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Disney animation experienced a renaissance. In 1989, The Little Mermaid reminded the world that animation wasn't just for kids. In 1991, Beauty and the Beast became the only animated film ever to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. In 1992, Aladdin became the first animated film to gross more than $200 million in the U.S. and, in 1994, The Lion King shattered records, grossing $312 million in the U.S. and $783 million worldwide.
Meanwhile, Hollywood Records was formed to offer a wide selection of music, ranging from rap to movie soundtracks. New television shows, such as Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, Empty Nest, Dinosaurs and Home Improvement, expanded Disney's television base. Disney moved into publishing, forming Hyperion Books, Hyperion Books for Children, and Disney Press, which released books on Disney and non-Disney subjects. In 1991, as a totally new venture, Disney was awarded in 1993 the franchise for a National Hockey League team in Anaheim, the Mighty Ducks, named after a popular Walt Disney Pictures film, which the company operated until selling it in 2005.
In France, the park now known as Disneyland Resort Paris opened on April 12, 1992. This spectacular new Disneyland attracted almost 11 million visitors during its first year. Disneyland Paris is complemented by six uniquely designed resort hotels and a campground and is now the most visited tourist attraction in all of Europe. At the Walt Disney World Resort, six new resort hotels were opened during the 1990s, as well as new attractions at all the theme parks, while such enhancements as Mickey's Toontown and the Indiana Jones Adventure helped fulfill Disneyland's mandate that it would "never be completed."
Disney's leadership in animation continued with Pocahontas in 1995, The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1996, Hercules in 1997, Mulan in 1998, Tarzan in 1999 and Fantasia/2000 at the turn of the century. In 1995, in partnership with Pixar Animation, the company released the first computer-animated feature film, Toy Story. This was followed by a series of highly successful Disney/Pixar collaborations, a bug's life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo and The Incredibles.
In 1994, Disney ventured onto Broadway with the stage production of Beauty and the Beast, followed in 1997 by The Lion King, which won the Tony Award for best musical. Aida was Disney Theatrical's first production not based on an animated film and, in 2006, Tarzan opened on The Great White Way. By restoring the historic New Amsterdam Theater on 42nd Street, Disney became the catalyst for a successful makeover of the famous Times Square area.
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