The Walt Disney Company operates several theme park resorts around the world. It is one of the largest corporations in mass media and entertainment. While most people associate the name "Disney" with animated cartoons, the company owns a vast range of fiction material in all kinds of media, including Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel. It also owns the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) and sportscaster ESPN.
Theme park resorts
| “ | Over at our place, we're sure of just one thing: everybody in the world was once a child. So in planning a new picture, we don't think of grown-ups, and we don't think of children, but just of that fine, clean, unspoiled spot down deep in every one of us that maybe the world has made us forget and that maybe our pictures can help recall. | ” |
—Walt Disney | ||
The Walt Disney Company has twelve theme parks at six resorts spread across the globe. The original, in California, is compact and surrounded by the city of Anaheim; the resort in Tokyo is similarly situated. Paris, Hong Kong, and the newest resort in Shanghai all offer more space to breathe and a more inclusive "Disney experience" while still being close enough to their respective city to to escape to other sights via train connections. The largest Disney resort, in Orlando, Florida, takes up an area larger than the island of Manhattan, and offers a fully immersive experience where the outside world can be forgotten for the length of the vacation. Each resort offers Disney-owned hotels on the property, ranging from the two hotels of the Shanghai resort to a whopping 20 in Orlando.
North America
- Disneyland — The original two-park resort in Anaheim, California.
- Disneyland Park — The iconic first park, with its six famed sections including Adventureland, Tomorrowland, and Fantasyland. Opened in 1955.
- Disney California Adventure — Park themed to different regions of California, as well as Pixar movies. Opened in 2001.
- Downtown Disney — Entertainment and dining complex that connects the two theme parks.
- Walt Disney World — The massive, flagship four-park resort destination, just outside Orlando, Florida.
- Magic Kingdom — A larger "sequel" to the original Disneyland park, with the same layout and many similar rides. Opened in 1971.
- Epcot — A unique "world's fair" park with two distinct sections, one themed to the innovation and the other to world cultures. Opened in 1982.
- Disney's Hollywood Studios — A movie-themed park with rides ranging from Star Wars to Toy Story to the imposing Tower of Terror. Opened in 1989.
- Disney's Animal Kingdom — A large park dedicated to the natural world past, present, and imaginary, where live animals coexist with thrilling rides. Opened in 1998.
- Disney Springs — Entertainment, dining, and shopping complex with unique stores and highly-themed restaurants from top chefs.
Asia
- Tokyo Disney Resort — The unique two-park resort in Chiba, Japan.
- Tokyo Disneyland — The first Disney park outside the U.S. shares a similar design to the Magic Kingdom park. Opened in 1983.
- Tokyo DisneySea — A wholly different Disney park unlike any other on the planet, a hotel straddles the entrance and a large volcano sits at the center. Opened in 2001.
- Hong Kong Disneyland — A smaller Disney park in Hong Kong, constant expansions have made it worth visiting. Opened in 2005
- Shanghai Disney Resort — The newest Disney park, in Pudong, Shanghai, China, is large and home to many interesting rides. Opened in 2016.
Europe
- Disneyland Paris — The now-successful two-park resort in Marne-la-Vallée, France, near Paris.
- Disneyland Park — The first European park, it is a combination of both the original Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom. Opened in 1992.
- Walt Disney Studios Paris — A small, struggling park set to begin a massive reimagining and expansion in 2018. Opened in 2002.
Other experiences
At sea
- Disney Cruise Line — Most sailings are out of Cape Canaveral, but cruises are offered at home ports in San Diego and Vancouver too. Special cruises depart from Galveston, Quebec City, New York City, Miami, San Juan, and various European ports.
Vacation Club hotels
- Aulani — A beachside family resort with complimentary programs for kids and character breakfasts in Ko Olina on the island of Oahu in Hawaii.
- Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort — A rustic resort set on a secluded island among the marshes of coastal South Carolina.
- Disney's Vero Beach Resort — A beachfront resort in Florida offering a full spa and various family activities and sports.
Real locations associated with Disney films
- See also: Fiction tourism
- Pixar's "Cars" (2006 film) is based on research trips to more than 1200 miles (2000 km) of Route 66, as well as NASCAR tracks and Detroit automakers. See Radiator Springs for an itinerary retracing a five-state journey through Baxter Springs and Peach Springs.
- Winnie the Pooh's Hundred Acre Wood is based on the Five Hundred Acre Wood near Hartfield and the Ashdown Forest. Statues of the real Winnie stand at the London Zoo, at her White River (Ontario) birthplace and in Winnipeg, the city for which the bear was named.
- While the "Star Wars" films were not set on Earth, many locations which were used when shooting the film are destinations for Star Wars tourism.
See also
- Walt Disney Family Museum, The Presidio, San Francisco, California – A museum owned and operated by the Disney family, not The Walt Disney Company.
- Marceline, Missouri, Walt Disney's childhood hometown; the Walt Disney Hometown Museum is here.
- Walt Disney Concert Hall, part of the Los Angeles Music Center in Downtown Los Angeles, California.