Disney

Disney, already a dominant force in family and children’s cinema, launched its music division in 1949 by establishing the Walt Disney Music Company to publish songs tied to its motion pictures, beginning with the 1950 release Cinderella. During the 1950s the studio created additional imprints, among them Disneyland Records, which featured film soundtracks, story albums, and material from The Mickey Mouse Club, and Buena Vista, which issued recordings by performers such as Fess Parker, Annette Funicello, and Darlene Gillespie together with singles drawn from its theatrical productions. In 1989 the separate labels were unified under the single name Walt Disney Records, an outlet that re-released vintage soundtracks, produced read-along and sing-along titles, compiled selections of both classic and recent Disney songs, and supplied music for current studio films, many of which earned multi-platinum certification, including The Lion King, Beauty & the Beast, Aladdin, and The Little Mermaid. The company sustained its combined cinematic and musical achievements into the new millennium through the acquisition of major properties including Pixar, The Muppets, Marvel, and Star Wars.