Disney Experiences

History

Originally, entry into the theme park and travel business was a side project of Walt Disney himself. As the Disneylandia project started to become a reality, Walt Disney Productions at Walt's request set up Disneyland, Inc. (DLI) in 1951 and agreed to a design deal in March 1953 with WED Enterprises (WED), Walt's personal corporation, which then included what would now be called Walt Disney Imagineering. With the WED concept designs and prospectus for Disneylandia, Roy Disney in September 1953 met with TV networks in a deal for Disney-produced TV show and Disneyland investment. American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres (AB-PT) agreed to the Disneyland, Inc. investment. Joining AB-PT as Disneyland investors were Walt Disney Productions (WDP), Western Publishing and Walt Disney. Walt Disney Productions had the option to repurchase the Walt Disney, WED and Western Publishing shares (31%) by May 1, 1959, for $562,500.

With a need for the Disneyland Hotel nearby and no funding available for Disney to build it, Walt Disney approached Jack Wrather to build the hotel who agreed.

Disneyland, changed from Disneylandia, was announced in April 1954 by Walt to be opened in July 1955. On July 17, 1955, the Disneyland park opened with five themed "lands" containing eighteen attractions with double the expected guests. WED owned Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad opened, too.

On June 29, 1957, Disney Production exercised its options to purchase all but AB-PT's common stock outstanding. This allowed WDP to consolidate DLI into its 1957 annual accounting statements adding four months' worth of net profits, $511K. In June 1960, Walt Disney Productions completed the purchase of AB-PT's share of the company for nearly $7.5 million and its TV contract, and the theme park became a fully owned subsidiary of Walt Disney Productions.

Beginning in 1958 with the contracting of Economics Research Associates (ERA) to find a location for another Disney resort, Disney Productions moved beyond a single park. ERA recommended Florida; another study in 1961 named Ocala or Orlando in Florida as possible locations. In November 1963, Walt Disney made a trip to Florida for final site selection.:333, 334 In 1962, Disney Productions purchased Celebrity Sports Center (opened on September 17, 1960, in Denver, Colorado) from its owners, including Walt Disney, Art Linkletter, and John Payne, to use as a staff training center for its second resort. In 1963, Roy made plans to buy from 5,000 to 10,000 acres (2,000 to 4,000 ha), which was carried out in 1964, amassing 27,443 acres (11,106 ha) by October 1965. Plans for the Florida project that would eventually become Walt Disney World were announced to the public in November 1965. Legislation forming the Reedy Creek Improvement District, the Reedy Creek Improvement Act, was signed into law by Florida Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. on May 12, 1967, allowing Disney to build the infrastructure for the second park. Ground breaking followed for the future Reedy Creek park on May 30. In Roy O. Disney's last act as CEO in 1968, he officially named the second park Walt Disney World.:357

Walt Disney Outdoor Recreation Division

With the retirement of Donn Tatum as Walt Disney Productions' Chairman and CEO on June 3, 1980, three divisions were formed, including the Walt Disney Outdoor Recreation Division, of which Disney Legend Dick Nunis was named division president. Disneyland started using Disney Dollars on May 5, 1987, while Walt Disney World parks started with Epcot on October 2. A renegotiated Disneyland Japan royalty agreement in April 1988 by Chief Financial Officer Gary L. Wilson netted Disney US$723 million in cash in exchange for lower royalty payments.

The steam railroad and monorail at Disneyland were purchased from Retlaw Enterprises, formerly WED Enterprises, in 1982. Bear Country was renamed Critter Country on November 23, 1988.

Tishman Company's plans for two Walt Disney World hotels were rejected by the new CEO Michael Eisner on September 30, 1984, marking a change in Disney architecture. New plans for the Dolphin and Swan hotels were submitted by Michael Graves in July 1986; ground breaking took place on January 28, 1988. The first non-Disney owned hotel, Pickett Suite Resort, opened in Disney World Village on March 15, 1987.

