Walt Disney

As a child I used to regularly watch Disney movies every night with my older sister,
we usedto watch mainly The Lion King, Cats in the Top, The Gungle Book,
Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast and more..
The Disney movies shaped my childhood and contributed a lot to my creativity, imagination, upbringing and my connection with my sister .
Disney movies leave me with a good and sweet memory and I am sure that in the future I will show them to my children.
To this day, I occasionally watch these movies. I am happy for the privilege I had to watch these film.

Additionally
About two years ago I went to a unique concert of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
in a live concert where they played excerpts from "Disney's Fantasy", 
with my sister and friends and there we listened and watched
the concert while watching video clips from Disney's famous animated films.

Disney's "Fantasy" movie - screening with the Israel Philharmonic in a live concert
Conducted by Lahav Shani

The Israel Philharmonic presents selected excerpts from two one-of-a-kind and ground-breaking films by Disney Studios - "Fantasia" (1940) and "Fantasia 2000" in a live concert.
Excerpts from the two iconic films will be projected on a huge screen in high resolution,
while the orchestra will play under the baton of Lahav Shani a selection of classical pieces from the "Pastoral" symphony by Beethoven,
"Moonlight" by Debussy, "Dance of the Hours" by Funkiali, "Majesty and Glory" by Elgar, "Orni Roma" by Respighi, "The Magician's Apprentice" by Dika and more.

https://youtu.be/CcNOm7eqW7I

The Walt Disney Company is an American multinational mass media corporation headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, United States. Walt Disney is the second largest broadcasting and cable corporation in the world in the field, after Comcast Corporation (owners of Universal Studios, DreamWorks and the NBC network). Walt Disney Studios was founded on October 16, 1923 by Walt Disney and his brother Roy Disney under the name Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, and established itself as a leading studio in the diverse animation industry in America due to the large variety of films. He produced, distributed in Israel, broad genres, television productions as well as amusement parks with corporate figures all over the world.

The corporation operated for years under the name Walt Disney Studios and a few years later under the name Walt Disney Productions in 1986 it was changed to its current name, and at the same time the activity was expanded by establishing new divisions and departments that focused on film, radio, music, advertising and publishing, as well as digital media. In addition, Disney created new business departments in order to market the content directed to a more mature audience, especially one that was identified with the company’s flagship brands.

Walt Disney is best known for the films and productions of his film studios, Walt Disney Studios, which today is one of the largest and most well-known studios in Hollywood. Disney also owns and operates the ABC television network; operates several cable TV channels, including the Disney Channel, ESPN, and Freeform; including marketing, advertising and distribution departments; and also operates and owns the rights and licenses for 14 theme parks around the world, through the subsidiary corporation Parks and Resorts of the Walt Disney Company, in addition to owning a successful music division. As of May 6, 1991, Walt Disney stock is one of the stocks that make up the Dow Jones index. The well-known character created by Walt Disney at the beginning of his career, Mickey Mouse, is the official symbol of the corporation.

1934–1945: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and World War II In light of the decision to develop animation films and technology, Disney began producing the first full-length animated film in 1934. After 3 years of production, the film “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” premiered in December 1937 and became the most successful film at the same time. The film was distributed by the RKO company that distributed Disney films starting in July 1937, after United Artists tried to obtain the broadcast rights to the Disney shorts. The studios continued to make feature films, including “Pinocchio” (1940), “Fantasia” (1940), “Dumbo the Flying Elephant” (1941) and “Bambi” (1942). After the outbreak of World War II, the rations from the films decreased. When the United States entered the war after the attack on Pearl Harbor, many of Disney’s animators were drafted into the United States Army. The governments of the United States and Canada were invited to the company’s studios to produce training and propaganda films. By 1942, 90% of all the company’s employees (who were then about 550) worked on films related to the war. Films “Victory Through Air Power” and “Education for Death” were created to increase support as in the great war effort. The characters of the studios also joined the fight, such as Donald Duck who appeared in short propaganda films, including the Oscar-winning film, “The Face of the Fuehrer” (1943).

