The Walt Disney Company was co-founded by Walt Disney and his older brother Roy O. Disney. On October 16, 1923, they established the "Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio" in Hollywood, California. While Walt was the creative visionary and the "face" of the brand—responsible for the characters, storytelling, and the revolutionary concept of Disneyland—Roy was the financial and administrative genius who made those dreams possible. Roy famously delayed his own retirement to oversee the construction and opening of Walt Disney World in Florida following Walt's death in 1966, insisting that the resort be named "Walt Disney World" so that no one would ever forget the man who started it all. In 2026, the "Partners" statue in the parks remains the most iconic tribute to their collaboration, but true Disney historians recognize that the company's global success was a direct result of this unique partnership between Walt’s artistic ambition and Roy’s business acumen.