- This article is about the distribution division, not to be confused with Walt Disney Pictures, the flagship Disney feature film subsidiary.
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is an American motion picture distribution company owned by The Walt Disney Company. Established in 1953 as Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, the company handles distribution for films produced by the Walt Disney Studios; including Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disneytoon Studios, Disneynature, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm.
History
Prior to 1953, Walt Disney's productions were distributed by Sony/Columbia Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists and RKO Radio Pictures. However, a dispute over the value of Disney's True-Life Adventures series of live-action documentary featurettes in 1953 led to Walt and his older brother Roy Oliver Disney to form its wholly owned subsidiary the Buena Vista Film Distribution Company, Inc. (BVD) to handle the U.S. distribution of their own product. Buena Vista's first release was the Academy Award winning live-action feature The Living Desert on November 10, 1953 along with Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom, Buena Vista's first animated release. Notable subsequent releases include the foreign film, Yang Kwei Fei (Most Noble Lady), released in US theaters in September of 1956, The Missouri Traveler in March 1958, and The Big Fisherman in July 1959 (the first third-party production financed by Disney). In 1961, Disney incorporated Buena Vista International, distributing its first PG rated film, Take Down, in January 1979 .
In April 2007, Disney dissolved the Buena Vista moniker in its distribution branding and re-branded itself as Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
Distribution
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is noteworthy for having 12 films that have surpassed the $1-billion-mark and 1 film of the $2-billion-mark in worldwide ticket sales:
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015; $2,053,305,738)
- The Avengers (2012; $1,518,594,910)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015; $1,405,035,767)
- Frozen (2013; $1,279,852,693)
- Beauty and the Beast (2017; $1,222,577,911) (currently showing)
- Iron Man 3 (2013; $1,215,439,994)
- Captain America: Civil War (2016; $1,153,304,495)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006; $1,066,179,725)
- Toy Story 3 (2010; $1,063,171,911)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011; $1,045,713,802)
- Finding Dory (2016; $1,028,570,889)
- Alice in Wonderland (2010; $1,025,467,110)
- Zootopia (2016; $1,023,784,195)
Disney is the only major Hollywood studio that has released more than four films that have crossed the $1-billion-mark (in worldwide grosses). In addition, Disney is the first of only two studios to have released two $1-billion films in the same year (the other being Warner Bros.). The top three highest grossing animated films have been released by Disney. Sixteen of the twenty highest grossing G-rated films were also distributed by Disney. In 2012, Disney achieved its largest yearly box-office gross in North America.
The company distributes all features produced by The Walt Disney Studios, other Disney film units and some third-parties including:
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Current units |
Former units
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Active producer/distribution deals
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Former producer deals
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International arrangements
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International was formed in 1961 as Buena Vista International, Inc., which is the owner of Disney Channel Asia.[1] In 1992, Disney opted to end a previous joint venture with Warner Bros., that began in 1988 to distribute their films in overseas markets (UK, Ireland, Benelux and Scandinavia). In those territories from 1993-2007, Disney reactivated the Buena Vista International name, and also sent distribution under it in countries that did not have any current arrangements with other companies. Distribution rights in West Germany were given to MGM (under CIC in the early 1970s) and later to 20th Century Fox before the Warner Bros. joint venture. In Russia and CIS, Mexico, Brazil, Thailand, Greece, Singapore and the Philippines, Disney films had been distributed in a joint venture with Sony Pictures Entertainment.[2] In Japan, distribution rights are handled in partnership with Toho.
