During the past year, Disney Theatrical’s 16 stage productions gave more than 5,000 performances and entertained more than 8 million guests in nine countries, making Disney Theatrical one of the world’s largest producers of Broadway musicals.

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On Broadway, its three Tony Award®-winning musicals each reached significant milestones. Beauty and the Beast, now in its ninth year, became the eighth-longest-running show in Broadway history. The Lion King celebrated its 2000th performance at the New Amsterdam Theatre and Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida celebrated its 1000th performance at the Palace Theatre. Together, the shows accounted for more than 20 percent of the Broadway market.

Domestic touring was another area of growth, with the opening of the first national tour of The Lion King in Denver. Along with continuing productions of The Lion King in Toronto and Los Angeles and the touring companies of Beauty and the Beast and Aida, the domestic productions of Disney stage plays were seen in more than 47 markets during the year. A second national tour of The Lion King will open in Chicago in April 2003. Similar success has been achieved in Europe and Japan, where Buena Vista Theatrical productions have been playing to packed houses.

Disney Live Family Entertainment continued its rapid growth, with Disney On Ice performing for more than 10 million guests in 2002. Licensed to Feld Entertainment, Disney On Ice demonstrated both domestic and international growth, bringing the magic of the Disney brand to 47 countries.