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Disney

Link

Emma Lipstone and Susy Solino
The Walt Disney Company Logo

[1]   The Walt Disney Company Logo

 The Walt Disney Company

500 South Buena Vista St.
Burbank, CA 91521

Website: thewaltdisneycompany.com
Phone Number: (818) 560 – 1000

Company

The Walt Disney Company was founded on October 16, 1923 by Walter Elias Disney and is headquartered in Burbank, CA. The Company is one of the biggest media and entertainment corporations in the world. [2]. Walt Disney Studios is home to the four major film studios: Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Studios, and Lucasfilm Ltd. The Walt Disney Company also owns and operates Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Disney Music Group, Disney Theatrical Group, DisneyToon Studios, Touchstone Pictures, and DisneyNature. [3]. 

Disney’s animation studio has produced around fifty-five animated feature films, with the fifty-sixth being Moana that was just recently released. Pixar has produced seventeen films; the most recent being Finding Dory. In 2009, Disney purchased Marvel Studios and has since produced multiple movies based off of Marvel comic book characters including: The Avengers, X-Men, Spider-Man, and Guardians of the Galaxy. Most recently in 2012, Disney acquired Lucasfilm Ltd. which is the studio best known for creating the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises.

In addition to popular film franchises, Walt Disney Company owns and operates many television channels that produce popular television series’. The biggest subsidiary under Disney Media Networks is ABC, which produces hit network shows such as Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder. [5]. Disney also owns ESPN and operates A&E Networks in a joint venture with Hearst Corporation, along with a portion of Hulu.

 

The Walt Disney Company

[9] Some of The Walt Disney Company Conglomerates

Financials

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) stock has been declining in the past few quarters.

According to the earnings report released on November 10, 2016, operating income at Cable Networks decreased $207 million to $1.4 billion for the quarter due to decreases at ESPN and the Disney Channels. [6]. 

ESPN has been losing subscribers to online streaming, such as Netflix or over-the-top streaming services. Also, social media has provided access to a lot of breaking news and sports live broadcasting, luring viewers away from cable television. One of the biggest issues facing ESPN and The Walt Disney Company is that the sports cable network has already paid huge rights fees for the next 5 years, yet subscribers are only paying $8 a month to cover the games, which will not exist in a few years. The increase in programming and production costs were due to The Olympics programming internationally, the World Cup of Hockey rights, and higher contractual rates for college sports. [7]. 

However, the growth at Freeform, which is the old ABC Family, has been very successful this quarter due to lower programming and production costs, as well as a decrease in marketing expenses. These were driven by fewer hours of original scripted programming in the current quarter.

 

Disney Stock

[33] Disney stock prices for last 2 years

Key Executives

Robert A. Iger: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

[8] Robert A. Iger: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

[8] Alan N. Braverman: Senior Executive Vice President

Christine M. McCarthy: Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

[8] Christine M. McCarthy: Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Zenia Mucha: Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Officer

[8] Zenia Mucha: Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Officer

Jayne Parker: Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer

[8] Jayne Parker: Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer

Box Office Reports

captain-america-civil-war-poster-2

[12] Movie poster for “Captain America: Civil War” (2016)

2016 was announced as The Walt Disney Company’s most successful International Box Office record to date, reporting over $3.56 Billion through October 16th in just international sales, surpassing their 2015 general record of $3.56 Billion. [10]. This was due to a powerhouse series of releases throughout 2016, beginning with the summer blockbuster Captain America: Civil War which brought in 1.15 Billion worldwide viewers, $745 million Internationally and was named the No. 1 film of the year internationally and globally. [11].

movie_poster_zootopia_866a1bf2

[14] Movie poster for “Zootopia” (2016)

The animated release of Zootopia also helped spike Disney’s international numbers as it was named the biggest animated film to ever be released in China and brought in $682.3 million internationally. Elsewhere in the studio, 2016’s surprise remake of The Jungle Book also experienced a successful release, bringing in $602.3 million internationally as well as the title of “Top Western Film of all Time” in India and the No. 3 film of the year overseas.  [13]. Furthermore, while being in the box office for nearly 16 weeks, Finding Dory managed to break records and pass the billion dollar global box office line by bringing in $484.8 million domestically and $519.9 million internationally, making it Pixar’s second billion dollar release and earning a rank as the 5th biggest animated film of all time, globally. [15]. 

As though breaking international box office records was not enough, Disney also managed to set new industry records for reaching $2 billion domestic (July 16th) and $5 billion global (July 10). As well as earned three new spots in the Hall of Fame for domestic box offices with Finding Dory, Captain America: Civil War, and Zootopia. All of this success comes with still two-and-a-half months and three major releases remaining in their calendar year. [16].

dory_characters_0afa6e45

Dory, the star of “Finding Dory” (2016), now the fifth highest grossing animated film of all time. [17]

 

Recent and Future Releases

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[18] Movie poster for Marvel’s “Doctor Strange” (2016)

Marvel Studio’s Doctor Strange represents another large victory for The Walt Disney Company’s Marvel unit, even on the heels of the overwhelming success of Captain America: Civil War. 

Doctor Strange was projected to collect anywhere from $65 million to $75 million in ticket sales from the United States and Canada through opening weekend, positively surprising analysts and bringing in $85 million and the #1 rank instead. Since its release, Doctor Strange has made over $200 million domestically and over $400 million internationally, crossing $600 million worldwide in under 4 weeks. [19].

Moana, who was scheduled for a holiday release, has surpassed the high expectations set by Doctor Strange, bringing in over $81 million domestically throughout its opening weekend. [20]. 

flex_moana_header_ddaba7de

[22] Movie poster for “Moana” (2016)

Further down the line, fans eagerly await the release of Star Wars: Rogue One. As well as Disney’s live action remake of Beauty and the Beast and the recently announced remakes of Mulan and Snow White. All of which are predicted to be box-office heavy hitters. [21]. 

