History of Walt Disney
Walt Disney, the person and the name, represents one of the best known monikers in all of the world. With all of that said, you really may know next to nothing about the history of Walt Disney. Through this article you are provided with an overview of the history of Walt Disney. In the end, you will better understand how the magic got into the kingdom in the first place.
Walt Disney himself was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1901. He passed away from lung cancer in Burbank, California, in 1966, only a few years before Florida's Disney World opened its doors for business. He was an Academy Award winning writer, producer and director - and the amazing entrepreneur who co-founded what today is known as The Walt Disney Company.
Walt Disney founded the Disney Company with his brother in their uncle's garage. Mickey Mouse became one of the first memorable characters to be created by Walt Disney, indeed a character that lives on to this very day. Later in his life when asked about his success, Walt Disney remarked that it all began with a mouse.
From his uncle's garage, Walt Disney's vision has translated into one of the largest and most dynamic companies in the world today. The Walt Disney Company owns (among many other assets) five huge vacation resorts, eight motion picture studios, eleven theme parks, two water parks, about forty hotels, six record labels and eleven cable television networks. The company boosts an annual revenue of over $35 billion.
Following the death of Walt Disney in 1966, his brother Roy returned to the scene from retirement and took the helm of the company. Eventually, Walt Disney's son-in-law became the CEO of the company, eventually being ousted in favor of Michael Eisner. In fact, it was Walt Disney's nephew Roy, the namesake of his brother, who led the efforts to install Eisner in the first place.
Ironically, in time it would be Walt Disney's nephew Roy who would lead the charge to get rid of Eisner after the turn of the 21st century. (By coincidence, Roy Disney looks amazingly like Walt Disney and for many people has become the living embodiment of the legendary Walt Disney himself. It is Roy that is said to represent the living legacy of Walt Disney (and Walt's brother Roy to a lesser degree) even to this very date.)
Walt Disney and his wife had two daughters, one a biological daughter and the other adopted. His adopted daughter died in 1993. His biological daughter survives and is a leading philanthropist in California. Along with her cousin Roy discussed a moment ago, the Disney family does remain a presence within the company even after forty years following the death of the legendary Walt Disney.
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