The most important dates in the 100-year history of the Walt Disney Company

The 100-year history of the Walt Disney Company is filled with animation, imagination, innovation and transformation. While the official anniversary isn’t until Oct. 16, 2023, the company — in true Disney fashion — will take the entire year to celebrate.

When Walt and Roy Disney formed “The Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio” it was a family affair. The two brothers divided the work, Walt the creative genius, Roy the financial genius. Family played a big role in the company’s future, too. It was there that Walt met the love of his life, Lillian Bounds, who worked as an inker at the company’s film studios. The two married on July 13, 1925.

The Disney company would become synonymous with family entertainment. It was Walt’s desire to spend time with his daughters that inspired him to create the Disneyland theme park and then Walt Disney World.

Here is a look at the top 100 events that took place during the first 100 years in Walt Disney Company history.

100-year history of Disney timeline

1. June 24, 1893: Roy Oliver Disney is born in Chicago, Ill. Thirty years later, in 1923, Roy was recuperating from tuberculosis in Los Angeles when Walt persuaded him to join a new venture making animated cartoons. Roy would largely stay in the background of the business, finding the money for Walt’s projects and managing the growth of Disney consumer products.

2. Dec. 5, 1901: Walter Elias Disney is born in Chicago, Ill. During his 43-year Hollywood career, Disney would revolutionize the film, television and theme park industries. His name is synonymous with family entertainment.

3. 1919: In  Kansas City, Mo., Walt Disney meets Ub Iwerks at the Pesmen-Rubin Commercial Art Studio. After being laid off, the pair open their own business, Iwerks-Disney Studio Commercial Artists. It lasts only a month before they both accept jobs at the Kansas City Slide Company. Iwerks and Disney go on to be long-time collaborators. Iwerks is best known for refining a version of a sketch drawn by Disney that would evolve into Mickey Mouse.

4. June 28, 1921: Walt Disney incorporates Laugh-O-gram Studios in Kansas City, Mo. The company produces nine of the 12 films it is originally contracted to produce. This is when Disney decides he wants to make his own animated version of fairy tales and produces “Little Red Riding Hood.”

5. Oct. 16, 1923: Laugh-O-gram goes bankrupt, and Walt decides to move to California with his brother, Roy. Walt signs a contract with M.J. Winkler to produce a series of Alice Comedies — this date is used as the start of the Disney company, first known as “The Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio.” The studio was located at 4647 Kingswell Ave. in Los Angeles.

6. March 1, 1924: The first Alice Comedies short film is released, “Alice’s Day at Sea.”

7. January 1926: The Disneys move into a new studio at 2719 Hyperion in Los Angeles and change the name of the company from The Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio to the Walt Disney Studio.

8. Sept. 5, 1927: The first “Oswald the Lucky Rabbit” cartoon is released as part of a contract with film producer Charles Mintz.

9. March 28, 1928: Walt Disney goes to New York to ask for more money from Charles Mintz to produce more Oswald shorts. Mintz says no and reminds Disney that, as the producer, Mintz owns the rights to Oswald. With no more main character, Disney takes a train back to California. This is where, Disney legend has it, Walt creates what would become the most important Disney character and the future symbol of the company — Mickey Mouse.

10. Nov. 18, 1928: “Steamboat Willie” is released at the Colony Theatre in New York—the first Mickey Mouse cartoon. This is also the first appearance of Minnie Mouse. 

11. Aug. 22, 1929:  “The Skeleton Dance,” the first musical Silly Symphony short, is released. The Variety review is a rave: “Title tells the story, but not the number of laughs included in this sounded cartoon short. The number is high. Peak is reached when one skeleton plays the spine of another in xylophone fashion, using a pair of thigh bones as hammers. Perfectly timed xylophone accompaniment completes the effect.”

12. Dec. 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.

13. Jan. 13, 1930: The first Mickey Mouse comic strip appears in newspapers around the U.S.

14. November 1930: The first Disney book, Mickey Mouse Book, is published by Bibo and Lang. In addition to the book being sold to the public, it is also distributed to theaters that host Mickey Mouse Clubs and is given to those members.

