Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Though the Walt Disney Company began as an independent production company producing →  cartoons distributed by other companies, the company has developed into one of the largest entertainment conglomerates in the world (→  Media Conglomerates ). Walt Disney began cartooning in Kansas City with a series called Alice's Wonderland (1923). Not long thereafter he and his brother founded the Walt Disney Studio, in →  Hollywood . In 1927, the company developed an all-animated series called Oswald the Lucky Rabbit . After losing the rights to the character, Walt and his chief animator (→  Animation ), Ub Iwerks, developed Mickey Mouse, who became the firm's staple product. Mickey's cartoons utilized synchronized sound. The company also began producing another series to feature sound and animation innovations. In 1932, the studio produced the first full-color cartoon ( Flowers and Trees ), winning the first →  Academy Award for Best Cartoon. Disney continued to win the award throughout the 1930s and most other years thereafter. Disney also developed merchandising connected to its cartoon characters, beginning with a $300 license to put Mickey Mouse on writing tablets in 1929. Other products quickly followed, including dolls, toys, dishes, etc., generating fresh revenue for new productions. The company expanded into feature-length animation with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), ... log in or subscribe to read full text