Beginning with the early musical short features he created, such as his "Silly Symphonies," Walt Disney began a tradition of publishing printed music for all the songs his musical films made popular. His firm eventually formed its own publishing house and then even its own record company to continue this practice. Disney's sheet music was typically simple to learn and play, which made it more appealing to his generally young audiences.
After his success with "Snow White," Disney made several subsequent animated movies which were either critically panned, or did very poorly at the box office. His 1940 feature "Pinocchio," now considered a classic and a masterpiece, bombed at its premier. The signature song from the film, "When You Wish Upon a Star," is the most-recorded of Disney songs and has later become the theme song of the Disney Company itself.