Walt Disney Pictures Page at Magic Lantern Video & Book Store

"It was obviously a great atmosphere when Walt was alive. If Walt liked something, we knew damn well it had to be good; it had to be successful. Obviously, things are not the same without him. Walt was a great leader, and in his own way, a genius. For that one genius it has taken fifty geniuses to fill his void."
— Disney president & Walt's son-in-law Ron W. Miller

Founded in 1923 in East Hollywood, California by Walt Disney and his brother Roy O. Disney and animator Ub Iwerks. Released the sound cartoon "Steamboat Willie" starring Mickey Mouse, in 1928, which launched Mickey's popularity; companion characters soon followed: Pluto [1930], Goofy [1932], and Donald Duck [1934]; by 1935, Mickey Mouse merchandise brought in more revenue than Mickey Mouse theatrical cartoons.
The Disney Studio moved to Burbank, California in 1940. Founded Buena Vista Distribution and began the 'Disneyland' network TV program (starring Walt) in 1954. The Disneyland theme park opened in Anaheim, California in 1955. The company went public in 1957. Walt Disney died in December 1966.

The Walt Disney World Resort opened in Orlando, Florida in 1971; EPCOT Center opened at Walt Disney World in 1982. Launched the Disney Channel in 1983; launched Touchstone Pictures in 1984. A shakeup by the board of directors in 1984 (led by major shareholder Roy E. Disney) brought in Michael Eisner [chairman], Frank Wells [president/COO] & Jeffrey Katzenberg [CEO] to run the company. Acquired independent film distributor Miramax Films in 1993. When Wells died in 1994, Katzenberg was denied promotion so he quit and co-founded DreamWorks SKG. Top Hollywood agent Michael Ovitz hired as president in October 1995. Acquired the A.B.C. television network from Capital Cities in 1996. Ovitz was removed in November 1997 (with an outrageously excessive severance buyout).
Hired Robert Iger as president in 2000; acquired Saban Entertainment in 2002; shut down traditional hand-drawn animation in March 2002. Unhappy board members (again led by major shareholder Roy E. Disney) got rid of Eisner in 2004, and replaced him with George J. Mitchell as chairman and Iger as CEO. Purchased Pixar Animation Studios in 2006. Announced plans in 2007 to replace brands such as Buena Vista by converting various divisions to the Disney, A.B.C., E.S.P.N., Miramax, Pixar & Touchstone brands. Sold the movies.com information site to Fandango in June 2008.

http://www.amazon.com/Walts-People-Talking-Disney-Artists/dp/1413478670/
http://www.amazon.com/Walts-People-Talking-Disney-Artists/dp/1425700179/
http://www.amazon.com/Walt-apos-s-People-3/dp/1425713440/
http://www.amazon.com/Walts-People-Talking-Disney-Artist/dp/1425746705/
http://www.amazon.com/Walts-People-Talking-Disney-Artists/dp/1425783147/
http://www.amazon.com/Walts-People-Talking-Disney-Artists/dp/1436318726/
http://www.amazon.com/Working-Walt-Interviews-Disney-Artists/dp/1604730234/

Frank and Ollie Friendship Animation documentary feature film

"Frank and Ollie: Their Friendship Changed The Face of Animation"
documentary feature film [Disney Oct 1995]
The touching story of the lifelong friendship and artisitc collaboration of Oliver Johnston and Franklin Thomas, the two men responsible for much of the high standards of Walt Disney's character animation. Co-produced, written & directed by Theodore Thomas (son of Frank)
Walt Disney Video color DVD [11/2003] for $26.99
Walt Disney Video color VHS [3/99] out of prodn/used
full credits at IMDb

"Waking Sleeping Beauty" docu

American Broadcasting Corporation
The American Broadcasting Company was formed in 1943 from NBC's Blue radio network; first TV broadcast in 1948;
purchased by Capitol Cities Communications in 1985 for $3.5 billion; sold to Disney in February 1996 for $19 billion.

"Beating The Odds: The Untold Story Behind The Rise of A.B.C. - The Stars, Struggles & Egos That Transformed Network Television"
[1991] by Leonard H. Goldenson, with Marvin J. Wolf
Scribner hardcover [2/91] out of print/many used

Entertainment Sports Programming Network
E.S.P.N. is worth about 40% of Disney's entire value (per Barron's in 2008). Launched in September 1979
with backing from Getty Oil; A.B.C. bought E.S.P.N. in 1984, then sold 20% to Nabisco, which later sold its share
to Hearst Corp. Headquartered in Bristol, Connecticut.

Buena Vista Distribution
Founded in 1953 to distribute Disney's films worldwide; as-of 2007,
the Buena Vista brand & logo are scheduled to be retired.