[23]. 

Diversity

videothumbnail_elanaofavalor_teaser_02_ce1b790c

[24] Elena of Avalor, Disney’s first Latina princess.

In light of a growing diverse culture and need for representation in the film industry, Disney had begun fighting back against claims of their white-washing tactics and ill representation in their films by allowing more diverse roles in their characters and plots.

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[25] Moana, Disney’s first Polynesian heroine.

This year’s recently released Moana revolves around Tahitian and Pacific Islander culture and will be the first Disney film every to be translated into the Tahitian language. [26]. Furthermore, Disney introduced the world to their first Latina princess earlier in the year with the release of their television series Elena of Avalor, a Disney Channel show revolving around latin customs and characters [27] further proving the Company’s desire to focus on promoting more representation of diversity through their media. In addition to their animated strikes towards representation, Disney has announced their search for Chinese actors to star in the upcoming Mulan remake. [28]. 

jungle-book-to-mulan-all-the-live-action-disney-movies-in-the-works-right-now

[29] Movie poster for Disney’s upcoming live action remake of “Mulan,” featuring a Chinese actress.

Future Integration

In addition to divulging into a more diverse space, Disney has also shown interested in expanding into a more digital and web space with their media. In September 2016, Disney began showing signs of interest for acquiring the social media giant, Twitter Inc., going as far as to work with advisors to put together a potential bid for the company. [30].  While eventually deciding to go against the deal for image reasons, as the social network is known for its reputation of bullying and harassment, the interest in social media gives clear insight that Disney has begun exploring new digital horizons. [31]. Many analysts have taken note of Disney’s interest to expand digitally and predict that the streaming giant, Netflix, might be next on the company’s list of potential assets. [32]. 

Bibliography

  1. Walt Disney Company Logo. Retrieved November 1, 2016. http://logok.org/disney-logo/
  2. Walt Disney History. Retrieved November 1, 2016. https://d23.com/disney-history
  3. The Walt Disney Company. Retrieved November 1, 2016 https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/about/#our-businesses
  4. Box Office Reports. Retrieved October 28, 2016. boxofficemojo.com
  5. Johnson, Madeleine. June 16, 2016. Your Complete Guide to All the Things Owned by Disney. Retrieved November 21, 2016. https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/220682/your-complete-guide-to-all-the-things-owned-by-disney
  6. November 10, 2016. The Walt Disney Company Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year Earnings for Fiscal 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016. https://ditm-twdc-us.storage.googleapis.com/q4-fy16-earnings.pdf
  7. October 31, 2016. Disney: ESPN Still has a Big Problem. Retrieved November 2, 2016. http://seekingalpha.com/article/4017145-disney-espn-still-big-problem
  8. The Walt Disney Company About. Retrieved November 1, 2016. https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/about/
  9. The Walt Disney Company. Retrieved November 2, 2016. https://storify.com/LA346TeamDisney/the-walt-disney-company
  10. McNary, Dave. October 17, 2016. ‘Captain America: Civil War,’ ‘Finding Dory’ Push Disney to International Box Office Record. Retrieved October 18, 2016. https://variety.com/2016/film/news/captain-america-civil-war-finding-dory-disney-box-office-record-1201891155/
  11. Tartaglione, Nancy. October 17, 2016. Finding Money: Disney Tops Full-Year Intl Box Office Record with $3.56B+ (So Far). Retrieved October 18, 2016. http://deadline.com/2016/10/walt-disney-studios-all-time-international-box-office-record-captain-america-zootopia-1201837655/
  12. Freeman, Molly. November 25, 2016. Captain America: Civil War Character Posters- Superhero Fight Time. Retrieved November 27, 2016. http://screenrant.com/captain-america-3-civil-war-posters-iron-man/
  13. Laughing Place Disney Newsdesk. October 17, 2016. 2016 International Box Office is Disney’s Best Year Ever. Retrieved October 19, 2016.   http://www.laughingplace.com/w/news/2016/10/17/2016-international-box-office-disneys-best-year-ever/
  14. Disney Zootopia. Retrieved November 10, 2016.  http://movies.disney.com/zootopia
  15. October 10, 2016. “Finding Dory” Keeps Swimming to $1 Billion. Retrieved October 20, 2016. https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/finding-dory-keeps-swimming-1-billion/
  16. Derisz, Ricky. October 18, 2016. ‘Captain America: Civil War’ Helps Disney Break its Own $3 Billion International Box Office Record…With More to Come. Retrieved October 19, 2016. http://moviepilot.com/p/captain-america-civil-war-disney-box-office-record/4127909
  17. Disney Movies: Finding Dory. Retrieved November 21, 2016. http://movies.disney.co.uk/finding-dory
  18. CS. April 4, 2016. Doctor Strange Filming Wraps as Mads Mikkelsen’s Villain is Revealed. Retrieved November 15, 2016. http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/673101-doctor-strange-filming-wraps-as-mads-mikkelsens-villain-is-revealed#/slide/1
  19. Faughnder, Ryan. November 1, 2016. ‘Doctor Strange’ is Expected to Draw a Massive Audience for Disney’s Marvel Studios. Retrieved November 2, 2016.  http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-fi-ct-movie-projector-20161031-story.html
  20. The Associated Press. November 27, 2016. ‘Moana’ Wins Box Office with Huge Opening Weekend. Retrieved November 27, 2016. http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/moana-wins-box-office-huge-opening-weekend-article-1.2888989
  21. Acuna, Kirsten and Phillips, Ian. October 26, 2016. Disney Announced all its Movies Coming in the Next 4 Years – Here’s What you have to Look Forward to. Retrieved October 28, 2016. http://www.thisisinsider.com/disney-movie-schedule-2016-to-2019-2016-10/#strange-cumberbatch-will-play-a-surgeon-who-injures-his-hands-severely-in-accident-2
  22. Disney Moana. Retrieved November 25, 2016. http://movies.disney.com/moana
  23. May 23, 2016. Beauty and the Beast Official US Teaser Trailer. Retrieved November 15, 2016.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c38r-SAnTWM
  24. Ranere, Dianna. August 12, 2016. Disney’s Elena of Avalor Renewed for 2nd Season #ElenaOfAvalor. Retrieved October 28, 2016. http://www.fsm-media.com/disneys-elena-avalor-renewed/
  25. Lodi, Marie. July 1, 2016. Why People are Upset About this Character’s Weight in Disney’s New Movie “Moana”. Retrieved November 10, 2016. http://hellogiggles.com/moana-maui-people-angry-obese-stereotype/
  26. October 25, 2016. Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Moana” to be First Film Ever Translated into the Tahitian Language. Retrieved October 26, 2016. https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/moana-first-film-translated-tahitian-language/
  27. Hughes, Ruth. October 16, 2016. Teen Spirit: Meet the new Plucky Disney Princess Elena of Avalor. Retrieved October 17, 2016. http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/life/720813/Disney-Channel-Elena-Of-Avalor-princess
  28.  Biek, Katherine. October 5, 2016. Disney Seeks Chinese Actress for ‘Mulan’ Remake. Retrieved November 20, 2016. http://www.whio.com/news/national/disney-seeks-chinese-actress-for-mulan-remake/fG3AO2Pqefhu4NVlI8ycfI/
  29. Edwards, Ally. October 16, 2016. Jungle Book to Mulan: All the Live Action Disney Movies in The Works Right Now. Retrieved October 17, 2016. http://moviepilot.com/posts/3590427
  30. Roettgers, Janko. September 26, 2016. Disney is Looking into Buying Twitter (Report). Retrieved October 20, 2016. http://variety.com/2016/digital/news/disney-twitter-acquisition-possible-1201870392/
  31. New Statesman. October 18, 2016. Disney Didn’t Buy Twitter- Partly because it Can’t Master the Bare Necessities. Retrieved October 19, 2016.  http://www.newstatesman.com/science-tech/social-media/2016/10/disney-didn-t-buy-twitter-partly-because-it-cant-master-bare
  32. Williams, Trey. October 5, 2016. Netflix Said to be in Disney’s Crosshairs, and Analysts see a Streaming Rationale. Retrieved October 21, 2016. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/disney-remains-center-of-merger-talk-this-time-its-netflix-2016-10-03
  33. The Walt Disney Company (DIS). Retrieved November 20, 2016. https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/DIS?p=DIS

