This morning I woke up to the sound of a text message appearing on my phone at 8:30 a.m. Still half asleep, I reached down to pick up my phone to see that my friend Guy had sent a message that said simply "Disney bought Marvel."
At the time, I didn't really think much about the message. However, as the day has gone on, a sour taste has been forming in my mouth over this.
For those of you who aren't familiar with the story yet, here it is via /Film:
Worldwide leader in family entertainment agrees to acquire Marvel and its portfolio of over 5,000 characters. Acquisition highlights Disney’s strategic focus on quality branded content, technological innovation and international expansion to build long-term shareholder value
Burbank, CA and New York, NY, August 31, 2009 —Building on its strategy of delivering quality branded content to people around the world, The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) has agreed to acquire Marvel Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:MVL) in a stock and cash transaction, the companies announced today…
“This transaction combines Marvel’s strong global brand and world-renowned library of characters including Iron Man, Spider-Man, X-Men, Captain America, Fantastic Four and Thor with Disney’s creative skills, unparalleled global portfolio of entertainment properties, and a business structure that maximizes the value of creative properties across multiple platforms and territories,” said Robert A. Iger, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company. “Ike Perlmutter and his team have done an impressive job of nurturing these properties and have created significant value. We are pleased to bring this talent and these great assets to Disney.”
“We believe that adding Marvel to Disney’s unique portfolio of brands provides significant opportunities for long-term growth and value creation,” Iger said.
“Disney is the perfect home for Marvel’s fantastic library of characters given its proven ability to expand content creation and licensing businesses,” said Ike Perlmutter, Marvel’s Chief Executive Officer. “This is an unparalleled opportunity for Marvel to build upon its vibrant brand and character properties by accessing Disney’s tremendous global organization and infrastructure around the world.”
Most people's concerns over this deal over been over the possible "Disneyfication" of Marvel properties, stories and future movies. Personally, I don't think this will happen. Disney owned Miramax, which produced ultra-violent and profane films such as Pulp Fiction, Clerks and Scream in its run. Plus, it's not that Marvel is that R-rated to begin with (other than properties such as The Punisher). So I'm not really worried about this transaction in this sense.
However, I am worried about one thing. What the crap is going to happen to Marvel Superhero Island at Universal Studios, Florida?
If Disney owns Marvel then Universal Studios can't have a Marvel themed island, right?
If this has to be knocked out of Universal Studios, I'm going to be pissed. I've always really enjoyed Universal Studios, Florida. Marvel Superhero Island was always one of my favorite parts of the park. In fact, it has two of the best rides in all of Universal Studios: The Hulk and The Amazing Spider-man. If this island was somehow removed from the park, it would be a huge blow. I can't imagine a trip to Universal Studios without a ride on The Hulk or The Amazing Spider-man.
So, overall, I'm not exactly optimistic about this deal. But let's hope good comes out of it and that Marvel Superhero Island doesn't go anywhere.
1 comments:
Pretty crazy man. I have never been to Universal Studios, so I don't really have a take on the how this deal will affect the theme park, but as far as movies go, this is going to have far more implications than the Pixar deal. Disney is becoming more monstrous by the minute.
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