In the fall of 1923, the smell of ink replaced the musty odor of storage boxes inside a small Hollywood office. Walt Disney (co-founder & creative director) sat beside his brother Roy O. Disney (co-founder & finance/operations) at a worn wooden desk. Walt pushed aside his pencil sketches, while Roy pulled closer a four-page contract from Margaret Winkler, a film distributor in New York.
“All that’s left is the signature,” Roy said.
They hesitated for a moment, then wrote the company’s first name: Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio.
“Let’s mark the day,” Walt smiled.
It was October 16, 1923—the official beginning of the Disney story.
The Birth of Mickey Mouse
A few years later, animator Ub Iwerks clutched a film reel nervously behind New York’s Colony Theater.
“Will the sound sync right?” Walt whispered.
On November 18, 1928, audiences heard a whistle over “Turkey in the Straw.” On the steamboat deck, Mickey Mouse whistled his way into history in Steamboat Willie. The laughter from the audience was enough for Roy to glance at his watch and smile.
“We did it.”
The First Feature-Length Animated Film
Winter 1937. The Carthay Circle Theatre in Hollywood filled with nervous Disney staff. When Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs began, whispers of doubt echoed:
“What if it fails?”
Roy’s reply was calm: “At least we’ll break even.”
By the end, the standing ovation erased all doubts. The world’s first full-length cel animation was a resounding success, redrawing the map of the animation industry.
Disneyland Opens: From “Black Sunday” to Global Icon
On July 17, 1955, the asphalt in Anaheim, California, melted in the heat. Cables from live TV broadcasts tangled underfoot. The day Disneyland opened, chaos reigned—water shortages, stuck high heels, rides breaking down. The press dubbed it Black Sunday.
But within a year, 3.6 million visitors had come. Walt shrugged: “If we fail, let’s fail like a roller coaster—fast and thrilling.”
Soon, Disneyland earned its famous nickname: The Happiest Place on Earth.
Walt Disney World: A Resort That Became a City
On October 1, 1971, Cinderella’s Castle rose over the swamps of Bay Lake, Florida. With the opening of Magic Kingdom, Disney World blurred the lines between resort, city, and living experience.
“Disney World isn’t just a resort—it’s practically its own city,” one early employee said.
The brand now meant not just films, but entire immersive worlds.
Expansion Through Acquisitions
In 1995, Disney shocked Wall Street by announcing a $19 billion acquisition of Capital Cities/ABC, bringing ABC News and ESPN under its umbrella.
“Mickey just walked into television—and sports, too,” remarked one executive.
The playbook was set: expansion through strategic acquisitions.
- 2006 – Pixar ($7.4B)
- 2009 – Marvel ($4B)
- 2012 – Lucasfilm ($4.05B)
- 2019 – 21st Century Fox ($71.3B)
As one content chief said: “We didn’t just buy universes. We stitched them together.”
The Politics of Entertainment: Disney and the PC Debate
Yet alongside success came turbulence. In the 2020s, Disney became a lightning rod for global PC (political correctness) controversies.
- Middle East bans: Eternals (2021) blocked in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait over a same-sex kiss. Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness (2022) faced similar bans. Lightyear (2022) was restricted in more than ten countries. Disney refused to censor, citing creative integrity.
- Asian markets push back: The Little Mermaid (2023) underperformed in China and South Korea amid online racial debates. Earlier, Star Wars: The Force Awakens posters in China drew fire for minimizing Black actor John Boyega.
- Political fallout: Mulan (2020) was boycotted due to the lead actress’s Hong Kong remarks and controversy over filming credits in Xinjiang. In 2023, a Simpsons episode was pulled from Disney+ in Hong Kong over references to forced labor in China.
- U.S. culture wars: The Florida “Don’t Say Gay” law triggered a fierce battle between Disney and state leadership. Lawsuits and political retaliation forced Disney to adopt a strategy of “quieting the noise,” emphasizing trust, age-appropriateness, and diverse storytelling.
Even Disney classics weren’t safe. On Disney+, films like Dumbo and Peter Pan came with warnings about outdated stereotypes—sparking debates about “erasing vs. contextualizing history.”
Snow White and the Modern Dilemma
By 2025, the live-action Snow White encapsulated Disney’s modern dilemma. Casting a Latina actress drew racist backlash. Actor Peter Dinklage criticized the portrayal of dwarfs, sparking debate within the disability community. Photos of “fantastical beings” leaked online, igniting further controversy. Every choice was attacked as either “too politically correct” or “not politically correct enough.”
The film became a test case for how far a global entertainment giant could—or should—go in rewriting its own legacy.
The Future: The Politics of Storytelling
From a tiny office in 1923 to global box office dominance, Disney’s story is not just about animation, theme parks, or acquisitions. It’s about navigating the politics of storytelling in a divided world.
Some days, Disney refuses to cut scenes (Eternals, Lightyear). Other days, it adapts to local laws (The Simpsons in Hong Kong). Some audiences applaud its inclusivity; others resist.
Every decision redraws the cultural map. Every ending credit grows longer—creators, lawyers, local partners, and now, “content advisors.”
As one Disney insider put it:
“The question isn’t just what stories we tell. It’s what stories the world allows us to tell.”
And that, perhaps, is the true politics of entertainment.
