Editing The Walt Disney Company (section)

=== 1950–1967: Live-action films, television, Disneyland, and Walt Disney's death ===

In the 1950s, Disney returned to producing full-length animated feature films, beginning with ''[[Cinderella (1950 film)|Cinderella]]'' (1950), its first feature in eight years. A critical and commercial success, ''Cinderella'' saved Disney after the financial pitfalls of the wartime era; it was its most financially successful film since ''Snow White'', making $8&nbsp;million in its first year. Walt began to reduce his involvement with animation, focusing his attention on the studio's increasingly diverse portfolio of projects, including live-action films (of which ''[[Treasure Island (1950 film)|Treasure Island]]'' was the studio's first), television and [[amusement parks]].{{Sfn|Barrier|2007|p=221}}{{Sfn|Canemaker|2001|p=110}} In 1950 the company made its first foray into television when [[NBC]] aired "[[One Hour in Wonderland]]", a promotional program for Disney's next animated film, ''[[Alice in Wonderland (1951 film)|Alice in Wonderland]]'' (1951), and sponsored by [[Coca-Cola]].{{Sfnm|1a1=Barrier|1y=2007|1p=228|2a1=Gabler|2y=2007|2p=503}} ''Alice'' was financially unsuccessful, falling $1&nbsp;million short of the production budget.{{Sfnm|1a1=Barrier|1y=2007|1p=230|2a1=Gabler|2y=2007|2p=487}} In February 1953, Disney's next animated film ''[[Peter Pan (1953 film)|Peter Pan]]'' was released to financial success;{{Sfn|Gabler|2007|p=491}} it was the last Disney film distributed by RKO after Disney ended its contract and created its own distribution company [[Buena Vista Distribution]].{{Sfn|Barrier|2007|pp=262–63}}

[[File:WaltDisneyplansDisneylandDec1954.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Several men looking at plans together|Walt (center) showing the plans of Disneyland to officials from Orange County in December 1954]]

According to Walt, he first had the idea of building an amusement park during a visit to [[Griffith Park]] with his daughters. He said he watched them ride a carousel and thought there "should be&nbsp;... some kind of amusement enterprise built where the parents and the children could have fun together".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tremaine |first=Julie |date=October 13, 2020 |title=The story behind the California attraction that inspired Disneyland |work=[[San Francisco Gate]] |url=https://www.sfgate.com/disneyland/article/This-is-the-exact-spot-in-LA-that-inspired-15644142.php#taboola-1 |url-status=live |access-date=May 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512170648/https://www.sfgate.com/disneyland/article/This-is-the-exact-spot-in-LA-that-inspired-15644142.php#taboola-1 |archive-date=May 12, 2022}}</ref>{{sfnm|1a1=Barrier|1y=2007|1p=191|2a1=Gabler|2y=2007|p=283}} Initially planning the construction of an eight-acre (3.2 ha) Mickey Mouse Park near the Burbank studio, Walt changed the planned amusement park's name to  Disneylandia, then to [[Disneyland]].{{Sfn|Gabler|2007|pp=488–89}} A new company, WED Enterprises (now [[Walt Disney Imagineering]]), was formed in 1952 to design and construct the park.{{Sfn|Barrier|2007|p=236}} Drawing inspiration from amusement parks in the US and Europe, Walt approached the design of Disneyland with an emphasis on thematic storytelling and cleanliness, innovative approaches for amusement parks of the time.{{sfnm |1a1=Barrier|1y=2007 |1p=235|2a1=Gabler|2y=2007|2p=495}}{{Sfnm|1a1=Barrier|1y=2007|1p=240|2a1=Gabler|2y=2007|2pp=498–99, 524}} The plan to build the park in Burbank was abandoned when Walt realized 8 acres would not be enough to accomplish his vision. Disney acquired 160 acres (65&nbsp;ha) of orange groves in [[Anaheim, California|Anaheim]], southeast of LA in neighboring [[Orange County, California|Orange County]], at $6,200 per acre to build the park.{{Sfn|Gabler|2007|pp=500–01}} Construction began in July 1954.