Buenavista/Disney Pictures

Posted on by 
By Ahmed Sabih

Image courtesy of thewaltdisneystudios.com

Company History

The Walt Disney Studios was founded in 1923 under the moniker “The Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio”. The company built its early success on its slate of animated classics such as Alice in Wonderland and Snow White and maintaining success with these animated pictures with hits like The Lion King and Aladdin. [1] Buena Vista is the company, owned by Disney, which distributes the content from the divisions under Disney. These divisions include Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Marvel Studios, Touchstone Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and others. Disney also has subsidiaries in Pixar Animation Studios and recently acquired Lucasfilm. [2] [3]

Key Executives

Robert A. Iger – Chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney Company

BOB IGER

Bob Iger – Photo courtesy of thewaltdisneycompany.com

 Alan F. Horn – Chairman, The Walt Disney Studios

Alan Horn - Photo courtesy of thewaltdisneycompany.com

Alan Horn – Photo courtesy of thewaltdisneycompany.com

 Alan Bergman – President, The Walt Disney Studios

Alan Bergman - Photo courtesy of waltdisneystudios.com

Alan Bergman – Photo courtesy of waltdisneystudios.com

Financials

Disney has begun its fiscal 2014 (Oct-Dec) strong, with revenues hitting just above $12.3 billion, an increase from fourth quarter fiscal 2013 revenues of $11.5 billion. Highlights of the past fiscal year include Earnings Per Share (EPS) values increasing 8 percent to a record $3.38. Disney also set records for Net Income, which increased rose 8 percent to  $6.1 billion. [4] [5]

Current Slate

Frozen

Image courtesy of imdb.com

Frozen, Disney’s big animated hit of the holiday season, released on November 27th, 2013.  Led by the voices of Kirsten Bell and Idina Menzel, Frozen is the tale of Anna and Elsa, two sisters whose lives change when Elsa’s magical wintery powers accidentally set off an eternal winter. Elsa retreats to the mountains and it is up to Anna, her friend Kristoff with his reindeer Sven, and childhood snowman come-alive Olaf to help Elsa tame her powers and rescue the village. [6] [7]

Much of Disney’s success during the past quarter can be attributed to Frozen, which saw record-breaking numbers. With a production budget of $150 million, Frozen‘s opening weekend saw domestic totals of $67.3 million. However, as of April 20th, Frozen is about to eclipse a whopping $400 million domestic total. Worldwide, Frozen has reached over $1.1 billion, which is the highest ever gross for an animated film. [8] With further windows opening later down the road, DVD sales, merchandise and soundtrack sales should help Disney cash in fully on the success of Frozen.

The film did well with regards to reviews. Metacritic gave it 74 out of 100 based on 43 critic reviews. [9] Many critics lauded Frozen as a return to the excellence of Disney’s pedigree. Certainly the numbers can back that statement. In addition, reviews praised the technical aspect of the film, citing the 3-D Animation to be top notch. Frozen won two Academy Awards — Best Animated Feature Film and Best Original Song (“Let It Go”).

