Disney

Link

Emma Lipstone and Susy Solino

[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.

[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.

[33] Disney stock prices for last 2 years

Key Executives

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

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

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

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

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

Box Office Reports

[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].

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

Recent and Future Releases

[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].

[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.

[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

Walt Disney Company Logo. Retrieved November 1, 2016. http://logok.org/disney-logo/
Walt Disney History. Retrieved November 1, 2016. https://d23.com/disney-history
The Walt Disney Company. Retrieved November 1, 2016 https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/about/#our-businesses
Box Office Reports. Retrieved October 28, 2016. boxofficemojo.com
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
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
October 31, 2016. Disney: ESPN Still has a Big Problem. Retrieved November 2, 2016. http://seekingalpha.com/article/4017145-disney-espn-still-big-problem
The Walt Disney Company About. Retrieved November 1, 2016. https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/about/
The Walt Disney Company. Retrieved November 2, 2016. https://storify.com/LA346TeamDisney/the-walt-disney-company
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/
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/
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/
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/
Disney Zootopia. Retrieved November 10, 2016. http://movies.disney.com/zootopia
October 10, 2016. “Finding Dory” Keeps Swimming to $1 Billion. Retrieved October 20, 2016. https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/finding-dory-keeps-swimming-1-billion/
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
Disney Movies: Finding Dory. Retrieved November 21, 2016. http://movies.disney.co.uk/finding-dory
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
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
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
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
Disney Moana. Retrieved November 25, 2016. http://movies.disney.com/moana
May 23, 2016. Beauty and the Beast Official US Teaser Trailer. Retrieved November 15, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c38r-SAnTWM
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/
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/
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/
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
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/
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
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/
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
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
The Walt Disney Company (DIS). Retrieved November 20, 2016. https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/DIS?p=DIS

Buena Vista/Disney Pictures

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Jordyn Rosenberg

by JORDYN ROSENBERG

[2] Walt Disney Pictures Logo

HISTORY

The Lion King

From 1988 to present day, Disney Pictures has released some of the most successful films in Hollywood. Disney’s most iconic and memorable titles include, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Beauty and The Beast. Disney has pushed the boundaries of the film industry since its beginning with the production of the first full length animation film, Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, in 1937, as well as the release of their first live action film, Treasure Island, in 1950 [1].

Treasure Island

After the death of Walt Disney in 1966 his brother Roy Disney took the lead. The company only continued to grow when Robert Iger was named chief executive officer in 2005. Currently, Disney owns Walt Disney Animation Studios, Marvel, Touchstone, Disneynature & Lucasfilms. On February 5th 2015, Thomas O. Staggs, [16] Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, was named Chief Operating Officer of The Walt Disney Company.

FINANCIALS

In 2015, Buena Vista or Disney Pictures Studios held 10.8% market share and earned a total gross of $319 million. With only three movie releases thus far in 2015, the studio is ranked 4th. [13] The studio is behind 20th Century Fox, Universal, and Warner Bros. The companies rank is anticipated to rise with the rest of their 2015 slate. [3] After a full slate of 13 movies in 2014, the company grossed $1,617.5 billion, held a market share of 15.6% and ranked 2nd behind 20th Century Fox. The Walt Disney Company released its first quarterly report [14] for 2015 on February 3rd. Within the overall company, earnings per share increased 23% to $1.27 billion from $1.03 billion in the 2014 fourth quarter report [15]. Specifically, in studio entertainment, revenues have decreased 2% to 1.9 billion from 1.8 billion in 2014. Lower theatrical distribution numbers were a result of the performance of Big Hero 6 in comparsion to the release of Frozen last year.

