How This All Started

Okay. Since I am dedicating this blog to Disney consumerism and how it has dramatically influenced our culture from the films we watch to the items we purchase, I thought it only appropriate to have a post actually giving a brief history of the Disney Company and how it came to be. After all, the Walt Disney Company did not become the global giant it is overnight. The Disney Company has been influencing culture since back in 1937, when the first full-length animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released.

The company was founded by Walter Elias Disney and his brother, Roy. Walt had always been fascinated with cartoons and by making them. His first short-animated cartoon, Alice’s Day at Sea, was released in 1924 under the company’s name of Disney Brothers Cartoon Studios. Four years later would introduce the debut of the now infamous character, Mickey Mouse. With Snow White a huge success, and a studio name change to Walt Disney Enterprises, Disney began to serve as a bright light in a dark time, so to speak, releasing such films as Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, and Bambi during World War II.

Disney then made the monumental move of opening a theme park based on its films and fantasy, named Disneyland in 1955. Disneyland has grown to be one of the most popular theme parks of all time. They also followed with opening Walt Disney World in 1971, as well with international parks in Tokyo and Paris, all while continuing to make modern classic after classic with its films.

From the start of short-animation cartoons to the release of Academy-Award nominated films like Beauty and the Beast and giant theme parks, Disney continues to be one of the largest media and entertainment corporations in the world. It also shows no sign of stopping, as evidenced by my other posts!