Dah" ("Ho, Ho, Ho Chi Mihn is going to win..."). More conservative park guests try to drown them out by singing "America the Beautiful." Before the confrontation can heat up, a platoon of Anaheim Police officers in full riot gear pour into the park from backstage areas! A riot is adverted and Disneyland vice president of Operations Dick Nunis orders the park closed at 7:10 PM. For many years afterward Disneyland will selectively enforced a "dress code" at the park, occasionally refusing admission to "long-haired hippies".  (This unusual incident is the only time an outside security force has ever made a full-blown public appearance at the park.)

The Disney Influence and the 1964-1965 World's Fair

The longest lines at the 1964-1965 World's Fair (in New York City) were for the 4 attractions created by Disney. Walt took some of the attractions and elements of others to his Anaheim park when the Fair closed.

The fair also is remembered as the vehicle Walt Disney utilized to design and perfect the system of "audio-animatronics", in which a combination of sound, mechanical electronics and computers controls the movement of lifelike robots to act out scenes.

The Walt Disney Company designed and created four shows at the fair:

    * In the "it's a small world" attraction at the Pepsi pavilion, animated dolls and animals frolicked in a spirit of international unity on a boat ride around the world. The song was provided by the Sherman Brothers. Each of the animated dolls had an identical face, originally designed by New York (Valley Stream) artist Gregory S. Marinello in partnership with Walt Disney himself.

    * General Electric sponsored "Progressland" where an audience seated in a revolving auditorium viewed an audio-animatronic presentation of the progress of electricity in the home. The Sherman Brothers song "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" was composed for this attraction.

    * Ford Motor Company presented Disney's "The Magic Skyway," the second most popular exhibit at the fair, using Ford cars in an early prototype of the Omnimover system to move the audience through scenes featuring life-sized audio-animatronic dinosaurs and cavemen. The Walt Disney Company had earlier been asked by General Motors to produce their exhibit, but they declined.

    * At the Illinois pavilion, a lifelike President Abraham Lincoln recited his famous speeches in "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln".

After the fair, there was some discussion of the Disney company retaining these exhibits on-site and converting Flushing Meadows Park into an east coast version of Disneyland, but this idea was abandoned. Instead, Disney relocated several of these exhibits to Disneyland and subsequently replicated them at other Disney theme parks; Walt Disney World is essentially the realization of the original concept of an "east coast Disneyland" with Epcot Center designed a "permanent" world's fair in 1982 and was expressly built as a tribute to the World's Fair. Two attractions from the fair exist at Walt Disney World, including a variation of the original "it's a small world" and the updated Carousel of Progress. The two remaining attractions currently exist as evolutions of the originals: The Magic Skyway inspired the PeopleMover, and later the Tomorrowland Transit Authority; and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln was expanded into The Hall of Presidents.