Acquisitions have helped Disney expand its reach in media and entertainment—including 21st Century Fox, which it acquired in 2019 for $71 billion. Disney became the first media company to have a presence across filmed entertainment, cable television, broadcasting, and telephone wires after it bought Capital Cities/ABC.

Disney acquired “Toy Story” creator Pixar in 2006 for $7.4 billion. The company became the owner of the “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” franchises following the purchase of Lucasfilm in 2012.

In August 2009, Disney bought Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion. In 2001, Disney acquired Fox Family Worldwide, which was renamed ABC Family but was subsequently rebranded as Freeform. Acquisition of a majority stake in streaming services company BAMTech in 2017 played a key role in Disney’s launches of ESPN+ and Disney+.