On June 1, 1982, the Walt Disney World monorail line was extended to EPCOT Center from the Transportation and Ticket Center.:338 The EPCOT Center theme park opened on October 1, 1982, at a building cost of US$1.2 billion, with two areas, Future World and World Showcase.:272

Plans for a Hollywood-style theme park were announced in April 1985 for the Walt Disney World resort at a project cost of US$300 million. In April 1985, Disney signed a licensing agreement with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), giving Disney the right to use the MGM name, logo and movie library for this third park. Construction of the Disney-MGM Studios theme park began in 1986. Disney-MGM Studios opened on May 1, 1989, along with a Pleasure Island entertainment area; its second water park, Disney's Typhoon Lagoon, opened on June 1. In 1983, Walt Disney World Village's name was changed to the Disney Village Marketplace. A new themed area, Mickey's Birthdayland, opened in the Magic Kingdom near Fantasyland on June 18, 1988.

In 1987, Disney and Ron Brierley's Industrial Equity (Pacific) Ltd., already a 28% owner of the Wrather Corporation, agreed to purchase the remaining Wrather Corporation stock with a 50% share each. Wrather Corporation owned the Disneyland Hotel and operated the Queen Mary and Spruce Goose tourist attractions. In March 1988, Disney purchased Industrial Equity's half of Wrather Corporation.

Walt Disney Attractions

The Walt Disney Outdoor Recreation Division was incorporated as Walt Disney Attractions, Inc. on August 10, 1989. In January 1990, Disney CEO Eisner announced plans to expand both Disneyland (by 20% in 10 years) and Walt Disney World (WDW). The plan would have WDW add another theme park and 16 new attractions in Disney-MGM Studios. Disney and The Coca-Cola Company agreed to a 15-year marketing contract on January 25: Coca-Cola products would be exclusive in Disney theme parks, and Coca-Cola would use some Disney characters in their ads. On March 16, 1990, Attractions president Nunis announced a 25-year plan for a 4,400-acre (1,800 ha) development in Osceola, Florida, with homes, shopping malls and industrial buildings.

In 1990, the possibility of a West Coast version of Epcot Center was placed in development. This was announced as WestCOT in 1991, to be placed at the Disneyland Resort. On July 31, 1990, a new 350-acre (140 ha) ocean-themed park and resort, Port Disney, was announced for Long Beach. Port was to have a cruise-ship terminal, five hotels, restaurants, and shopping areas, costing $2 billion to build. On December 12, 1991, Disney selected only one California project to go forward with, Disneyland Resort, which was to include the WestCOT Center, hotels, a shopping mall, and a lake. Port Disney was abandoned in March 1992, and Disney canceled its leases on the Queen Mary and Spruce Goose attractions picked up from the Wrather Corporation. Mickey's Toontown, a new themed land at Disneyland, opened on January 24, 1993. Disney canceled its plans for WestCOT in mid-1995 due to financial issues at Disneyland Paris and the park's projected high cost. That park was then replaced by plans for the California Adventure park, hotels, and a retail district.

At Walt Disney World, Mickey's Birthdayland closed on April 22, 1991, then reopened on May 26 as Mickey's Starland.324, 329, 333 In order to expand Disney World on wetland, on April 23, 1993, the company agreed to form an 8,500-acre (3,400 ha) wilderness preserve in Florida, known as the Disney Wilderness Preserve. The Disney Inn hotel was leased starting February 1, 1994, by the US Army, then purchased on January 12, 1996, and later renamed Shades of Green.130 Planet Hollywood opened a location in Pleasure Island on December 17, 1994. The third water park at Walt Disney World, Disney's Blizzard Beach, opened on April 1, 1995. The Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland was completely refurbished and reopened in June 1995. Taking up a corner of the Magic Kingdom parking lot, the Walt Disney World Speedway opened on November 28, 1995. In 1996, the Disney Institute opened on February 9, and Disney's BoardWalk opened on July 1. The first of the World of Disney stores opened in the Disney Village Marketplace on October 3. The Downtown Disney district opened in November 1997, combining Disney Village Marketplace and Pleasure Island. A fourth theme park, Disney's Animal Kingdom, opened at Disney World the week of April 20, 1998.

