Disney
Mumbai (AFP) - India's Reliance Industries and Walt Disney have agreed to merge their Indian media businesses, creating a $8.5 billion entertainment giant in the world's most populous nation. India's entertainment market is already one of the world's biggest, with the merger expected to further shake up the multi-billion-dollar industry. The two companies had signed "binding definitive agreements" to form a joint venture that will combine the businesses of Reliance-backed Viacom18 and Star India, a joint statement by the firms said late Wednesday. Reliance, an oil-to-telecom conglomerate led b...
AFP
Los Angeles (AFP) - A "Star Wars" actor backed by Elon Musk's X is suing Disney for firing her over inflammatory social media posts about the Holocaust, the pandemic and trans rights. Gina Carano, who had a major role in the wildly popular Disney+ series "The Mandalorian" until 2021, filed a lawsuit in California on Tuesday claiming wrongful termination. The suit says Carano was expressing personal political views but was hounded by an "extreme progressive" online mob, and alleges that Disney's actions and comments had damaged her reputation and ability to find work in the future. "Today is a...
AFP
Los Angeles (AFP) - Can a deaf, Native American superhero with a prosthetic leg reinvigorate Disney's Marvel franchise, just weeks after its CEO appeared to criticize his filmmakers for prioritizing messaging over storytelling? Streaming series "Echo," which launches on Disney+ and Hulu on Tuesday, tells the story of Maya Lopez, a tough former villain who returns from a life of criminality in New York to rediscover her Indigenous roots in her Oklahoma hometown. Much of the dialogue takes place through sign language, with subtitles, and filmmakers worked closely with Choctaw Nation leaders to ...
AFP
Los Angeles (AFP) - Almost a century after his big-screen debut, Mickey Mouse enters the public domain Monday, opening the floodgates to potential remakes, spin-offs, adaptations... and legal battles with Disney. The copyright on "Steamboat Willie" -- a short, black-and-white 1928 animation that first introduced audiences to the mischievous rodent who would become emblematic of American pop culture -- expires after 95 years, on January 1, under US law. The date has loomed large on the calendars of everyone from filmmakers, fans and intellectual property lawyers to Disney executives, who in the...
AFP
Los Angeles (AFP) - From Cruella de Vil to Scar, Disney has created many of cinema's most memorable villains -- but bombastic baddies have been notably absent from the studio's recent hits. In movies such as "Frozen 2" and "Raya and the Last Dragon," heroes have battled abstract enemies like mistrust and xenophobia rather than puppy-flaying prima donnas or regicidal uncles, leaving some fans disappointed. That is about to change with "Wish," an old-school animation out in theaters Wednesday, which celebrates the 100th anniversary of Disney with dozens of throwbacks to the studio's earliest fil...
AFP
San Francisco (AFP) - Disney's streaming service has attracted nearly seven million new subscribers, the company said Wednesday, reversing a period of decline that had raised doubts about its rivalry with industry leader Netflix. Disney has been under significant pressure ever since CEO Bob Iger left the company only to be brought out of semi-retirement a year ago after his replacement no longer had the confidence of executives and the company board. Upon his return, Iger embarked on a cost-cutting campaign that saw major cuts to the lavish spending to get Disney+ off the ground. Those efforts...
AFP
San Francisco (AFP) - The Walt Disney Company on Wednesday announced it will buy Comcast's $8.6 billion stake in Hulu, completing its takeover of the streaming service. The acquisition will "further Disney's streaming objectives," the company said in a press release, and comes as it strives to boost subscriber numbers at its Disney+ streaming service. The deal values Hulu at $27.5 billion in total, according to Disney, which said the transaction will be concluded by December 1. The California-based entertainment giant already sells Hulu as part of bundled offerings with its Disney+ and ESPN+ p...
AFP
New York (AFP) - Disney announced Wednesday that it extended Bob Iger's contract through December 31, 2026, giving the long-running chief executive two more years to lead the entertainment giant. Disney Chair Mark Parker said Iger -- who returned to the corner office in November 2022 -- had "once again set Disney on the right strategic path" and that the extra time would "allow ample time to position a new CEO for long-term success." Iger, 72, won raves for his original tenure atop the California company from 2005 to 2020 before handing the reins to hand-picked successor Bob Chapek. But Chapek...
AFP
Burbank (United States) (AFP) - Aw, gee! The technology driving artificial intelligence sure is swell, but it could never capture the essence of Mickey Mouse, according to the man who voices Disney's mascot. As part of Disney's upcoming 100th anniversary celebration, AFP spoke with animators, archivists and Mickey voice actor Bret Iwan about the company's past and future, including the potential for AI -- a topic currently roiling Hollywood. "Gosh, I would say, of course there's amazing technology being developed with AI, and it's so impressive," said Iwan. "But I don't think anything can repl...
AFP
Burbank (United States) (AFP) - From princess costumes and cute character sketches to century-old toys, photos and documents, Disney's backrooms and warehouses are stacked to the rafters with "hundreds of millions" of filmmaking treasures, its archivists say. In celebration of the company's upcoming centennial -- officially marked on October 16 -- Disney recently allowed a glimpse into its vaults, hosting a media visit to its film studio lot in Burbank, near Los Angeles. "This is what we call the tip of the iceberg," said Walt Disney Archives director Becky Cline, before presenting artifacts r...
AFP
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