KEY EXECUTIVES

[22] Alan Bergman – President, The Walt Disney Studios

Alan Horn - Chairman, Walt Disney Studios

[23] Alan Horn – Chairman, The Walt Disney Studios

[24] Robert Iger – Chairman and Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company

IN THEATERS

Cinderella

Cinderella

The live-action remake, directed by Kenneth Branagh, of the notorious Disney animation, Cinderella, did well in the box office opening weekend. Opening at number 1, the weekend of March 13th 2015, the movie earned an opening weekend gross of $67,877,361 domestically. Including international gross, the film made over $70 million opening weekend and made their $95 million budget in the second week. In total, Cinderella has made $438,036,467 worldwide [6]. With a large part of the target audience being female children, the cast, including, Lily James and Richard Madden, was fairly unknown [7]. The seven minute Frozen Fever short at the beginning of the film, based of the extremely popular animation Frozen, may have been a drawing factor for audiences. Although the film had one of the biggest debuts of the year, its numbers fell short of what was expected by Disney. The lower figures mean the new film fell behind Disney’s last live-action remake, Maleficent [8].

Monkey Kingdom

Monkey Kingdom

The Disneynature film, set in South Asia, follows the story of a macaque monkey, named Maya. With a new son, Kip, and her longtime home, Castle Rock, being taken over, Maya faces various struggles. Her ultimate goal is to get her home back and establish a good future for her son. The movie is narrated by Tina Fey. The director of the film, Mark Linfield, spent over 2 and a half years filming and following the animals for the movie [9]. The movie was released on April 17th. The opening weekend numbers have yet to be released. . .

SPRING 2015 RELEASES

McFarland, USA

McFarland USA

Released on February 20th, 2015, the sports-drama, McFarland USA, tells the story of a high school cross-country team as they attempt to succeed under the supervision of a new coach, played by Kevin Costner. The director of the film, Niki Caro, expressed that film is especially timely with the current debate over immigration [5]. The movie is set in a highly immigrated area and a majority of the athletes are from migrant families. Opening weekend grossed $11,020,798 and the movie made an overall domestic total of $42,715,645 [4]. The film was not as successful as Disney had hoped, opening at number 4 in theaters and continually falling in rank week to week. .

FUTURE SLATE

Tomorrowland

Tomorrowland

Tomorrowland will be released on May 22nd 2015. The movie was directed by Brad Bird and stars Academy Award winning actor, George Clooney. The cast also includes Britt Robertson, this year’s “Star of Tomorrow” award winner [11] at CinemaCon, and Judy Greer. The films tells the story of a young girl who finds a mysterious and magical pin. Touching the pin reveals a new and better world [10]. Disney is keeping the details of the plot a vaulted secret. Disney’s new sci-fi/fantasy film is inspired by the Disneyland park attraction and Disney World’s Epcot theme park. In a newly released featurette, Disney informs audiences of the tie between the film, Walt Disney and his original team’s vision for the future. The film is inspired by Walt’s vision of what the future would be like, as well as his ideas for the development of society [12]. The nostalgia of the film and reference to Walt Disney, adds Tomorrowland to Disney’s list of inspired remake films, such as last year’s Maleficent and this year’s Cinderella.

FUTURE FOR DISNEY PICTURES

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

On March 12th 2015, The Walt Disney Company held their 2015 annual meeting of shareholders [17]. At the meeting, CEO Robert Iger and Chief Creative Officer, John Lassester [18] announced exciting future projects for Disney. In October of 2012 Walt Disney Studios bought Lucasfilm for $4 billion [19]. At this years annual meeting, Disney acknowledged three new Star Wars projects the studio has been working on. Star Wars: The Force Awakens will premier in theaters on December 18th 2015. The film is the 7th episode of the Star Wars series and is set thirty years after the last Star Wars film, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, which was released in 1983. The film was directed by J.J. Abrams and stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, & Carrie Fisher. The 2nd official teaser was released in April 16th 2015.

Disney Annual Meeting of Shareholders 2015

At the meeting, Iger announced the production of another Star Wars film, Rogue One. Set to release on December 16th 2016, the film written by George Lucas is a spin-off to the original franchise. Finally, Star Wars: Episode VIII will arrive in theaters on May 26th 2017 [20]. The film will be directed by Rian Johnson and will continue the Star Wars story after episode 7. In addition, Disney Animation has officially announced plan of production for Frozen 2. After the huge success of the original film, it is no surprise that Disney is taking advantage of a sequel [21]. A release date has yet to be set for the film.

