Disney, formally known as The Walt Disney Company or Disney Enterprises, reigns supreme as the world's largest media and entertainment corporation and, since October of 2012, it has been the current proprietor of the Star Wars intellectual property.
Brothers Walt Disney and Roy Disney established the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio on October 16, 1923; the company was later restructured as Walt Disney Productions in 1929. Walt Disney Productions rose to prominence as a frontrunner in the American animation sector before branching out into live-action film production, television programming, and the travel industry. The Walt Disney Company, as it is known today since 1986, broadened its existing business activities and launched new divisions dedicated to theater, radio broadcasting, publishing ventures, and online platforms. Furthermore, it has established new corporate divisions to market content aimed at older audiences, distinct from its core family-friendly brands.
The company is most renowned for the output of its film division, the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, which is presently one of the most prominent and well-known studios in Hollywood. Disney's holdings also encompass the ABC broadcast television network, various cable television networks including Disney Channel, ESPN, and Freeform, divisions for publishing, merchandising, and theater, in addition to owning and licensing eleven theme parks across the globe. The company has been an element of the Dow Jones Industrial Average since May 6, 1991. Mickey Mouse, a celebrated early cartoon character created by the company, serves as the official symbol of The Walt Disney Company.
Disney made the announcement on October 30, 2012, that it had reached an agreement to acquire Lucasfilm Ltd. from George Lucas for $4.05 billion, along with unveiling its intentions to release Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens in 2015, which would then be succeeded by Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi and Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker. Lucas made this decision because his three adopted children were not interested in assuming control of Lucasfilm, and also to ensure he could avoid tax penalties introduced in 2013.
The Walt Disney Company finalized its acquisition of Lucasfilm officially on December 21, 2012.
Despite The Walt Disney Company's 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm Ltd. and the rights to release all future Star Wars films, 20th Century Fox maintained perpetual original distribution rights across all media worldwide to Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, a film they co-produced and co-financed. Fox also retained theatrical, nontheatrical, and home video rights on a global scale for the franchise's next five films, which Lucasfilm independently produced and financed, until May 2020, when ownership was slated to transfer to Disney. This intricate relationship between Fox and Disney, particularly regarding Fox's enduring rights to Episode IV, posed a challenge for any prospective boxed set containing all nine films. On December 14, 2017, The Walt Disney Company revealed its plan to acquire a significant portion of Fox's parent company, 21st Century Fox, which included the film studio and all distribution rights to A New Hope.
Fox's stock value increased by 5.1% on May 7, 2018 following a report that Comcast was in discussions with investment banks and firms to secure bridge financing for an all-cash offer, reportedly valued at $60 billion, which jeopardized the Disney-Fox agreement. In response, Disney increased its offer for 20th Century Fox to $70.1 billion, a sum that proved acceptable to Fox's owners. Comcast declared on July 16 that it would withdraw its bid for Fox to concentrate on its efforts to acquire Sky.
Disney officially acquired 20th Century Fox's assets, including the film distribution rights to both the Original and Prequel Trilogies, after receiving approvals from various regulatory bodies. Fox's news and sports assets were reorganized into a separate entity named the Fox Corporation. In January 2020, Disney rebranded the former Fox subsidiary as 20th Century Studios to prevent confusion with the Fox Corporation.
The Walt Disney Company is structured into five main units and segments: The Walt Disney Studios, encompassing the company's film, recording label, and theatrical divisions; Parks and Resorts, which includes the company's theme parks, cruise line, and other travel-related assets; Disney Consumer Products, responsible for producing toys, apparel, and other merchandise based on Disney-owned properties; Media Networks, comprising the company's television assets; and Disney Interactive, covering Disney's operations in Internet, mobile, social media, virtual worlds, and computer games.
Its primary entertainment features and holdings include Walt Disney Studios, Disney Music Group, Disney Theatrical Group, Disney-ABC Television Group, Radio Disney, ESPN Inc., Disney Interactive Media Group, Disney Consumer Products, Disney India Ltd., The Muppets Studio, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Entertainment, UTV Software Communications, and Lucasfilm.
Its resorts and diversified holdings consist of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort, Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Paris, Euro Disney S.C.A., Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Disney Vacation Club, and Disney Cruise Line.
Disney Media Networks functions as a reporting segment and a core unit of The Walt Disney Company, housing the company's diverse portfolio of television networks, cable channels, associated production and distribution companies, and owned and operated television stations. Media Networks also manages Disney's stake in its joint venture with Hearst Corporation, known as A+E Networks, as well as ESPN Inc.
Disney Press is a publishing house that oversees the publication of children's books related to various Disney properties. In August 2014, operating as Disney–Lucasfilm Press, they began publishing a range of content, including early reader books and sticker books for Star Wars Rebels, along with titles inspired by the original films, such as Escape from Darth Vader.
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures serves as Disney's theatrical film distribution arm. This division is responsible for the marketing and distribution of all theatrical releases from every Disney studio, including Lucasfilm Ltd. Since Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, this division has handled the distribution of all Star Wars films worldwide.
Disney Interactive is the video-game development division of The Walt Disney Company, overseeing the production and development of Star Wars games not covered by the ten-year video game development agreement with Electronic Arts. According to the agreement, Electronic Arts is the main developer of Star Wars games, releasing them across various console and PC platforms. Disney Interactive is responsible for developing mobile, social, and online video games. Disney Interactive has been involved in a variety of Star Wars games, including Club Penguin Star Wars Takeover and Star Wars: Tiny Death Star.
Marvel Entertainment is a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company specializing in comic books, films, and television. Disney acquired Marvel in 2009, and Marvel has since become one of the largest comic-book producers. In early 2015, Marvel took over the Star Wars publishing rights from Dark Horse Comics. Previously, Marvel collaborated with Lucasfilm to produce the first Star Wars comic series. Marvel is also recognized for the highly successful Marvel Cinematic Universe, where movies, TV shows, and comic books based on their iconic superhero characters create a shared universe of narrative storytelling.
