Walt Disney Pictures
Encyclopedia
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company
. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary
of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney Studios
, acquires and produces output that are released under the Walt Disney Pictures and Touchstone Pictures
banners. Their most commercially successful production partners in later years have been Pixar
, Great Oaks, Caravan Pictures
, Studio Ghibli
, Jerry Bruckheimer Films
, Marvel Studios
, Spyglass Entertainment
, Starz Media
, Walden Media
, Mandeville Films
, Gunn Films and Jim Henson Pictures
.
Animated features produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios
, Studio Ghibli
(North America distribution), DisneyToon Studios
and ImageMovers Digital
are usually released by Walt Disney Pictures under the Disney banner. Exceptions include Who Framed Roger Rabbit
and The Nightmare Before Christmas
which were originally released under Disney's Touchstone
imprint (The latter has since been re-released under the traditional Disney banner). These two films are also regarded as more like "Disney" films compared to other Touchstone titles.
Walt Disney Pictures is noteworthy for having four films that have surpassed the $1 billion mark in worldwide ticket sales, including Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
(2006
), Alice in Wonderland
(2010
), Toy Story 3
(2010), and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
(2011
). In addition, Disney is the only major Hollywood studio to have released two films grossing more than $1 billion each worldwide in the same year.
with DVD rights to Universal Studios Home Entertainment
, typically for films under Miramax Films
, which was recently sold by Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group to investors.
In Russia, Mexico, Brazil, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines, Walt Disney Pictures films had been distributed by Sony Pictures Entertainment
.
In Turkey, Walt Disney Pictures films had been distributed by United International Pictures
.
In UK and Ireland, Walt Disney Pictures films had already been distributed by Warner Bros.
in 1988-1993, until it made its own label in the UK (Walt Disney Videos).
Film studios also under Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group and released by Walt Disney Pictures
Alternative film labels also under Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group
Film studios previously under Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group and released by Walt Disney Pictures
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney Studios
Walt Disney Studios (Burbank)
The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, United States, serve as the international headquarters for media conglomerate The Walt Disney Company. The Walt Disney Studio's house offices for each of the company's divisions along with creative spaces designed for movie production. The Walt Disney...
, acquires and produces output that are released under the Walt Disney Pictures and Touchstone Pictures
Touchstone Pictures
Touchstone Pictures is an American film production label and is one of several film labels of the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group. Established in 1984, its releases typically feature more mature themes and darker tones than those that are released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner.Touchstone...
banners. Their most commercially successful production partners in later years have been Pixar
Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
, Great Oaks, Caravan Pictures
Caravan Pictures
Caravan Pictures was a film production company arm of Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group , formed by Roger Birnbaum and Joe Roth....
, Studio Ghibli
Studio Ghibli
is a Japanese animation and film studio founded in June 1985. The company's logo features the character Totoro from Hayao Miyazaki's film My Neighbor Totoro...
, Jerry Bruckheimer Films
Jerry Bruckheimer
Jerome Leon "Jerry" Bruckheimer is an American film and television producer. He has achieved great success in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. His best known television series are CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, Eleventh Hour, Without a Trace, Cold Case, The...
, Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios, originally Marvel Films, is an American television and motion picture studio based in Manhattan Beach, California. Marvel Studios is a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, a self-contained part of the The Walt Disney Company conglomerate....
, Spyglass Entertainment
Spyglass Entertainment
Spyglass Entertainment is an American film production company, co-founded by Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum in 1998. The studio was founded with an investment from European media conglomerates Kirch Group and Mediaset, and a five-year distribution deal with The Walt Disney Company...
, Starz Media
Starz Media
Starz Media is the motion picture, animation, television, and home video subsidiary of Liberty Media.-Subsidiaries:Starz Media's subsidiaries include:*Anchor Bay Entertainment - distribution division for DVDs and videos....
, Walden Media
Walden Media
Walden Media is a children's film production and publishing company best known as the producers of The Chronicles of Narnia series. Its films are based on notable classic or award-winning children's literature, compelling biographies or historical events, documentaries and some original...
, Mandeville Films
Mandeville Films
Mandeville Films is an American independent film production company.Founded in 1994 by David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman, it re-formed as Mandeville Films and Television in 2002 after a short hiatus.-History:...
, Gunn Films and Jim Henson Pictures
Jim Henson Pictures
Jim Henson Pictures is an American movie studio, owned by The Jim Henson Company and opened by Lisa and Brian Henson, the daughter of the late Jim Henson.-List of films produced by JHP:* Buddy...
.
Animated features produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios
Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
, Studio Ghibli
Studio Ghibli
is a Japanese animation and film studio founded in June 1985. The company's logo features the character Totoro from Hayao Miyazaki's film My Neighbor Totoro...
(North America distribution), DisneyToon Studios
DisneyToon Studios
DisneyToon Studios is an American animation studio owned by The Walt Disney Company, responsible for producing direct-to-video and occasional theatrical films for Walt Disney Studios....
and ImageMovers Digital
ImageMovers Digital
ImageMovers Digital is a digital film studio run by director Robert Zemeckis and originally owned by The Walt Disney Company, later Universal Studios...
are usually released by Walt Disney Pictures under the Disney banner. Exceptions include Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 American fantasy-comedy-noir film directed by Robert Zemeckis and released by Touchstone Pictures. The film combines live action and animation, and is based on Gary K. Wolf's novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit?, which depicts a world in which cartoon characters...
and The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Nightmare Before Christmas, often promoted as Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, is a 1993 stop motion musical fantasy film directed by Henry Selick and produced/co-written by Tim Burton. It tells the story of Jack Skellington, a being from "Halloween Town" who opens a portal to...
which were originally released under Disney's Touchstone
Touchstone Pictures
Touchstone Pictures is an American film production label and is one of several film labels of the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group. Established in 1984, its releases typically feature more mature themes and darker tones than those that are released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner.Touchstone...
imprint (The latter has since been re-released under the traditional Disney banner). These two films are also regarded as more like "Disney" films compared to other Touchstone titles.