SOURCES

[1] Walt Disney Studios History. Walt Disney Studios. Retrieved: April 16th 2015

[2] Walt Disney Studios Logo. Walt Disney Studios. Retrieved: April 16th 2015

[3] Walt Disney Studios Current Slate. Walt Disney Studios. Retrieved April 16th 2015

[4] McFarland USA. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 16th 2015

[5] Johnson, Ted (February 21st 2015) What McFarland USA Says About Immigration. Variety. Retrieved April 16th 2015

[6] Cinderella (2015). Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 16th 2015

[7] Acuna, Kirsten (March 16th 2015) Cinderella Opening Weekend. Business Insider. Retrieved April 16th 2015

[8] Lang, Brent (March 16th 2015) Cinderella Falls Short. Variety. Retrieved: April 16th 2015

[9] Miller, Gregory (April 16th 2015) Monkeys of ‘Monkey Kingdom’ NY Post. Retrieved: April 16th 2015

[10] Breznican, Anthony (January 18th 2015) George Clooney & Tomorrowland. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved: April 16th 2015

[11] Lang, Brent (March 11th 2015) Britt Robertson Tomorrowland. Variety. Retrieved: April 16th 2015

[12] White, James (April 16th 2015) Tomorrowland Featurette. Empire Online. Retrieved: April 16th 2015

[13] Box Office by Studio: Buena Vista. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved: April 17th 2015

[14] Walt Disney First Quarter 2015. Walt Disney Studios. Retrieved: April 17th 2015.

[15] Walt Disney Fourth Quarter 2014. Walt Disney Studios. Retrieved: April 17th 2015

[16] Thomas Staggs COO. Walt Disney Pictures. Retrieved: April 17th 2015

[17] Disney Annual Shareholders Meeting 2015. Walt Disney Company. Retrieved: April 17th 2015

[18] John Lasseter. Walt Disney Company. Retrieved: April 17th 2015

[19] Krantz, Matt (October 30, 2012). Disney Lucasfilm. USA Today. Retrieved: April 17th 2015

[20] Kludt, Tom (March 12 2015). Star Wars Episode VIII. CNN Money. Retrieved: April 17th 2015

[21] Graser, Mark (March 12 2015). Frozen 2. Variety. Retrieved: April 17th 2015

[22] Alan Bergman. Walt Disney Studios. Retrieved: April 17th 2015

[23] Alan Horn. Walt Disney Studios. Retrieved: April 17th 2015

[24] Robert Iger. Walt Disney Company. Retrieved: April 17th 2015

[25] Lion King Movie Poster. Fan Pop. Retrieved: April 17th 2015

[26] Treasure Island Poster. Wikimedia. Retrieved: April 17th 2015

[27] Alan Bergman Picture. Walt Disney. Retrieved: April 17th 2015

[28] Alan Horn Picture. Walt Disney. Retrieved: April 17th 2015

[29] Robert Iger Picture. Walt Disney. Retrieved: April 17th 2015

[30] Cinderella Poser. Wikia. Retrieved: April 17th 2015

[31] Monkey Kingdom Poster. StitchKingdom. Retrieved: April 17th 2015

[32] McFarland USA Poster. IMP Awards. Retrieved: April 17th 2015

[33] Tomorrowland Poster. WP Images. Retrieved: April 17th 2015

[34] Star Wars: The Force Awakens. IMDB Media. Poster Retrieved: April 17th 2015

[35] Annual Shareholders Meeting Image. Visions Fantastic. Retrieved: April 17th 2015

Buenavista/Disney Pictures

Posted on October 5, 2014 by iclynch

by Izzy Lynch

Photo Courtesy of [1] www.waltdisneystudios.com

Contact

Address: 500 S. Buena Vista Street, Burbank, CA. 91506

Phone: (818) 560-1000

Twitter: @DisneyPictures

History and Properties

Snow White Original Vintage Film Poster. Photo Courtesy of www.animationartstudio.com

The Walt Disney Studios is the world-renowned film division of the film-turned-lifestyle corporation, The Walt Disney Company (NASDAQ: DIS) [2]. Founded in 1923 under the name The Disney Brothers Studios by brothers Walter E. Disney and Roy O. Disney, the company gained recognition for Walt’s impressive art in second dimension animation and the rich character portrayals [3]. The company has become the most successful animation brand in the world, crafting iconic characters such as Mickey Mouse, and producing timeless features such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Mary Poppins (1964), Lion King (1994) and many more. Since the studios’ inception, the company has grown to host multiple lucrative businesses, including resorts, theme parks, and merchandise, all utilizing the characters created through the company’s television and film productions. The studios have expanded their reach to include The Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, The Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios (2006), Lucasfilm Limited LLC (2012), Marvel Studios (2009), Touchstone Pictures, Disneynature, and Disneytoon Studios. Films produced by these subsidiaries are distributed through The Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, formerly known as Buena Vista Pictures [3].