Disney Destinations

Walt Disney Attractions, LLC changed its name to Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, LLC on April 14, 2000, then to Disney Destinations, LLC on April 25, 2006. Tokyo DisneySea at Tokyo Disney Resort opened on September 4, 2001. The Walt Disney Company in selling its Japanese and US chains decided to keep the Disney Stores in Europe, along with the store in Manhattan, which was converted into a World of Disney store run by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts in 2004.

Downtown Disney opened at the Disneyland Resort on January 12, 2001, between Disneyland and the future California Adventure. Disney California Adventure opened at the Disneyland Resort on February 8, 2001, with three major areas: Paradise Pier, Hollywood Pictures Backlot, and the Golden State. In California Adventure on October 6, 2002, A Bug's Land area opened. Parks and Resorts chairman Jay Rasulo announced at Disney's D23 Expo in Anaheim, California on September 12, 2009, that Walt Disney World's Fantasyland would be overhauled and increased in size by 2013. A $1 billion expansion/renovation of Disney California Adventure was announced in 2007 to be completed by 2012.

River Country water park closed on November 2, 2001. Disney-MGM Studios is renamed Disney's Hollywood Studios in January 2008. Pleasure Island's core remaining six nightclubs were closed down in late 2008 to change the area to match the family friendly make-up of the other two sections of Downtown Disney at Disney World.

Walt Disney Studios Park opened March 16, 2002, as the second theme park at the renamed Disneyland Resort Paris. The first park was renamed Disneyland Park (DLP). DLP Paris opened Toy Story Playland in August 2000 with three attractions.

Construction on Hong Kong Disneyland began on January 12, 2003, then opened September 12, 2005. Groundbreaking occurred at Hong Kong Disneyland in December 2009 for a three land expansion: Mystic Point, Grizzly Gulch, and Toy Story Land.

In June 2005, Disney Magic made the first cruise outside of the Caribbean, by moving its port for the summer to Los Angeles with a Mexican Riviera schedule. Disney Cruise Line ordered a new 2 ships class from Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany by February 22, 2007. The Magic in May 2007 transferred its homeport to Barcelona, Spain, for the lines' first summer Mediterranean itinerary then returned to its permanent port in September.

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. was incorporated on September 29, 2008, and took over the parks and resorts business segment. Disney Parks and Resorts reorganized in early 2009 which included layoffs in all units due to recession-induced falling attendance. 600 U.S. managers in January were offered buyout packages. Worldwide Operations was formed under President Al Weiss in 2009. Worldwide Operations would take over various back-office functions previously performed by both Disney World and Disneyland including training, procurement, menu planning, and merchandise development, while its Walt Disney Imagineering subsidiary combined its three development units.

In November 2009, Disney received approval from the Chinese government to build a Disneyland resort in Shanghai's Pudong district. The resort opened on June 16, 2016.

California Adventure completed its overhaul in 2012 adding two new lands: Cars Land and Buena Vista Street. The overhaul also included a re-theme of several attractions plus a pair of classic dark rides. In July 2017, it was announced that Paradise Pier land would be replaced by Pixar Pier, with four neighborhoods, and the remainder not in Pixar Pier would be replaced by Paradise Park. Pixar Pier opened on June 23, 2018.

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, a 14-acre (5.7 ha) themed land for both Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios was announced at the D23 Expo on August 15, 2015. Construction began at both locations on April 14, 2016. The lands at both parks opened in 2019.

The New Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom opened on December 6, 2012. It is the biggest upgrade to the theme park since its opening in 1971. Announced along with its new Star Wars Land expansion at the D23 Expo on August 15, 2015, Hollywood Studios was slated to have a version of Toy Story Land.

Holz became president of New Vacation Operations of Parks & Resorts reporting to Al Weiss, president of worldwide operations for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. by April 2008. In February 2009, Holz returned to the presidency of Disney Cruise Line in addition to his continuing as head of New Vacation Operations, which was primarily Adventures by Disney. As an extension of the "One Disney" initiative and the resignation of Weiss, Disney Vacation Club was added to New Vacation Operations. While Holz and Meg Crofton joined Disney Parks and Resorts executive committee in July 2011. At that time, Crofton was transferred from Disney World president to president of operations in the U.S. and France, a new positions.