Disney Feature Animation
Begun in 1929 by Walt and the Nine Old Men, the Disney company shut down traditional
hand-drawn animation on 25 March 2002, laying off over 200 artists & animators.

Marvel Entertainment

Founded in 1933 as Newsstand Publications, Inc.; renamed Timely Publications in 1939, then Atlas Comics and Marvel Comics; purchased by New World Pictures (later New World Entertainment) in 1986; investor Ronald Perelman purchased Marvel in 1989 for $82.5 million; Marvel lost value and filed bankruptcy in 1995, with owner Perelman & bondholder Carl Icahn losing control to the owners of ToyBiz; sold to the Disney Company in December 2009 for $4.24 billion. The 'Marvel Universe' includes well-known properties Blade, Captain America, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Elektra, The Fantastic Four, Ghost Rider, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, The Punisher, Spider-Man, Wolverine, and The X-Men.

Miramax Film Corp.

Founded in 1979 by brothers Harvey & Bob Weinstein in Buffalo, New York to distribute (and later, to produce or acquire) independent & foreign films for the U.S. market; the company was financially successful, and Disney paid $70 million for it in 1993; the Weinstein brothers left in September 2005, and soon formed a new independent company, The Weinstein Company. Then in 2010, Disney put Miramax up for sale; major bidders as-of April included the Weinstein Brothers (buying it back for up to $700 million!); Disney finally sold off Miramax Films and its 611-picture library in July 2010, for a price of $650 million.

http://www.amazon.com/Mouse-Tales-Behind-Ears-Disneyland/dp/0964060566/
http://www.amazon.com/Realityland-True-Life-Adventures-Disney-World/dp/0964060523/
"Disneyland: Secrets, Stories, & Magic" [2007 video] /tt1156301/

Pixar Animation Studios

Begun in 1979 as the computer graphics animation division of George Lucas's LucasFilm in Northern California; when Apple co-founder Steve Jobs left that company in 1986, he paid $5 million to Lucas and invested another $5 million in the company, renamed Pixar; emphasis was at first on selling software & hardware, to the government and Disney and others, but the market was soon saturated, so Pixar began producing C.G.I. commercials for television; Pixar signed a deal with Disney in 1991 to produce five C.G.I. feature films, the first of which was the hit "Toy Story" [1995]; Pixar re-incorporated in December 1995, and went public in November 1996; renewal of the contract with Disney was prolonged by Pixar's demands for autonomy, and by the bullying management style of Disney's Michael Eisner (ousted in 2004); in 2006, Disney paid $7.4 billion (in stock) for Pixar, making Jobs the largest shareholder of Disney and a member of Disney's board; several Pixar execs were given powerful positions within Disney.

	"The Art of Pixar Short Films" [2008] by Amid Amidi Chronicle Books hardcover [10/2008] for $26.40
	"The Pixar Touch: The Making of A Company" [2008] by David A. Price Knopf hardcover [5/2008] for $18.45
	"Disney / Pixar Ultimate 8-Movie Collection" [2008] Buena Vista Home Ent color DVD set [8/2008] 8 disks {price not known} includes "Toy Story" [1995] 10th Anniversary Edition; "A Bug's Life" [1998]; "Toy Story 2" [1999] Special Edition; "Monsters, Inc" [2001]; "Finding Nemo" [2003]; "The Incredibles" [2004]; "Cars" [2006]; and "Ratatouille" [2007]
	"To Infinity and Beyond!: The Story of Pixar Animation Studios" [2007] by Karen Palk, 'based on interviews & research by Leslie Iwerks' Chronicle Books 12¼x9 hardcover [11/2007] for $42.29
	"Pixar Short Films Collection" [2007] Volume 1 includes "A Short History" documentary short, Oscar-winners "Tin Toy" [1988], "Geri's Game" [1997], "For The Birds" [2000], plus "The Adventures of André and Wally B." [Lucasfilm 1984], "Luxo Jr." [1986], "Red's Dream" [1987], "Knick Knack" [1989], "Mike's New Car" [2002], "Boundin'" [2003], "Jack-Jack Attack" [2005], "One-Man Band" [2006], "Mater and The Ghostlight" [2006], and "Lifted" [2007] Disney color DVD [11/2007] for $19.99 Disney color Blu-ray [11/2007] for $23.95

Touchstone Pictures

Founded in 1984, basically a brand (for relatively-mature product) rather than a studio.

