Top 10 Smartest Decisions Disney Has Ever Made

If you’re a fan of the Disney parks, chances are you have a favorite ride — be it It's a Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean, or Space Mountain. Maybe it’s an attraction you’ve held close to your heart since childhood. Preserving attractions that have been around since Disneyland’s opening day in 1955 has helped foster cultural significance and brand identity. Disney has also taken advantage of fan-favorite attractions by adapting them for the screen. The company’s ability to nurture its visitors’ nostalgic sides helps build an emotional connection that keeps them loyal customers.

When it comes to a top tier Disney vacation, a stay at one of the company's luxurious hotels can be the icing on the cake. Disney’s venture into the hotel business began with the original Disneyland Hotel, which opened in 1955 just a few months after the first park started welcoming visitors. Ever since then, the company has opened a plethora of resorts, many of which are in close proximity to its parks. Guests can enhance their experience by staying at a themed hotel with all kinds of amenities, including restaurants, pools, and spas. As a financial decision, the option of convenient and desirable hotels keeps guests spending money in-house, rather than going to a third party for accommodations.

Disney’s aspiration to dominate the family entertainment landscape didn’t stop at film. Walt’s first foray into television was the 1950 special “One Hour in Wonderland.” From there, he joined forces with ABC to develop series, including “The Mickey Mouse Club” and “Davy Crockett.” Subsequent decades saw the rise of networks like Disney Channel and Disney Junior and programming blocks including One Saturday Morning. Shows which premiered on these networks hold a special place in the hearts of many, across generations. Flash forward to the 21st century, and The Walt Disney Company is home to major brands including ABC and ESPN.

Since its establishment, Disney has been known to document several aspects of its own history. In the spirit of preserving institutional memory, researcher Dave Smith helped create the Walt Disney Archives in 1970. The archives serve as an expansive collection of Disney history, preserving props, memorabilia, correspondence, and more ephemera from throughout the company’s history. Utilized internally by the company and by scholars, the collections have also been used in exhibits of Disney history. By maintaining the archives, Disney can bolster its own cultural influence and use its materials as a foundation for future projects.

Ah, FastPass — we miss you. In an effort to ameliorate the long lines at Disney parks, the company introduced a new system in 1999. Called a virtual queue, the system would allow visitors to avoid wasting time waiting for popular attractions and amenities. The system went through several changes through the years and at different parks, but generally proved to be advantageous for guests. Variants of the FastPass system were replaced by a service called Genie starting in 2021, which was criticized for being more expensive and less user-friendly. However, many people have fond memories of using FastPass to make the most of their trips to the parks.

Being able to bring Disney films into viewers’ homes was a substantial stepping stone for Walt Disney Studios. After several years contracting other companies to distribute its content, Disney created an internal division to handle the work in the 1980s. With an affordable distribution method and high demand for its catalogue of films, the division reportedly brought in $6 billion by 2004. It has also kept up with the changing technological landscape of home entertainment. As VHS tapes went out of style, the company moved to DVDs. Later, it ventured into Blu-ray. 2019 saw the launch of the streaming service Disney+. Disney’s entrance into home video was a critical step in ingraining itself in households around the world.

Disney’s moves to take control of these two companies turned out to be multi-billion dollar big deals. When the family entertainment giant acquired Marvel for around $4 billion in 2009, it gained access to an extensive library of characters. The move set the pace for the expansion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, one of the most profitable franchises ever. Just a few years later, Disney purchased Lucasfilm for a similar figure — a move that granted the company the rights to the “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” franchises. By purchasing Marvel and Lucasfilm at just the right time, Disney was able to capitalize on the nascent profitability of both libraries.

First opened in 1982, Epcot — which stands for “Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow” — is a theme park that encapsulates Disney’s dedication to thinking about the future. The park was inspired by an advanced, if somewhat ambiguous, concept dreamed up by Walt Disney: a vision of a futuristic, utopian community. While the live-in city idea never came to fruition, Epcot demonstrated that Disney could add more parks as a way to diversify its offerings and attract more crowds. Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom would open at Disney World by the end of the century.

Disney may be among the most important innovators in the animated film genre. But by the late twentieth century, another studio was making waves. Disney struck a deal with Pixar in the nineties to produce three films, including “Toy Story.” After several years of negotiation, Disney acquired Pixar in 2006 for more than $7 billion. As creative partners, many films released under the Disney•Pixar partnership have garnered commercial success and critical acclaim. Disney’s partnership with Pixar produced several iconic films beloved by audiences, particularly at a time when Disney Animation was coming out of its Renaissance.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

Opening Disney Stores
Disney’s Entrance into the Retail Business Earned Millions

Live-Action Remakes
They May Not Compare to the Source Material, but They Can Conquer the Box Office

Commitment to Food
With an Array of International Flavors, Disney Parks Draw In Their Share of Foodies

International Parks
Disney Parks in Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong & Shanghai Bring In Revenue from around the World

Disney would probably say every movie it makes is a kind of dedication to bold innovation. In the case of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” that might be true. When Walt and his team set out to produce the first full-length cel animated feature film, doubtful observers referred to the project as “Disney’s Folly.” Walt reportedly had to mortgage his house to make ends meet for the film. But despite the risk, the gamble proved to work out. “Snow White” set the record as the most successful sound film at the time. Disney had made cinematic history.

What’s the smartest decision Disney’s made? Feel free to discuss in the comments.