1955–1965: DisneylandIn 1954, Walt Disney used the series “The Wonderful World of Disney” to unveil what would become Disneyland, an idea he conceived out of the desire to build a place where parents and children could enjoy together. On July 18, 1955, Walt Disney opened the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California to the public. On July 17, 1955, Disneyland Park was shown on live television sponsored by Ronald Reagan. After an inauspicious beginning, Disneyland grew and attracted visitors from all over the United States and the world. In 1959, the monorail train (“Monorail System”) was added to the park, which was the first train of its kind in America.

Disney’s film studios remained busy and successful, with an average of 6 productions produced each year during that time. While the production of short films slowed significantly during the 1950s and 1960s, the studio released several full-length animated films, including Beauty and the Beast (1955), Sleeping Beauty (1959) and 101 Dalmatians (1961). , created using innovative photocopiers in order to transfer the creative process through paintings to the innovation of the machines.[12] The live-action films created by Disney were spread across several genres, including historical fiction (“Johnny Tremaine”, 1957), adaptations of children’s books (“Pollyanna”, 1960) and modern comedies (“The Taming of the Shrew” , 1959). Disney’s most successful film in the 1960s was the film “Mary Poppins” which combined live actors and animation and was based on the plot of the book of the same name. The film was the highest-grossing film at the time, and won five Academy Awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actress, which went to Julie Andrews for her performance. The design and architecture group for Disney’s theme parks became an integral part of the studio’s operations, and Walt Disney Studios bought it on February 5, 1965, changing its name to “Walt Disney Imagineering”

1966–1971: Death of Walt and Roy Disney On December 5, 1966, Walt Disney died due to complications related to lung cancer, and Roy Disney replaced him as chairman, CEO and president of the company. One of his first actions was to change the name of the park ( which was then still under planning and construction) from “Disney World” to “Walt Disney World”, as a sign of respect for his brother and his vision.

On October 1, 1971, Walt Disney World opened to the general public, and Roy Disney later that month inaugurated the park. On December 20, 1971, Roy Disney died of a stroke, and the company was transferred to the management of Don Tatum, Card Walker and Walt’s son-in-law – Ron Miller, whom Walt and Roy taught how to run the company and make films.

In 1967, the last two films that Walt created were released, the first being the animated film The Jungle Book and the second being The Happiest Millionaire. The studios released several comedies in the late 1960s, including The Naughty Beetle (the highest-grossing film of 1969) and The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, also released in 1969 and starring actor Kurt Russell. The 1970s opened with the release of the first animated film not under Walt’s supervision, Cats on Top, followed by the musical fantasy film The Flying Bed released in 1971.

The movie “The Ghost of Blackbeard” (based on the character of Blackbeard), was also very successful at that time.

Criticism of Disney’s work Despite the enduring popularity of Disney films, some critics argue that some of the classic works perpetuate traditional gender roles. The princesses that appear in Disney movies tend to be passive, and often engage in housework. Many times their goal is to find a man and get married. In contrast, men in authoritative roles are portrayed as competitive and brave, even though they tend to appear for a relatively short time on screen. Some studies have claimed that the Disney princesses are a primary socializing model in the lives of young girls. In addition, there were various reviews of some of the Disney films that presented racist stereotypes according to the critics. The most prominent example was the 1946 film Song of the South, which was based on African-American folklore, and received angry reviews, resulting in the company boycotting it since the 1980s.

2022-present: The return of Bob IgerOn November 20, 2022, the Walt Disney Company unexpectedly announced that Chapek had finished his position, and Bob Iger returned to serve as the company’s CEO.  In February 2023, Disney announced that it would cut $5.5 billion in costs, including the elimination of 7,000 jobs representing 3% of its workforce. Disney plans to reorganize into three divisions: Entertainment, ESPN and Parks, Experiences and Products.

In 2023, Disney began its “100 Years of Wonder” campaign in celebration of the company’s centennial. This included a new animated logo centennial opening for the Walt Disney Division, an exhibit, special events at the parks, and a well-received commemorative commercial that aired during Super Bowl LVII.