Long before the acquisition of Lucasfilm Ltd., Disney released a number of Star Wars book-and-record releases under the Buena Vista Records label, a part of the Disney Music Group.
Disney and Lucasfilm entered into an agreement in 1984 concerning Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Star Tours, a Star Wars–themed motion simulator ride jointly developed by Lucasfilm and Disney, debuted at Disneyland in California in 1987. Subsequently, the ride was introduced at Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney's Hollywood Studios) in Florida, Tokyo Disneyland in Japan, and Disneyland Park in Paris. In 2011, the ride was replaced by Star Tours: The Adventures Continue, a completely reimagined version of the original.
Disney's Hollywood Studios annually hosted Star Wars Weekends each summer from 2000 until 2015. The event featured appearances by actors from the Star Wars films and animated series, among other attractions.
Disneyland Paris introduced CinéMagique, an attraction that blended a live actor's performance with synchronized movie scenes on a large screen. The attraction premiered on March 16, 2002, and ran for over 46,000 shows until March 29, 2017. Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, director/writer George Lucas, and composer John Williams received credit for their contributions.
Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disneyland in California both feature a Jedi Training Academy attraction, where a Jedi instructor teaches "younglings" lightsaber techniques for use in battles against either Darth Vader or Kylo Ren. In both parks, the show takes place near Star Tours: The Adventures Continue.
During Disney's D23 EXPO on August 15, 2015, it was announced that Star Wars–themed lands would be added to Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios, encompassing fourteen acres with additional attractions, stores, and a restaurant. The land was named Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at the D23 Expo in July of 2017.
It was announced on February 27, 2018, that the Walt Disney Studio's Park in Paris would feature a Star Wars themed 'area'.
In association with Star Tours and Star Wars Weekends, a variety of Star Wars toys have been created and sold exclusively at Disney theme parks. This Hasbro toy line included a collection of action figures based on characters from the Star Tours attraction, along with previously released toys in new packaging. Other toys included figures of Disney characters dressed as Star Wars characters.
In 2005, the toy line featured a set with a Yoda action figure and a Mickey Mouse figure dressed as a Jedi Knight (also known as "Jedi Mickey"), complete with his signature gloves and yellow clothing under the robes. The package text stated, "Mickey takes up his lightsaber and joins forces with the other Jedi Knights in their battles to fight evil," suggesting that Mickey is indeed a Jedi Knight. StarWars.com's Star Wars Weekends coverage referred to Mickey as an honorary member of the Jedi Council, and in Spring 2010, Disney released a figure of R2-MK, promoted as Jedi Mickey's astromech droid.
Lucasfilm announced its first project under Disney's ownership on May 20, 2013: the animated TV series Star Wars Rebels, with Simon Kinberg, Greg Weisman, and former The Clone Wars supervising director Dave Filoni as executive producers. Disney Channel, the company's flagship television property, aired the premiere episode of Rebels, after which the series moved to sister network Disney XD for its regular run. The series concluded in March 2018.
Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars, a one-hour special episode of the animated Disney television series Phineas and Ferb, was broadcast in the summer of 2014 on the Disney Channel and Disney XD. The Star Wars–themed crossover was initially announced at the annual San Diego Comic-Con International on July 19, 2013.
Following the closure of LucasArts in 2013, the Star Wars gaming license was distributed between Disney Interactive and Electronic Arts. Electronic Arts assumed responsibility for developing larger-scale games for release on mainstream video-game platforms. Disney Interactive took on the responsibility of creating casual Star Wars games for mobile and PC platforms.
Disney Mobile, Disney Interactive's largest division, has developed a range of Star Wars mobile apps, including Star Wars: Assault Team, Star Wars Journeys: The Phantom Menace, Star Wars Scene Maker, and Star Wars: Commander. Disney Mobile has also collaborated with other game-development studios to create Star Wars: Tiny Death Star and to release LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga on iOS platforms.
While Disney Mobile is the primary source of Disney's Star Wars games, other divisions within Disney Interactive have also contributed to the Star Wars brand. Disney Canada, which primarily manages Disney's Club Penguin franchise, released a Star Wars–themed event within the Club Penguin virtual world. Disney Interactive Worlds, responsible for creating MMORPGs aimed at children, was developing Star Wars: Attack Squadrons, a multiplayer space combat game for PC. Although the game was canceled in May 2014, the studio confirmed that they are working on other Star Wars games.
It was announced in January 2014 that Marvel Entertainment, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, would assume comic-book and graphic-novel publishing rights from Dark Horse Comics in 2015. Three comics to be published by Marvel were announced, each set shortly after A New Hope. The first release was Star Wars, chronicling the adventures of the characters introduced in A New Hope as a whole. This series is ongoing, with new issues released regularly. Two other comics, focusing on specific characters from the original trilogy, were released early in the year. Star Wars: Darth Vader followed the Sith Lord after the destruction of the Death Star. The series ran through 2016. One limited series, Star Wars: Princess Leia, followed Leia Organa on her search for survivors of the destruction of Alderaan.
In 2017, independent domestic movie theaters voiced their concerns and even refused to screen Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi in response to Disney leveraging its position as the largest movie company to enforce unprecedented terms for the movie screenings. These terms included a 65% share of revenues, a four-week commitment, and a 5% penalty fee for any breaches.
In 2020, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America publicly condemned Disney for its failure to pay royalties to Alan Dean Foster for books published before Lucasfilm's acquisition by the company. These books, which included the novelization of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope and Splinter of the Mind's Eye, were still actively commercialized.
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