Meet the Family Behind the Media Empire

May 2024 · 2 minute read

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The Walt Disney Company has come a long way since it was founded by brothers Walt and Roy O. Disney nearly a century ago. What began as a cartoon studio is now a media powerhouse, complete with amusement parks and properties.

But for all its success, the family behind "The Happiest Place on Earth" has largely stayed out of the limelight and the business. While it's not known just how much the family is worth, GOBankingRates estimated the company's net worth to be $130 billion. Roy O.'s grandson, Roy P., previously said the family owns less than 3% of the company, but assuming it is about that amount would put their fortune around $3.9 billion (not counting any investments in addition to Disney holdings).

But it's likely the company's net worth — and thus the family's net worth — will continue to grow as Disney positions itself as a major player in streaming television. The company announced in a 2020 December Investor Day that it's rolling out dozens of movies and streaming TV shows from its studio and its Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar subsidiaries and expects to triple subscribers for its Disney Plus streaming service by 2024. The announcement sent Disney's market value up by $32 billion as shares jumped as much as 12%.

From a family-trust-fund feud to generous philanthropic endeavors, here's a look at the three generations of the Disney family. The family did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

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