Walt Disney Pictures is noteworthy for having four films that have surpassed the $1 billion mark in worldwide ticket sales, including Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is a 2006 adventure fantasy film and the second film of the Pirates of the Caribbean series, following Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl . It was directed by Gore Verbinski, written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, and produced by...
(2006
2006 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
), Alice in Wonderland
Alice in Wonderland (2010 film)
Alice in Wonderland is a 2010 American computer-animated/live action fantasy adventure film directed by Tim Burton, written by Linda Woolverton, and released by Walt Disney Pictures...
(2010
2010 in film
The year 2010 saw many new films released worldwide. 2010 saw a dramatic increase and prominence in the use of 3D-technology in filmmaking and film releases after the success of Avatar in the format, with releases such as Alice in Wonderland, Clash of the Titans, Jackass 3D, all animated films and...
), Toy Story 3
Toy Story 3
Toy Story 3 is a 2010 American 3D computer-animated comedy-adventure film, and the third installment in the Toy Story series. It was produced by Pixar and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Lee Unkrich. The film was released worldwide from June through October in Disney Digital...
(2010), and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is a 2011 adventure fantasy film and the fourth installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean series...
(2011
2011 in film
The year 2011 is notable for containing the release of the most film sequels in a single year, at 27 sequels. The following tables list films that are in production or have completed production and will be released in the United States and Canada at some point in 2011.- Highest-grossing films :...
). In addition, Disney is the only major Hollywood studio to have released two films grossing more than $1 billion each worldwide in the same year.
Distribution
Walt Disney Pictures distributes most of their own films internationally, via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (formerly Buena Vista Distribution), with a few excepted movies to Canada. A very select amount of films by Walt Disney Pictures are distributed in Canada by another billion-dollar franchise known as Alliance FilmsAlliance Films
Alliance Films is a major Canadian motion picture distribution/production company, which serves Canada, the United Kingdom, and Spain.-History:It was formed in 1984 by Stephen Roth, Denis Heroux, John Kemeny, Robert Lantos and Jay...
with DVD rights to Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Universal Studios Home Entertainment is the home video division of Universal Pictures...
, typically for films under Miramax Films
Miramax Films
Miramax Films is an American entertainment company known for distributing independent and foreign films. For its first 14 years the company was privately owned by its founders, Bob and Harvey Weinstein...
, which was recently sold by Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group to investors.
In Russia, Mexico, Brazil, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines, Walt Disney Pictures films had been distributed by Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. is the television and film production/distribution unit of Japanese multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony...
.
In Turkey, Walt Disney Pictures films had been distributed by United International Pictures
United International Pictures
United International Pictures is a joint venture of Paramount Pictures and Universal Studios , to distribute some of the two studios' films theatrically outside the United States , Canada, and the Anglophone...
.
In UK and Ireland, Walt Disney Pictures films had already been distributed by Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
in 1988-1993, until it made its own label in the UK (Walt Disney Videos).
See also
- List of Disney theatrical feature films for a list of all features produced and released by Walt Disney Productions and Walt Disney Pictures
- List of Disney theatrical animated features for the animated Disney films released by Walt Disney Pictures
- Parent company, Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group
Film studios also under Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group and released by Walt Disney Pictures
- Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (Disney's film distribution arm)
- Walt Disney Animation Studios
- DisneyToon StudiosDisneyToon StudiosDisneyToon Studios is an American animation studio owned by The Walt Disney Company, responsible for producing direct-to-video and occasional theatrical films for Walt Disney Studios....
- Pixar Animation StudiosPixarPixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
- Marvel StudiosMarvel StudiosMarvel Studios, originally Marvel Films, is an American television and motion picture studio based in Manhattan Beach, California. Marvel Studios is a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, a self-contained part of the The Walt Disney Company conglomerate....
Alternative film labels also under Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group
- Touchstone PicturesTouchstone PicturesTouchstone Pictures is an American film production label and is one of several film labels of the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group. Established in 1984, its releases typically feature more mature themes and darker tones than those that are released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner.Touchstone...
- DisneynatureDisneynatureDisneynature is an independent film label of The Walt Disney Company, founded on April 21, 2008 as a division of the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group...
- Hollywood PicturesHollywood PicturesHollywood Pictures is one of The Walt Disney Company's several alternate movie divisions. Like Disney's Touchstone Pictures brand, it produces films for a more mature adult audience than Walt Disney Pictures.-History:...
Film studios previously under Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group and released by Walt Disney Pictures
- Miramax FilmsMiramax FilmsMiramax Films is an American entertainment company known for distributing independent and foreign films. For its first 14 years the company was privately owned by its founders, Bob and Harvey Weinstein...
(1993-2010) - Dimension FilmsDimension FilmsDimension Films is a motion picture unit currently a part of The Weinstein Company. It was formerly used as Bob Weinstein's label within Miramax Films, to produce and release genre films...
(1993-2005) - ImageMovers DigitalImageMovers DigitalImageMovers Digital is a digital film studio run by director Robert Zemeckis and originally owned by The Walt Disney Company, later Universal Studios...
(2009-2011)