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Image courtesy of imdb.com

Kicking off the blockbuster season, Disney continued the big-time Marvel franchise starting on April 4th. With big name stars such as Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson,  the film follows the story of Steve Rogers, Captain America, as he must adapt to modern times and modern crimes. When a colleague at S.H.I.E.L.D is attacked, a conspiracy web is revealed, the consequences of which are dire. Captain America teams up with the Black Widow and Falcon in order to put an end to the plot, but they are met by unexpected foes. [10]

As the summer season is starting up, Captain America started strong on its opening weekend, grossing $95 million domestically. Its budget is estimated at $170 million, and as of April 20th, The Winter Soldier has grossed over $201 million domestically, with a worldwide gross of over $586 million. As we get into the thick of the summer season, it should have the legs to gain more money for Disney and deliver on its blockbuster potential. [11] One way Disney is helping to promote its long-term success is by offering fans their own S.H.I.E.L.D badge through May 25th and spreading the word of the film into the midst of the summer. [12]

Review-wise, The Winter Soldier has done well, scoring a 70 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 44 critic reviews. Generally, the film is praised among critics for its acting, and special effects and ability to deliver as a sequel in the superhero genre. However, the general consensus is that the film isn’t truly remarkable enough to stay in the memories of audiences for too long. [13]

What Lies Ahead

Image courtesy of imdb.com

Disney’s summer slate looks to fill the summer with star power. Million Dollar Arm, set to release May 16th, stars Mad Men’s front man Jon Hamm. Inspired by true events, the story follows baseball scout JB Bernstein’s quest to find the next star pitcher. He travels to India to make a reality-show competition to find a cricket player that will sign a league contract as a pitcher. The film co-stars Slumdog Millionaire actor Madhur Mittal, and it will likely look to capitalize on his international presence. [14]

Image courtesy of imdb.com

Opposite Million Dollar Arm is Disney’s Maleficent, starring blockbuster specialist Angelina Jolie. An homage to Disney’s roots, the film is about the untold story of Maleficent, the villain from the 1959 classic, Sleeping Beauty, and her transformation of heart to stone, revealing her reasoning to curse the baby Aurora. Elle Fanning brings extra star power in a supporting role, as does Charlto Copley and Sam Riley. [15] The soundtrack will feature hit-artist Lana Del Rey, with early commercials featuring her re-imagining of the song, “Once Upon A Dream” from the 1959 film.

Image courtesy of imdb.com

Looking even further ahead, Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm brings the biggest blockbuster of them all, Star Wars, to the horizon of Disney. Buzz is already being generated for the films, bringing out the big guns by signing J.J. Abrams as the director for the new trilogy. As of now, the first of the trilogy is set to release around December 2015. [16]

 

Sources

[1] The Walt Disney Studios Company History

[2] The Studios of Disney

[3] Disney acquires Lucasfilm Ltd

[4] Disney First Quarter Earnings 2014

[5] Disney Fourth Quarter Earnings 2014

[6] IMDB – Frozen

[7] Box Office Mojo – Frozen

[8] Deadline: Frozen Highest International Grossing Animated Picture of All Time

[9] Metacritic – Frozen

[10] IMDB – Captain America: The Winter Soldier

[11] Box Office Mojo – Captain America

[12] SHIELD Badge Promotion

[13] Metacritic – Captain America

[14] IMDB – Million Dollar Arm

[15] IMDB – Maleficent

[16] IMDB – Star Wars (2015)

Buenavista/Disney Pictures

Posted on by 
By Greg Fenton
Photo courtesy of www.thewaltdisneycompany.com

Photo courtesy of www.thewaltdisneycompany.com

History 

Founded in 1923 under the name “The Disney Brothers Studio”,The Walt Disney Studios began as a humble cartoon studio, producing classics such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Fantasia, Mary Poppins, and The Lion King. Today, The Walt Disney Studios, also known as Disney/Buena Vista, has become one of the largest film companies in the world, churning out internationally successful live-action and animated films aimed at entertaining the whole family. The Walt Disney Studios umbrella encompasses several studios owned and operated by The Walt Disney Studios, including Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Touchstone Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios, Disneynature, and Marvel Studios. Disney also acquired Lucasfilm Ltd. in late 2012 for $4 billion.  [1] [2] [3]

Key Executives

Robert A. Iger– Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company

Photo courtesy www.thewaltdisneycompany.com

Photo courtesy www.thewaltdisneycompany.com

Alan Horn– Chairman of The Walt Disney Studios

Photo courtesy of www.waltdisneystudios.com

Photo courtesy of www.waltdisneystudios.com

Andy Bird– Chairman of Walt Disney International

Photo courtesy of www.thewaltdisneycompany.com

Photo courtesy of www.thewaltdisneycompany.com

Alan Bergman– President of The Walt Disney Studios 

Photo courtesy of www.waltdisneystudios.com

Photo courtesy of www.waltdisneystudios.com

Financials

In 2013, The Walt Disney Company brought in $45.0 billion of revenue ($9.4 billion gross profit), up from $42.3 billion in 2012 ($8.9 billion gross profit) , and $38.0 billion in 2010 ($6.7 billion gross profit). As of this writing (11/18/2013), Disney stock sits at an even $70.00 per share, a significant increase from $47.45 a year ago (11/19/2013).[4] Through November 14th, 2013 Disney/Buena Vista commands 13.1% of the studio market share, trailing Warner Bros. (17.8%) and Universal (14.6%).[5] Disney/Buena Vista thrives on the blockbuster, with four films grossing over $100 million domestically in 2013 and 2012. Of these eight films, three of them are part of Marvel Studio’s “Avengers” franchise, which shows the enormous financial returns on Disney’s $4 billion investment to purchase Marvel Entertainment in 2009.[6] [7] In early November 2013, Disney/Buena Vista broke its all-time global box office record of $3.79 billion, set in 2010, with over six weeks and three major releases left to go in 2013, setting Disney/Buena Vista up for a year of eye-popping numbers. [17]

