One of the best films about the Golden Age of the Studio System in Hollywood - in my opinion - is “Singin’ in the Rain” filmed in 1952. Starring Debbie Reynolds, Gene Kelly, and Donald O’Connor, this film about the switch from silent films to “talkies” gives the audience a glimpse into how studios were run once upon a time.
The movie business was once run by a few large studio conglomerates that made all the films and didn’t really allow for anyone outside of the Studio System to make films or gain any recognition or notoriety in the field. In the past thirty to forty years, this system has all but been either broken up by the federal government or dissolved over time. However, as news broke about Disney’s latest acquisition, many are beginning to question whether or not Disney should be allowed to continue on their current trajectory.
Disney’s Take Over Begins
According to D23: The Official Disney Fan Club Archives, the company that we know today to be Disney began in October of 1923 with a production order to produce a series of comedies. After that, the company slowly began to build momentum, but it wasn’t until 1928 when the first “Steamboat Willie” was released, giving the Disney brand it’s first and present face: Mickey Mouse.
Disney’s next milestone was in July of 1932 when Disney won its first Academy Award for the first full-color cartoon entitled “Flowers and Trees.” Following this win, Disney established the Art School at Disney Studio to begin to train animators and build a foundation for years to come where they would begin to release animated film after animated film.
Disney would then go on to form the Disney Music Company, open Disneyland, hold four exhibits at the New York World’s Fair of 1964; they even would go on to create the Walt Disney Educational Materials Co. One could go on and on to recall the tales of Disney’s history - and if you wish to see the fill list, go to the D23 website and follow the tabs for Disney Archives then Disney History and you will be given a full timeline of events.
In regards to Disney beginning its long list of acquisitions, the first of any note wasn’t anything related to the Disney company at all: but was a baseball team. Taking a 25% share from country and film star Gene Autry, Disney purchased the Anaheim Angels in 1999. They won the World Series in 2002, thus making them a hot commodity that Disney was able then to sell for a profit in 2003. Conversely, Disney’s first related acquisition was of the Baby Einstein Company in 2001.
This became a domino effect where Disney would take over struggling brands and give them the means and opportunity to turn their companies around. At this point in history (early 2000’s) Disney was more than an established brand; it was a household name. At this point Disney had released almost 40 feature-length films targeted and families and children, causing an entire generation to grow up with Disney. This also gives Disney credibility as a company and lets everyone who goes into business with them know that they are not going to be mistreated.
However, in recent years, some high-value acquisitions have brought many people to the conclusion that Disney is headed for a Hollywood takeover. Starting with one of - if not the - most profitable franchises in film today: Marvel. Disney purchased Marvel Entertainment in December of 2009.
Many who are fans of the franchise noticed a difference in film cinematography, advertisement and overall quality of the film when they compared the first Iron Man (pre-Disney) to Iron Man 2 (released and made after the Disney takeover). Once Disney acquired this franchise, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was established - and the phases of films was announced. Currently, at the end of Phase 3, Disney has now released 18 films with 4 more in the shoot and a host of other projects slated for Phase 4. Marvel is known to have a stronghold on the sci-fi/action film sector, rivaled only by Star Wars.
When Disney took on a franchise that they projected to go as far as Marvel has done, they knew they needed to get the right teams of people behind them. Because of this, Disney made strides in 2012 to purchase Lucasfilm Ltd. With this purchase came one of the most sophisticated VFX and animation studios, Industrial Light and Magic.
ILM revolutionized how sci-fi films were created from Jurassic Park to Star Wars, this venture was created by George Lucas because the tools and technology he needed to created his fantastical world of Star Wars didn’t exist. So, he decided to create it himself. This billion dollar company went on to be the biggest name in VFX and gives Disney that much of a leg up on the competition.
Does Disney have any real competition?
With all of these new acquisitions, it really is a wonder that Disney hasn’t already monopolized the industry. For a while, the argument could still be made that because Disney was still competing with 21th Century Fox and Sony - one owns the X-Men, Deadpool, Alien, and a few other sci-fi film franchises (FOX) while the other owns Spiderman and a host of other comedies (Sony).
Disney already crossed one off the list by acquiring the licensing to use the Spiderman character in the MCU films, making Sony all by a stepping stone in Disney’s rise to power. Leaving 21th Century Fox as the last obvious pillar standing in their way. Announced in late 2017, Disney began the process of merging with 21st Century Fox; this merger will create an enormous movie-and-television company that may prove invincible.
This deal includes the cable network FX, it’s film and television studio and one of the largest British pay-TV company, Sky. The only thing this really leaves with Fox is the news channels and at least partial ownership of their sports networks. After all, Disney already owns parts of ESPN channels, so maybe they thought they didn’t need that aspect of Fox.
Final Thoughts
Disney has proven time and time again that when they take on something they don’t just succeed, they create billion-dollar film franchises and create something for everyone. Across socioeconomic, age, and frankly any divisive line in society, Disney creates so much film and tv that everyone can find at least one character they identify with.
Even as Disney modernizes and becomes a beacon for how being who you are is more than enough, it is difficult to find critics of how Disney conducts itself as a company. Though it seems that Disney is doing a complete take over of Hollywood, there is one thing to remember. Disney biggest competition is itself. With how Disney was set up and the overall culture of the company has made it so Disney could care less about the companies they are in direct competition with as they are more focused on the products they create and ways they can better themselves as a company and as a brand.
Though it may seem from the outside that Disney wants to just own everything unilaterally, when you think about it, all of these decisions and purchases were very calculated. Disney bought Marvel to get a corner on the superhero market and be able to add those kinds of attractions to their parks and so they could compete with the currently reigning DC films (Batman).
Unfortunately, Disney didn’t have the VFX systems they needed in order to create the worlds necessary, so they found the best company they could (Lucasfilm LTD) and purchased them to help make the MCU films what they are today. With that acquisition, of course, came the Star Wars franchise and whether it was as simple as the temptation was too good to pass up in terms of reinventing the saga, Disney loaded the canon with an order for a new trilogy and several other stands alone.
Everything done by the Disney company is very smart, but I don’t believe the intent is as malicious as some would lead you to believe. Disney is a good company who treats everyone who works there well and provides generation after generation with entertainment and experiences they will never forget.
