Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is an American motion picture distributor owned by The Walt Disney Company. Established in 1953 as Buena Vista Film Distribution, the company handles distribution for films produced by the Walt Disney Studios; including Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, 20th Century Studios, Disneynature, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Studios, Blue Sky Studios, and Lucasfilm.

History[]

Prior to 1953, Walt Disney Productions' short films and feature films were distributed by Celebrity Productions, Columbia Pictures, United Artists and RKO Radio Pictures. A dispute with RKO 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 Buena Vista Film Distribution Company, Inc. (BVD) to handle the U.S. distribution of their own films. Despite this, RKO would continue to distribute some of Disney's theatrical shorts until 1956. 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.

Other names for the division were Buena Vista Distribution Company, Inc. (April 1960-July 1987) and Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, Inc. (July 1987-April 2007).^[1]

In April 2007, Disney dissolved the Buena Vista moniker in its distribution branding and re-branded itself as Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

On October 12, 2020, Disney CEO Bob Chapek announced the founding of Disney Media Distribution, as the result, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Disney Music Group, and Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment are all transferred to this new division.^[2]

Distribution[]

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is noteworthy for releasing 27 films that have surpassed the $1-billion-mark and 4 films of the $2-billion-mark in worldwide ticket sales:

• Avengers: Endgame (2019; $2,797,800,564)
• Avatar: The Way of Water (2022; $2,317,514,386)
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015; $2,068,223,624)
• Avengers: Infinity War (2018; $2,048,359,754)
• The Lion King (2019; $1,656,821,650)
• Inside Out 2 (2024; $1,649,011,114)
• The Avengers (2012; $1,518,594,910)
• Frozen II (2019; $1,450,026,933)
• Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015; $1,402,805,868)
• Black Panther (2018; $1,347,280,838)
• Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017; $1,332,539,889)
• Frozen (2013; $1,280,802,282)
• Beauty and the Beast (2017; $1,263,521,126)
• Incredibles 2 (2018; $1,242,805,359)
• Iron Man 3 (2013; $1,214,811,252)
• Deadpool & Wolverine (2024; $1,211,303,366)
• Captain America: Civil War (2016; $1,153,304,495)
• Captain Marvel (2019; $1,128,274,794)
• Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019; $1,074,144,248)
• Toy Story 4 (2019; $1,073,394,593)
• Toy Story 3 (2010; $1,066,969,703)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006; $1,066,179,725)
• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016; $1,056,057,273)
• Aladdin (2019; $1,050,693,953)
• 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 (4 films if counted The Lion King). Seventeen 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 except Searchlight Pictures (which operates its own distribution unit in the US only), other Disney film units and some third-parties including:

International arrangements[]

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International was formed in 1961 as Buena Vista International, Inc.^[6], which is the owner of Disney Channel Asia.^[7] In 1992, Disney opted to end a previous joint venture with Warner Bros., that began in 1988 to distribute their films in select overseas markets (UK, Ireland, Benelux, Scandinavia, Brazil among others). 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.^[8]

Other international distributors

• UK and Ireland — Rank Film Distributors (1954–1986) and Warner Bros. (1987–1992)
• Brazil — Rank Film, Cinema International Corporation, MGM, United International Pictures, Warner Bros., Buena Vista International
• Turkey — Warner Bros. (prior to 1994), United International Pictures (1994–present)
• Ukraine — United International Pictures, and Sony Pictures Releasing (2007–present)
• Kazakhstan — United International Pictures, Warner Bros., Sony Pictures Releasing International (1997–present)
• Finland — Suomi-Filmi
• France — Cinedis (1954-1959), Discifilm (1959-1961), Athos Films (1961-1963), Walt Disney Productions France (1963-1987), Warner Bros (Transatlantic) Inc. (1988-1992), Gaumont Buena Vista International (1992–2004)
• Belgium/Netherlands/Benelux — Warner Bros. (1987–1992), United International Pictures (1993–present)
• Australia and New Zealand — Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (1959–1968; through in 1973–86), Greater Union Organization (1968–1972), CIC-Fox (1973–1981), United International Pictures (under UIP-Fox) (1982–1986), Village Roadshow (1987–1992)
• Germany — Herzog Filmverleih (1954-1957), UFA (1957-1958), Rank-Film (1959-1963), Walt Disney Filmverleih (1964-1968)
• Italy — Cinema International Corporation (1974–1981), United International Pictures (1982–1987), Warner Bros. (1987–1991) and Columbia TriStar Films Italia (1992–1995)
• Japan - Daiei Film (1950-1959), Toho, Toei, and Warner Bros. Japan (both 1994-2000)
• China — China Film Group Corporation and/or Huaxia Film Distribution (1994-present)

Note that in Japan, Disney combined both theatrical and home media distribution (include licensed feature films and stage play lives) under Walt Disney Japan (Japanese: ウォルト・ディズニー・ジャパン, as Walt Disney Studios Japan between 2010 and 2016) name since 2000.