To finance the construction of Disneyland, Disney sold his home at [[Smoke Tree Ranch]] in [[Palm Springs]] and the company promoted it with a [[Walt Disney's Disneyland|television series of the same name]] aired on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]].{{Sfn|Barrier|2007|pp=242–45; 248}} The ''Disneyland'' television series, which would be the first in a long-running series of successful anthology television programs for the company, was a success and garnered over 50% of viewers in its time slot, along with praise from critics.{{Sfn|Gabler|2007|p=511}} In August, Walt formed another company [[Disneyland, Inc.]] to finance the park, whose construction costs totaled $17&nbsp;million.<ref name="AbcDisneyland">{{Cite news |title=Happy birthday, Disneyland! Iconic park celebrates 66th anniversary today |work=[[KABC-TV|ABC7]] |url=https://abc7.com/disneyland-birthday-opening-day-66-when-did-open/1429121/#:~:text=%2D%2D%20Disneyland%2C%20the%20only%20theme,day%20in%20the%20video%20above. |url-status=live |access-date=May 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211111010845/https://abc7.com/disneyland-birthday-opening-day-66-when-did-open/1429121/#:~:text=%2D%2D%20Disneyland%2C%20the%20only%20theme,day%20in%20the%20video%20above. |archive-date=November 11, 2021}}</ref>
{{Multiple image
| total_width       = 500
| perrow            = 2
| image1            = Mickey Mouse Club Mouseketeers 1957.jpg
| alt1              = Children wearing white shirts with their names on them and Mickey Mouse ears
| image2            = Fess parker crockett disney television.JPG
| alt2              = Man dressed as Davy Crockett with a rifle in his hand, alongside two men in the background
| footer            = (left to right) Cast for ''The Mickey Mouse Club'', which over 10 million children would watch every day, and Fess Parker as Davy Crockett in the show of the same name, which sold 10&nbsp;million Crockett coonskin caps and over 10&nbsp;million records of its theme song
}}

In October, with the success of ''Disneyland,'' ABC allowed Disney to produce ''[[The Mickey Mouse Club]]'', a [[variety show]] for children; the show included a daily Disney cartoon, a children's newsreel, and a talent show. It was presented by a host, and talented children and adults called "Mousketeers" and "Mooseketeers", respectively.{{Sfn|Gabler|2007|pp=520–21}} After the first season, over ten million children and five million adults watched it daily; and two million Mickey Mouse ears, which the cast wore, were sold.{{Sfn|Gabler|2007|p=522}} In December 1954, the five-part miniseries ''[[Davy Crockett (miniseries)|Davy Crockett]],'' premiered as part of ''Disneyland'', starring [[Fess Parker]]. According to writer [[Neal Gabler]], "[It] became an overnight national sensation", selling 10 million Crockett coonskin caps.{{Sfn|Gabler|2007|p=514}} The show's theme song "[[The Ballad of Davy Crockett]]" became part of American pop culture, selling 10 million records. ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' called it "the greatest merchandising fad the world had ever seen".{{Sfn|Gabler|2007|pp=514–15}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=King |first=Jonathan |date=February 27, 1995 |title=The Crockett Craze : It's been 40 years since Fess Parker had us running around in coonskin caps. But the values his show inspired live on. |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-02-27-ls-36630-story.html |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=May 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220513165107/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-02-27-ls-36630-story.html |archive-date=May 13, 2022}}</ref> In June 1955, Disney's 15th animated film ''[[Lady and the Tramp]]'' was released and performed better at the box office than any other Disney films since ''Snow White''.{{Sfn|Newcomb|2000|p=24}}

