The Walt Disney Company

The Walt Disney Company traces its official start to October 16, 1923, when Walt Disney signed a distribution contract for the Alice Comedies and formed the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio with his brother Roy. The company soon adopted the Walt Disney Studio name, and its early work established the pattern of combining animation production with characters, stories, and related commercial rights. [1] [2]

Disney’s early creative milestones include Mickey Mouse’s sound-cartoon debut in Steamboat Willie in 1928 and the 1937 release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which D23 identifies as the studio’s first full-length animated musical feature. The company then expanded its storytelling model into location-based entertainment: Disneyland opened on July 17, 1955, and Disney describes the park as the first themed park built around immersive storytelling and design. [1] [3]

The company’s 2025 Form 10-K organizes its activities into three segments: Entertainment, Sports, and Experiences. Entertainment includes global film and episodic-content production and distribution, linear networks, and streaming; Sports includes ESPN and related sports-media activities; and Experiences includes theme parks, resorts, cruises, vacation experiences, and consumer products. Disney’s current corporate overview presents the same structure using the names Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and Disney Experiences. [4] [5]

Disney’s portfolio extends beyond the original animation studio. The company identifies Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Studios, ABC, ESPN, Disney+, Hulu, and other content, sports, broadcast, and streaming brands across its businesses; its studios and general-entertainment operations produce material for theatrical, linear, and streaming distribution. The portfolio is also extended through theme-park attractions, resorts, cruises, licensed products, and retail experiences. [5] [6]

That cross-platform structure explains Disney’s relevance to partnership records. A single story or franchise can be connected to film and television production, streaming distribution, sports or broadcast platforms, consumer products, and physical experiences, but the legal counterparty may be a specific Disney subsidiary or brand rather than the parent company. The 2025 annual report lists Burbank, California, as the parent company’s principal executive-office location, consistent with the existing headquarters field. [4] [5]