Disney Trivia – 101 Facts You Must Know
Disney is one of the most beloved entertainment companies in the world. It has captivated generations with its plethora of classic animated films and beloved characters over the years and continues to bring magic and joy to people’s lives. With so much Disney magic out there, how much do you really know about the brand? To test your knowledge or to help you become an even bigger Disney fan, here are 101 facts about Disney trivia you must know.
- Disney was founded on October 16th, 1923.
- The Walt Disney Company is located in Burbank, California.
- Walt Disney’s former employee of the month Award is now known as the Disney Legend Award and is given to influential people in the company, including actors and creatives.
- The first full-length animated Disney feature was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which was released in 1937.
- Snow White was the first and last feature film to have all of its animators be hand-drawn.
- The first Disney Channel launched in 1983 and was known as “The Disney Channel.”
- Walt Disney World in Florida opened in 1971.
History and Beginnings of Disney
- Walt Disney was born on December 5th, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois.
- Walt Disney and his brother Roy started the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio in 1923.
- The first Disney cartoon character was Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, which was created in 1927.
- Mickey Mouse was created in 1928 and first appeared in the cartoon Steamboat Willie.
- In 1934, Disney’s very first full-length animated feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, was released.
- Disney won its first Academy Award® for the film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1938.
Disney Parks and Resorts
- The first Disney theme park, Disneyland, opened in Anaheim, California in 1955.
- Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida opened in 1971 and is now the world’s most visited vacation resort.
- Epcot was the second Walt Disney World resort to open in 1982.
- Tokyo Disney Resort opened in 1983 and is the only Disney Resort outside of the United States.
- Disneyland Paris opened in 1992 and is the second largest Disney theme park behind Walt Disney World in Orlando.
- The world-famous Disney Cruise Line began in 1998.
- Disneyland Shanghai opened its doors in 2016.
The Legacy of Walt Disney
- Walt Disney was famously given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.
- The Walt Disney Company was awarded with the National Medal of Arts from President George W. Bush in 2001.
- In 2009, it was announced that Disney had purchased Marvel Entertainment for €4 billion.
- The Disney Music Group was created in 2009 and is home to many popular soundtrack recordings from Disney films.
- Walt Disney was posthumously awarded a Congressional Gold Medal for his contributions in making the world a better place in 2009.
Awards and Achievements
- The first animated Disney feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs won the Academy Award® for Best Music and Best Soundtrack in 1938.
- Mary Poppins is the only Disney movie to win five academy awards, including best sound, best cinematography, best music-original song, best music-score and best actress.
- Mary Poppins was also the longest Academy Award–winning film, holding the record until 2004 when Titanic won 11 Academy Awards.
- The Lion King was the most successful animated film of all time until Toy Story 3 overtook it in 2010.
- Walt Disney Studios has won 30 Academy Awards® for animated motion pictures to date.
Disney Animated Features
- The first computer-animated Disney film was Dinosaur in 2000.
- The first traditionally animated computer-animated Disney movie was Brother Bear in 2003.
- The most recent Disney feature film is Raya and the Last Dragon, which was released in 2021.
- There are a total of 58 Disney animated features released to date.
- All of the original Disney features have been remastered in High Definition and 3D Blu-ray.
Top Selling Disney Movies
- The highest-grossing Disney movie is Avengers: Endgame with over $2.79 billion.
- The second highest-grossing Disney and Marvel film is Avengers: Infinity War with over $2.48 billion.
- Disney’s highest-grossing animated film is Frozen with over $1.28 billion.
- The second highest-grossing animated film is The Lion King with a worldwide gross of over $1.65 billion.
- Disney Pixar’s highest-grossing animated film is Incredibles 2 with over $1.24 billion.
Disney Theme Songs
- “A Whole New World” from Aladdin won an Academy Award® for Best Original Song in 1993.
- “Let It Go” from Frozen was the biggest selling digital single in the U.S. in 2014.
- “Beauty and the Beast” from the movie of the same name won an Academy Award® for Best Original Song in 1991.
- “Circle of Life” from The Lion King also won an Academy Award® for Best Original Song in 1994.
- “When You Wish Upon a Star” from Pinocchio won an Academy Award® for Best Original Song in 1940.
Famous Disney Voices
- Mandy Moore voiced Rapunzel in Tangled, released in 2010.
- Ellen DeGeneres is the voice of Dory in the fish-tastic hit Finding Nemo.
- Ed Asner voiced iconic Disney villain Carl Fredricksen in the Disney Pixar film Up.
- Miley Cyrus gave voice to the titular character in the 2009 Disney feature film Bolt.
- Tom Hanks is the famous voice of Woody in the Toy Story series.
Other Disney Ventures
- Walt Disney Pictures is a component of The Walt Disney Company, and produces movies, television shows, and animated films.
- Disney Interactive creates video games and other digital media.
- Disney Theatrical Group produces theatrical productions, broadcast and cable television programming, and first-run and live-action feature films.
- Disney Crossy Road is an arcade video game based on the classic Frogger that was released in 2015.
- Disney Channel Original Movies (DCOMs) are TV movies produced by Disney Channel and are often premiere events on the Disney Channel.
Disney Animatronics
- Disney is known for its groundbreaking use of animatronics in classic theme park attractions.
- The first animatronic character was Abraham Lincoln, who made his debut in Walt Disney’s Main Street USA in Disneyland in 1965.
- The Enchanted Tiki Room in Disneyland, featuring singing birds and plants, was the first Audio-Animatronics show to ever be presented in the world.
- The first Audio-Animatronics characters to perform in a stage show of their own were the singing cowboy marionettes from America Sings in 1974.
- The Avatar: Flight of Passage – located in Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Florida – is one of the most technologically advanced animatronic rides ever made.
Famous Disney Movies
- Beauty and the Beast was the first animated feature to receive an Academy Award® nomination for Best Picture in 1991.
- The Lion King is the highest-selling home video of all time, beating all releases of Titanic, with 25 million copies sold.
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has been reissued numerous times, and has consistently been the highest-grossing movie of all time, with over $426 million in box office earnings.
- Cinderella is known to have the highest-grossing merchandise of any Disney movie, making over $340 million since its release in 1950.
- Toy Story was the first full-length, feature-length computer-animated movie, released in 1995.
Disney Villains
- The first major villain ever created for a Disney movie was the Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
- Scar, from the Lion King, was the first villain to have his name put in the movie’s title.
- Captain Hook, from Peter Pan, is one of the most iconic Disney villains of all time and has been featured in numerous other Disney projects.
- Ursula, from The Little Mermaid, is one of the most popular Disney villains due to her larger-than-life personality and iconic song “Poor Unfortunate Souls.”
- Gaston, from Beauty and the Beast, is the only Disney villain to receive two Academy Award® nominations, both of which were for best song.
Disney Merchandise
- Disney Consumer Products is responsible for creating many of the iconic toys and clothes we recognize as Disney products.
- Disney toys have made over $1 billion each year since 2006, and are a large part of the company’s success.
- Mickey Mouse products are the most iconic and widely distributed of all Disney toys, with billions of products sold over the years.