Is the "Walt Disney Pictures" Trademark Cheapened...

[PragmaticIdealist]

... by Giving Production Companies Equal Billing?

Pixar, Walden Media, and Jerry Bruckheimer Productions, among several others, are presented as having parity with "Walt Disney Pictures" on certain projects. The Walt Disney Studios should reexamine this practice, though, because the names of these production companies detract from the ability the Disney name has to draw audiences to these films and from the ability the films have to add goodwill to the Disney name.

[disneytim]

... by Giving Production Companies Equal Billing?

Pixar, Walden Media, and Jerry Bruckheimer Productions, among several others, are presented as having parity with "Walt Disney Pictures" on certain projects. The Walt Disney Studios should reexamine this practice, though, because the names of these production companies detract from the ability the Disney name has to draw audiences to these films and from the ability the films have to add goodwill to the Disney name.

As much money as Pixar, Walden and Bruckheimer have made for Disney, I'd hardly call it "cheapening."

Disney doesn't have the option of examining this practice. Contractual obligations and standard Hollywood procedure dictate that production partners must be given credit for a film. Since the Walt Disney Pictures logo is the first one seen at the beginning of their movies, I don't think anyone will mistake them for anything other than "Disney" films.

Disney does a pretty good job at marketing their movies too. When someone refers to the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies, the first name you think of is not "Jerry Bruckheimer."

[PragmaticIdealist]

Disney, for some reason, is more willing than other studios to give production companies greater prominence.

The practice really isn't as common with films distributed by other studios.

[flynnibus]

Disney does a pretty good job at marketing their movies too. When someone refers to the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies, the first name you think of is not "Jerry Bruckheimer."

Outside of merchandise I would have said just the opposite. Do Adults think of POTC the movie as a JB action flick or Disney film? Most I would propose the former.

[Cousin Orville]

Yes. Especially when the Disney name gets thrown in with Mel Gibson and other R rated franchises by the press.

[sailerm]

THe sad truth is that, if you put "Disney" in front of the film, all by itself, it keeps people away in droves. Disney is smart to align itself with good name brand partners (Pixar).

The practice in not unique however. Disney/Unversal produced O Brother Where Are Thou. Disney/Paramount Produced Popeye. Paramount/Dreamworks are producing Shrek the Third. Warner Brothers/Village Roadshow Produced The Matrix, and so on and so on

[Cousin Orville]

[QUOTE=sailerm;1243941]THe sad truth is that, if you put "Disney" in front of the film, all by itself, it keeps people away in droves.QUOTE]

It sure killed POTC.

[lazyboy97O]

I think the quality of the Disney only films should be of bigger concern. Think back to Disney's purchase of Pixar. The reaction, from those not familiar with the inner workings of Disney or Hollywood, I saw was of confusion. The reason was that these people didn't realize that the Pixar films were ever anything but Disney.

[MasterGracey]

No, the Walt Disney Pictures trademark is not cheapened by its association with other production companies.

It is cheapened by bad films, and direct-to-video sequels.


(2,500th post! woo hoo!)

[sailerm]

It sure killed POTC.

There was disscution as to weather use the Disney logo, or another of the Disnwey owned studio cards