The Walt Disney Company — Key Facts
| Founded | October 16, 1923 |
| Founders | Walt Disney & Roy O. Disney |
| Headquarters | Burbank, California, USA |
| CEO | Bob Iger (returned 2022) |
| Stock Ticker | NYSE: DIS |
| Revenue (FY2023) | ~$88.9 billion |
| Segments | Entertainment, Sports (ESPN), Experiences (Parks) |
The Walt Disney Company is one of the world’s largest and most iconic entertainment and media conglomerates. Founded in 1923 by brothers Walt and Roy Disney as a small animation studio, Disney has grown into a global empire encompassing film studios (Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Studios), television networks, streaming services (Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+), theme parks, cruise lines, and consumer products.
Who Owns Disney?
Disney is a publicly traded company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: DIS). As a result, it is owned by millions of shareholders worldwide. No single individual or family holds a controlling stake. The largest institutional shareholders are index and mutual fund managers. As of 2024, the top shareholders include The Vanguard Group (~8% stake), BlackRock Inc. (~4.3%), and State Street Corporation (~3.8%). The Disney family itself no longer holds a controlling or significant ownership position in the company.
History and Founding
Walt Disney and his brother Roy O. Disney founded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio on October 16, 1923 in Los Angeles. Their early success came with Steamboat Willie (1928), which introduced Mickey Mouse and was one of the first synchronized sound cartoons. Walt Disney’s creative vision drove the studio through the Golden Age of Animation, producing classics like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), the first feature-length cel-animated film. Walt Disney passed away in 1966; Roy Disney oversaw the opening of Walt Disney World in 1971 before his own passing later that year.
Corporate Leadership
Bob Iger served as Disney’s CEO from 2005 to 2020, presiding over transformative acquisitions including Pixar (2006, $7.4B), Marvel Entertainment (2009, $4B), Lucasfilm (2012, $4B), and 21st Century Fox (2019, $71.3B). Iger’s successor Bob Chapek led the company from 2020 until November 2022, when Disney’s board brought Iger back as CEO. Iger has been leading a major restructuring effort to return the company to profitability, particularly in its streaming segment.
Major Business Segments
Disney operates through three core segments: Entertainment (film studios, Disney+, Hulu, ABC, FX, National Geographic); Sports (ESPN, ESPN+); and Experiences (Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, international parks in Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Shanghai). The Experiences segment is consistently Disney’s most profitable division.