Recent Film Releases

Photo courtesy games.disney.com

Photo courtesy games.disney.com

Planes– DisneyToon Studios’ Planes follows a crop-dusting plane named Dusty Crophopper with big dreams of being a racer and a fear of heights. After training under veteran fighter, Skipper, Dusty qualifies for the prestigious Wings Across the World race. There, as an underdog, he meets friend and foe, but, more importantly, learns to break down his physical and mental barriers.[8]

As a DisneyToon production, Planes was initially meant for a straight-to-DVD release and cost Disney a relatively cheap $50 million to make, yet opened with a robust $22 million weekend opposite Sony’s Elysium in early August, eventually pulling in $89 million domestically in over 3,700 theaters. [9] [10] [6]

The film received a Metascore of just 32 from review-aggregator site Metacritic.com with some reviewers appreciating the modesty of the film, while others docked the film for lacking the quality of other animated Disney films and an overly simplistic plot. [11]

Photo courtesy www.imdb.com

Photo courtesy www.imdb.com

Thor: The Dark World– Thor: The Dark World is a sequel to 2011’s Thor.That movie, distributed by Paramount as part of The Avengers franchise, raked in over $181 million at the domestic box office. Disney bought the distribution rights for Marvel’s the Avengers (2012) and Iron Man 3 (2013) in 2010 and finalized a deal for the distribution rights for Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger in summer 2013. [12] [13] [14]

Thor: The Dark World takes place two years after the events of Thor, focusing on Thor’s quest for peace in the nine realms of Asgard. Thor misses Earth and his love-interest Dr. Jane Foster, but is prevented from traveling back to her by Odin, Thor’s father. However, when Foster travels through a wormhole, uncovering an ancient weapon called Aether that threatens the fate of Asgard and Earth. Thor then decides to team up with Foster and his half-brother, and villain of the Thor and Marvel’s The Avengers films, Loki, to destroy the Aether and save Asgard from the wrath of the dark elf Malekith. [12]

At the time of this writing Thor:The Dark World has earned over $145 million at the domestic box office just two weekends after its November 8th release in over 3,800 theaters, and should recoup its $170 million budget in the very near future. The Dark World   has also thrived overseas, pulling in just under $333 million worldwide. The real test will be to see how the film performs after Lionsgate releases The Hunger Games: Catching Fire on November 22nd which some believe will open with a $150 million weekend. Nevertheless, The Dark World is already a financial success for Disney and should continue to put up strong numbers at the box office for several weeks as the holiday movie-going season kicks off. Click here to watch the trailer for Thor:The Dark World  [12] [15]

Upcoming Film Releases

Photo courtesy of wikia.disney.com

Photo courtesy of wikia.disney.com

Frozen– Frozen is the latest effort from the wildly successful Walt Disney Animation Studios, opening the day before Thanksgiving on November 27th, 2013. Based on the fairy tale written by Danish Author Hans Christian Andersen, “The Snow Queen,” Frozen revolves around the story of two sisters, Anna and Elsa, the latter of which has the supernatural ability to control ice and snow. When Elsa accidentally uses these powers in public, she flees, plunging the kingdom into eternal winter. Determined to end the cold snap, Anna enlists the help of the mountain man Kristoff and the animated snow man Olaf. [16]

Opening up the day before Thanksgiving should give Frozen ample time to marinate in the holiday climate before more major titles are released before for Christmas. As with Thor:The Dark World, Frozen will have to compete with The Hunger Games: Catching Fire for attention, but the film keeps a significant advantage in its subject matter as a children’s musical adventure in the midst of several films that touch more serious topics. Frozen will also benefit from being released in 3D, which will provide a major boost to its numbers at the box office. On the other side of the spectrum of success, Frozen could garner some looks as the Academy Awards approach in a relatively weak year for animated movies that included a sequel (Despicable Me 2) and a prequel (Monsters University) as the highest earners at the box office in the animated category. [16]

Other Upcoming Releases

 Delivery Man– November 22nd, 2013

Saving Mr. Banks– December 13th, 2013

The Wind Rises– February 14th, 2014 [17]

Sources:

[1] The History of Disney

[2] Studios Under the Walt Disney Studios Umbrella

[3] Disney Buys Lucasfilm LTD

[4] Disney Financial Profile

[5] Disney Market Share

[6] Buena Vista Box Office-2012

[7] Disney Buys Marvel

[8] Planes Plot Summary 

[9] Planes IMdB Profile

[10] Planes Opening Weekend

[11] Planes Reviews

[12] Thor:The Dark World- IMdB

[13] Thor-IMdB

[14] Disney Acquires Marvel Distribution Rights

[15] Thor:The Dark World- Box Office Mojo

[16] Frozen- Cinema Blend

[17] Upcoming Disney Films

Walt Disney/Touchstone Pictures

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by Carly Konsker

The Walt Disney Company

Profile

The Walt Disney Company, including all of its subsidiaries and affiliates, is known across America and world wide as a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise. This massive corporation contains five main business segments: Media Networks, Parks and Resorts, Studio Entertainment, Consumer Products, and Interactive Media. [1]

History

On October 16, 1923, Walt and Roy Disney founded The Walt Disney Company, which was originally named The Disney Brothers Studio. The company got its start by producing Alice Comedies, which lasted for four years. They continued with their love of cartoons, and in 1928 the most famous Disney icon was created, Mickey Mouse. Disney won its first Academy Award for Best Cartoon in 1932. Fiver years later, the company shocked the world by developing their first full-length feature film in 1937. [2, 3, 4]

Courtsey of http://d23.disney.go.com/ Walt and Roy proudly displaying their first Oscar with the world's most famous mouse.

