Who owns Disneyland? In 1955, Walt Disney‘s big vision of a magical getaway for families was realized when Disneyland opened its doors in California.
Walt Disney World, the company’s second theme park, debuted in Florida in 1971.
These two resorts are completely owned by the company.
In the years since, Disney has opened a number of international locations as joint ventures with local businesses, with only a minority stake in each.
In this article, I will comprehensively look into the ownership of Disneyland franchises across the world.
So, Who Owns Disneyland?
Today, Walt’s park is controlled entirely by the Walt Disney Company.
Although Walt held only 16.55% of the shares when the Park was built, the Walt Disney Company collaborated with two other businesses to raise funds for the project.
However, by 1960, the Company had purchased out its partners, and by 1988, the Company had full ownership, including the final 1988 acquisition of the Disneyland Hotel, which had previously been owned by Jack Wrather.
Who Owns Disneyland California?
Disneyland California is owned (100%) by Disney.
To finance the construction of the original Disneyland Park, the Walt Disney Company sold ownership stakes to several investors while keeping slightly more than one-third ownership for itself.
In exchange for bank loan guarantees and a half-million-dollar cash payment, American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres, the parent company of ABC Television, received a stake equivalent to the Walt Disney Company as well as the original Disneyland television series.
Western Printing and Lithography Co. paid $200,000 for a 13.8% stake, while Walt Disney directly paid $250,000 for a 16.55% stake, in addition to owning the Disneyland Railroad.
Additionally, the Disneyland Hotel was constructed and owned by Jack Wrather before Disney licensed the name.
By 1960, the Walt Disney business had purchased their theme park partners, and the Disney family sold their rights back to the business in 1982.
However, Disney did not purchase the Disneyland Hotel until 1988.
The Walt Disney Company now owns the entire Disneyland Resort in Anaheim.
Who Owns Walt Disney World, Florida?
The Walt Disney Company not only controls the Walt Disney World Resort in its entirety, but also has actual governmental control over it via the Reedy Creek Improvement Act.
The Florida legislature established this part of the state as an exclusive entity to grant Disney authority over the destination’s planning and development.
However, U.S. Steel built and controlled the first two Walt Disney World Resort on-site hotels, the Contemporary and Polynesian Village.
Roy Disney negotiated the purchase of their stake soon before his death in 1971.
Disney has since sold off different parcels of land for private construction, including the Town of Celebration and the Flamingo Crossings area.
Who Owns Disney Resort Japan?
Oriental Land Company owns 100% of this resort.
Tokyo Disneyland was the initial Disney theme park resort outside of the United States, and it is the only one in which Disney has no ownership interest.
The Oriental Land Company owns and operates Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea.
Keisei Electric Railway Co., Ltd., Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd., and several other Japanese corporations own this firm that runs the resort.
The resort pays a licensing fee to Disney for the use of its names and characters, and all of the attractions are created by Disney Imagineers.
However, while the Disney corporation has employees on site to assist in maintaining standards, it does not actively oversee or manage the Tokyo parks.
Who Owns Disneyland Paris?
Disney owns 100% of this park.
Disneyland Paris was operated by Euro Disney S.C.A., which was originally owned by the Walt Disney Company for only 76.7%.
In June 2017, Disney finalized the purchase of shares previously held by Kingdom Holding Company.
It declared that it had secured enough stock to force the remainder to be bought out.
As of June 19, this takeover gained 100% ownership of Disneyland Paris for the first time.
Who Owns Hong Kong Disneyland?
This Disney franchise is co-owned by the Hong Kong government and Disney.
Disney owns 47% of the shares while the government controls 57% of the franchise.
Hongkong International Theme Parks Limited, a joint venture business, owns Disney’s first Chinese resort.
The Hong Kong Government and The Walt Disney business own a portion of this business.
The Hong Kong Government owned 57% of the park when it debuted in 2005, while The Walt Disney Company owned 43%.
However, as of the end of fiscal 2015, the Hong Kong Government owned 53% of the company’s stock, while The Walt Disney Company owned 47%.
Despite being a minority owner, Disney has full control over the park’s operations.
Who Owns China Disneyland?
The Chinese government owns 57% of the franchise while Disney owns the remaining 43%.
Disney’s resort in Shanghai, like its other Hong Kong franchise, is a joint endeavor between the Walt Disney Company and the Chinese government.
This is in the form of the Shanghai Shendi Group company.
Disney controls 43% of the Shanghai resort, while government-owned corporations own the remaining 57%.
The Shanghai Park is managed by a business that is 70% owned by Disney and receives management fees and royalties.
If all of this foreign finance wears you down, take a virtual vacation with these point-of-view rides through some of our favorite Disney attractions from around the globe.
Final Thoughts on Who Owns Disneyland
Who owns Disneyland? The Disney Company owns fully the American franchises and the Paris one.
However, the Hong Kong and China franchises are co-owned by Disney and the government.
The Tokyo franchise, however, is the only Disney franchise that Disney does not have shares in.
It is owned 100% by Oriental Land Company.