Disneyland opened on July 17, 1955; it was a major media event, broadcast live on ABC with actors [[Art Linkletter]], [[Robert Cummings|Bob Cummings]], and [[Ronald Reagan]] hosting. It garnered over 90 million viewers, becoming the most-watched live broadcast to that date.<ref>{{Cite news |last=MacDonald |first=Brady |date=July 10, 2015 |title=Disneyland got off to a nightmare start in 1955, but 'Walt's Folly' quickly won over fans |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-d-disneyland-opening-day-20150712-story.html |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=May 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512030743/https://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-d-disneyland-opening-day-20150712-story.html |archive-date=May 12, 2022}}</ref> While the park's opening day was disastrous (restaurants ran out of food, the [[Mark Twain Riverboat]] began to sink, other rides malfunctioned, and the drinking fountains were not working in the 100&nbsp;°F. (38&nbsp;°C) heat),<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dowd |first=Katie |date=July 15, 2020 |title='Black Sunday': Remembering Disneyland's disastrous opening day on its 66th anniversary |work=San Francisco Gate |url=https://www.sfgate.com/disneyland/article/Black-Sunday-Disneyland-opening-day-1955-15410291.php |url-status=live |access-date=May 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220502025310/https://www.sfgate.com/disneyland/article/Black-Sunday-Disneyland-opening-day-1955-15410291.php |archive-date=May 2, 2022}}</ref><ref name="AbcDisneyland" /> the park became a success with 161,657 visitors in its first week and 20,000 visitors a day in its first month. After its first year, 3.6&nbsp;million people had visited, and after its second year, four million more guests came, making it more popular than the [[Grand Canyon]] and [[Yellowstone National Park]]. That year, the company earned a gross total of $24.5&nbsp;million compared to the $11&nbsp;million the previous year.{{Sfn|Gabler|2007|p=537}}

[[File:The Sherman Brothers, 2002.jpg|thumb|left|alt=two older men looking into the camera|The Sherman Brothers in 2002. They composed many Disney songs in the 1960s.]]

Disney continued to delegate much of the animation work to the studio's top animators, known as the [[Nine Old Men]]. The company produced an average of five films per year throughout the 1950s and 60s.{{Sfn|Brown|2022|p=573}} Animated features of this period included ''[[Sleeping Beauty (1959 film)|Sleeping Beauty]]'' (1959), ''[[One Hundred and One Dalmatians]]'' (1961), and ''[[The Sword in the Stone (1963 film)|The Sword in the Stone]]'' (1963).{{Sfn|Gabler|2007|p=585}} ''Sleeping Beauty'' was a financial loss for the company, and at $6&nbsp;million, had the highest production costs up to that point.{{Sfn|Barrier|2003|p=559}} ''One Hundred and One Dalmatians'' introduced an animation technique using the [[xerography]] process to electromagnetically transfer the drawings to animation [[cel]]s, resulting in a transformed art style for the studio's animated films.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Zad |first=Martle |date=April 12, 1992 |title=''101 Dalmatians'', 6,469,952 Spots on Home Video |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1992/04/12/101-dalmatians-6469952-spots-on-home-video/b3d92c4f-54ea-4792-9913-1c7708ba436d/ |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=May 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108140020/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1992/04/12/101-dalmatians-6469952-spots-on-home-video/b3d92c4f-54ea-4792-9913-1c7708ba436d/ |archive-date=November 8, 2021}}</ref> In 1956, the [[Sherman Brothers]], [[Robert B. Sherman|Robert]] and [[Richard M. Sherman|Richard]], were asked to produce a theme song for the television series ''[[Zorro (1957 TV series)|Zorro]]''.{{Sfn|Gabler|2007|p=563}} The company hired them as exclusive staff songwriters, an arrangement that lasted 10 years. They wrote many songs for Disney's films and theme parks, and several were commercial hits.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lyons |first=Mike |date=April 1, 2000 |title=Sibling Songs: Richard & Robert Sherman and Their Disney Tunes |url=https://www.awn.com/animationworld/sibling-songs-richard-robert-sherman-and-their-disney-tunes#:~:text=The%20Big%20Breaks,says%20Robert%20fondly%20of%20Funicello. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517040100/https://www.awn.com/animationworld/sibling-songs-richard-robert-sherman-and-their-disney-tunes#:~:text=The%20Big%20Breaks,says%20Robert%20fondly%20of%20Funicello. |archive-date=May 17, 2022 |access-date=May 16, 2022 |website=Animation World Magazine}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Posner |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Posner (journalist) |date=August 19, 2009 |title=Disney songwriters' family feud |work=[[The Globe and Mail]] |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/disney-songwriters-family-feud/article1201504/ |url-status=live |access-date=May 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517035237/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/disney-songwriters-family-feud/article1201504/ |archive-date=May 17, 2022}}</ref> In the late 1950s, Disney ventured into [[Comedy film|comedy]] with the live-action films ''[[The Shaggy Dog (1959 film)|The Shaggy Dog]]'' (1959), which became the highest-grossing film in the US and Canada for Disney at over $9&nbsp;million,{{Sfn|Barrier|2007|p=268}} and [[The Absent-Minded Professor|''The Absent Minded Professor'']] (1961), both starring [[Fred MacMurray]].{{Sfn|Gabler|2007|p=585}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Folkart |first=Burt |date=November 6, 1991 |title=Movie and TV actor Fred MacMurray dies: Entertainer: He played comedic and dramatic roles during a career that began when he was 5. |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-11-06-me-1064-story.html |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=May 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517032948/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-11-06-me-1064-story.html |archive-date=May 17, 2022}}</ref>

