About This Quiz
In less than a century, The Walt Disney Company has grown from a small-scale studio to one of the biggest entertainment organizations on the planet. Its portfolio includes not only television and movies, but also music, travel and, oh yeah, some of the most popular theme parks ever built. Take our quiz to see how much you know about the history of Disney. As Walt himself once said -- remember that it was all started by a mouse.Many were skeptical when Disney announced his plans to produce a movie-length cartoon, but he silenced critics when "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" was a smash hit in 1937.
Magic Kingdom had just 23 rides on opening day. Twenty of these were duplicates of Disneyland attractions, while the remaining three -- which included the Hall of Presidents, Mickey Mouse Revue and the Country Bear Jamboree -- were created just for the Florida park.
Disney Channel, originally launched in 1983, continues to run a variety of live-action and animated content.
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Disneyland was the original Disney theme park, opening on July 17, 1955. The grand opening was a bit of a disaster: invitations went out to around 6,000 people, but others forged their own copies of the invite to gain access. Around 28,000 people ended up entering the gates that day, overwhelming the park and its staff.
People who really, really love Disney may choose to live in the company's planned community in central Florida. The town of Celebration was established in the early '90s and, as of 2010, was home to more than 7,000 people.
Disney made its first venture into full-length live-action movies in 1950 with "Treasure Island." Of course, that didn't mean the company was done with animation -- a little film called "Cinderella" came out that same year.
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After being frustrated by the small amount of land available for growth around Disneyland, Walt decided to give himself plenty of space when he started planning a park in Florida. The Walt Disney World resort, which began in 1971 with the opening of the Magic Kingdom, dwarfs Disneyland in California and provides all the room the company needs for expansion.
The first Disney Store opened in California in 1987. Within three years, the company had more than 50 stores. By 1999, there were more than 500 -- including international locations in Hong Kong, China and Japan.
Not content to simply conquer land-based entertainment, Disney took the company to the seas in 1998 with the launch of the Disney Magic. Guests of Disney cruises even get to stop by the company's private island, Castaway Cay.
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The company opened Disney's California Adventure next to Disneyland in 2001. That same year, the company expanded Tokyo Disneyland with the opening of Tokyo DisneySea.
The '60s brought some of Disney's most beloved films, starting with "101 Dalmatians" in 1961, followed by "Mary Poppins" and "The Jungle Book" in 1964 and 1967, respectively.
Disney probably started voicing Mickey in the 1929 short, "The Carnival Kid," although not everyone agrees. Mickey's first words were "hot dog," in case you were wondering. Walt Disney did lend his voice to the critter in most appearances until 1947, when he got too busy with other duties.
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VCRs became popular in the '80s. Disney was quick to take advantage of the new home video market, starting with the release of "Dumbo" in 1981.
With all the extra space surrounding the Magic Kingdom in Florida, Disney was able to add some hotels for guests to stay in. On opening day in 1971, visitors to the Magic Kingdom could choose between the Contemporary Resort and the Polynesian Village, both of which rank among Disney's top resorts to this day.
Disney went beyond the U.S. to open Tokyo Disneyland on April 16, 1983, making it the first international Disney park. The resort is very similar to Walt Disney World, with its own version of Cinderella's Castle and classic rides like Splash Mountain and It's a Small World.
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He started off as Mortimer Mouse before Walt switched his name to Mickey. Mickey first appeared in a 1928 short called "Steamboat Willie." Not only was the short one of the first animated films to use sound, but it also featured the very first public appearance of everyone's favorite rodent.
Disney spent around $4 billion each to pick up Lucasfilm and Marvel, but shelled out more than $7 billion for Pixar in 2006.
Based on shares outstanding, the company is valued around $150 billion in 2017, making it one of the world's most valuable brands. Not bad for a company that started with a simple cartoon mouse and a man with a dream!
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In 1927, Disney created Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, who got his own line of cartoons and merchandise. When Disney lost the rights to Oswald, thanks to a studio dispute, he moved on to a little creation that we know today as Mickey Mouse.
Shanghai Disney opened in 2016, joined other Asian Disney parks in Tokyo and Hong Kong.
Disney spent a billion dollars to build their second Florida theme park, EPCOT, which opened in 1982. The park consists of two separate lands -- Future World and the World Showcase, and offers a more educational experience than many other theme parks.
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Disney experienced a Golden Age in the pre-WWII days, releasing classics like "Pinocchio" and "Fantasia" in 1940. The war brought trouble for the studio, and it wasn't until the 1950s that Disney started making major hits once more.
The man behind the magic died on December 15, 1966. His brother Roy took over the company for the next few years, before he passed away himself in 1971.
As fans of Mickey Mouse grew up, Disney hoped to reach them using more mature programming under the company's Touchstone Pictures brand -- which launched in 1984. The movie "Splash" and shows like "The Golden Girls" came out under the Touchstone label.
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At more than 500 acres, Animal Kingdom in Orlando is Disney's largest park. Opened in 1998, the park extends around the massive Tree of Life and is home to a wide variety of exotic species living in natural environments.
Disney spent around $4 billion to buy Marvel in 2009. Over the next five years or so, Marvel films earned Disney more than $8 billion at the box office. Not a bad investment, if you've got the cash.
The Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio formed on October 16, 1923 -- the same day that Roy and Walt Disney inked a deal to make a series of short films known as the "Alice Comedies." The films focused on the adventures of a live-action young girl named Alice, along with cartoon friends.
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Construction on Disneyland began July 21, 1954, and the park opened a year later in July 1955. When construction started, the site consisted of 160 acres of orange trees.
The '90s were a legendary time for Disney in terms of producing beloved animated films, starting with "Beauty and the Beast," which came out in 1991.
"Frozen" opened in 2013 and went on to earn more than a billion dollars over the next year, making it one of the top-earning films of all time. The company was quick to capitalize on the fame of Elsa and Anna, opening the Frozen Ever After ride at EPCOT in 2016.
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