How Disney Built America

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.

Facing soaring costs, mounting criticism, and a tight deadline, Walt Disney creates the first full-length animated feature film, giving rise to the billion-dollar business of animated films.

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.

Disney faces financial struggles, hires a marketing expert who proposes licensing characters for merchandise. Mickey Mouse appears on cereal boxes, sparking a lucrative licensing industry that sets a precedent for multimedia corporations.

Disney transforms 27,000 acres of Florida swampland into Walt Disney World, the world's largest theme park, overcoming personal tragedy, construction delays, and secrecy as "Project X" to open a triumph of imagination and technology.