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Why Disney Is Still Successful

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The Walt Disney Corporation is one of the largest, and most continually profitable, entertainment conglomerations in the world. Disney became the juggernaut that it is today because of their ability to foster the imaginations of their employees, and the shrewd business sense of men like Michael Eisner, and Walt Disney himself. There are many entertainment companies that have success that stems from their ability to market their brand to children. Disney's continued domination comes from the knowledge that, to be the most profitable, you must create “timeless family entertainment.”. As Walt Disney said, “Your dead if you aim only for kids. Adults are only kids grown up, anyway.” Walt Disney was a semi-successful cartoonist at a young age when his creation “Oswald, The Lucky Rabbit” became a hit in 1927. However, he was muscled out of the “Oswald” franchise when his distributor hired his animators away from him. Disney was not aware that, according to his contract, he did not own the rights to the cartoon rabbit. Disney made sure that with his next creation, Mickey Mouse, that no one would be able to capitalize on his creative property. He had a profitable swing in 1928 with “Steamboat Willie” and the subsequent licensing of his cartoon's imagery on a pencil box. With the earnings he made, the Disney company had a financial stability it never previously had. This allowed Walt and company to focus on the bigger picture, and the ability to chase more lucrative ventures. Walt and his brother ran the new company different than almost any other organization ever has. There was no boss, there were no titles, it was a group effort from the start. This business model (or lackthereof) enabled every Disney employee to feel free to express their ideas, thus harboring the creativity and imagination that makes the company itself so special. New characters began to emerge,

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