Disney

It's hard to imagine childhood (and even adulthood) without a spoonful of Disney to help make life's discoveries, curiosities, struggles and fears go down just a little more smoothly. No one dreams bigger than the magic men and women behind the Walt Disney brand, which has made a world of fantasy a blockbuster reality. Since its founding in 1923, the company has grown into a global empire with Mickey Mouse eclipsing any head of state in popularity. Mickey, Bambi, Mary Poppins, Tigger, Nemo, Ariel, Pocahontas, Simba, Aladdin, Belle and a seemingly infinite gang of yapping animals and magical princesses populate the Disney landscape, with flesh-and-blood Homo sapiens like Hans Zimmer (Pirates of the Caribbean), Elton John (The Lion King), Celine Dion (Beauty and the Beast), Vanessa Williams (Pocahontas), Julie Andrews (Mary Poppins) and Randy Newman (Toy Story) providing the fantastical soundtracks to these characters' timeless tales.