15. July 30, 1932: “Flowers and Trees,” first full-color cartoon, is released.

16. Nov. 15, 1932: Disney creates an art school at its studio to train animators.

17. June 1932: The first Mickey Mouse watch is sold by Ingersoll.

18. Feb. 23, 1935: The first Mickey Mouse cartoon created in color, “The Band Concert,” is released.

19. April 2, 1940: Walt Disney Productions issues its first over-the-counter stock. The first offering is 155,000 preferred shares at $25 each and 600,000 shares of common stock at $5 per share. 

20. May 6, 1940: Disney has grown so much it needs more space, so the studio moves to Burbank. In January 1940 construction of the new studio is finished, but the move isn’t complete until May 6.

21. Dec. 21, 1937: “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” the first feature-length animated film, has its premiere at the Carthay Circle Theatre.

22. October 1949: Walt Disney Music Company formed.

23. Dec. 16, 1952: WED Enterprises is founded by Walt to help create Disneyland. In 1986, the company’s name will be changed to Walt Disney Imagineering.

24. Nov. 10, 1953: The new Buena Vista Distribution Company is formed to distribute Disney films. The first film it releases is “The Living Desert.”

25. Dec. 25, 1950: “One Hour in Wonderland,” Disney’s first television show, appears on NBC.

26. July 17, 1955: Disneyland opens with a gala celebration for 10,000 invited guests. The live ABC telecast draws 90 million viewers, the largest audience for a single program at that time.

27. Oct. 3, 1955: The first episode of the “Mickey Mouse Club” television series airs.

28. Nov. 12, 1957: Although Disney issued over-the-counter stock (as Walt Disney Productions) in 1940, it is on this date that Goldman Sachs co-leads the Disney IPO on the New York Stock Exchange at a share price of $13.88.

29. June 23, 1963: Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room opens at Disneyland, the first use of all-new “Audio-Animatronics” technology.

30. April 22, 1964: Four exhibits developed by Disney open at the New York World’s Fair: Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln for the State of Illinois, Carousel of Progress for General Electric, Magic Skyway for Ford, and It’s a Small World for Pepsi-Cola to salute and benefit UNICEF.

31. Nov. 15, 1965: Walt and Roy Disney publicly announce their plans to build the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

32. Dec. 15, 1966: Walt Disney dies. While Roy had been acting as the CEO of the company since the brothers formed it in 1926, Roy receives the official title of CEO.

33. June 22, 1970: The Walt Disney Archives is established.

4. Oct. 1, 1971: Walt Disney World opens, consisting of the 100-acre Magic Kingdom theme park and two resort hotels, the Contemporary and Polynesian. Disney decides to open in October, during the off-season, so there would be small crowds. About 10,000 visitors entered the first day to about 20 attractions.

35. Dec. 20, 1971: Roy O. Disney dies just two months after opening Disney World and finally retiring.

36. December 1971: Donn Tatum becomes Disney’s new CEO and Chairman of the Board of Trustees following the death of Roy O. Disney. Tatum is the first non-Disney family member to head the company.

37. November 1976: Card Walker is named the new CEO. Walker had served as the company’s president under Donn Tatum.

38. March 4, 1980: The first Home Video titles are released. The initial releases consist of 13 live action films at first. In 1984, “Robin Hood” became the first “Disney Classic” to go to VHS.

39. Oct. 1, 1982: EPCOT Center opens.

40. February 1983: Ron Miller takes over as CEO after Tatum resigns. Miller, who is Walt Disney’s son-in-law, started off in the film division before moving up the ranks. As CEO, Miller pushes the company to expand and explore, creating the Touchstone label and the Disney Channel.

41. April 15, 1983: Tokyo Disneyland opens.

42. April 18, 1983: The Disney Channel begins broadcasting.

43. March 9, 1984: Touchstone Studios releases its first film, “Splash.”

44. Sept. 23, 1984: Disney becomes the target of corporate raiders and takeover attempts and many influential shareholders criticized Miller’s leadership. Disney family member Roy E. Disney (son of Walt Disney’s brother, Roy), Stanley Gold, and shareholder Sid Bass oust Miller in favor of a pair of non-Disney executives: Michael Eisner, who becomes CEO, and Frank Wells, who becomes president of the Walt Disney Productions. 