Walt and Roy proudly displaying their first Oscar with the world’s most famous mouse. [5]

Walt Disney, the visionary behind the Disney empire, dies at age 66 on December 15, 1966. After his younger brother’s death, Roy Disney took it upon himself to control the financing and construction of Walt Disney World, his brother’s last wish. Since the beginning, Roy was always in charge of the business side of the Disney company, while Walt was the creative genius behind the fantasies. On December 20, 1971, Roy O. Disney passed, three months after the opening of Walt Disney World. [2, 4]

Today, The Walt Disney Company continues to thrive while sticking to their roots of turning dreams into reality. Disney reinforces their past by keeping the Disney legacy alive, but the company also creates new content with ground-breaking technology.

Current Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company is Robert A. Iger. [6]
Courtesy of http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/

Alan Horn, Chairman of Walt Disney Studios [7]

 Alan_Horn

Financials

Walt Disney Studios/Walt Disney Pictures

Walt-Disney-Screencaps-The-Walt-Disney-Logo-walt-disney-characters-31865565-2560-1440

The Walt Disney Studios includes the creation, production, promotion, sales, acquisition, and national and international distribution of live-action and animated motion pictures, home entertainment releases, music and soundtrack recordings, and live stage plays. The Walt Disney Studios is the home to Marvel, Touchstone Pictures, Disney•Pixar, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (Live-Action), Disneynature, and Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (Live-Action)

On July 19, 1950, Disney released its first life-action feature film, Treasure Island. Since then, filmmakers have created some of the most successful live-action family films including the Pirates of the Caribbean films, Alice in Wonderland, and Oz the Great and Powerful. Many of these films, as well as movies in other divisions, are distributed under the brand name, Buena Vista. [10]

Courtesy of www.boxofficemojo.com

Courtesy of www.boxofficemojo.com

Recent News:

  • On March 14, 2013, Disney and Showtime announced the extension of their output deal, which allows DreamWorks Studios’ films that are theatrically released by Disney to be available to Showtime subscribers through 2018. [8, 9]
  • As of April 7, 2013, Oz the Great and Powerful has topped the US Box Office with an estimated gross of $212,767,000. [11]
  • In 2015, Disney looks forward to releasing Star Wars: Episode VII, the first film produced since Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm Ltd. in October 2012. The film will be directed by J.J. Abrams, who is famous for directing the hit television series Lost. “Standalone movies” featuring Star Wars characters are in the works. [12, 13]

Future Releases: The Lone Ranger (July 3, 2013), The Delivery Man (October 4, 2013)

Marvel Studios

Marvel Studios Logo

Marvel Entertainment is a completely-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Marvel Studios, founded in 1996, is a successful facet of Marvel Entertainment that creates, develops, and produces life-action films based on the characters and story-lines from the iconic marvel comic book empire. [14]

Iron Man 3 Trailer

ironman3

The success of their film franchise will continue to grow with the upcoming releases of Iron Man 3 on May 3, 2013, The Avengers 2, Thor: The Dark World, and the studio has already started production has on the sequel to Captain America. Marvel’s The Avengers was not only the highest grossing movie of this past year, but it was also the 5th highest grossing feature film of all time. [14, 15, 16]

 Walt Disney Animation Studios

Walt Disney Animation Studios was founded in 1923. The studio’s first fully animated feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, became the highest grossing film of its time. Disney paved the way for a new type of family entertainment. Some of their masterpieces include the Disney Fairies films, Tangled, Bolt, and The Lion King. [16]

Future Release: Planes (August 09, 2013) featuring the voices of Dane Cook, Stacy Keach, Brad Garrett, Teri Hatcher, and Cedric the Entertainer. [17]

Pixar Animation Studios

pixar-logo_withmovies

Pixar Animation studios was founded in 1986 when Steve Jobs bought the Computer Graphics Division of Lucasfilms from George Lucas and started an independent company, Pixar. [18] Pixar has built a name for itself through some of the most successful movies in animation. For example, all the Toy Story films, Finding Nemo, WALL•E, and all Cars movies. [18]

Disney-Pixar-Logo

Starting in 1991, Disney and Pixar have continuously signed deals over the years to make and distribute animated films together. The Walt Disney Company officially agreed to acquire Pixar Animation Studios in a $7.4 Billion stock deal on January 24, 2006. This deal allowed Disney to revert back to its traditional animation roots, and gave Steve Job’s, the former CEO of Pixar, tremendous power in Hollywood by becoming the largest individual shareholder of Disney. [19]

FindingDory_HEROOn April 1, 2013, Pixar announced the title sequel to the 2003 Academy Award winning film for best animated feature, Finding Nemo. The upcoming film, Finding Dory, will be released on November 25, 2015, thanksgiving weekend. Ellen DeGeneres will once again be the voice behind the film’s leading character Dory, who learns about the meaning of family as she is reunited with her loved ones in the film. [20, 21]

Touchstone Pictures

Touchstone-Pictures-Movie-Studio-Logo-Wallpaper

Touchstone Pictures is one of several film labels of The Walt Disney Studios, owned by The Walt Disney Company. This American film production studio was created in 1984 in order for Disney to have a brand that released more adult-oriented material. Touchstone Pictures is also the banner under which live-action films from DreamWorks Studios are distributed since their agreement finalized 2009. [22]

Touchstone’s first film released was the 1984 comedy, Splash. Since then, over 200 films have been released from Touchstone Pictures including Pretty Woman, Father of the Bride, Step Up, and The Proposal. [23]

Lincoln (2012), distributed under Touchstone Pictures, was nominated for 12 Oscars at the 85th annual Academy Awards. Lincoln received the most nominations among those released in 2012, and it won the award for Best Production Design and Best Actor. [24]

Future Release: The Fifth Estate (November 15, 2013) [25]

 

Sources:

