The Walt Disney Company

American multinational entertainment conglomerate operating film studios, streaming services, theme parks, and television networks, publicly traded on the NYSE.

Company Type

public

Founded

1923

Headquarters

Burbank, California, USA

Stock

NYSE: DIS

About The Walt Disney Company

Who owns The Walt Disney Company?
Disney is a publicly traded company with no parent company and no controlling shareholder. The company trades on the NYSE under DIS. The largest shareholders are institutional investors including Vanguard and BlackRock, holding shares on behalf of their own clients.

Is Disney publicly traded?
Yes. Disney trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol DIS. The company has been publicly traded since 1957 and is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

What were Disney's Q1 FY2026 results?
For Q1 fiscal 2026 (quarter ended December 27, 2025), Disney reported revenue of $26.0 billion, up 5% year over year. Streaming revenue was $5.35 billion, up 11%, with streaming earnings up over 50%. Sports segment revenue was $4.91 billion, up 1%.

Does Disney own Marvel and Star Wars?
Yes. Disney acquired Marvel Entertainment in 2009 for $4 billion, gaining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012 for $4 billion, gaining the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises.

What streaming services does Disney own?
Disney owns Disney+ (flagship streaming service), Hulu (general entertainment streaming, now integrated with Disney+), ESPN+ (sports streaming), and the new ESPN direct-to-consumer streaming platform launched in 2025.

How many Disney theme parks are there?
Disney operates 12 theme parks across three continents: Disneyland and Disney California Adventure in California; Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Florida; two parks at Disneyland Paris; Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea in Japan; Hong Kong Disneyland; and Shanghai Disneyland in China.

History of The Walt Disney Company

Walt and Roy O. Disney founded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio on October 16, 1923, in Hollywood, California. The company created Mickey Mouse in 1928, who debuted in "Steamboat Willie," one of the first cartoons with synchronized sound. Disney pioneered feature-length animation with "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" in 1937.

Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California in 1955, creating a new form of immersive theme park entertainment. Walt Disney World Resort opened in Orlando, Florida in 1971, five years after Walt Disney's death in 1966. The company acquired Capital Cities/ABC in 1996 for $19 billion, adding ABC and ESPN to its portfolio.

Transformative acquisitions reshaped the company: Pixar Animation Studios (2006, $7.4 billion), Marvel Entertainment (2009, $4 billion), Lucasfilm (2012, $4 billion), and 21st Century Fox entertainment assets (2019, $71.3 billion). Disney launched Disney+ in November 2019, reaching over 100 million subscribers within 16 months.

Bob Chapek replaced Bob Iger as CEO in February 2020. Iger returned as CEO in November 2022 after the Disney board removed Chapek. Under Iger's returned leadership, Disney restructured its operations, reduced content spending, and focused on streaming profitability.

For Q1 FY2026 (quarter ended December 27, 2025), Disney reported revenue of $26.0 billion, up 5% year over year. Streaming revenue was $5.35 billion, up 11%, with streaming earnings up over 50%. ESPN launched its direct-to-consumer streaming platform in 2025, allowing consumers to subscribe directly to ESPN without a cable subscription. Disney began integrating Hulu content into the Disney+ app in 2024, creating a combined streaming experience.

Brands Owned by The Walt Disney Company

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The Walt Disney Company owns 8 brands in our database. Showing featured brands below.