Disney Parks, Experiences and Products

As part of the Walt Disney Company's March 2018 strategic reorganization, Disney Consumer Products, and Interactive Media was merged into the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts segment and renamed Walt Disney Parks, Experiences and Consumer Products. Parks and Resorts Chairman Bob Chapek was named chairman of this new segment, who also previously served as head of Disney Consumer Products. At the time, the Consumer Products chairman position was vacant, as its former holder, James Pitaro, had been recently appointed as the new head of ESPN and co-chair of Disney Media Networks.

In March 2018, a Disney Parks West regional division was formed with Disneyland Resort in California, Walt Disney World in Florida, and Disneyland Paris under Catherine Powell, outgoing Disneyland Paris president. This mirrors the Disney Parks East regional division consisting of Shanghai Disney Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland and Walt Disney Attractions Japan and headed by Michael Colglazier. Imagineering was expected to take on the development of merchandise, games, publishing, and apps. Paul Gainer moved up from Disney Retail head to head up the new Global Product Management and Distribution unit, which includes Disney Retail, Global Licensing, and digital guest experience.

New Vacation Operations and Disney Cruise Line division was renamed Disney Signature Experiences along with a new president, Jeff Vahle, for the division in April 2018. On January 1, 2019, Walt Disney Parks, Experiences and Consumer Products changed its name to Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. Disney Cruise Line purchased in early March 2019 another Bahamas destination, the Lighthouse Point property on the island of Eleuthera. In July 2019, Disney denied reports of plans to launch its own airline with the purchase of small regional airlines in the United States.

With the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by August 2019, National Geographic Partners' non-TV operations were transferred into its Disney counterpart with NG Media and National Geographic Expeditions moving to the segment's units, Disney Publishing Worldwide and Disney Signature Experiences, respectively.

Powell supervised the two Star Wars-themed land, Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, openings in May at Disneyland and August 2019 in Disney's Hollywood Studios. However, initial numbers showed an attendance dropped instead of the boost such an opening should have generated. In late September, Powell left the company with the Parks West regional division being dissolved, thus having those resorts' executives directly report to chairman Chapek. He denied that Powell was let go because of the low attendance issue from Galaxy's Edge, but instead, Powell's position was a temporary one to allow Chapek to focus on the acquisition of 21st Century Fox.

Disney Experiences

On November 16, 2023, the division was renamed Disney Experiences.

On August 10, 2024, D'Amaro hosted a Disney Experiences Showcase at Honda Center as part of D23: The Ultimate Fan Event (formerly D23 Expo), in which he revealed how Disney Experiences planned to invest $60 billion over the next decade in adding new and improved attractions to its parks. He brought out All-4-One to sing "I Swear" to celebrate Disney's announcement that they will build four more cruise ships on top of four already under construction, bringing its fleet to a total of 13 by 2031.

Disney executives did not address the increasing ticket prices at Disney parks over the preceding decade during the event. The pricing changes had rendered Disney theme parks largely inaccessible to most middle class consumers because the cost of one day and one night at a Disney theme park was now higher than what many people spend on vacation in an entire year. On August 16, D'Amaro responded to such criticism by stressing the broad range of Disney's ticket pricing and options and explaining that the company would "provide as much access and flexibility as we possibly can, so as many of our fans can experience these things as possible".

Leadership

Thomas Mazloum, Chairman

Lisa Baldzicki, President, Disney Consumer Products

Jill Estorino, President, Disneyland Resort

Tasia Filippatos, President & Managing Director, Disney Parks International

Andrew Bolstein, President and General Manager, Shanghai Disney Resort

Clark Jones, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Walt Disney Attractions Japan

Christophe Murphy, President, Disneyland Paris

Tim Sypko, President and Managing Director, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort

Tami Garcia, Executive Vice President, People & Culture

Alannah Hall-Smith, Executive Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs

Scott Hudgins, Executive Vice President, Commercial & Marketing Strategy

Tommy Jones, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Safety, Health, Engineering & Sourcing

