1955 also provided another landmark moment: the opening of the first California Disney theme park, Disneyland. Disney continued its rise in popularity, and survived even the death of its founder in 1966. His brother Roy took over supervision at that time, and then was succeeded by an executive team in 1971. Several more projects, from merchandising to the continuing production of animated and live-action films to the construction of more theme parks filled the years; in 1983, Disney went international with the opening of Tokyo Disneyland.
In the past few decades, Disney has moved into a wider market, beginning The Disney Channel on cable and establishing subdivisions such as Touchstone Pictures to produce films other than the usual family-oriented fare, gaining a firmer footing on a broader range. In the 1970s and 1980s, the company suffered from takeover attempts, but eventually recovered; the recruiting of the current chairman, Michael D. Eisner, was crucial to that. Eisner and executive partner Frank Wells have been a successful team, leading Disney to continue its tradition of excellence into a new century.
Today, The Walt Disney Company is a world-spanning media conglomerate. Cable stations, broadcast TV networks, movie studios, and magazine publishers are only part of its vast holdings. In 2005, Disney had revenues of $31.9 billion.
And, as the story goes, it all started with a mouse.