  1. The Walt Disney Company Corporate http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/
  2. Timeline of The Walt Disney Company http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/about-disney/disney-history
  3. History of The Walt Disney Studios http://animation.about.com/od/industryprofiles/p/waltdisney.htm
  4. History of Disney – Excerpt From The Walt Disney Company Archives http://waltdisneystudios.com/static/The%20History%20of%20TWDS.pdf
  5. Walt and Roy Disney Photo http://d23.disney.go.com/
  6. Bob Iger CEO of The Walt Disney Company http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/about-disney/leadership/board-directors/robert-iger
  7. Alan Horn, Chairman of Walt Disney Studios http://www.waltdisneystudios.com/corp/unit/6/bio/1015
  8. Disney and Showtime DreamWorks Deal Extended http://variety.com/2013/film/news/disney-to-keep-its-dreamworks-films-at-showtime-1200194681/
  9. Showtime and Disney Renew DreamWorks Contract http://www.deadline.com/2013/03/showtime-dreamworks-studios-contract-extension/
  10. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (live-action) http://www.waltdisneystudios.com/corp/unit/74
  11. Oz the Great and Powerful Tops US Box Office http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=oz.htm
  12. Disney Acquires Lucasfilm – Press Release http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/disney-news/press-releases/2012/10/disney-acquire-lucasfilm-ltd
  13. CEO Bob Iger Discusses Star Wards in CNBC Interview http://www.deadline.com/2013/02/disney-to-release-additional-films-based-on-star-wars-characters/#more-422357
  14. Marvel – Walt Disney Studios http://www.waltdisneystudios.com/corp/unit/246
  15. Marvel’s The Avengers http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=avengers11.htm
  16. Walt Disney Animation Studios http://www.waltdisneystudios.com/corp/unit/76
  17. Disney’s Planes Press Release http://www.waltdisneystudios.com/corp/news/1288
  18. Pixar Animation Studios History http://www.pixar.com/about/Our-Story
  19. Disney Agrees to Acquire Pixar http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/25/business/25disney.html?_r=1&
  20. Finding Dory Announced http://variety.com/2013/film/news/pixar-finds-title-release-date-for-finding-nemo-sequel-1200331933/
  21. Finding Dory Press Release http://waltdisneystudios.com/corp/news/1293
  22. Walt Disney Studios Corporate http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/disney-companies/studio-entertainment
  23. Touchstone Pictures http://www.waltdisneystudios.com/corp/unit/264
  24. Lincoln (2012) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_accolades_received_by_Lincoln_(2012_film)
  25. Production Begins on DreamWorks’ WikiLeaks Project “The Fifth Estate” http://waltdisneystudios.com/corp/news/1250

 

 

 

Walt Disney/Touchstone Pictures

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Walt Disney Pictures Opening Logo

Touchstone Pictures Opening Logo

A Brief History:

Walt Disney Pictures

Walt Disney Pictures is a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and owned by The Walt Disney Company. It was founded in 1928 with the name as Walt Disney Productions; in the year of 1983, the name was changed to Walt Disney Pictures. It is the main production company for animated and live-action feature films based at the Walt Disney Studios. One of the most recognizable films of Walt Disney Pictures is Snow White and Seven Dwarfs (1937), as it is the first full-length traditional animated feature in motion picture history; Walt Disney Pictures has also produced numerous popular and award-winning films such as Cinderella (1950), Peter Pan (1953), Sleeping Beauty (1959), The Little Mermaid (1989), The Lion King (1994), Toy Story (1995), Mulan (1998), Finding Nemo (2003), Pirates of the Caribbean (2003), Cars (2006), High School Musical III (2008), Alice in Wonderland 3D (2010), and so on.

Go to the official website of Walt Disney Pictures, please click here. [1]

Touchstone Pictures

Touchtone Pictures was established in 1984 as Touchstone Films; two years later, it received its new name as Touchstone Pictures. It is also an animated and live-action film banner of Walt Disney Studios. Most of its releases are typically for adults rather than for children. Since 2011, Touchstone Pictures banner has been assigned a 30-pictures distribution deal with DreamWorks Studios to distribute DreamWorks’ films over next five years. The most notable films that produced by Touchstone Pictures are Ernest Goes to Camp (1987), Good Morning Vietnam (1987), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Dead Poets Society (1989), Pretty Woman (1990), Sister Act (1992), Con Air (1997), Armageddon (1998), The Insider (1999), Rushmore (1999), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), and so on.

Go to the official website of Touchstone Pictures, please click here. [2]

 

Recent News:

July

July 8, 2012

The Avengers (2012)

According to the Deadline News, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures has passed $ 1 billion domestic box office and become the first studio that reached the milestone of 2012.  This great achievement was attributed to the movie The Avengers, which was distributed by Disney; it helped Disney gain a huge amount of domestic box office with $ 611.1 million. This time, Disney has broken the 2010 studio record of 210 days to reach the $ 1 billion box office by using only 188 days to reach the goal. It is also the 16th time that Disney has achieved this in the last 19 years. (Deadline, 2012) [3]

July 18, 2012

Disney will distribute Steven Spielberg’s movie Lincoln domestically through its Touchstone label; this movie was announced to be released on Nov. 9th and expanded on Nov.16th.

Lincoln (2012)

“Lincoln, starring Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln, is a likely awards contender and will hit theaters just as awards season begins to heat up in earnest.” (Hollywood Reporter, 2012)

Lincoln is also expected to be one of the movies that have most box office in the year of 2012. [4]

October

October 18, 2012

According to Hollywood Reporter, Tom Hanks recently visited the Disney Family Museum in San Francisco to have a three-week research for the role of the famous mogul in his new Disney movie Saving Mr. Banks.

Tom Hanks (left) and Walt Disney (Right)

This film is about the struggle between the author, who wrote the beloved novel in 1934, and Walt Disney who made a promise to his daughters in the 1940s to turn the book into a movie. However, from the very beginning of pre-production through to its successful release in 1964, Disney and Travers disagreed over script, tone and casting; Travers even complained that her character, which was depicted by Julie Andrews in her Hollywood debut, was too pretty and too nice; not even the overwhelming success of the movie would change the author’s mind.