Douglas Leckie, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer

Michael Moriarty, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Matt Penarczyk, General Counsel

Ken Potrock, President, Major Events Integration

Current theme parks

Disneyland Resort

The Disneyland Resort was founded as a single park, Disneyland, and opened on July 17, 1955, in Anaheim, California. Disneyland Hotel opened to the public on October 5, 1955. In 2001, the site expanded significantly and was renamed the Disneyland Resort with the opening of a second theme park, Disney California Adventure, three hotels, and the Downtown Disney retail, dining, and entertainment complex. Disneyland was re-branded Disneyland Park to distinguish it from the larger 500-acre (2.0 km2) resort complex.

Walt Disney World Resort

The Walt Disney World resort opened October 1, 1971, in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, with the Magic Kingdom theme park and three resort hotels. It expanded with the opening of the theme parks Epcot in 1982, Disney's Hollywood Studios in 1989 and Disney's Animal Kingdom in 1998, in addition to the water parks Disney's Typhoon Lagoon in 1989 and Disney's Blizzard Beach in 1995. In addition the resort includes the Disney Springs retail, dining, and entertainment complex. The resort occupies 27,258 acres (11,031 ha) overall, the largest (by area) and most-visited vacation resort in the world, with four theme parks, two water parks, 21 resort hotels, eight golf courses, the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and additional recreational activities.

Tokyo Disney Resort

Tokyo Disney Resort, in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, opened April 15, 1983, as Tokyo Disneyland. On September 4, 2001, the resort expanded with second theme park Tokyo DisneySea. The resort includes six Disney hotels and several non-Disney hotels along with the Ikspiari retail, dining, and entertainment complex. Designed by Walt Disney Imagineering, the resort is fully owned and operated by The Oriental Land Company under license with the Walt Disney Company. Disney oversees all aspects of the resort and assigns Imagineers to it.

Disneyland Paris

Disneyland Paris opened on April 12, 1992 as Euro Disney Resort. Located in Marne-la-Vallée in the suburbs of Paris, France, it features two theme parks, Disneyland Park and Disney Adventure World, the Disney Village entertainment complex, and seven Disney resort hotels, over 4,940 acres (20.0 km2). It is the only resort outside the United States fully owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company.

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort opened September 12, 2005. The resort is located in Penny's Bay. The resort consists of Hong Kong Disneyland theme park, Inspiration Lake Recreation Centre, and three hotels, with land reserved for future expansion. It is owned and operated by Hong Kong International Theme Parks, a joint venture of the Walt Disney Company (48% ownership) and the Government of Hong Kong (52% ownership). The first phase of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort occupies 320 acres (1.3 km2).

Shanghai Disney Resort

Shanghai Disney Resort opened on June 16, 2016. The resort is located in the city's Pudong district and has one theme park, two resort hotels, Shanghai Disneyland, and the Disneytown entertainment complex. It is owned and operated by Shanghai International Theme Park Company, a joint venture of the Walt Disney Company (43% ownership) and the Shanghai Shendi Group (57% ownership).

Future theme parks and experiences

Disneyland Abu Dhabi

In May 2025, Disney announced that they will develop a theme park and resort with Miral Group on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Similarly to Tokyo Disney Resort, the resort will be designed by Walt Disney Imagineering and owned and operated by Miral, under license with the Walt Disney Company.

Training

Each new employee ("cast member") at a Disney theme park is trained at a Disney University, founded by Walt Disney in 1955. Before training specific to the work they will perform, each employee attends the "Disney Traditions" course where they learn about the philosophies and history of Disney's guest services.

Abandoned and misreported concepts

Disney had plans to build Walt Disney's Riverfront Square in St. Louis, but canceled the project in July 1965.

In the 1960s, Disney initiated a plan for a ski resort at Mineral King in California. Opposition from environmental groups led by the Sierra Club led to a temporary court injunction in 1969 and legal battles through the 1970s. The project's planning and scale changed multiple times, and in 1978, Mineral King was annexed into Sequoia National Park, ending any possibility of developing a resort there.

