The term Disney is internationally known and is associated with children’s fantasy and show business. It is a leading company in the media sector that was founded in 1923 in Hollywood, when cinema was not yet sound and animated films were a real rarity. The name of this multinational is due to its founder, Walt Disney.
A character with lights and shadows
There are several biographies about Walt Disney. In most he appears as an animation pioneer and entertainment visionary. His characters from Snow White, Peter Pan, Bambi, Mickey Mouse or Dumbo were taken to the movies and became icons for children around the world.
From a business point of view, Walt Disney was the classic self-made man who began as a modest cartoonist and in a few years founded the company that bears his name and launched one of the most renowned animated theme parks, Disneyland. In the history of cinema he has a special role, since he introduced technicolor, invented the multiplane camera and most of his animated films were blockbusters.
Despite his image associated with success, his dark side is highlighted in some biographies
In fact, it has been said of him that he worked at the service of the FBI to deactivate the union movement in the world of cinema. In his private life he suffered from excesses of alcohol, obsessive manias and a visceral aversion against the communists.
According to some investigations, he hid his true identity, since in reality he was not born in Illinois but in an Andalusian town in Spain. About him there are all kinds of urban legends, but the most singular says that his corpse is cryonized and will be brought back to life when science is capable of resurrecting the dead.
Some interesting data
The Disney world is currently a multinational with a very extensive range of products: theme parks, television channels, video games, film studios or production companies. In 2017 the company acquired a large part of the 21 st. Century Fox for a value of more than 52,000 million dollars.
The Disneyland park in California is one of the most visited places in the world, with more than 15 million tourists each year. Some of the films produced by this company have been a commercial success, especially “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” in 1937, “Beauty and the Beast” in 1991, and “Frozen” in 2013.
Some international brands are integrated into Walt Disney Studio Entertainment, such as PIxar, Marvel, Blue Sky Studios, ESPN, or Fox.
Photos: Fotolia – olgaosa / pjirawat
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