What Was Walt Disney’s Net Worth at the Time of His Death?

Walt Disney struggled to make a name for himself and get his animation studio off the ground in the late ’20s. Back then, it’s unlikely that he envisioned his name becoming one of the biggest in media history.

His first feature film was Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs. The film paved the way for what is now today a media titan. What was Disney’s net worth at the time of his death in 1966?

What was Walt Disney’s net worth at the time of his death?

Disney’s first job came when he was 18 years old, working as a commercial illustrator. The young Disney moved to California in the early ’20s and set up a studio with his brother Roy Disney. The Disney brothers partnered with Ub Iwerks to create the iconic character Mickey Mouse in 1928.

The character proved successful, with Disney voicing his creation in its early years. As the Disney Brother Studio grew, Disney became more adventurous, trying new things such as synchronized sound, feature-length cartoons, full-color three-strip Technicolor, and technical developments in cameras.

Although he’d signed a distribution deal with Columbia Pictures for Mickey Mouse cartoons, Disney wasn’t satisfied with the formats of those short cartoons, so he decided to work on a full-length feature film, thus giving birth to Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs.

The film took four years to make and cost over $1 million, but when it debuted in 1937, it garnered praise and grossed $6.5 million. Disney then made Pinocchio, Dumbo, Fantasia, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan. Disney was diagnosed with lung cancer in November 1966. A month later, he was rushed to the hospital, where he died of circulatory collapse caused by cancer. 

Celebrity Net Worth reports that at the time of Disney’s death, he was worth between $100 million and $150 million. Adjusted for inflation, Disney was worth between $750 million and $1.1 billion. The outlet also reports that his stake in his company alone would be worth $600 million today.

What is the Walt Disney company worth today?

Walt Disney has grown since its inception. Some of its well-known subsidiaries include Disney+, Walt Disney World, Marvel Entertainment, Pixar, Walt Disney Pictures, and Lucasfilm. Go Banking Rates reports that the Walt Disney Company is worth $97 billion.

The outlet notes that Disney, per its balance sheet, had $203.6 billion in total assets for the fiscal year ending October 2, 2021. In the same balance sheet, Disney reported $104.84 billion in liabilities. Subtracting Disney’s liabilities from its assets leaves its net worth at about $97 billion.

Walt Disney developed an interest in drawing at an early age

Walt Disney was born in 1901 in Chicago. He showed interest in drawing early in life after a neighborhood doctor paid him to draw his horse. Disney’s father subscribed to the Appeal to Reason newspaper, and the young boy practiced his skill by copying the paper’s front page cartoons.

He also began working with crayons and watercolors and even took classes on Saturdays to perfect his skill. When his family moved to Kansas City, Missouri, Disney met Walter Pfeiffer, who hailed from a long line of theater fans. Pfeiffer introduced him to the world of motion pictures and vaudeville, and before long, Disney and Pfeiffer were always together at Pfeiffer’s home.

Disney began drawing for his high school newspaper. After being rejected by the United States Army for being too young, Disney forged his birth date on his birth certificate to join the Red Cross shipping to France, where he drew cartoons on the side of his ambulance.

Disney returned to Kansas City in 1919 and became an apprentice at one of the local art studios, where he drew illustrations for commercial advertising. It was during this time that he met artist Ub Iwerks.