The Walt Disney Company and starred in several Disney produced films. Ub Iwerks refined Disney's initial design of Mickey Mouse. Disney's first sound film "Steamboat Willie", a cartoon starring Mickey, was released on November 18, 1928 through Pat Powers' distribution company. It was the first Mickey Mouse sound cartoon released, but the third to be created, behind "Plane Crazy" and "The Gallopin' Gaucho". "Steamboat Willie" was an immediate smash hit, and its initial success was attributed not just to Mickey's appeal as a character, but to the fact that it was the first cartoon to feature synchronized sound. Disney used Pat Powers' Cinephone system,
The Walt Disney Company its joint venture with Hearst Communications for A+E Networks, and ESPN Inc. It is the only division with two leaders or "co-chairs": the presidents of ESPN and Disney-ABC Television Group. Walt Disney dropped his Chairman title in 1960 to focus more on the creative aspects of the company, becoming the "executive producer in charge of all production." After a four-year vacancy, Roy O. Disney assumed the Chairmanship. Disney ranked No. 55 in the 2018 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by total revenue. The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Walt Disney or