Film franchises[]

Short films

1. Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom (1953)
2. Ben and Me (1953)
3. Grand Canyonscope (1954)
4. How to Have an Accident in the Home (1956)
5. Jack and Old Mac (1956)
6. A Cowboy Needs a Horse (1956)
7. The Story of Anyburg, U.S.A. (1957)
8. The Truth About Mother Goose (1957)
9. Paul Bunyan (1958)
10. Donald in Mathmagic Land (1959)
11. How to Have an Accident at Work (1959)
12. Noah's Ark (1959)
13. Goliath II (1960)
14. Aquamania (1961)
15. The Saga of Windwagon Smith (1961)
16. Donald and the Wheel (1961)
17. The Litterbug (1961)
18. A Symposium on Popular Songs (1962)
19. Freewayphobia (1965)
20. Steel and America (1965)
21. Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966)
22. Donald's Fire Survival Plan (1966)
23. Scrooge McDuck and Money (1967)
24. Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968)
25. It's Tough to Be a Bird (1969)
26. Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (1974)
27. The Small One (1978)
28. Vincent (1982)
29. Fun with Mr. Future (1982)
30. Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore (1983)
31. Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983)

Gallery[]

Notes[]

• Disney retains all the distribution rights to these 14 DreamWorks films in perpetuity.
• Buena Vista is only a distribution studio working for Disney, and does not exist as a separate company.
• Some home video prints of Disney movies released under RKO instead rely on later re-release under Buena Vista.

References[]

External links[]

• Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures on Wikipedia
• Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures on IMDb

v - e - d

Motion Pictures Production Walt Disney Animation Studios (1923) • Walt Disney Pictures (1983) • Pixar (2006) • Disneynature (2008) • Lucasfilm (2012) • Marvel Studios (2015) • 20th Century Studios (2019) • 20th Century Animation (2019) • Searchlight Pictures (2019) • Star Studios (2019; Indian Independence films) Distribution Labels Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures • Searchlight Pictures (United States only) • Buena Vista International (European Independence films) • Star Distribution (Latin American Independence films) Studio Lots Walt Disney Studios Burbank Studio Lot • Golden Oak Ranch • The Prospect Studios • Disney Studios Australia Former Studios Laugh-O-Gram Studio (1921-1923) • Walt Disney Productions (1923-1986) • Touchstone Pictures (1984-2016) • Walt Disney Animation Japan (1984-2004) • Skellington Productions (1986-1996) • Walt Disney Animation France (1986-2003) • Walt Disney Animation Australia (1988-2006) • Disneytoon Studios (1988-2018) • Hollywood Pictures (1989-2007) • Walt Disney Animation Florida (1989-2004) • Caravan Pictures (1992-1999) • Dimension Films (1992-2005) • DIC Entertainment L.P. (Limited Partnership) (1993-2000) • Walt Disney Animation Canada (1996-2000) • Circle Seven Animation (2004-2006) • ImageMovers Digital (2007-2011) • Pixar Canada (2010-2013) • Blue Sky Studios (2019-2021) • Fox 2000 Pictures (2019-2021) • 20th Digital Studio (2019-2023) Former Distribution Brands Universal Studios (Partnership) (1923-1929) • Columbia Pictures (Partnership) (1929-1932) • United Artists (Partnership) (1932-1937) • RKO Radio Pictures (Partnership) (1937-1956) • Buena Vista Pictures Distribution (1956-2007) • UTV Motion Pictures (2013-2017, India) • Miramax Films (1993-2010) • 20th Century Fox (2019-2020) Current Figures Bob Iger • Jennifer Lee • Pete Docter • Kevin Feige • Kathleen Kennedy Former Figures Michael Eisner • Jeffrey Katzenberg • John Lasseter • Ed Catmull • Bob Chapek • Sean Bailey • Christine McCarthy