{{Multiple image
| total_width       = 300
| perrow            = 2
| image1            = Hayley Mills 1960.jpg
| alt1              = Teenage girl with blonde hair in a white dress looking into the camera
| image2            = Kurt Russell 1974.JPG
| alt2              = Black and white photo of a young man looking into the camera
| footer            = (left to right) Hayley Mills and Kurt Russell were two of Disney's most prominent child actors in the 1960s.
}}

Disney also made live-action films based on children's books including ''[[Pollyanna (1960 film)|Pollyanna]]'' (1960) and ''[[Swiss Family Robinson (1960 film)|Swiss Family Robinson]]'' (1960). Child actor [[Hayley Mills]] starred in ''Pollyanna'', for which she won an [[Academy Juvenile Award]]. Mills starred in 5 other Disney films, including a dual role as the twins in [[The Parent Trap (1961 film)|''The Parent Trap'']] (1961).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Beauchamp |first=Cari |author-link=Cari Beauchamp |date=March 18, 2022 |title=Hayley Mills Finally Gets Her Oscar! |work=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/03/awards-insider-hayley-mills-finally-gets-her-oscar |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=May 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220424154512/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/03/awards-insider-hayley-mills-finally-gets-her-oscar |archive-date=April 24, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Perez |first=Lexy |date=September 7, 2021 |title=Hayley Mills Reflects on Early Career, Walt Disney, Turning Down ''Lolita'' Role and More in Memoir |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/arts/hayley-mills-memoir-forever-young-walt-disney-1235009012/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517141152/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/arts/hayley-mills-memoir-forever-young-walt-disney-1235009012/ |archive-date=May 17, 2022 |access-date=May 17, 2022 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref> Another child actor, [[Kevin Corcoran]], was prominent in many Disney live-action films, first appearing in a serial for ''The Mickey Mouse Club,'' where he would play a boy named Moochie. He worked alongside Mills in ''Pollyanna'', and starred in features such as ''[[Old Yeller (film)|Old Yeller]]'' (1957), ''[[Toby Tyler or 10 Weeks with a Circus (film)|Toby Tyler]]'' (1960), and ''Swiss Family Robinson''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bergan |first=Ronald |author-link=Ronald Bergan |date=October 12, 2015 |title=Kevin Corcoran obituary |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/oct/12/kevin-corcoran |url-status=live |access-date=May 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517155459/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/oct/12/kevin-corcoran |archive-date=May 17, 2022}}</ref> In 1964, the live action/animation [[musical film]] ''[[Mary Poppins (film)|Mary Poppins]]'' was released to major commercial success and rapturous critical acclaim, becoming the year's highest-grossing film and winning five Academy Awards, including [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] for [[Julie Andrews]] as [[Mary Poppins (character)|Poppins]] and Best Song for the Sherman Brothers, who also won Best Score for the film's "[[Chim Chim Cher-ee]]".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Higgens |first=Bill |date=December 10, 2018 |title=Hollywood Flashback: ''Mary Poppins'' Success Helped Walt Create Disney World in 1964 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/mary-poppins-success-helped-walt-create-disney-world-1964-1164840/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517141158/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/mary-poppins-success-helped-walt-create-disney-world-1964-1164840/ |archive-date=May 17, 2022 |access-date=May 17, 2022 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Patton |first=Charlie |date=January 20, 2013 |title=Oscar-winning composer talks the making of ''Mary Poppins'' |work=[[The Florida Times-Union]] |url=https://www.jacksonville.com/story/entertainment/local/2013/01/20/oscar-winning-composer-talks-making-mary/15840788007/ |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=May 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518154948/https://www.jacksonville.com/story/entertainment/local/2013/01/20/oscar-winning-composer-talks-making-mary/15840788007/ |archive-date=May 18, 2022}}</ref>

