At a time when the entertainment industry faces massive disruption from the likes of Netflix and Amazon, Disney’s magic looks more powerful than ever. So far this year, the company has released three of the top four U.S. box office hits, revealed plans to launch streaming-video services tailored for families and sports fans, and entered an industry-shaking $71 billion deal to buy 21stCentury Fox’s entertainment assets. Under CEO Bob Iger, the company had already amassed a lineup of crowd-pleasing, money-making franchises: Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm. Now, with the Fox deal, Disney will bring The Simpsons and Avatar into the fold. Disney has proven masterful at leveraging such properties: A Marvel movie character can power a new Disney theme park ride, inspire a TV series and and serve as the focus of a video game, all under the Disney tent. —Belinda Luscombe
For more on Disney, click here to read our profile of CEO Bob Iger.