After Disney's death, his brother Roy deferred his retirement to take full control of the Disney companies. He changed the focus of the project from a town to an attraction. At the inauguration in 1971, Roy dedicated Walt Disney World to his brother.

After Walt Disney died in December 1966, the company entered a transitional and often difficult period known among fans as the "Bronze Age" or "Dark Ages." Initially, Walt's brother, Roy O. Disney, delayed his retirement to oversee the completion of "Disney World" in Florida, which he renamed Walt Disney World in honor of his brother. After Roy's death in 1971, the company lacked a clear creative visionary, and while the theme parks remained profitable, the animation department struggled with aging talent and lackluster box office performers like The Black Cauldron. This stagnation made the company a target for hostile takeover attempts in the early 1980s. The tide turned in 1984 when Michael Eisner and Frank Wells were brought in as CEO and President, respectively. Under their leadership, and with the help of Roy E. Disney (Walt’s nephew), the company launched the "Disney Renaissance," a decade of massive hits like The Little Mermaid and The Lion King. This era also saw the expansion into adult-oriented films via Touchstone Pictures and the acquisition of ABC/ESPN. Today, the company has evolved into a global conglomerate through massive acquisitions including Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and 21st Century Fox, moving far beyond the family-run animation studio Walt left behind.