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:See also: ''[[The Rescuers#Controversy|The Rescuers Controversy]]
:See also: ''[[The Rescuers#Controversy|The Rescuers Controversy]]
Disney's 1999 original releases of ''[[The Rescuers]]'' were recalled due to the discovery of two photographs of a nude woman in the background of two frames of the movie.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.snopes.com/disney/films/films.asp |title=Disney (Disney Films) |publisher=snopes.com |date= |accessdate=2009-07-15}}</ref> Those sexual innuendo had been removed in later editions.
Disney's 1999 original releases of ''[[The Rescuers]]'' were recalled due to the discovery of two photographs of a nude woman in the background of two frames of the movie.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.snopes.com/disney/films/films.asp |title=Disney (Disney Films) |publisher=snopes.com |date= |accessdate=2009-07-15}}</ref> Those sexual innuendo had been removed in later editions. disney is stupid.


==Full acquisitions==
==Full acquisitions==

Revision as of 15:59, 21 October 2009

The Walt Disney Company
Company typePublic (NYSEDIS)
IndustryMedia and Entertainment
FoundedLos Angeles, California, U.S.[1]
(October 16, 1923)
FounderWalt Disney and Roy Disney
Headquarters
Key people
Bob Iger
(President & CEO)
John E. Pepper, Jr.
(Chairman)
Roy E. Disney
(Director Emeritus)
Steve Jobs
(Chief Shareholder)
Anne Sweeney
(President, Disney-ABC Television Group; Co-Chair, Disney Media Networks)
RevenueIncrease US$ 37.843 billion (2008)[2]
Decrease US$ 7.402 billion (2008)[2]
Decrease US$ 4.427 billion (2008)[2]
Total assetsIncrease US$ 62.497 billion (2008)[2]
Total equityIncrease US$ 54.878 billion (2008)[2]
Number of employees
150,000 (2008)[2]
DivisionsWalt Disney Studio Entertainment, Disney-ABC Television Group, Disney Interactive Media Group, Disney Consumer Products, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Disney Interactive Studios
Websitehttp://corporate.disney.go.com

The Walt Disney Company (NYSEDIS), often simply known as Disney, is the largest media and entertainment conglomerate in the world,[4] known for its family-friendly products. Founded on October 16, 1923, by brothers Walt Disney and Roy Disney as an animation studio, it has become one of the biggest Hollywood studios, and owner and licensor of eleven theme parks and several television networks, including ABC and ESPN. Disney's corporate headquarters and primary production facilities are located at The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. The company has been a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average since May 6, 1991. Mickey Mouse serves as the official mascot of The Walt Disney Company.

History

Company divisions

Initially started as a producer of short-subject motion pictures, The Walt Disney Company has since diversified into a number of entertainment mediums, including radio, television, publishing and travel. These ventures include:

On August 31, 2009, Disney announced plans to acquire the assets of comic book publisher Marvel Entertainment, in a deal estimated to cost $4 billion.[5] In announcing its plans, Disney stated that current management at Marvel would remain in place to oversee its operations.[5] Further, Disney planned to emphasize the Marvel brand instead of changing it to fit the current Disney brand.[6] The boards of both companies have approved the merger plan, which must still pass an antitrust review and be approved by the companies' stockholders.[6]

Timeline

Disney Management

Financial Data

Revenues

Annual Revenues of The Walt Disney Company (in millions USD)
Year Walt Disney Studio Entertainment[Rev 1] Disney Consumer Products[Rev 2] Walt Disney
Parks and Resorts
Disney Media Networks[Rev 3] Walt Disney Internet Group / Disney Interactive Media Group[Rev 4][Rev 5] Total
1991[7] 2,593.0 724 2,794.0     6,111
1992[7] 3,115 1,081 3,306     7,502
1993[7] 3,673.4 1,415.1 3,440.7     8,529.2
1994[8][9][10] 4,793 1,798.2 3,463.6 359   10,413.8
1995[8][9][10] 6,001.5 2,150 3,959.8 414   12,525.3
1996[9][11] 10,095[Rev 2] 4,502 4,142[Rev 6]   18,739
1997[12] 6,981 3,782 5,014 6,522 174 22,473
1998[12] 6,849 3,193 5,532 7,142 260 22,976
1999[12] 6,548 3,030 6,106 7,512 206 23,402
2000[13] 5,994 2,602 6,803 9,615 368 25,402
2001[14] 7,004 2,590 6,009 9,569   25,790
2002[14] 6,465 2,440 6,691 9,733   25,360
2003[15] 7,364 2,344 6,412 10,941   27,061
2004[15] 8,713 2,511 7,750 11,778   30,752
2005[16] 7,587 2,127 9,023 13,207   31,944
2006[16] 7,529 2,193 9,925 14,368   34,285
2007[17] 7,491 2,347 10,626 15,046   35,510
2008[18] 7,348 2,415 11,504 15,857 719 37,843
  1. ^ also named Films
  2. ^ a b Merged into Creative Content in 1996
  3. ^ Broadcasting from 1994 to 1996
  4. ^ Walt Disney Internet Group, from 1997 to 2000, next merged with Disney Media Networks
  5. ^ Disney Interactive Media Group, starting in 2008 with the merge of WDIG and Disney Interactive Studios
  6. ^ Suite au rachat d'ABC

