How Disney Built America - Season 1

First aired: 4/28/2024 6 episodes

Episodes

1. The Birth of Mickey

Aired: 4/28/2024

A struggling cartoon studio creates one of the most recognizable characters in the world. Mickey Mouse begins as a pencil sketch, and through a journey of failure, betrayal, innovation, and guts becomes an American icon, and the foundation of an iconic media empire.

2. Dawn of The Animated Blockbuster

Aired: 5/5/2024

Facing soaring costs, mounting criticism, and a tight deadline, Walt Disney pushes the limits of technology to create the first full-length animated feature film. It's Disney's magic combination of passion, brilliance, and tech innovation that gives rise to the billion-dollar business of animated films.

3. Destination Disneyland

Aired: 5/12/2024

Walt Disney overcomes immense obstacles to create the first Theme Park, where instead of thrill rides, he gives the visitor an immersive journey into a story, like the experience of being inside a movie.

4. Now Available in Stores

Aired: 5/19/2024

Amidst financial troubles, Disney hires an ingenious marketing whiz who helps them figure out how to bring their beloved characters off the screen and into the hands of millions. Mickey becomes the first celebrity face to grace a cereal box and from there, the licensing of Disney products becomes a lucrative industry and the gold standard for multimedia corporations all over the world.

5. Creating a New World

Aired: 6/2/2024

Against all odds, Disney turns 27,000 acres of muddy Florida swampland into the world's largest and most visited Theme Park. It began in secret as "Project X," and after being dogged by personal tragedy and construction delays, when Walt Disney World finally opens it's a triumph of imagination, technology, and a dream.

6. The Marvelous World of Disney

Aired: 6/9/2024

For nearly 70 years, Disney has pushed the boundaries of art and science through the work of a team of dreamers, designers, and builders known as the "Imagineers"; a look at the story of these builders who have turned the impossible into a reality.