Walt Disney World

Walt Disney World is the Florida project completed by Roy Disney after Walt Disney’s death in The Walt Disney Company: Walt’s Era. Walt’s original plan was much broader than another theme park: it included a large park, airport, industrial park, and real futuristic city for roughly 20,000 residents.

Roy renamed the project Walt Disney World, postponed retirement, scaled back the city vision, and completed the Magic Kingdom plus two hotels without taking on debt. The case connects Founder Succession to capital discipline: a successor may preserve the founder’s ambition by narrowing it into an executable form.

Connections

• Walt Disney and Roy Disney - original vision and completion.
• The Walt Disney Company - company that owned the Florida project.
• Disneyland - earlier park proof point.
• Theme Park As Media Platform, Founder Succession, and Startup Governance - concepts sharpened by the Florida project.