Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

: "Also see: general Walt Disney Studios or Buena Vista".

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is a motion picture and television feature distribution company owned by The Walt Disney Company. Buena Vista International was the international distribution arm, and Buena Vista Home Entertainment was the firm's video and DVD distribution arm.

In April 2007, Disney decided to retire the Buena Vista brand [cite news |first=Andy |last=Fixmer |title=Disney to Drop Buena Vista Brand Name, People Say |url=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a0MG17nO.PG8&refer=home |date=25 April 2007 |accessdate=2007-08-08 ] , although today the Buena Vista name is used only for video and DVD distribution through certain divisions of Disney's home entertainment unit (such as Miramax).

History

Prior to 1953, Walt Disney's productions were distributed by Columbia Pictures, United Artists and RKO Radio Pictures. However, a dispute over the value of Disney's "True-Life Adventures" series of live-action documentary featurettes led to Walt and his older brother Roy Oliver Disney founding the Buena Vista Film Distribution Company, Inc. to handle the distribution of their own product. Buena Vista's first release was the Academy Award winning live-action feature "The Living Desert".Buena Vista International was formed in the early 90's after Disney opted to end a joint venture with Warner Bros. Pictures to distribute the two companies' films in overseas markets.

The BV company name comes from Buena Vista Street, the road on which the current Walt Disney Studios and company headquarters are situated in Burbank, California. Lake Buena Vista is also Walt Disney World's mailing address.

Motion Pictures

The company distributes all features produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, Hollywood Pictures, ABC Studios (formerly Touchstone Television), Miramax Films, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, DisneyToon Studios and several small independent companies which employ Disney to distribute their films, such as Spyglass Entertainment.

Television

Disney-ABC Domestic Television (formerly Buena Vista Television) syndicates shows such as "Live with Regis and Kelly", "The Golden Girls", "Home Improvement", "Boy Meets World", "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost". International distribution is handled through sister company Disney-ABC International Television (formerly Buena Vista International Television).

Corporate Identity

The current company logo is a silhouette of the iconic Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland, the company's flagship theme park which opened a year after the company was founded.

References