The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney, is an
American diversified multinational mass media corporation
headquartered in Walt Disney Studios, Burbank, California. It is the
largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Disney was
founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as
the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, and established itself as a leader in
the American animation industry before diversifying into live-action film
production, television, and travel. Taking on its current name in 1986, it
expanded its existing operations and also started divisions focused upon
theater, radio, music, publishing, and online media. In addition, Disney
has created new divisions of the company in order to market more mature content
than it typically associates with its flagship family-oriented brands.
The company is best known for the products of its film studio,
the Walt Disney Studios, and today one of the largest and best-known
studios in Hollywood. Disney also owns and operates
the ABC broadcast television network; cable television networks such
as Disney Channel, ESPN,A+E Networks,LifeTime and ABCFamily;publishing, merchandising,
and theatre divisions;and owns and licenses14 theme parks around the world. It
also has a successful music division.The company has been a component of
the Dow Jones Industrial Average since May 6, 1991. An early and
well-known cartoon creation of the company, Mickey Mouse, is the official
mascot of The Walt Disney Company.
One day Walt Disney had a vision. It was a vision of a place where
children and parents could have fun together. The more Walt dreamed of a
"magical park," the more imaginative and elaborate it became.Location
was a top priority. The property would have to be within the Los Angeles
metropolitan area, and accessible by freeway. It would also have to be
affordable: Walt's pockets were only so deep.
The search for the best spot finally ended in the rural Anaheim,
California with a purchase of a 160-acre orange grove near the junction of the
Santa Ana Freeway (I-5) and Harbor Boulevard.Although, Disneyland was
expensive. Walt once said "I could never convince the financiers that
Disneyland was feasible, because dreams offer too little collateral." So
Walt turned to Television for his financial support.
In 1954, Walt Disney used his Disneyland series to unveil what
would become Disneyland, an idea conceived out of a desire for a place where
parents and children could both have fun at the same time
Construction for Disneyland began on July 21, 1954, a meager 12
months before the park was scheduled to open. From that day forward Walt
Disney's life would never be the same.
When the real designing
came around, Walt Disney looked to his movie studio staff for the answers.
The design of Disneyland was something never done before. There would be
five uniquely different lands; Walt had planned out all the lands to every
detail. If Walt Disney didn't like what his studio designers came up with, he'd
do it himself. Finally, everything seemed to come together.
The "magical little
park" was really a $17,000,000 "Magic Kingdom." Walt's dream had
come true and Disneyland was ready to open."On July 18, 1955, Walt Disney
opened Disneyland to the general public. On July 17, 1955, Disneyland was
previewed with a live television broadcast hosted by Art
Linkletter and Ronald Reagan. After a shaky start,a 15 day heat wave
raised temperatures up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit, which almost wiped out the park.Disneyland
continued to grow and attract visitors from across the country and around
the world.
When Walt Disney opened Disneyland on July 17, 1955, he
created a unique destination built around storytelling and immersive
experiences, ushering in a new era of family entertainment. More than 55 years
later, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts (WDP&R) has grown into one of the
world’s leading providers of family travel and leisure experiences, providing
millions of guests each year with the chance to spend time with their families
and friends making memories that will last forever.
One of the reasons why Disney has a reputation of delivering a
seamless "magical" experience to its guests in all of its operations
- theme parks, hotels, restaurants, retail stores, etc. - is because it has one
overriding vision and mission for all of its business operations.
The mission of The Walt Disney Company is to be one of the world's
leading producers and providers of entertainment and information. Using our
portfolio of brands to differentiate our content, services and consumer
products, we seek to develop the most creative, innovative and profitable
entertainment experiences and related products in the world.
Sources:
http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/about-disney/company-overview
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Walt_Disney_Company
http://retailindustry.about.com/od/retailbestpractices/ig/Company-Mission-Statements/Walt-Disney-Mission-Statement.htm
http://www.justdisney.com/disneyland/history.html