Other Divisions: Publishing, Records
http://www.amazon.com/Mouse-Tracks-Story-Disney-Records/dp/1578068495/

Walt's brother Roy O. Disney [1893-71]
served as CEO (from 1929), president (from 1945), and chairman (from 1966) until his death
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_O._Disney

Walt's nephew Roy E. Disney, stockholder [b. 1930]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_E._Disney
owner & chairman of Shamrock Holdings [est. 1978]

	"Disney Lost and Found: Exploring The Hidden Artwork From Never-Produced Animation" [2008] by Charles Solomon Disney Editions 9x11¼ hardcover [6/2008] for $19.80
	"Once Upon a Time: Walt Disney - The Sources of Inspiration For The Disney Studios" [2007] by Bruno Girveau Looks at the matter from both directions: how Walt and the studio have always used their library of classic and other art to inspire visuals in their movies, and how modern artists have used Disney product as inspiration for their own works. Prestel Publng 12¼x9½ hardcover [2/2007] for $52.50
	"Disney A to Z: The Official Encyclopedia" [orig 1998, rev 2006] by Dave Smith Disney Editions 3rd edition 10x7¼x2½" {4 pounds!} hardcover [9/2006] for $26.40 Disney Editions 10x7½ hardcover [8/98] out of print/many used
	"Disney War" [2005] by James B. Stewart S&S 8½x5½ pb [3/2006] for $10.40 S&S 9½x6½ hardcover [2/2005] for $18.87 Blackstone UNABR audio CD [3/2005] for $50.37
	"Designing Disney: Imagineering and The Art of The Show" [2003] by John Hench [1908-2004], with Peggy Van Pelt Disney Editions 10¾x9 pb [1/2009] for $13.57 Disney Editions 11x9 hardcover [9/2003] out of print/used
	"Disney: The First 100 Years" [1999] by Dave Smith & Steven Clark Hyperion hardcover [rev 2/2003] for $17.50 Hyperion hardcover [10/99] for $28.00
	"Building A Company: Roy O. disney and The Creation of An Entertainment Empire" [1998] by Bob Thomas Disney Editions 8x5¼ pb [7/99] out of print/used Disney Editions 9&fracx6¼ hardcover [7/98] for $19.96
	"The Disney That Never Was: The Stories & Art of Five Decades of Unproduced Animation" [1995] by Charles Solomon Disney Editions 10½x10¼ hardcover [11/95] out of print/used

	"The Disney Films" [orig 1973] by Leonard Maltin Disney Books 11x8½ 4th edition pb [8/2000] out of print/used Disney Books 11x8½ 3rd edition pb [9/95] out of print/many used Crown hardcover [1973] out of print/used Random House hardcover [1973] out of print/used
	"The Disney Poster: The Animated Film Classics From Mickey Mouse To Aladdin" [1993] Disney Editions 5½x4½ hardcover [10/95] out of print/used Disney Editions 14¼x11¼ hardcover [9/93] out of print/used
	"The Art of Walt Disney: From Mickey Mouse To The Magic Kingdoms" [orig 1973, rev 2004] by Christopher Finch Harry N. Abrams 'revised/expanded' hardcover [11/2004] for $37.80 Harry N. Abrams 10x9½ 'concise' pb [9/99] for $15.61
	"The Disney Poster Book" [2002] by Tony Anselmo Disney Editions 14¼x11¼ hardcover [2002] out of print/used very different "The Disney Poster Book" [1984] Crown/Harmony pb [1984] out of print/used

	"Walt Disney Imagineering: A Behind the Dreams Look at Making the Magic Real" [1996] by Kevin Rafferty, with Bruce Gordon Disney Editions 13x10 pb [9/98] for $19.77 Disney Editions 10½x13¼ hardcover [11/96] out of print/used
	"Designing Disney: Imagineering and The Art of The Show" [2003] by John Hench [1908-2004], with Peggy Van Pelt Disney Editions 10¾x9 pb [1/2009] for $13.57 Disney Editions 11x9 hardcover [9/2003] out of print/used
	"The Disneyland Encyclopedia: The Unofficial, Unauthorized, and Unprecedented History of Every Land, Attraction, Restaurant, Shop, and Event In The Original Magic Kingdom" [2008] by Chris Strodder Santa Monica Press 9x6 pb [5/2008] for $13.57
	"Walt Disney's Imagineering Legends and The Genesis of The Disney Theme Park" [2008] by Jeff Kurtti Disney Editions 11x9½ pb [8/2008] for $23.10
	"The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World: Over 600 Secrets of The Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom" [2009] by Susan Veness Adams Media 8½x5½ pb [6/2009] for $10.15
	"Disney Parks: The Secrets, Stories, and Magic Behind the Scenes" [2010] contains 51-minute "Disneyland Resorts: Behind The Scenes", 44-minute "Undiscovered Disney Parks", and 44-minute "Ultimate Walt Disney World", plus extras; same content on the Blu-Ray disc and the DVD disk (which also has .mp4 files of the three videos) Questar color Blu-ray+DVD [6/2010] 2 disk combo for $19.99

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Magic Lantern Video & Book Store
Walt Disney Pictures