{{Multiple image
| total_width       = 300
| perrow            = 2
| align             = left
| image1            = Dean Jones 1966.JPG
| alt1              = Black and white photo of a man posing and looking into the camera
| image2            = Fred MacMurray - publicity.JPG
| alt2              = Black and white photo of a man looking into the camera
| footer            = (left to right) Dean Jones, "the figure who most represented Walt Disney Productions in the 1960s",<ref name="Dean Jones" /> and Fred MacMurray, who starred in Disney comedies in the 1960s
}}
Throughout the 1960s, [[Dean Jones (actor)|Dean Jones]], whom ''[[The Guardian]]'' called "the figure who most represented Walt Disney Productions in the 1960s", starred in 10 Disney films, including ''[[That Darn Cat!]]'' (1965), ''[[The Ugly Dachshund]]'' (1966), and ''[[The Love Bug]]'' (1968).<ref name="Dean Jones">{{Cite news |last=Bergan |first=Ronald |date=September 4, 2015 |title=Dean Jones obituary |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/04/dean-jones |url-status=live |access-date=May 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220415232704/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/04/dean-jones |archive-date=April 15, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Puente |first=Maria |date=September 2, 2015 |title=Disney star Dean Jones dies |work=USA Today |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2015/09/02/disney-love-bug-and-darn-cat-star-dean-jones-has-died/71603554/ |url-status=live |access-date=May 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160319163539/http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2015/09/02/disney-love-bug-and-darn-cat-star-dean-jones-has-died/71603554/ |archive-date=March 19, 2016}}</ref> Disney's last child actor of the 1960s was [[Kurt Russell]], who had signed a ten-year contract.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Russian |first=Ale |date=July 10, 2017 |title=Kurt Russell Reflects on Mentor Walt Disney: I Learned 'How to Make Movies' from Him |work=[[People (magazine)|People]] |url=https://people.com/movies/kurt-russell-reflects-on-mentor-walt-disney/ |url-status=live |access-date=May 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517162147/https://people.com/movies/kurt-russell-reflects-on-mentor-walt-disney/ |archive-date=May 17, 2022}}</ref>  He featured in films such as ''[[The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes]]'' (1969), ''[[The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit]]'' (1968) alongside Dean Jones, ''[[The Barefoot Executive]]'' (1971), and ''[[The Strongest Man in the World]]'' (1975).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Zad |first=Martie |date=August 6, 2000 |title=Young Kurt Russell's Family Flicks |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/2000/08/06/young-kurt-russells-family-flicks/f53ed4c5-44bd-4d59-a739-c64be51c8bf4/ |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=May 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828194242/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/2000/08/06/young-kurt-russells-family-flicks/f53ed4c5-44bd-4d59-a739-c64be51c8bf4/ |archive-date=August 28, 2017}}</ref>