CEO and Chairman of The Walt Disney Company, Robert A. Iger. Photo Courtesy of www.waltdisneystudios.com

CEO and Chairman of The Walt Disney Company, Robert A. Iger. Photo Courtesy of [4] www.waltdisneystudios.com

Management

As of 2005, Robert A. Iger has headed The Walt Disney Company, serving as both Chief Executive Officer and Chairman [4]. Iger reinstated the company’s relationship with the previously affiliated Pixar Animation Studios in 2006, which led to the hiring of Pixar Chief Executive Officer John Lasseter and Pixar President Edwin Catmull to head the then floundering Disney Animation sector of the studios. Since incorporating the two as Chief Creative Officer and President of the Walt Disney Animation Studios respectively in 2008, the company has seen an incredible improvement in the quality of content, producing blockbuster hits including Wreck It Ralph (2012), Frozen (2013), and Big Hero 6 (2014) [5].

Financial Information

The Walt Disney Company, which became a publicly traded entity in 1940 [6], released its Q4 and 2014 financial reports on November 6th, 2014 to reveal record-breaking numbers for the fourth year in a row. Along with impressive numbers from the overall company, Studio Entertainment revenues soared 22% from last year, earning nearly $7.3 billion out of the nearly $49 billion company revenue total, garnering the largest increase in revenue of the Company’s other business ventures [7].

The Walt Disney Company’s 52 Week Stock Price Chart. Photo Courtesy of Businessweek.com

Recently, the company experienced an impressive increase in their current trading price with the release of their eighty-eight second Star Wars: The Force Awakens teaser. Trading prices for the company rose to a share price of $92.96 on Friday, November 28th [8], which has proven to be not only a 52-week high, but also an all time high for the company [9]. While stock prices represent the entire Walt Disney Company, it is important to note that the characters from the film productions are an integral part of what keeps the company relevant and popular, which has a significant impact on the stock price.

Current Projects

The Walt Disney Studios operates their production of films in the format of larger tent-pole franchises supporting the lower budget features. The company tends to produce films that fulfill the requirements of the four quadrants of moviegoers: both male and female, over and under 25 years of age.

After Disney’s overwhelming domestic and international success of 2013’s animated hit Frozen, the company has continued to produce high quality and exceptionally profitable films throughout its current slate [10], which includes both live action and animated features. Towards the closing of a strong summer for the company, with releases such as Maleficent and Planes: Fire and Rescue, Marvel Studios released the tent-pole live action film Guardians of the Galaxy [10], which has garnered the title of being the top grossing film of 2014 with a total earning of $331.1 million at the global box office; a considerable achievement for its $170 million budget [11]. Starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, and Bradley Cooper, the film explores the uniting of a motley crew attempting to save the galaxy at the hands of an evil villain [12]. The film premiered on August 1st, 2014, and was highly praised by critics and audiences alike, scoring a 90% critic approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes [13].

Big Hero 6 Promotional Poster. Photo Courtesy of www.marvel.wikia.com

Guardians of the Galaxy served as the ideal primer for the November 7th release of Big Hero 6, a collaboration of the Walt Disney Animation Studios and Marvel Studios. Big Hero 6, with its $165 million production budget [14], incorporated characters from Marvel’s 5,000-character bank into the Animation Studios’ computer generated imagery format [15]. The result was a success; the film garnering a $50 million domestic box office in its opening weekend, as well as gaining the top spot of the weekend box office ahead of highly anticipated films, such as Warner Brothers’ Interstellar [16]. The film has netted $224.1 million in the worldwide box office to date [16].