“It’s like a trip to Disneyland itself, and it’s the third happiest place on the planet, behind Disneyland and Disneyworld.” (Hanks, T. 2012)

Walt Disney Pictures will release this film on December 20th, 2013. [5]

October 30, 2012

The Walt Disney Company announced to acquire Lucasfilm Ltd., owned by George Lucas who is the chairman and founder of Lucasfilm, with a cash and stock transaction of $ 4.05 billion.

“Global leader in high-quality family entertainment agrees to acquire world-renowned Lucasfilm Ltd, including legendary STAR WARS franchise.” (Press Release, 2012)

Robert A. Iger, chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney Company, and George Lucas, chairman and founder, Lucasfilm sign the agreement for The Walt Disney Company to acquire Lucasfilm Ltd.

Disney also announced it would Continue its marketing strategy of delivering exceptional creative content to audiences around the world. In other words, besides Walt Disney Pictures’ efforts on the production of the 7th episode of Star Wars, which is targeted for release in 2015, the rest of subsidiaries and affiliates of The Walt Disney Company will also contribute on its promotion. [6]

According to Robert A. Iger, the chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company,

“This transaction combines a world-class portfolio of content including ‘Star Wars,’ one of the greatest family entertainment franchises of all time, with Disney’s unique and unparalleled creativity across multiple platforms, businesses, and markets to generate sustained growth and drive significant long-term value.” (Robert, 2012) [7]

 

October 31, 2012

“Star Wars” films

According to Hollywood Reporter, Disney is buying Lucasfilm and producing three new “Star Wars” films.

These upcoming episodes are expected to have brand new concepts and plots with a notable visual improvement compared with the previous ones. As a result, 15 directors, such as J. J. Abrams, Jon Favreai, and Joe Johnston, were nominated as the potential directors for the new Star Wars films. [8]

November

November 30, 2012

Mel Shaw, an artist and writer who contributed to Disney animation classics as Bambi, Fantasia and The Lion King, died on November  22ndat 97.

Mel Shaw (1914-2012)

He was recruited by Walt Disney, the founder of Disney Studio, and then joined and worked in his team. Shaw started his animation career by creating title cards at the end of the silent-film era for Leon Schlesinger’s Pacific Title and Art Studio. In the early 1930s, he helped Orson Welles create a storyboard for a version of The Little Prince that was never produced. In 1974, Walt Disney Studios asked Shaw to return to help mentor the next generation of animators. His last project for Disney was The Lion King (1994). Mel Shaw then was named a Disney Legend in the year of 1994. [9]

December

December 3, 2012

During the 17th annual Satellite Awards on Monday, ten movies have been nominated as best motion picture by the International Press Academy, an organization that is composed of entertainment journalists for both domestic and foreign outlets.

The movie Lincoln, which is distributed by Touchstone Pictures domestically, has been nominated eight Satellite Awards, including best actor, best actor in a supporting role, best motion picture, best director, best adapted screenplay, best original score, best cinematography, and best art direction & production design. [10]

 

Upcoming Movies:

Iron Man 3 (May 3, 2013)

Oz: The Great And Powerful (March 8, 2013)

Lone Ranger (July 3, 2013)

The Little Mermaid in 3D (September 13, 2013)

Thor: The Dark Worlds (November 8, 2013)

Frozen (November 27, 2013)

Saving Mr. Banks (December 20, 2013)

The Muppets Sequel (2013)

Maleficent (March 14, 2014)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (April 4, 2014)

Bears (April 18, 2014)

The Good Dinosaur (May 30, 2014)

Telsa (2014)

Phineas and Ferb (2014)

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Star Wars: Episode VII (2015)

The Avengers 2 (May 1, 2015)

Ant-Man (November 6, 2015)

Finding Nemo 2 (2016)

Star Wars: Episode VIII (2017)

 

References:

[1] Walt Disney Pictures: http://movies.disney.com/

[2] Touchstone Pictures:  http://www.waltdisneystudios.com/corp/unit/264

[3] Finke, N.  (2012, July 8). Disney passing $1B domestic box office. Deadline. Retrieved from http://www.deadline.com/2012/07/disney-passing-1b-domestic-box-office/

[4] McClintock, P. (2012, July 18). Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved from http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/steven-spielbergs-lincoln-dated-early-351152

[5] Riefe, J. (2012, October 18). Tom Hanks on becoming Walt Disney for ‘Saving Mr. Banks’. Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved from http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/tom-hanks-becoming-walt-disney-380011

[6] Anonymous. (2012, October 30). Disney to acquire Lucasfilm for $4 billion. ABC News. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2012/10/disney-to-acquire-lucasfilms-for-4-billion/

[7] Anonymous. (2012, Oct 30).  Disney to acquire Lucasfilm Ltd..The Walt Disney Company Press Release. Retrieved from http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/disney-news/press-releases/2012/10/disney-acquire-lucasfilm-ltd

[8] Zakarin, J. (2012, October 31). 15 potential directors for the new ‘Star Wars’ films. Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved from http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/new-star-wars-movies-director-384731

[9] Barnes, M. (2012, November 30). Legendary Disney animator Mel Shaw dies at 97. Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved from http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/disney-animator-mel-shaw-bambi-396272

[10] Kilday, G. (2012, December 3). Satellite Awards nominates 10 films for best motion picture. Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved from http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/satellite-awards-nominates-10-films-396865

 

 

 

Lucasfilm Ltd.

Gallery

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by Zachary Gulergun {5} Overview: Lucasfilm Limited is a privately held American film production company that was founded by George Lucas in 1971. It is currently located in Presidio of San Francisco, CA. The company is best known for producing the Star … Continue reading →