Walt Disney Studios

Aladdin was made by a little production company you may have heard of before: Walt Disney Studios.

Yeah, we probably don't need to tell you too much about the history of Disney. If you want the long version, you can read about it here. We've got the tl;dr version for you here.

Basically, it all started with a mouse.

The man behind the whole empire was—surprise—Walt Disney. In 1928, he debuted a seven-minute cartoon short called Steamboat Willie, which featured a new character called Mickey Mouse. The mouse became an instant hit.

In 1937, Walt Disney would make history again when he created Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first full-length animated film ever made. Like Steamboat Willie, Snow White was a huge, gigantic, monster smash. Audiences wanted more, and Disney was happy to give it to them.

What followed was one part of the golden age of American animation. Walt Disney oversaw the release of classic films like Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Lady and the Tramp, and Sleeping Beauty. But when Uncle Walt died from lung cancer in 1966, the quality of Disney movies took a bit of a nosedive.

Things didn't really pick up in terms of animation until the release of The Little Mermaid in 1989. Beauty and the Beast followed in 1991, and it was the first animated film ever to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture. Not too shabby. Then Aladdin came along and knocked everyone's socks even further off. These guys were on a roll.

Aladdin and the hit movies that would follow in the early 90s were all part of what became known as the Disney Renaissance. The idea was that Disney had returned to its roots. They were producing quality movies with world-class animation, captivating stories, and catchy songs. Once again, audiences couldn't get enough.

Today, Disney has nearly achieved its goal of total global domination. In fact, it's the second largest media conglomerate in the world. They make movies, music, books, toys, theme parks, TV shows—the list goes on. If you can enjoy it, Disney probably makes it…or licenses their characters for it.

And to think, it all started with a mouse.