"There are no days in life so memorable as those which vibrated to some stroke of the imagination."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Before it became a major force in Hollywood, and the owner of 11 theme parks and several television networks, including ABC and ESPN, The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) was simply Walter Elias Disney, a humble cartoonist looking to make people smile.

Since 1923, ages before Pixar was even a twinkle in anyone's eye, the Disney Company was built on Walt's growing use of animation to bring his cartoon creations to life. Armed with technology and fueled by his restless imagination, Walt conceived a variety of timeless characters like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, and brought to life the stories of unforgettable classics such as Bambi, Peter Pan, Cinderella, and Pinocchio.

Where dreams come true
Walt could not contain his dreams to the two-dimensional world of animation; his stable of characters demanded further realization. Walt and his company would go on to build the most visited and famous theme parks in the world, finally bringing his dreams into reality. The public could now see, touch, and experience the characters that had enchanted them in film.

The year 2006 saw Disney's theme parks welcome their 2 billionth guest. With an estimated 6.7 billion people on the planet, Disney has, within 53 years, hosted the equivalent of 30% of the world's current population. Over the past 36 years, since the opening of Walt Disney World, the stock has returned more than 3,499% – turning a $1,000 investment into approximately $35,989 today.

Knowingly or unknowingly, Walt had created a "memories" company. He understood that once he captured a person's imagination, he had earned a portion of their memory, for life.

Beauty and the beasts
It's amazing to think that one brand could house so many memories and mean so much to people, young and old. Disney's feat appears unparalleled. I decided to see how the company's name fared among Interbrand's 2007 ranking of global brands:

Top Global Brands (2007)

Industry

2007 Brand Value*

Market Capitalization

1. Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO)

Beverages

$65B

$128B

2. Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT)

Computer Software

$59B

$257B

3. IBM

Computer Software

$57B

$175B

4. GE

Diversified

$51B

$295B

5. Nokia (NYSE: NOK)

Consumer Electronics

$34B

$100B

6. Toyota (NYSE: TM)

Automotive

$32B

$142B Continued...