The Walt Disney Company

The Walt Disney Company, also known as Disney Enterprises and commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16, 1923 as an animation studio, by brothers Walt Disney and Roy Oliver Disney, and established itself as a leader in the animation industry with the short film Steamboat Willie, which popularized Mickey Mouse, who became Disney's mascot and corporate icon. After becoming a success by the early 1940s, Disney diversified into live-action films, television, and theme parks in the 1950s, even after Walt Disney's death in 1966.

The company's studio divisions include Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, Marvel Studios, and 20th Century Studios. Disney's other main business units include divisions operating the ABC Television Network; cable television networks such as Disney Channel, ESPN, Freeform, FX, and National Geographic; publishing, merchandising, music, and theater divisions; direct-to-consumer streaming services such as Disney+; and Disney Experiences, which includes several theme parks, resort hotels, and cruise lines around the world. Since October 2012, with the purchase of Lucasfilm, Disney is the current owner of the Star Wars franchise.

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