45. Feb. 6, 1986: Walt Disney Productions changes its name to The Walt Disney Company.

46. March 28, 1987: The first Disney Store opens, in Glendale Galleria.

47. May 26, 1988: Disney acquires the Childcraft Education Corporation from Grolier Inc. for $52 million, a move that will significantly expand Disney’s mail-order business. 

48. Feb. 1, 1989: Hollywood Pictures begins operations.

49. May 1, 1989: Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park and Pleasure Island open at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

50. Jan. 1, 1990: Hollywood Records, Disney’s music label, begins operation.

51. May 6, 1991: The Walt Disney Company joins the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

52. Sept. 26, 1991: Hyperion Books publishes its first book. 

53. Dec. 20, 1991: The first Disney Vacation Club property, known as the Disney Vacation Club Resort, opens at Walt Disney World. It is later renamed Disney’s Old Key West Resort in January 1996.

54. April 12, 1992: Euro Disney opens in France. Two years later on Oct. 1, 1994, the name is changed to Disneyland Paris.

55. Oct. 10, 1992: Disney wins NHL approval to create The Mighty Ducks hockey franchise in Anaheim, just a week after the movie “The Mighty Ducks,” starring Emilio Estevez, opens in theaters. The inaugural game takes place a year later on Oct. 8, 1993 between The Mighty Ducks vs. The Detroit Red Wings at The Anaheim Pond. Disney eventually sells the team in 2005.

56. June 30, 1993: The Walt Disney Company acquires Miramax Film Corp., which it will go on to sell in 2010.

57. April 3, 1994: Disney President Frank Wells dies in a helicopter crash on Easter while returning from a heliskiing trip in Nevada’s Ruby Mountains. Wells’ death had a major impact on Disney. Without his calming force, Eisner becomes more isolated. Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg, who was chairman of the Walt Disney Studios, have a major falling out, causing Katzenberg to leave Disney and start DreamWorks animation with Steven Spielberg and David Geffen.

58. Dec. 5, 1994: Disney Interactive, a new division dedicated to publishing computer and video game console software, is formed.

59. May 18, 1995: Disney agrees to purchase 25% of the California Angels baseball team from Gene Autry. In 1999, Disney becomes the sole owner of the team, before selling it just four years later.

60. July 31, 1995: Disney agrees to purchase Capital Cities/ABC for $19 billion. The FCC approves the deal the following year.

61. September 1995: Disney Online, a business unit of Disney Interactive, is formed to operate Disney’s online presence. A year later, on Nov. 19, 1996, the DisneyStore.com goes online.

62. Nov. 22, 1995: Toy Story, the first animated feature film generated completed on computers, is released. This is produced via a partnership between Disney and Pixar Animation Studios.

63. Feb. 22, 1996: Disney Online launches Disney.com.

64. June 18, 1996: The Haber family is the first to move into their new home in Celebration, Fla., a master-planned community developed by Disney and located south of the Walt Disney World resort. After founding the community, Disney divested control of the community. This was Disney’s first venture in creating a residential community.

65. Nov. 18, 1996: Radio Disney debuts on the ABC Radio Networks.

66. March 28, 1997: Disney’s Wide World of Sports baseball stadium at Walt Disney World opened to the public for the first time with an exhibition game between the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds.

67. April 2, 1997: Inauguration ceremony officially opens the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York City.

68. April 22, 1998: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park opens at Walt Disney World.

69. July 12, 1998: The first ESPN Zone-themed restaurant opens in Baltimore, Md. In 2018, the themed restaurant business we closed.

70. July 30, 1998: Disney enters the cruising industry with the inaugural sailing of the Disney Magic.

71. Jan. 12, 1999: The “GO” Network is launched. The network is now the online portal for Disney content.

72. Feb. 8, 2001: Disney California Adventure opens at the Disneyland Resort in California.

73. Sept. 4, 2001: Tokyo DisneySea opens.

74. Oct. 24, 2001: Disney acquires the Fox Family Channel and renames it ABC Family.

75. March 16, 2002: Walt Disney Studios Park opens at Disneyland Paris.

76. April 2004: Disney acquires the Muppet properties and Bear in the Big Blue House for $75 million.

77. June 15, 2005: Adventures by Disney runs its first trip with paying guests.

78. Sept. 12, 2005: Hong Kong Disneyland opens.

79. Oct. 1, 2005: Bob Iger becomes CEO of The Walt Disney Company. Michael Eisner’s final years with Disney are tumultuous, with the board dissatisfied over his management style. Roy E. Disney again organizes a “Save Disney” campaign to oust a CEO. As a result of the pressure from the campaign, Eisner announced in March 2005 that he would step down as CEO prematurely, handing day-to-day duties to Iger before formally leaving the company on Sept. 30, 2005.

