There’s no disputing the success of Disney in the animation field, and mention such titles as “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, “Lady and the Tramp”, “Toy Story” and “Finding Nemo” and instantly you think of Disney. However Disney is multi-layered and there’s a lot more to the Disney empire than animation.
Two major movie companies fall under Disney’s umbrella – Touchstone Pictures, and Hollywood Pictures. Between these two film industry giants, they have produced such successful pictures as “Sister Act”, “The Aviator”, “Pirates of the Caribbean”, and “Pearl Harbor”. There’s one box office success that’s missing from their list of credits however, “ET: The Extra Terrestrial”. This was offered to them first, and rejected, showing that even Disney gets it wrong sometimes! To complement these two movie making companies, Disney has also acquired Miramax, famed for the likes of “Kill Bill” and “Pulp Fiction”, making Disney and Buena Vista an ever greater force to be reckoned with in the film industry.
Amongst the movies that have been received with great acclaim, is a host of major Hollywood stars – box office favorites who almost guarantee multi-million dollar takings for anything from a safe script to a more edgy one. Lining up the stars not only helps keep these production companies in the lens of the people giving out awards, but also keeps the money rolling into the bank so that more high quality movies can be made.
So for those of you who think you’re too old for the sugar sweetness of the original Disney animated movies, and need some lemon juice rather than sugar to help the medicine go down, think about the other things that are going on in the film making studios that may have a different name above the door, and remember that behind this name, it’s still Disney’s magic at work creating the movies.
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