Net income

Net Income of The Walt Disney Company (in millions USD)
Year Walt Disney Studio Entertainment[NI 1] Disney Consumer Products[NI 2] Walt Disney
Parks and Resorts
Disney Media Networks[NI 3] Walt Disney Internet Group[NI 4] / Disney Interactive Media Group[NI 5] Total
1991[7] 318 229 546     1,094
1992[7] 508 283 644     1,435
1993[7] 622 355 746     1,724
1994[8] · [9] 779 425 684 77   1,965
1995[8] · [9] 998 510 860 76   2,445
1996[9] 1,598[NI 2] 990 747 (-300)[NI 6]. 3,035
1997[12] 1,079 893 1,136 1,699 -56 4,312
1998[12] 769 801 1,288 1,746 -94 3,231
1999[12] 116 607 1,446 1,611 -93 3,231
2000[13] 110 455 1,620 2,298 -402 4,081
2001[14] 260 401 1,586 1,758   4,214
2002[14] 273 394 1,169 986   2,826
2003[15] 620 384 957 1,213   3,174
2004[15] 662 534 1,123 2 169   4,488
2005[16] 207 543 1,178 3,209   5,137
2006[16] 729 618 1,534 3,610   6,491
2007[17] 1,201 631 1,710 4,285   7,827
2008[18] 1,086 778 1,897 4,942 -258 8,445
  1. ^ also named Films
  2. ^ a b Merged into Creative Content in 1996
  3. ^ Broadcasting from 1994 to 1996
  4. ^ Walt Disney Internet Group, from 1997 to 2000, next merged with Disney Media Networks
  5. ^ Disney Interactive Media Group, merge of WDIG and Disney Interactive Studios
  6. ^ Not link to WDIG, Disney reported a 300 millions $ lost due to financial modification regarding a real estate

Criticism, controversies and conflict

Disney's media releases and company practices have prompted action from activists, artists, and causes around the world.

  • Religious welfare groups, such as the Catholic League, have spoken out against the release of material which they and others found offensive, including vehement protests of the Miramax Films features Priest (1994) and Dogma (1999).[19] Disney pushed back the release date for Dogma due to the controversy surrounding the movie, and eventually sold the distribution rights to Lions Gate Films. The ABC show Nothing Sacred, about a Jesuit priest, a book called Growing Up Gay (published by Disney-owned Hyperion Press), the annual Gay and Lesbian Days at Disney theme parks, and similar issues spurred boycotts of Disney and its advertisers by the Catholic League, the Assemblies of God, and other conservative groups.[19][20][21]
  • The company has been accused of human rights violations regarding the working conditions in factories that produce their merchandise.[24][25] It has been criticized also by animal welfare groups, for their care of and procedures for wild animals at Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park,[26] and for using purebred dogs in movies such as 101 Dalmatians. Animal rights groups claim movies with purebreds create an artificial demand for purebreds from people who may not be prepared or temperamentally suited for the animals, many of whom end up abandoned or surrendered to shelters or rescue groups.[27]
  • An environmental management plan for a zone of Great Guana Cay, in the Abaco Islands, criticized Disney for poor management of a 90-acre (36.4 ha) tract of the island. Disney partially developed but then abandoned the place, which was to have been a cruise ship resort called Treasure Island. The report, by the University of Miami and the College of the Bahamas, blames Disney for leaving hazardous materials, electrical transformers, and fuel tanks, and also for introducing invasive alien plants and insects that threaten the natural flora and fauna of the island.[28]

Sexual innuendo and subliminal messages

Disney has been accused of having sexual innuendo or references hidden in some of their animated movies, including The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and Disney's 1999 original releases of The Rescuers.