Future Projects

The Walt Disney Studios have many high profile projects planned for release through 2019, having announced multiple films from each of its accompanying brands. Many of these films include live-action reboots of past Disney classics, continuations of prior franchises, or new franchise launches.

The most highly anticipated upcoming releases include the reboots of the Star Wars franchise. Star Wars: The Force Awakens, directed by the talented J.J. Abrams, utilizes the Lucasfilm-constructed universe to continue the saga and is scheduled for release in December, 2015. The film, which takes place in a time after Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983), starring Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and others from the first installment of the series, has generated great interest. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger has announced that his contract has been extended from terminating in March 2015 to June 2018 to oversee the release of two of the three upcoming Star Wars films [17].

Walt Disney Studios has also announced the continuation of the wildly popular Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, with a new film scheduled to be released in the summer of 2017. The film will be titled Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales [18].

Marvel plans to continue the producing widely profitable Avengers, Thor, Captain America, and Guardian of the Galaxy franchises, scheduling to release sequels to the films through 2018. Marvel has multiple other first-appearance films set to premier as well [19].

Pixar Animation Studios has announced the production of Toy Story 4, which came as a shock to many after the seemingly neat conclusion of the franchise with the release of Toy Story 3 (2010) [20]. Pixar has also announced plans to revive The Incredibles and Finding Nemo films with sequels, including the anticipated release of the film Finding Dory in 2016 [21]. Pixar is anticipating the release of their next film, Inside Out, a story told through a child’s emotions, in June of 2015 [21].

Sources

[1] “The Walt Disney Studios >> Walt Disney Studios Home” The Walt Disney Studios Retrieved 28 November 2014

[2] “DIS-NASDAQ.com” NASDAQ.com Retrieved 30 November 2014

[3] “Disney History” The Walt Disney Company Retrieved 29 November 2014

[4] “Rober A. Iger – The Walt Disney Company” The Walt Disney Company Retrieved 29 November 2014

[5] “Big Hero 6 Proves it: Pixar’s Gurus Have Brought the Magic back to Disney” Wired.com Retrieved 29 November 2014

[6] “Chronology of The Walt Disney Company” Chronology of The Walt Disney Company Retrieved 26 November 2014

[7] “Disney Fiscal Report 2014” The Walt Disney Company Retrieved 22 November 2014

[8] “DIS: Stock Information” Businessweek.com Retrieved 28 November November 2014

[9] “‘Star Wars’ Trailer Awakens Walt Disney Stock” TheGuardian.com Retrieved 30 November 2014

[10] “The Walt Disney Studios Current Slate The Walt Disney Studios Retrieved 28 November 2014

[11] “2014 Top Grossing Films” BoxOfficeMojo.com Retrieved 1 December 2014

[12] “Guardians of the Galaxy – IMDB” IMDB.com Retrieved 1 December 2014

[13] “Guardians of the Galaxy Review – Rotten Tomatoes” RottenTomatoes.com Retrieved 28 November 2014

[14] “Big Hero 6 Box Office” BoxOfficeMojo.com Retrieved 30 November 2014

[15] “Disney Buys Marvel Entertainment” TheGuardian.com Retrieved 26 November 2014

[16] “Nov. 7th 2014 Weekend Results” BoxOfficeMojo.com Retrieved 30 November 2014

[17] “Bob Iger to Remain Disney Chief through 2018” Variety.com Retrieved 26 November 2014

[18] “‘Pirates of the Caribbean 5’ Set for Summer 2017” The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved 23 November 2014

[19] “Marvel Studios Announcements” The Slate Retrieved 27 November 2014

[20] “Pixar’s ‘Toy Story 4’ Set to Play in Theaters in 2017” Variety.com 07 November 2014

[21] “Pixar Animation Studios Official Slate” Pixar Retrieved 30 November

Buenavista/Disney Pictures

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Gregory Fenton

By Greg Fenton

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

Alan Horn– Chairman of The Walt Disney Studios

Photo courtesy of www.waltdisneystudios.com

Andy Bird– Chairman of Walt Disney International

Photo courtesy of www.thewaltdisneycompany.com

Alan Bergman– President of The Walt Disney Studios

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

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

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

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