- Other international distributors
- UK/Ireland ā Rank Film Distributors (1954ā1986) and Warner Bros. (1987ā1992)
- Turkey ā Warner Bros. (ā1994), United International Pictures (1994āpresent)
- Ukraine ā United International Pictures, and Sony Pictures Releasing (2007āpresent)
- Kazakhstan ā United International Pictures, Warner Bros., Sony Pictures Releasing International (1997āpresent)
- Finland ā Suomi-Filmi
- France ā Gaumont Buena Vista International (1993ā2004)
- Belgium/Netherlands/Benelux ā Warner Bros (1987ā1992), United International Pictures (1993āpresent)
- Australia/New Zealand ā Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (1959ā1968; through in 1973ā86), Greater Union Organization (1968ā1972), CIC-Fox (1973ā1981), United International Pictures (under UIP-Fox) (1982ā1986), Village Roadshow (1987ā1992)
- Italy ā Cinema International Corporation (1974ā1981), United International Pictures (1982ā1987), Warner Bros. (1987ā1991) and Columbia TriStar Italia (Sony Pictures Releasing) (1992ā1995)
Franchises
| Title | Years |
|---|---|
| Fantasia | 1940āpresent |
| Bambi | 1942ā2006 |
| Cinderella | 1950ā2007 |
| Peter Pan | 1953ā2002 |
| Lady and the Tramp | 1955ā2001 |
| The Shaggy Dog | 1959ā2006 |
| 101 Dalmatians | 1961ā2003 |
| The Absent-Minded Professor | 1961ā1997 |
| The Parent Trap | 1961ā1998 |
| The Incredible Journey | 1963ā1996 |
| Winnie the Pooh | 1966ā2011 |
| The Jungle Book | 1967ā2003 |
| Herbie | 1968ā2005 |
| Witch Mountain | 1975ā2009 |
| The Apple Dumpling Gang | 1975ā1982 |
| The Rescuers | 1977ā1990 |
| The Muppets | 1979āpresent |
| The Fox and the Hound | 1981ā2006 |
| Tron | 1982āpresent |
| Honey, I Shrunk the Kids | 1989ā1997 |
| The Little Mermaid | 1989ā2008 |
| White Fang | 1991ā1994 |
| Beauty and the Beast | 1991ā1998 |
| The Mighty Ducks | 1992ā1996 |
| Aladdin | 1992ā1996 |
| The Lion King | 1994ā2004 |
| Angels in the Outfield | 1994ā2000 |
| The Santa Clause | 1994ā2006 |
| Pocahontas | 1995ā1998 |
| Toy Story | 1995āpresent |
| Freaky Friday | 1976āpresent |
| The Hunchback of Notre Dame | 1996ā2002 |
| Hercules | 1997ā1999 |
| George of the Jungle | 1997ā2003 |
| Air Bud | 1997āpresent |
| Mulan | 1998ā2005 |
| Tarzan | 1999ā2005 |
| Inspector Gadget | 1999ā2003 |
| Monsters, Inc. | 2001āpresent |
| The Princess Diaries | 2001ā2004 |
| Lilo & Stitch | 2002ā2006 |
| Finding Nemo | 2003āpresent |
| Pirates of the Caribbean | 2003āpresent |
| Brother Bear | 2003ā2006 |
| The Incredibles | 2004āpresent |
| National Treasure | 2004ā2007 |
| The Chronicles of Narnia | 2005ā2008 |
| Cars | 2006āpresent |
| Marvel Animated Features | 2009ā2011 |
| Beverly Hills Chihuahua | 2008ā2012 |
| Tangled | 2010āpresent |
| Marvel Cinematic Universe | 2012āpresent |
| Wreck-It Ralph | 2012āpresent |
| Frozen | 2013āpresent |
| Star Wars | 2014āpresent |
International arrangements
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International was formed in 1961 as Buena Vista International. In 1992, Disney opted to end a previous joint venture with Warner Bros., that began in 1988 to distribute their films in overseas markets (UK, Ireland, Benelux & Scandinavia). Distribution rights in West Germany were given to MGM and later 20th Century Fox before the Warner Bros. joint venture. In Russia and CIS, Mexico, Brazil, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines, Disney films had been distributed in a joint venture with Sony Pictures Entertainment.
- Other international distributors
- UK/Ireland ā Rank Film Distributors (1954-1987) and Warner Bros. (1987-1992)
- Turkey ā United International Pictures
- Ukraine ā United International Pictures and Sony Pictures Entertainment
- Kazakhstan ā United International Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Warner Bros. (former 20th Century Fox)
- Finland ā Suomi-Filmi
- Belgium/Netherlands/Benelux ā United International Pictures
- Australia/New Zealand ā Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (1959-1968), Greater Union Organization (1968-1987), CIC-Fox (1970s-1987), Village Roadshow (1988-1992)
Gallery
Notes
- Disney retains all the distribution rights to these 14 DreamWorks films in perpetuity
- GKIDS acquired the theatrical distribution rights to Studio Ghibli's films from Disney in 2014 and Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment held the U.S. home media distribution rights to 13 Ghibli films before also going to GKIDS in 2017 (outside of Disney retaining the rights to The Wind Rises).
- Buena Vista is only a distribution studio working for Disney, and does not exist as a separate company.
External links
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This page uses content from the English Wikipedia page Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. Text from Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. |
- ā The Disney Studio Story, by Richard Holliss and Brian Sibley, 1988.
- ā Disney, Sony team up for Russian content, The Hollywood Reporter, December 27, 2006.