The Walt Disney Company

Walt Disney was fired from his job at the Kansas City Star newspaper in 1919 because his editor felt he "lacked imagination and had no good ideas." He subsequently started an animation company in Kansas City — Laugh-O-Gram Studios — which went bankrupt. In 1923, he moved to Hollywood with $40 in his pocket and founded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio with his brother Roy. His first successful character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, was created in 1927 — and promptly stolen by his distributor, who owned the rights.

Having lost Oswald, Disney created a replacement character on the train back to California from New York. He originally named the mouse Mortimer; his wife Lillian suggested Mickey. Steamboat Willie, released in November 1928, was the first cartoon with synchronised sound — Mickey Mouse whistling and playing instruments while navigating a steamboat. The film was a sensation. Mickey Mouse became the most recognisable fictional character in history. Disney later said: "I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing — that it was all started by a mouse."

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, released in December 1937, was the world's first feature-length animated film. The Hollywood establishment called it "Disney's Folly" — certain that audiences would not watch a 83-minute animated movie. The film cost $1.4 million — an enormous sum that Disney had to mortgage his house to help finance. Snow White grossed $8 million in its initial release, saving the studio from bankruptcy and establishing animation as a legitimate art form. It remains one of the most important films ever made.

Walt Disney opened Disneyland in Anaheim, California on July 17, 1955. Opening day was a disaster: the asphalt on the main street was so fresh that women's heels sank into it; counterfeit tickets were rampant; and a gas leak forced the closure of Fantasyland. Disney reportedly called it "Black Sunday." Within a year, Disneyland had welcomed one million visitors. The concept of the themed entertainment park — where every detail contributed to an immersive experience — had no precedent. It became the most influential entertainment concept of the twentieth century.

Disney acquired Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion in 2009 and Lucasfilm — the Star Wars franchise — for $4.05 billion in 2012. The acquisitions gave Disney ownership of two of the most valuable entertainment franchises in history. The Marvel Cinematic Universe became the highest-grossing film franchise of all time, generating over $30 billion in box office revenue. The company that Walt Disney had started with $40 and a mouse drawing on a train had become the most powerful entertainment company in human history.