CrE@TiVe Di$nEY F@N$: DISNEY HISTORY IN SHORT

October 16, 1923
Walt signed a contract with M. J. Winkler to produce a series of Alice Comedies — this date is considered the start of the Disney company first known as The Disney Brothers Studio.

September 5, 1927
Release of the first Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon, Poor Papa.

Mickey Mouse got his start a a twinkle in the eye of Walt Disney early in 1928 as Walt was returning home on a train.

Upon his return Walt got his head animator to create the world's first Mickey Mouse cartoon called Plane Crazy but not a single distributor bought it.

work began on the second Mickey Mouse cartoon; Gallopin'Gaucho, but it wasn't released until

December 30 1928.

November 18, 1928

Inspired by the latest and greatest fad in movies, talkies, Walt Disney produced the third Mickey Mouse

cartoon, Steamboat Willie, which made it's debut on November 18 1928 and is considered to be Mickey's

birthday. Steamboat Willie is released at the Colony Theater in New York , this marks the release of the very first Mickey Mouse cartoon, and the first appearance by Minnie Mouse.

Steamboat Willie was the first Mickey Mouse cartoon aired to the public as well as the first with sound. as you can see in the photo. :) .

January 13, 1930
Mickey Mouse comic strip debuts.

Mickey and the Man (FLOYD GOTTFREDSON)

July 30, 1932
Flowers and Trees, first full-color cartoon and first Academy Award winner, is released.

June 9, 1934
The Wise Little Hen, the first appearance of Donald Duck, is released.

February 23, 1935
The Band Concert, the first Mickey Mouse cartoon in color, is released.

December 21, 1937
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney's first feature-length animated film, premieres at the Carthay Circle Theater.

December 26, 1939
The Disney Studio begins its move to Burbank, California, from the Hyperion Studio in Los Angeles.

April 2, 1940
Walt Disney Productions issues its first stock.

November 13, 1940
Disney releases one of its highly regarded classics, Fantasia.

October 1, 1949
Walt Disney Music Company is formed.

July 19, 1950
Treasure Island, Disney's first completely live-action feature, is released.

February 5, 1953
Peter Pan, based on characters created by Scottish playwright J.M. Barrie, is released.

October 27, 1954
Emmy Award-winning Disneyland television show airs on ABC, starring Walt Disney.

July 17, 1955
Disneyland, the first Disney park, opened in Anaheim, California, to an invited audience on this day. The first guests were Kristine Vess and her cousin Michael Schwartner, ages 5 and 7.

October 3, 1955
Mickey Mouse Club debuts on television.

June 23, 1963

Enchanted Tiki Room opens at Disneyland, using the first Audio-Animatronics.

August 29, 1964
Mary Poppins, the practically perfect tale directed by Robert Stevenson, about a magical English nanny, is released.

December 15, 1966
Walt Disney, the visionary whose pioneering spirit and inimitable creativity made the impossible possible, turning dreams into reality and building the foundation of The Walt Disney Company of today, dies at age 66.

December 25, 1969
The arena show Disney on Parade, in which costumed Disney characters put on lavish dance numbers, debuts in Chicago.

October 1, 1971
Walt Disney World Resort opens with the Magic Kingdom and two hotels near Orlando, Florida.

December 20, 1971
Roy O. Disney, who, with younger brother Walt Disney, co-founded the company that is now known as The Walt Disney Company, passes away.

March 22, 1975

Walt Disney World Village, a large outdoor mall with specialty shops all built by Disney designers, which

later became Disney Village Marketplace, opens.

December 3, 1980
Tokyo Disneyland groundbreaking and site dedication takes place in Urayasu, just outside of Tokyo.

October 1, 1982
EPCOT Center, a major undertaking for Disney, costing in the neighborhood of $1 billion, opens at Walt Disney World Resort.

April 15, 1983
Tokyo Disneyland, the first international Disney theme park, opens in Japan.

April 18, 1983
The Disney Channel begins broadcasting with 18 hours of programming a day.

