Disney vs Morgan Stanley: Founders, CEOs and History

Company facts

Founders

CEOs and their tenures

Timeline: Disney and Morgan Stanley side by side

1. 1923Disney

   Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio is founded

   Walt Disney and Roy O. Disney formed the studio after Walt arrived in California with the Alice Comedies.

2. 1928Disney

   Mickey Mouse debuts in Steamboat Willie

   Steamboat Willie introduced Mickey Mouse to a broad audience with synchronized sound. The short helped Disney turn a technical change in cinema into a character asset that could be repeated, licensed, and expanded.

3. 1935Morgan Stanley

   Morgan Stanley Founded

   Henry S. Morgan and Harold Stanley officially launch the top investment bank following the historic Glass-Steagall split.

4. 1937Disney

   Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is released

   Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs proved that feature-length animation could work as a premium theatrical event. Its success gave the studio credibility and capital for more ambitious animated films.

5. 1955Disney

   Disneyland opens in Anaheim

   Disneyland moved the company beyond screens and into physical entertainment. The park created a second economic model built on admission, food, merchandise, hospitality, and repeat family visits.

6. 1996Disney

   Capital Cities/ABC brings ESPN to Disney

   Disney stockholders approved the Capital Cities/ABC merger in 1996, bringing ABC and ESPN into the company. ESPN later became central to Disney's television economics and is now central to its cord-cutting risk.

7. 1996Morgan Stanley

   Acquired Van Kampen American Capital

   Morgan Stanley acquired Van Kampen American Capital in 1996.

8. 1997Morgan Stanley

   Merged with Dean Witter Discover & Co

   Morgan Stanley merged with Dean Witter Discover & Co in February 1997.

9. 2005Disney

   Robert A. Iger becomes CEO

   Iger became CEO in 2005 after serving as Disney president and chief operating officer. His tenure reshaped the company through Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, 21st Century Fox assets, international expansion, and direct-to-consumer streaming.

10. 2006Disney

    Pixar Animation Studios is acquired

    The $7.4B Pixar deal ended a strained distribution relationship and brought creative leadership, computer-animation expertise, and a strong story process into Disney. It helped restore animation momentum and set the template for later franchise acquisitions.

11. 2008Morgan Stanley

    Bank Holding Company Conversion

    Facing total catastrophic collapse, the firm converts into a traditional bank holding company to survive the global financial crisis.

12. 2009Disney

    Marvel Entertainment is acquired

    Disney agreed to acquire Marvel in a transaction valued at about $4B. The deal added more than 5,000 characters and expanded the company's reach in theatrical films, consumer products, streaming, and parks.

13. 2009Morgan Stanley

    The Smith Barney Acquisition

    then-CEO James Gorman masterminds the acquisition of Smith Barney, instantly creating a dominant retail wealth management leader.

14. 2012Disney

    Lucasfilm joins Disney

    The Lucasfilm acquisition was valued at $4.05B and brought Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Industrial Light & Magic, and related production assets. It gave Disney a global franchise with theatrical, streaming, merchandise, games, and parks potential.

15. 2018Morgan Stanley

    Acquired Mesa West

    Morgan Stanley acquired Mesa West in March 2018.

16. 2019Disney

    Disney signs amended 21st Century Fox acquisition agreement

    The amended Fox agreement valued the equity consideration at about $71.3B and expanded Disney's content library, international assets, and Hulu position. It was a scale move made as Disney prepared for a streaming-centered media market.

17. 2019Disney

    Disney+ launches

    Disney+ launched in the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands with nearly 500 films and 7,500 television episodes. The service moved Disney closer to consumers and made streaming economics a core investor question.

18. 2020Disney

    Bob Chapek leads through pandemic disruption

    Chapek became CEO shortly before COVID-19 disrupted parks, cruises, theaters, and production. The period exposed Disney's dependence on physical attendance while accelerating demand for direct-to-consumer streaming.

19. 2020Morgan Stanley

    E*TRADE Acquisition

    Morgan Stanley dominates the self-directed brokerage market by acquiring E*TRADE for $13 billion.

20. 2021Morgan Stanley

    Acquired Eaton Vance

    Morgan Stanley acquired Eaton Vance for $7 billion. Morgan Stanley acquired Eaton Vance for about $7B, completed in March 2021, adding Parametric, Calvert, and Atlanta Capital.

21. 2024Morgan Stanley

    Ted Pick Appointed CEO

    Following a competitive internal succession, Ted Pick takes the helm to heavily drive the integration strategy.

22. 2025Disney

    $94.425B revenue and $12.404B net income

    FY2025 results showed the scale of Disney's current base across Entertainment, ESPN, and Experiences. The figures shift the analysis from simple revenue recovery to the quality of earnings, streaming profit, and park capital returns.

23. 2026Disney

    Josh D'Amaro becomes CEO

    Disney's board unanimously elected Josh D'Amaro CEO effective March 18, 2026, with Robert A. Iger moving to senior advisor and Dana Walden becoming President and Chief Creative Officer.

Acquisitions

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