In 1995, a pro-life lobby group, American Life League (ALL), alleged that several Disney films, including The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, and Aladdin contained subliminal messages and sexual imagery.[29][30] The Lion King allegation was later denied by Tom Sito, a Disney animator and a writer for the film, who said that the letters written in the dust were actually "S.F.X". It was intended to be an easter egg signature from the animation department, and that the controversy that followed was entirely unintentional.[31]

In Aladdin, protests were raised regarding the scene when Aladdin is attacked by the tiger Rajah on the palace balcony. Aladdin quietly says "Come on... good kitty, take off and go..." and the word "kitty" is overlapped by another, unidentifiable sound, possibly Rajah's snarl. Some people reported hearing "Good teenagers, take off your clothes,"[32] which they considered a subliminal reference to promiscuity. Because of the controversy, Disney replaced the phrase with "Down, kitty" on the DVD release.[33]

In Who Framed Roger Rabbit a scene drew attention to viewers when Jessica Rabbit revealed what was under her dress in which nothing was drawn. This scene wasn't noticed until 1994 during the film's laserdisk release. This caught the attention of the media when news such as CNN that made news articles about the scene.[34]

In The Little Mermaid, it was alleged that a clergyman is seen with an erection during a wedding scene, specifically the scene in which a brainwashed Prince Eric is about to marry a disguised Sea Witch.[35][36][37] The clergyman is a short man, dressed in Bishop's clothing, and a small bulge is slightly noticeable in a few of the frames that are actually later shown to be the stubby-legged man's knees, but the image is small and is very difficult to distinguish. The combined incidents led an Arkansas woman to file suit against The Walt Disney Company in 1995, though she dropped the suit two months later.[36][37][38][39][40]

See also: The Rescuers Controversy

Disney's 1999 original releases of The Rescuers were recalled due to the discovery of two photographs of a nude woman in the background of two frames of the movie.[41] Those sexual innuendo had been removed in later editions. disney is stupid.

Full acquisitions

See also

References

  1. ^ "Company History". Corporate Information. The Walt Disney Company. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "2008 10-K". Retrieved 2009-02-12.
  3. ^ "Company Profile for The Walt Disney Co (DIS)". Retrieved 2009-02-12.
  4. ^ "Why Disney wants DreamWorks". CNN/Money. 2009-02-09. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
  5. ^ a b Ken Sweet (2009-08-31). "Disney to Acquire Marvel Entertainment for $4B". Fox Business. Retrieved 2009-08-31.
  6. ^ a b CNBC with AP & Reuters (2009-08-31). "Disney CEO: Deal to Buy Marvel Good for Both Firms". CNBC. Retrieved 2009-08-31. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  7. ^ a b c d e f SEC Info - Disney Enterprises Inc - 10-K - For 9/30/93
  8. ^ a b c d Disney Annual Report 1995 - Financial Highlights
  9. ^ a b c d e f Disney Annual Report 1996 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
  10. ^ a b Disney Enterprises Inc · 10-K · For 9/30/95
  11. ^ Walt Disney Co · 10-K405 · For 9/30/96
  12. ^ a b c d e f Disney Annual Report 1999 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
  13. ^ a b Disney Annual Report 2000
  14. ^ a b c d Disney Annual Report 2002
  15. ^ a b c d Disney Annual Report 2004
  16. ^ a b c d Disney Annual Report 2006 - Financial Highlights
  17. ^ a b Disney Annual Report 2007 - Financial Highlights
  18. ^ a b Disney Factbook 2008 - Financial Information p 50
  19. ^ a b "75 Organizations Asked To Join Showtime Boycott". Catalyst Online. Catholic League. 2001-05-29. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  20. ^ "Disney Boycott Expands". Catalyst. Catholic League. 1996. Retrieved 2008-08-29. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  21. ^ "Petitions and Boycott Stir Disney". Catalyst Online. Catholic League. 1997. Retrieved 2008-08-29. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  22. ^ "Southern Baptists drop Disney boycott". Gay.com. PlanetOut Inc. 2005-06-22. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  23. ^ "Christian group calls off Disney boycott". Gay.com. PlanetOut Inc. 2005-05-24. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  24. ^ "Beware of Mickey: Disney's Sweatshop in South China". Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations. 2007-02-10. Archived from the original on 2007-02-10. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  25. ^ Staff writer (2001-06-20). source "Disney's duds are tops in sweatshop labour, Oxfam". CBC.com. Retrieved 2008-08-30. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help)
  26. ^ Drummond, Tammerlin (1998-04-20). "Caution: Live Animals". TIME. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  27. ^ Walton, Marsha (2003-06-30). "'Nemo' fans net fish warning". CNN.com. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  28. ^ Sullivan-Sealey, K (2005). "Environmental Management Program for Baker's Bay Club. Great Guana Cay, Abaco, Bahamas" (PDF). University of Miami. Retrieved 2008-08-30. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  29. ^ Ostman, Ronald E. (1996). "Disney and Its Conservative Critics: Images versus Realities". Journal of Popular Film and Television. 24 (2): 82.
  30. ^ Smith, Leef (1995-09-01). "Disney's Loin King? Group Sees Dirt in the Dust". Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  31. ^ Pinsky, Mark (2004). The Gospel According to Disney: Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 0664225918. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |unused_data= (help); Text "dateuly 2004" ignored (help)
  32. ^ "How a Rumor Spread About Subliminal Sex In Disney's 'Aladdin'". The Wall Street Journal. 1995-10-25. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
  33. ^ "Disney (Take Off Your Clothes!)". Snopes. Retrieved 2007-03-24.. The source compiles and cites four major newspaper references.
  34. ^ Adam Sandler (1994-03-16). "'Rabbit' frames feed flap". Variety. Retrieved 2009-09-28.
  35. ^ Smith, Russell W. (8 September 1995). "Sex Seen (by Some) in Films by Disney". Austin American-Statesman. pp. d1. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  36. ^ a b "Little Mermaid Minister". snopes.com. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
  37. ^ a b Beck, Susan (5 January 1996). "Help the Needy; Help Yourself". The Recorder. p. 2. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  38. ^ Emery Jr., C. Eugene (March 1996). "When the Media Miss Real Messages in Subliminal Stories". Skeptical Inquirer. p. 16. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  39. ^ "Disney Catches Hell". Entertainment Weekly. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  40. ^ Omaha World-Herald "Filth' Found in Disney Movies Is a Stretch of the Imagination."
  41. ^ "Disney (Disney Films)". snopes.com. Retrieved 2009-07-15.