In late 1959, Walt had an idea to build another park in [[Palm Beach, Florida]], called the City of Tomorrow, a city that would be full of technological improvements.{{Sfn|Barrier|2007|p=301}} In 1964, the company chose land southwest of [[Orlando, Florida]] to build the park and acquired 27,000 acres (10,927&nbsp;ha). On November 15, 1965, Walt, along with Roy and Florida's governor [[W. Haydon Burns|Haydon Burns]], announced plans for a park called [[Walt Disney World|Disney World]], which included [[Magic Kingdom]]—‌a larger version of Disneyland‍—‌and the City of Tomorrow, at the park's center.{{Sfnm|1a1=Barrier|1y=2007|1pp=302-03|2a1=Gabler|2y=2007|2pp=606-08}} By 1967, the company had made expansions to Disneyland, and more rides were added in 1966 and 1967, at a cost of $20&nbsp;million.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Harrison |first=Scott |author-link=Scott Harrison (writer) |date=April 30, 2017 |title=From the Archives: Walt and the pirates |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/visuals/photography/la-me-fw-archives-walt-and-the-pirates-20170329-story.html |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=May 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520135428/https://www.latimes.com/visuals/photography/la-me-fw-archives-walt-and-the-pirates-20170329-story.html |archive-date=May 20, 2022}}</ref> The new rides included [[Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room]], which was the first attraction to use [[Audio-Animatronics]]; [[Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress]], which debuted at the [[1964 New York World's Fair]] before moving to Disneyland in 1967; and [[Dumbo the Flying Elephant]].<ref name="PasteThemeParks">{{Cite news |last=Martin |first=Garrett |date=October 13, 2021 |title=A Guide to Disney World's Opening Day Attractions |work=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste Magazine]] |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/travel/disney-world/-cinderella-castle-walt-disney/ |url-status=live |access-date=May 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220409155659/https://www.pastemagazine.com/travel/disney-world/-cinderella-castle-walt-disney/ |archive-date=April 9, 2022}}</ref>
[[File:Walt Disney with Company at Press Conference.jpg|right|thumb|alt=Three men at a table with microphones in front of them announcing something|Walt, [[Florida Governor]] [[W. Haydon Burns]], and Roy announcing the plans for Disney World in November 1965]]

On November 20, 1964, Walt sold most of WED Enterprise to Walt Disney Productions for $3.8&nbsp;million after being persuaded by Roy, who thought Walt having his own company would cause legal problems. Walt formed a new company called [[Retlaw Enterprises|Retlaw]] to handle his personal business, primarily [[Disneyland Railroad]] and [[Disneyland Monorail System|Disneyland Monorail]].{{Sfnm|1a1=Barrier|1y=2007|1pp=306-07|2a1=Gabler|2y=2007|2p=629}} When the company started looking for a sponsor for the project, Walt renamed the City of Tomorrow, ''Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow'' ([[Epcot]]).{{Sfn|Barrier|2007|p=307}} Walt, who had been a heavy smoker since World War I, fell very sick and he died on December 15, 1966, aged 65, of [[lung cancer]], at St. Joseph Hospital across the street from the studio.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mikkelson |first=David |date=October 19, 1995 |title=Was Walt Disney Frozen? |work=[[Snopes]] |url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/suspended-animation/ |url-status=live |access-date=May 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102233547/https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/suspended-animation/ |archive-date=November 2, 2021}}</ref>{{Sfn|Gabler|2007|pp=626–31}}