Disney had plans to build a park named Disney's America in Haymarket, Virginia, but abandoned the idea in 1994. On September 28, 1994, Michael Eisner announced Disney was canceling its plans after a national media fight with Protect Historic America, and aggressive local opposition in Virginia from Protect Prince William and other citizen groups.

Disney had plans to build a smaller Disneyland-style theme park in Sydney, Australia, between 2007 and 2008, with the proposed name "Disney Wharf at Sydney Harbour", but the concept was abandoned due to mixed responses in the New South Wales Government.

In early January 2011, conflicting reports emerged regarding Disney's involvement in a proposed entertainment complex in Haifa, Israel, whose plans include a small (30,000 square meter) amusement park scheduled to open in 2013. The project was set to be partially funded by Shamrock Holdings, a Disney-affiliated investment firm. In the wake of reports from Israeli business newspaper, Globes and industry newswire Amusement Management that Disney itself would be involved in the project's development, a spokesperson for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts clarified to Fast Company that Disney did not have any plans to be involved in the building of the park.

Disney intellectual properties outside Disney parks

Due to its acquisitions of Marvel Entertainment in 2009, Lucasfilm in 2012 and 21st Century Fox in 2019, some Disney-owned franchises are represented in its competitors' parks.

Marvel

Marvel Super Hero Island, a themed land featuring characters and settings from Marvel Comics, has operated at Universal Orlando Resort's Universal Islands of Adventure park since 1999, as well as the Islands of Adventure, cloned ride The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man at Universal Studios Japan from 2004 to 2024. Under Marvel's 1994 agreement with Universal Destinations & Experiences in regional terms, none of the Marvel characters and other persons related to such characters (e.g., side characters, team members, and the villains associated with the Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Spider-Man, etc.) connected with Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Japan can be used at Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disney Resort. The Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort, and Tokyo Disney Resort also cannot use the Marvel brand name as part of an attraction or marketing and the Marvel-themed simulator ride. This clause has allowed Walt Disney World to have meet-and-greets with Marvel characters not associated with the ones present at Islands of Adventure, such as Star-Lord and Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy, and Doctor Strange. Hong Kong Disneyland, Shanghai Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris either have or planned to incorporate meet and greets as well as attractions relating to the Marvel characters, as well as using the Marvel name and the Marvel simulator ride.

IMG Worlds of Adventure in Dubai has a Marvel-themed section.

Star Wars

A Star Wars-themed section of Legoland California's Miniland USA opened in 2011, with a similar version opening at Legoland Florida in November 2012, just weeks before Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm and the Star Wars franchise. However, the Star Wars-themed sections at Miniland USA, Legoland Florida, and other Legoland areas closed at the start of 2020 before the 2020 theme park season due to the expiration of their contract with Lucasfilm.

20th Century Studios

Following the acquisition of 21st Century Fox on March 20, 2019, The Simpsons became part of Disney's portfolio. However, the franchise continued to be represented at Universal theme parks through existing attractions and themed areas, including The Simpsons Ride at Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood, as well as the Springfield areas at both parks.

The acquisition also affected the future of Malaysia's under-construction 20th Century Fox World theme park. The park's owner, Genting Group, filed a $1.75 billion lawsuit against the Walt Disney Company and 21st Century Fox in November 2018, accusing Fox of trying to back out of the deal for licensing the theme park. In the suit, Genting Malaysia alleges that Fox has taken steps to cancel the contract. The suit also names Disney as a defendant, contending that Disney executives, following the company's then-pending acquisition of Fox, were "calling the shots" on the project and that they were opposed to the park because they would have "no control" over its operations and that it would be adjacent to a casino, which would go against Disney's "family-friendly" image. Fox, in turn, referred to the suit as "without merit", stating that their reasons for withdrawing from the deal were due to Genting consistently not meeting "agreed-upon deadlines for several years" and that Genting's attempts to blame Disney for Fox's default were "made up". In July 2019, it was announced that Fox and Genting had settled their respective lawsuits. As part of the deal, Genting would be given "a license to use certain Fox intellectual properties" and that non-Fox intellectual property would make up the rest of the attractions in the park. The outdoor park would also no longer be referred to as 20th Century Fox World, but instead would be named Genting SkyWorlds.

