logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2024
2m 52s

The Disney Dilemma

Vulture
About this episode
Over the past 100 years, the Walt Disney Company has grown from a small animation studio to become one of the largest companies in the world, with an enviable history of creative and financial success. But as it's grown and acquired companies like Marvel, Pixar, and Lucasfilm, can its winning streak continue? What has Disney lost in the process of getting so ... Show More
Up next
Jul 2024
Disney is a TV Company
When you think about Disney, your first thought isn’t “cable television giant.” But Disney’s broadcast and cable television holdings, especially ESPN, helped turbocharge Disney’s growth over the last 30 years. It was a formula that worked extremely well – until now. As more and m ... Show More
39m 34s
Jul 2024
Disney is a Theme Parks Company
These days the Walt Disney Company is mostly a theme parks company. About 70 percent of its operating income comes from its parks and other experiences like Disney Cruises. But the parks do something else: they help the company attach itself to our emotions, memories, and identit ... Show More
44m 1s
Jul 2024
Disney is an Animation Company
Disney’s soul is arguably its animation studio, which has a 100-year track record of creating iconic characters and stories, and a distinct brand centered around “once upon a time.” Not so long ago, Disney produced films like "The Little Mermaid" and "The Lion King," catapulting ... Show More
45m 8s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2025
PART 2 🏰 Disneyland: The Fantasy that Almost Flopped
Subscribe to The Best Idea Yet here: https://wondery.com/links/the-best-idea-yet/Who wouldn’t want to visit the happiest place on Earth? Well — at the start of the 1950s, it seemed like no one did, at least not when Walt Disney pitched the idea. Sure, Walt had revolutionized anim ... Show More
20m 56s
Aug 2024
Ep 59: From Childhood to Disneyland: The Walt Disney Story with Phil Gramlich
<p>You have heard of Walt Disney Parks but what do you know of Walt Disney, the man? Disney historian Phil Gramlick in episode 59 talks to us about  Walt Disney&apos;s formative years, from his challenging childhood to the iconic creation of Mickey Mouse and Disneyland which has ... Show More
1h 27m
May 2025
Netflix and the Fall of Television | The Mouse Strikes Back | 2
<p>After Netflix poaches Shonda Rimes, one of the most successful television producers on ABC, a Disney-owned network, Disney decides it can’t just sit back and let Netflix keep eating into their market share.&nbsp;Disney CEO Bob Iger decides that Disney is going to launch its ow ... Show More
37m 53s
Aug 2025
Disney’s Big AI Dilemma
Disney is grappling with how to push forward into a new AI era without losing control of its valuable intellectual property. WSJ’s Jessica Toonkel takes us inside the company's complicated relationship with AI and its race to figure out how to leverage the new technology for maxi ... Show More
17m 12s
Jan 2019
What do you have to lose?
<p>Bret Iwan is the voice of Mickey Mouse. In this episode we talk about creative fulfillment, finding balance, and the crazy story of how he landed the gig of one of the most recognizable voices in entertainment.</p> <p>Find Bret here: <a href= "https://www.instagram.com/bretiwa ... Show More
1h 4m
Jun 2025
How to Train Your Dragon
Disney has been remaking its animated classics for years to great financial success – Lilo & Stitch has been dominating the box office for weeks now. So it's no surprise that DreamWorks is now getting in on the action with a remake of How to Train Your Dragon. It's full of epic b ... Show More
19m 45s
Sep 2022
Pinocchio (2022) with Podcast: The Ride
The King of the Uncanny Valley - our boy Bob Zemeckis - is back with his spin on perhaps the most iconic un-real boy in cinema…it’s Pinocchio, baby! Our friends from Podcast: The Ride - two Disney daddies and one small wooden boy - join us to chat about Disney’s latest live-actio ... Show More
2h 25m
Feb 2025
#213 Walt Disney
📖 Episode Transcripts in Link Below ⬇️ Today, we’ll dive into the life and legacy of Walt Disney, the visionary creator of some of the most beloved stories and characters in entertainment history, and the man behind the global phenomenon of Disney. https://patreon.com/HistoryinS ... Show More
4m 48s