Disney Company Analysis

When Walt Disney opened an amusement park in the middle of Southern California orange groves in 1955, he changed the way that Americans, and the world, viewed such entertainment. Once the domain of carnival hucksters, amusement parks underwent a significant makeover at the hands of the head of the Disney Studios. Through shrewd marketing, including a tie-in to a national television program, Disney successfully marketed Disneyland as a unique entertainment experience and made his theme park world famous. In the mid-1960s, plans were made for a second park, this one located in Florida, which was significant larger than the Anaheim park and which opened in the early 1970s. A third theme park opened in the 1980s in Tokyo, and a fourth in Europe in the early 1990s. The company also operates resorts at each of the theme park sites (with the exception of Tokyo), and is a major supplier of entertainment content (television programs, filmed entertainment, audio/video tapes and Internet content). A cruise line was launched in 1998, and the company owns ABC/Capital Cities television. Having survived significant personnel changes in the early 1990s, including the sudden death of Frank Wells and well-publicized departures of Jeffrey Katzenberg and Michael Ovitz, the company is no longer one which its founder would recognize. This research considers the international theme park operations of the company, with a particular emphasis on the company's operations in Paris.

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nce and brand recognition that is associated with the organization and its products. International Operations On television, Disney now produces first-run animated and live-action syndicated programming including a number of programs which are run on non-Disney-owned channels. Live action programming includes daily talk shows, a weekly motion picture review program, weekly educational programs for children, and a weekly action program. In addition, some primetime programs produced by the company have entered syndication. Some of these programs are also syndicated abroad, including The Disney Club, a weekly series for foreign markets. The Disney Channel, which has approximately 14.5 million subscribers in the United States, is a nationwide premium television service which has also been successful overseas; it premiered in Taiwan in March 1995, and in Europe in October 1995 ("Walt Disney Co. Annual Report," 1999, p. 9). Disney joined the information highway early with one of the most extensive sites on the World Wide Web. With multiple pages featuring articles and pictures of current movies, classic cartoons and activities at theme parks, Disney has taken full advantage of this promotional medium. Since the World Wide Web i

Category: Economics - D