Adaptations

While Disney Parks generally adapt movies into rides, some Disney theme park attractions have been adapted into or have served inspiration for films, books, comic books, television series, television specials and television pilots. Disney entered the television field with a network TV show named after Disneyland (which was then its only park, and was being built at the time), in order to fund the park. In this series, some episodes featured the park or a park attraction. The Walt Disney Company pioneered and is the only film company and theme park company to have converted theme park attractions to film productions. However, lackluster results were achieved for most of these films except for the Pirates of the Caribbean series. Walt Disney Pictures produced two Pirates of the Caribbean sequels in 2006 and 2011 that made approximately a billion dollars each at the box office.

At first, Disney had merely dabbled with this type of film. Disney Telefilms made the first movie-based-on-ride, Tower of Terror, for the Wonderful World of Disney anthology television series in 1997. In 2000, Touchstone Pictures made Mission to Mars based on the closed ride of the same name.

Walt Disney Pictures took the Country Bear Jamboree attraction and made it into The Country Bears in 2002. In 2003, Walt Disney Pictures issued two ride-based films in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and The Haunted Mansion. Pirates of the Caribbean launched a film series and a franchise. After four Pirates sequels, the franchise took in more than $5.4 billion worldwide.

Disney Publishing Worldwide started mining Disney Parks with its The Kingdom Keepers series. The first novel of the series, Disney After Dark, was released in 2005. A five-book series was laid out by Pearson, but was extended to seven with the first book's success. On March 31, 2015, the first novel in The Kingdom Keepers sequel trilogy series was released.

Other Disney Publishing projects based on the Disney Parks include the Tales from Adventureland trilogy by Jason Lethcoe in 2017-2018, based around Adventureland attractions such as the Enchanted Tiki Room and Jungle Cruise, the Tales from the Haunted Mansion anthology series by John Esposito writing under the pen name of the Mansion's ghostly librarian Amicus Arcane, and the Shinji Takahashi books by Julie Kagawa, which explores the Society of Explorers and Adventurers organization seen in various parks within the modern day.

Disney Signature Experiences

The Disney Signature Experiences division, which was formerly known as the Disney Cruise Line & New Vacation Operations, holds newer non-theme park travel units under president Thomas Mazloum.

In February 2009, Tom McAlpin left the Disney Cruise Line presidency and was replaced by Karl Holz as president of both Disney Cruise Line and New Vacation Operations. New Vacation Operations included the Adventures by Disney. The cruise line ordered three ships of a new class of ship, Triton, in 2016 and 2017. In April 2017, it was announced that Karl Holz would retire as president of Disney Cruise Line on February 15, 2018 and Anthony Connelly would assumed the role of president on October 1, 2017.

Soon after a March 2018 conglomerate wide reorganization that formed Disney Parks, Experiences and Products segment division, Disney Cruise Line and New Vacation Operations was renamed Disney Signature Experiences along with a new president, Jeff Vahle. Ken Potrock was promoted from Senior Vice President and General Manager of Disney Vacation Club to President of Consumer Products in May 2018. Disney Cruise Line purchased in early March 2019 another Bahamas destination, Lighthouse Point property on the island of Eleuthera from the Bahamas Government.

Disney Cruise Line

Formed in 1995, its fleet currently comprises eight ships: Disney Magic (1997), Disney Wonder (1999), Disney Dream (2011), Disney Fantasy (2012), Disney Wish (2022), Disney Treasure (2024), Disney Destiny (2025), and Disney Adventure (2026). One more ship, the Disney Believe, will be launching in late 2027, respectively. Four additional ships are planned through 2031, which will bring the total fleet count to 13.

Disney Cruise Line also operates two private destinations in the Bahamas: Castaway Cay and Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point.

Disney Vacation Club

A timeshare program that includes 12 themed resorts within Walt Disney World Resort, 3 within Disneyland Resort, and 3 stand-alone locations: Disney's Aulani Resort, Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort, and Disney's Vero Beach Resort.

There are an estimated 220,000 club members.