Further reading

  • Building a Company: Roy O. Disney and the Creation of an Entertainment Empire, Bob Thomas, 1998
  • Building a Dream; The Art of Disney Architecture, Beth Dunlop, 1996, ISBN 0-8109-3142-7
  • Cult of the Mouse: Can We Stop Corporate Greed from Killing Innovation in America?, Henry M. Caroselli, 2004, Ten Speed Press
  • Disney: The Mouse Betrayed, Peter Schweizer
  • The Disney Touch: How a Daring Management Team Revived an Entertainment Empire, by Ron Grover (Richard D. Irwin, Inc., 1991), ISBN 1-55623-385-X
  • The Disney Version: The Life, Times, Art and Commerce of Walt Disney, Richard Schickel, 1968, revised 1997
  • Disneyana: Walt Disney Collectibles, Cecil Munsey, 1974
  • Disneyization of Society: Alan Bryman, 2004
  • DisneyWar, James B. Stewart, Simon & Schuster, 2005, ISBN 0-684-80993-1
  • Donald Duck Joins Up; the Walt Disney Studio During World War II, Richard Shale, 1982
  • How to Read Donald Duck: Imperialist Ideology in the Disney Comic ISBN 0-88477-023-0 (Marxist Critique) Ariel Dorfman, Armand Mattelart, David Kunzle (translator).
  • Inside the Dream: The Personal Story of Walt Disney, Katherine Greene & Richard Greene, 2001
  • The Keys to the Kingdom: How Michael Eisner Lost His Grip, Kim Masters (Morrow, 2000)
  • The Man Behind the Magic; the Story of Walt Disney, Katherine & Richard Greene, 1991, revised 1998, ISBN 0-7868-5350-6
  • Married to the Mouse, Richard E. Foglesorg, Yale University Press.
  • Mouse Tales: A Behind-the-Ears Look at Disneyland, David Koenig, 1994, revised 2005, ISBN 0-9640605-4-X
  • Mouse Tracks: The Story of Walt Disney Records, Tim Hollis and Greg Ehrbar, 2006, ISBN 1-57806-849-5
  • Storming the Magic Kingdom: Wall Street, the raiders, and the battle for Disney, John Taylor, 1987, [1], [2]
  • The Story of Walt Disney, Diane Disney Miller & Pete Martin, 1957
  • Team Rodent, Carl Hiassen.
  • Walt Disney: An American Original, Bob Thomas, 1976, revised 1994, ISBN 0671223321
  • Work in Progress by Michael Eisner with Tony Schwartz (Random House, 1998), ISBN 978-0375500718

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