May 25, 1983
Fantasyland, one of the original lands of Disneyland, receives a complete remodel and opens to the public.

September 23, 1984
Michael Eisner and Frank Wells become chairman/CEO and president of Walt Disney Productions.

March 24, 1987
The agreement to build Euro Disneyland, later renamed Disneyland Paris, was signed in France.

March 28, 1987
The first Disney Store opens, in Glendale, California.

May 5, 1987
First Disney Dollars sold at Disneyland.

May 1, 1989
Disney-MGM Studios, later renamed Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Pleasure Island open at Walt Disney World Resort.

May 6, 1991
The Walt Disney Company joins the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

September 26, 1991

Hyperion Books, a Disney publishing company, releases its first book, Amazing Grace.

April 12, 1992

Euro Disneyland, the first Disney theme park in Europe, which was later renamed Disneyland Paris, opens.

April 18, 1994
Beauty and the Beast, the first Disney Broadway show, opens in New York.

June 15, 1994
The Lion King opens to a limited audience in Los Angeles and New York and nationwide on June 24, 1994.

December 5, 1994
Disney Interactive, a division first intended to develop, market, and distribute cartridge games and CD-ROM software, is formed.

May 22, 1995
Disney agrees to purchase 25 percent of the California Angels baseball team from Gene Autry.

July 31, 1995

Disney agrees to purchase Capital Cities/ABC for $19 billion.

September 1, 1995

Disney Online, a division of Disney Interactive created to develop The Walt Disney Company's online presence, is formed.

October 1, 1995

The Disney Channel begins operation in the UK.

January 4, 1996

Shareholders approve the Disney merger with Capital Cities/ABC.

February 9, 1996

Final FCC approval and filing of merger documents completes the Capital Cities/ABC acquisition.

February 22, 1996

Disney Online launches Disney.com.

July 17, 1996

Disney announces plans for Disney California Adventure park in Anaheim.

November 18, 1996
Radio Disney, a live 24-hour music-intensive radio network, debuts.

March 28, 1997
Disney’s Wide World of Sports, a professional-caliber sports complex at Walt Disney Word Resort that was later renamed ESPN Wide World of Sports, opened to the public.

November 13, 1997
The Lion King stage production opens on Broadway.

March 23, 1998
ESPN Magazine debuts.

April 22, 1998
Disney’s Animal Kingdom opens at Walt Disney World Resort.

July 30, 1998
Disney Magic cruise ship departs on its inaugural cruise.

March 31, 1999
Disney completes the purchase of the Anaheim Angels.

August 15, 1999
Disney Wonder sets sail on its maiden voyage.

September 29, 1999
Euro Disney announces plans to build Walt Disney Studios theme park in France.

February 8, 2001
Disney California Adventure park opens at the Disneyland Resort, in Anaheim, California.

September 4, 2001
Tokyo DisneySea opens at Tokyo Disney Resort in Japan.

October 24, 2001
Disney acquires Fox Family Channel and renames it ABC Family.

November 1, 2001
Disney acquires Baby Einstein, a company that creates products that bring the arts and humanities to babies.

December 5, 2001

100th anniversary of Walt Disney’s birth.

March 16, 2002

Walt Disney Studios theme park opens in France next-door to Disneyland Paris.

May 22, 2003

Disney sells the Anaheim Angels.

May 15, 2004

Disney acquires the Muppets properties and Bear in the Big Blue House.

June 15, 2005

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts launches Adventures by Disney.

September 12, 2005

Hong Kong Disneyland opens.

October 1, 2005

Robert A. Iger becomes president and chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company.

October 12, 2005

Disney is first to license TV episodes, from ABC and Disney Channel series, for download on Apple’s iTunes Music Store.

February 9, 2006

Disney re-acquires Oswald the Lucky Rabbit from Universal.

March 14, 2006

High School Musical becomes the first full-length movie to be sold via digital download, on Apple’s iTunes Music Store, followed by theatrical features in September.