Adventures by Disney

Launched in 2005, Adventures by Disney is a program of all-inclusive, guided vacation tour packages offered at predominantly non-Disney sites around the world.

National Geographic Expeditions

National Geographic Expeditions is a travel program that offers guided tours and excursions all around the world. The expeditions programming features access to research scientists, field experts, and local guides, all of which will provide educational commentary.

With the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by August 2019, National Geographic Partners' National Geographic Expeditions moved into Disney Signature Experiences.

Golden Oak at Walt Disney World Resort

A residential neighborhood located within the Walt Disney World Resort, consisting of 299 homes, the private Golden Oak Club, and the Four Seasons Resort Orlando resort hotel.

Storyliving by Disney

Master-planned communities that utilize Disney Imagineering and are staffed by Disney cast members. Cotino, in Rancho Mirage, California, is the first community under development, while Asteria, in Pittsboro, North Carolina, is the second community under development, with other locations being explored.

Disney Sports Enterprises

Disney Sports Enterprises, formerly called Disney Sports Attractions, is the unit of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products for Disney's sports functions and is made up of the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and the runDisney program.

DSE background

Disney Golf facilities date back to the opening of Disney World with two golf courses, the Palm and Magnolia courses. At the time, those courses started hosting the Walt Disney World Open Invitational, an annual PGA Tour event.

In 1994, Disney held the Walt Disney World Marathon, its first road race added additional races later. Disneyland Marathon and 5K were run in 1995 three weeks after the LA Marathon on March 26, 1995.

In 1995, Disney World had IMS Events, Inc. build the Walt Disney World Speedway. Disney's Wide World of Sports opened in 1997 under executive Reggie Williams.

DSE history

By 1998, Williams was named vice president of Disney Sports Attractions, overseeing a newly created sports & recreation division. The first 10K Disney Classic race on October 3, 1999, kicked off Disney World's 15-month Millennium Celebration. On March 30, 2003, Sports Attractions held the first Disney Inline Marathon.

On November 21, 2007, Reggie Williams retired as vice president of Disney Sports Attractions. His replacement was named on January 3, 2008, when Ken Potrock was promoted to Senior Vice President, Disney Sports Enterprises. On February 25, 2010, Disney's Wide World of Sports was renamed ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex with some upgrades and new facilities.

On September 25, 2011, Disney started the lease of its five Disney World golf courses (Palm, Magnolia, Lake Buena Vista, Osprey Ridge, and Oak Trail) to Arnold Palmer Golf Management to operate for 20 years while splitting the revenue. As part of the deal, Arnold Palmer would redesign the Palm course. The Orlando market for golf had a glut of course from the building boom then bust making profitability a challenge for any golf course. Disney hoped that Palmer's involvement and "Palmer Advantage" membership club would draw more attention to Disney's course. With the Osprey Ridge course sold to Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts to build a hotel, which was delayed until 2014, the golf management company would run the course until hotel construction begins. While another golf course, the Eagle Pines, was closed several years ago to make way for a residential housing subdivision development called Golden Oak being built in 2011.

In January 2013, Ken Petrock was promoted to Disney Vacation Club and Adventures by Disney senior vice president & general manager while Tom Wolber, Disney Cruise Line senior vice president of operations, was promoted to replace Petrock at Disney Sports. In late June 2015, the Walt Disney World Speedway was shut down.

Sports marketing director Faron Kelley was promoted to vice president of sports in January 2016 and has responsibility for the water parks too. Senior vice president of Disney Springs and the ESPN Wide World of Sports Maribeth Bisienere was promoted to Senior Vice President of Parks in early March 2018. Rosalyn Durant moved over from ESPN to be appointed in February 2020 as senior vice president of operations for Disney Springs, ESPN Wide World of Sports and Waterparks.

runDisney

runDisney is the road race division of Disney Sports Enterprises. The division is designed to get runners to plan a "runcation", a vacation planned to coincide with the race they signed up for.

Race weekends are currently held at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort. Additional Virtual race events take place throughout the year. Runners who complete a 10-mile or longer race at both resorts in a calendar year can complete the runDisney Coast to Coast Race Challenge.