Timeline of The Walt Disney Company

Table columns:
Year
Notable Business Events
Notable Theatrical Releases
Notable Theme Park/destination Openings
Other Premieres

Table rows:
cells: 1923
Walt Disney signed a contract with M.J. Winkler to produce a series of Alice Comedies, beginning the Disney company under its original name "Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio", with brothers Walt and Roy Disney, as equal partners.[1]
First Alice's comedy, Alice's Wonderland, was released
cells: 1926
"Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio" changes name to "The Walt Disney Studio" shortly after moving into the new studio on Hyperion Avenue in the Silver Lake district.
cells: 1927
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit debuts.
cells: 1928
Walt loses the Oswald's series contract. Walt and Roy come up with Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
Mickey Mouse debuts in Plane Crazy Steamboat Willie (the first synchronized sound cartoon)
cells: 1929
On December 16, "The Walt Disney Studio" is replaced by "Walt Disney Productions, Ltd". Three other companies, "Walt Disney Enterprises", "Disney Film Recording Company", and "Liled Realty and Investment Company", are also formed.
The Skeleton Dance (the first Silly Symphonies cartoon)
cells: 1930
Distribution moved to Columbia Pictures
The Mickey Mouse comic strips by Floyd Gottfredson
cells: 1931
cells: 1932
Distribution moved from Columbia Pictures to United Artists
Flowers and Trees (the first Technicolor cartoon and first animated short to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film of 1932) Mickey's Revue (which features the premiere of Goofy, originally called "Dippy Dawg")
cells: 1933
Three Little Pigs (winner of Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film of 1933)
cells: 1934
The Wise Little Hen (which features the premiere of Donald Duck) The Tortoise and the Hare (Winner of Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film of 1934)
cells: 1936
Distribution moved from United Artists to RKO Radio Pictures.
cells: 1937
Walt Disney's first feature film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
cells: 1938
On September 29, "Walt Disney Enterprises", "Disney Film Recording Company", and "Liled Realty and Investment Company" and "Walt Disney Productions, Ltd." are merged to form "Walt Disney Productions".
cells: 1940
Studio moves to Burbank, California Company goes public
Pinocchio Fantasia
cells: 1941
A bitter animators' strike occurs The studio begins making morale-boosting propaganda films for the United States during World War II
Dumbo
cells: 1942
Bambi
Donald Duck comics by Carl Barks
cells: 1943
Saludos Amigos
cells: 1944
The company is short on money; a theatrical re-release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs generates much-needed revenue and begins a reissue pattern for the animated feature films.
cells: 1945
The Three Caballeros (The first live action/cartoons Disney film)
cells: 1946
Make Mine Music Song of the South
cells: 1947
Fun and Fancy Free
cells: 1948
The True-Life Adventures nature film series begins; it lasts until 1960.
Melody Time Seal Island
cells: 1949
The studio begins production on its first all-live action feature, Treasure Island
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
licensed Ice Capades Disney segment[2]
licensed Ice Capades Disney segment[2]
cells: 1950
Cinderella Treasure Island (Disney's first live-action film)
cells: 1951
Alice in Wonderland
cells: 1952
Uncle Scrooge comics by Carl Barks
cells: 1953
"WED Enterprises" is formed to control the rights to "Disney" and hold the Disneyland design team. It will later own and operate several attractions inside Disneyland, including the Disneyland Monorail System and the Disneyland Railroad. Disney makes the Disneyland programming deal with American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres to fund Disneyland.[3] Other Disneyland investors were Walt Disney/WED and Western Publishing[4]
Peter Pan
cells: 1954
The studio ends its distribution deal with RKO Radio Pictures and founds Buena Vista Film Distribution Company, Inc. to distribute its feature films.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Disneyland anthology TV series on ABC (First Disney TV program & Disneyland funding program)
cells: 1955
Lady and the Tramp
Disneyland opens in Anaheim, California.
The Mickey Mouse Club (ABC-TV) Magic Kingdom (ABC Radio)[5]
cells: 1957
Old Yeller
Zorro (ABC)
cells: 1959
Sleeping Beauty The Shaggy Dog Darby O'Gill and the Little People
cells: 1960
Pollyanna Swiss Family Robinson
cells: 1961
The studio purchases the film and merchandise rights to A.A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh books, which are a huge source of revenue (as well as litigation issues) to this day.[6]
One Hundred and One Dalmatians The Absent-Minded Professor The Parent Trap
cells: 1963
The Sword in the Stone
Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room opens at Disneyland. This is the first attraction to feature audio-animatronics.
cells: 1964
Mary Poppins (the first Disney film to receive a Best Picture Academy Award nomination)
cells: 1965
Disney News begins publication
cells: 1966
September: Walt Disney is diagnosed with lung cancer; died on December 15.
Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree[6]

Questions about this table:
originalText: when did the first disney movie come out
answer: answerTexts: 1937