Institutional Research

WALT DISNEY STUDIOS

The Walt Disney Studios is an American film and entertainment studio, and one of the four business segments of The Walt Disney Company. Based in Burbank, California, the studio is best known for its multi-faceted film divisions. Founded in 1923, it is the fourth-oldest and one of the “Big Five” major film studios.

The Walt Disney Company started in 1923 in the rear of a small office occupied by Holly-Vermont Realty in Los Angeles. It was there that Walt Disney, and his brother Roy, produced a series of short live-action/animated films collectively called the ALICE COMEDIES. The rent was a mere $10 a month. Within four months, the ever-growing staff moved next door to larger facilities, where the sign on the window read “Disney Bros. Studio.” A year later, in 1925, the Disneys made a deposit on a Hyperion Avenue lot in the Silver Lake district of Los Angeles. Construction began on the new studio shortly thereafter. During the next 14 years, many changes took place at the Disney studio: Mickey Mouse was “born” in 1928, followed by Pluto, Goofy, Donald Duck, and the rest of the Disney gang.

For over 95 years, The Walt Disney Studios has been the foundation on which The Walt Disney Company was built. Today it brings quality movies, episodic storytelling, music, and stage plays to consumers throughout the world. The Walt Disney Studios encompasses a collection of respected film studios, including Disney, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Disneynature, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Studios, Searchlight Pictures, and Blue Sky Studios. It is also home to Walt Disney Records, Hollywood Records, and Disney Theatrical Productions, producer of world-class stage shows.

Disney has explored new worlds through magical storytelling since its first completely live-action film, “Treasure Island” in 1950. Across pirate-laden high-seas or down a mysterious rabbit hole, Disney’s collaborations with renowned artists and filmmakers have produced some of the most successful live-action family films in history, including 2010’s “Alice in Wonderland,” the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films, “Maleficent,” 2016’s “The Jungle Book,” and 2017’s “Beauty and the Beast.” In 2019, Disney posted an industry record of $13.2 billion at the global box office The studio has released six of the top ten highest grossing films of all time worldwide, and the two highest-grossing film franchises of all time.

Walt Disney Pictures encompasses the release of its own live-action productions, in addition to films produced by the company’s animation studios, main Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios Marvel Studios—acquired through Disney’s purchase of Marvel Entertainment in 2009—produces superhero films based on Marvel Comics characters, including the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise. Lucasfilm—acquired by Disney in 2012—develops and produces films including those in the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises. Disney nature is an independent film genre label devoted to producing nature documentary films. 20th Century Studios and Search light Pictures—acquired by Disney in 2019 and together former members of the ‘Big Six’ Studios—produce a varied slate of films, with the latter focusing on specialty prestige films, 20th Century also releases films produced by the animated film units of 20th Century Animations and Blue Sky Studios.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures has released the most films that have crossed the $1 billion mark (twenty-five, in worldwide grosses among major Hollywood studios, with thirteen of the twenty highest grossing films of all time being distributed by Disney. These include the highest-grossing film worldwide (Avengers: Endgame) and in North America (Star Wars: The Force Awakens). Of those twelve films, three of them have crossed the $2 billion mark in worldwide grosses, the most for any studio. In addition, Disney is the first of only three studios that have released at least two billion-dollar films in the same year (the others being Warner and Universal Pictures ). Furthermore, Disney is the only studio that has achieved this seven times, in 2010, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 of which included four $1 billion releases, and 2019 in which included five $1 billion releases, a record for any studio. Eight of the top ten highest grossing animated films have been released by Disney, as well as sixteen of the twenty highest-grossing G-Rated films. In addition, four of the top and opening weekends were Disney releases. In 2015, Disney achieved its largest yearly box-office gross worldwide and in North America. In 2016, Disney surpassed $7 billion in worldwide yearly box-office gross—the first of any major studio—surpassing the previous 2015 record. In 2019, Disney became the first studio ever to have seven releases cross $1 billion each in a single year. In the same year, Disney broke the previous records by making an unprecedented $13.2 billion at the global box office.

On May 4, 1987, Disney signed a theatrical distribution agreement with Warner Bros. International for the release of Disney and Touchstone films in overseas markets, with Disney retaining full control of all distribution and marketing decisions on their product. Warner previously had overseas distribution partnership with Columbia Pictures, but it was dissolved in 1988. In 1992, Disney opted to end their joint venture with Warner Bros. to start autonomously distributing their films in the aforementioned overseas markets. In those territories from 1993 to 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.

Italia Film, a Lebanese film distribution and production company, is Disney’s exclusive theatrical film distribution partner for various Middle East and North Africa (MENA) markets since 1993, after making a deal directly with Buena Vista International at the time. Prior to this, Warner Bros. originally handled said MENA markets.

In Taiwan, MGM first handled Disney’s distribution followed by Fox and WB. A local distributor called Era Communications took over distribution from 1992 to 1995. At that time, Buena Vista began its Taiwanese operations. Columbia ended its joint distribution unit with Fox and switch to Buena Vista in 1999.

In Germany, Disney distributes films theatrically released by Universum Film.

Beforehand, 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 Spain, Disney handles the distribution of films through Filmayer S.A. before the WB joint venture operating as Warner Española S.A.

Disney and Sony pictures Entertainment formed in 1997 a film distribution joint venture in Southeast Asia. By December 2006, 14 joint distribution ventures with Sony Pictures Releasing International were formed and exist in countries including Brazil, Mexico, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. In January 2007, their fifteenth such partnership began operations in Russia and CIS. In February 2017, Sony starting leaving the Southeast Asia venture with the Philippines. In August 2017, Sony terminated the joint venture agreement for their own operations. On January 31, 2019, in anticipation of the then-pending acquisition of the most 20th Century Fox assets (which includes 20th Century Fox), Disney agreed to sell its stake in the Mexican joint venture named Walt Disney Studios Sony Pictures Releasing de México to Sony Pictures Releasing.

In October 2017, it was announced that Disney would be handling international distribution of M.Night Shaymalan’s Glass released in 2019, through the Buena Vista International banner. The film is a sequel to his earlier films Unbreakable (distributed by Touchstone) and Split (distributed by Universal Pictures). Through an arrangement made with Disney, Universal will retain domestic rights to the film, while Disney will distribute in international territories under the label. The UK-produced film Patrick was also released in 2018 by Disney under the Buena Vista International label in the UK.