The Walt Disney Company is celebrating its 100th anniversary this week, and everyone from Mickey to Wish's Asha is here to celebrate. The Disney Archive has released a series of illustrations summing up the highlights of every era of the animation giant's history.
The six illustrations span from the 1920s to today, featuring characters and products from the company's history. They run from beginnings of the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio in 1923 to modern-day streaming via theme parks, major acquisitions and an array of well-known characters on the way (see our guide to the 12 principles of animation for an insight into Disney's success).
The Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio was founded on 16 October, 1923. To mark an incredible 100 years in animation, visual artist Sam Carter worked with senior Disney designer Melanie Lapovich to create anniversary artwork representing milestones from the 1920s, 1930s-40s, 1950s-70s, 1980s, 1990s-2000s, and 2010s-20s respectively. The pieces were unveiled for Disney fan club D23's Royal Anniversary Ball at The Walt Disney Studios.
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Disney in the 1920s introduced Mickey Mouse in Steamboat Willie and also gave us the Alice Comedies(Image credit: The Walt Disney Company)
The 1930s saw Disney release its first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, in 1937(Image credit: The Walt Disney Company)
Disneyland opened in 1955, followed by Walt Disney World in 1971(Image credit: The Walt Disney Company)
The 1980s saw the opening of EPCOT with Figment in 1982. Tokyo Disneyland became the first international park in 1983(Image credit: The Walt Disney Company)
The 90s saw the release of Pixar's Toy Story, while Euro Disney, now Disneyland Paris, opened in 1992 and the Disney Cruise Line set sail in 1998. Hong Kong Disneyland followed in 2005 and Disney bought Marvel Studios in 2009(Image credit: The Walt Disney Company)
The last decade has seen the success of Frozen, while Disney acquired Lucasfilm and launched a new era of Star Wars. Shanghai Disneyland opened in 2016, and we look forward to the release of Wish next month(Image credit: The Walt Disney Company)
The illustrations feature plenty of well-known characters, but there are also some who younger fans may not be familiar with. In the comments on the Walt Disney Archives' Instagram account, people seem particularly pleased to see the Alice Comedies from the 1920s referenced since Alice seemed to have been forgotten in other anniversary pieces. However, some fans have lamented the absence of The Muppets. Disney bought the franchise in 2004.
It's not the first delightful piece of anniversary content that we've seen from Disney. Last month, it released the Once Upon a Studio film, which brings together classic characters with a blend of hand-drawn and CGI animation. Also see our roundup of the best Disney logos and the best entertainment logos.
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Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.