80. Feb. 9, 2006: Disney re-acquires Oswald the Lucky Rabbit from Universal.

81. May 5, 2006: Disney purchases Pixar Animation Studios for $7.4 billion.

82. March 10, 2009: D23: The Official Disney Fan Club launches.

83. April 30, 2009: Disney becomes an equity owner of Hulu.

84. Sept. 10-13, 2009: The first D23 Expo is held in Anaheim, Calif.

85. Dec. 16, 2009: Roy E. Disney dies. Born on January 10, 1930, the son of Roy O. Disney, was vice chairman and head of the animation department during some of the company’s greatest box office successes of the 1980s. He also twice led investor revolts to oust CEOs.

86. Dec. 31, 2009: Disney acquires Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion

87. Oct. 30, 2012: The Walt Disney Company finalizes its purchase of Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion.

88. Dec. 1, 2013: MyMagic+ begins its “soft opening” at Walt Disney World. including the introduction of MagicBands.

90. June 16, 2016: Shanghai Disney Resort opens in Shanghai, China.

91. Aug. 9, 2016: Disney acquires stock in BAMTech. The eventual purchase of the company allows Disney to start ESPN+ and Disney+.

92. April 12, 2018: ESPN+ launches.

93. July 30, 2018: Stage A at The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, Calif., is dedicated to Disney Legends Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, the most prolific motion-picture songwriting team in film history. Their familiar music includes the songs of “Mary Poppins” and the theme park ear worms “it’s a small world” and “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” from Carousel of Progress.

94. March 20, 2019: The Walt Disney Company acquires 21st Century Fox for $52.4 billion. Under the terms of the deal, Disney gets the key entertainment assets of the Twentieth Century Fox film studio and its subsidiaries, a stake in Hulu, FX Networks, Fox Sports (regional networks only), National Geographic Partners, and international operations Star TV and Sky. 

95.  Nov. 12, 2019: Disney+ streaming service debuts. Notable launch year titles include: “The Mandalorian,” “Lady and the Tramp” (live-action, 2019), “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” “The Imagineering Story,” and “Noelle.”

96. Feb. 25, 2020: Bob Chapek is named CEO of Disney. Iger assumes the role of Executive Chairman and will direct the Company’s creative endeavors, while leading the Board through the end of his contract on Dec. 31, 2021. During Iger’s 15-year stewardship of the company, Iger broadened Disney’s roster of intellectual properties with major acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel Entertainment,  Lucasfilm and the entertainment assets of 21st Century Fox. He expanded theme parks in East Asia, reinvigorated Walt Disney Animation Studios and increased investment in its direct-to-consumer businesses.

97. March 2020: The Covid pandemic hits. Disney suspends production on all films and TV shows, closes all of its theme parks around the world, and ceases Adventures by Disney trips and cruises. Disney’s Asian theme parks had already closed in January and February. By April, the company’s stock had fallen by 28% from its January price. The financial repercussions are still being felt.

98. Dec. 31, 2021: Susan E. Arnold becomes Chairman of the Board of The Walt Disney Company when Iger retirees. She is the first woman in the 98-year history of the company to serve as chair of the board.

99. Feb. 16, 2022: Storyliving by Disney neighborhood communities announced. The first location, Cotino, a Storyliving by Disney community, is planned for the heart of the Coachella Valley in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

100. Nov 20, 2022: In a surprise shakeup, Bob Chapek is fired and Bob Iger is again named CEO. Chapek had lost the confidence of many of the company’s top leaders after a series of missteps. Iger’s mandate from the Board is to set the strategic direction for renewed growth and to work closely with the Board to develop a successor to lead the company at the completion of his two-year term.