Since Its Founding in 1923, the Walt Disney Company and Its Affiliated
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Since its founding in 1923, The Walt Disney Company and its affiliated companies have remained faithful to their commitment to produce unparalleled entertainment experiences based on the rich legacy of quality creative content and exceptional storytelling. The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise with four business segments: media networks, parks and resorts, studio entertainment and consumer products. The Walt Disney Studios The Walt Disney Studios is the foundation on which Disney was built, and at its heart are world- renowned animated features and live-action motion pictures. With the creation of Mickey Mouse and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the world's first full-length animated feature, the Disney name quickly became synonymous with quality entertainment for the whole family. The Walt Disney Studios distributes motion pictures under Walt Disney Pictures - which includes Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios and DisneyToon Studios - Touchstone Pictures, Hollywood Pictures and Miramax Films. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International serves as the studio's international distribution arm. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment distributes Disney and other film titles to the rental and sell-through home entertainment markets worldwide. Disney Theatrical Productions,one of the largest producers of Broadway musicals, also includes Disney Live Family Entertainment and Disney on Ice. Disney Music Group distributes original music and motion picture soundtracks under Walt Disney Records, Hollywood Records, and Lyric Street Records. Advancing its strategy of developing outstanding creative content, Disney acquired renowned computer animation leader Pixar in an all-stock transaction completed in May 2006. In February 2007, The Walt Disney Studios joined forces with Academy Award-winning director Robert Zemeckis and his ImageMovers partners/producers Jack Rapke and Steve Starkey to form ImageMovers Digital, a new state of the art studio devoted exclusively to the production of performance capture projects. Parks and Resorts Disney's Parks and Resorts is not just home to Disney's beloved characters but the place "Where Dreams Come True." The segment traces its roots to 1952, when Walt Disney formed what is today known as Walt Disney Imagineering to build Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California. Since then, Parks and Resorts has grown to encompass the world-class Disney Cruise Line, eight Disney Vacation Club resorts (with more than 100,000 members), Adventures by Disney (immersive Disney-guided travel around the world), and five resort locations (encompassing 11 theme parks, including some owned or co-owned by independent entities) on three continents: Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, California Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Florida Tokyo Disney Resort, Urayasu, Chiba Disneyland Resort Paris, Marne La Valle, France Hong Kong Disneyland, Penny's Bay, Lantau Island Wherever the Guest experience takes place in our parks, on the high seas, on a guided tour of exotic locales, through our vacation ownership program -- we remain dedicated to the promise that our Cast members turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. Making dreams come true every day is central to our global growth strategy. Disney Consumer Products Disney merchandising began in 1929 when Walt Disney was approached by a businessman interested in placing Mickey Mouse on the cover of a children's writing tablet. Disney Consumer Products and affiliates (DCP) extend the Disney brand to merchandise ranging from apparel, toys, home décor and books and magazines to interactive games, foods and beverages, stationery, electronics and fine art. This is accomplished through DCP's various lines of business which include: Disney Toys, Disney Apparel, Accessories & Footwear, Disney Food, Health & Beauty, Disney Home and Disney Stationery. Disney Publishing Worldwide (DPW) is the world's largest publisher of children¶s books and magazines, reaching more than 100 million readers each month in 75 countries. Disney's imprints include Disney Libri, Hyperion Books for Children, Jump at the Sun, Disney Press, and Disney Editions. Other businesses involved in Disney's consumer products sales are disneystore.com, the company's official shopping portal and the Disney stores retail chain. The Disney stores retail chain, which debuted in 1987, is owned and operated by an unaffiliated third party in Japan under a license agreement with The Walt Disney Company. Disney owns and operates the Disney Store chain in North America and Europe. Media Networks Media Networks comprise a vast array of broadcast, cable, radio, publishing and Internet businesses. Key areas include: Disney-ABC Television Group, ESPN Inc., Walt Disney Internet Group, ABC owned television stations, and a supporting headquarters group. Marketing, research, sales and communications functions also exist within the segment. The Disney-ABC Television Group is home to all of Disney's worldwide entertainment and news television properties. The Group includes the ABC Television Network (including ABC Daytime, ABC Entertainment Group and ABC News divisions); the Disney Channels Worldwide global kids' TV business, ABC Family and SOAPnet; as well as television distribution divisions Disney-ABC Domestic Television and Disney-ABC ESPN Television. The Disney-ABC Television Group also manages the Radio Disney Network, general interest and non-fiction book imprint Hyperion, as well the Company's equity interest in A&E Television Networks. ESPN, Inc., The Worldwide Leader in Sports, is the leading multinational, multimedia sports entertainment company featuring the broadest portfolio of multimedia sports assets with over 50 business entities. Sports media assets include ESPN on ABC, six domestic cable television networks (ESPN, launched in 1979; ESPN2; ESPN Classic; ESPNEWS; ESPN Deportes; ESPNU), ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD (high-definition simulcast services of ESPN and ESPN2, respectively), ESPN Regional Television, ESPN International (31 international networks and syndication), ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN Enterprises, ESPN Zones (sports-themed restaurants licensed by ESPN), and other growing new businesses including ESPN360.com (Broadband), ESPN Mobile Properties (wireless), ESPN On Demand, ESPN Interactive and ESPN PPV. Based in Bristol, Ct., ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc., which is an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. The Hearst Corporation holds a 20 percent interest in ESPN. About Disney Interactive Media Group The Disney Interactive Media Group (DIMG) is a segment of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) responsible for the creation and delivery of Disney branded interactive entertainment and informational content across multiple platforms including online, mobile and video game consoles around the globe. DIMG core businesses include Disney Interactive Studios, which self publishes and distributes a broad portfolio of multi-platform video games, mobile games and interactive entertainment worldwide; and Disney Online, which produces the No. 1 Community-Family & Parenting Web site and an industry-leading suite of online virtual worlds for kids and families. 1 Since this is an integrated website, which includes references to The Walt Disney Company and/or its affiliated entities, "Disney" or the "Company" means, as appropriate, either The Walt Disney Company and/or one or more of its affiliated companies. Strengths It is the largest media and entertainment company in the world. It has become one of the biggest Hollywood studios. Disney Company owns 11 theme parks and several channels. Disney employees 150,000 people. Innovative ideas Global standardization It is among the popular brand names in the world. It has well established divisions Walt Disney Studio Entertainment, Disney-ABC Television Group, Disney Interactive Media Group, Disney Consumer Products, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Disney Interactive Studios. Increasing trends in overall revenues and profits. Disney holds US$ 62.497 billion of assets. Popular characters High brand awareness among the people. Differentiation The Walt Disney logo is famous. Walt Disney was ranked 8th in the Top 100 Global Brands. Weaknesses High operating cost Frequent change in top management The $1.8 Billion park have only 16 attractions. Religious welfare group protest against the release of material which was found offensive by many people. Poor working conditions in factories that produce their merchandise. Disney was also criticized by animal welfare group for their caring procedure for animals at Disney¶s Animal Kingdom theme Park. Poor management. Disney has been blamed of having sexual implication or references concealed in some of their animated movies, including The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and Disney¶s original releases of The Rescuers. High investment with high risk involved. Continuous innovative ideas are required to retain the attention of customers. Limited range of target audience mainly Children. Email this article Printer friendly page 5 Secrets to Walt Disney World's Success By Abbie Drew May 11, 2006 Wow! Last week, I had the pleasure of taking a little time off for a vacation. My family and I went to Orlando, FL and yes, of course, we visited Walt Disney World. If you͛ve been reading DEMC for a while, you know this was not my first trip