Walt Disney Company, owner of other major franchises such as Pixar Animation Studios, Touchstone Pictures, and Marvel Studio has now acquired another new organization in the past few weeks.
The major film tycoon announced on Oct. 30 while the stock markets were closed during Hurricane Sandy that Disney has now brought Lucusfilms, owner of the Star Wars franchise.
Disney purchased the enterprise from full owner George Lucas who accepted 4.05 billion dollars in shares, stocks, and cash for the company. The privately owned company Lucasfilms was founded in 1971 by Lucas himself. A discussion about the merger began as early as May 2011.
Disney additionally acquired along with Lucasfilm, Skywalker Sound Studio, Lucasfilm live-action production business, Industrial Light and Magic Effects Company, along with many other branches of Lucasfilms including animation, video games, and consumer products.
Lucusfilms is most well-known for its production of the Star Wars saga which currently totals six full-length films.
The first three motion pictures were released between 1977 and 1983. The original trilogy included Episode IV: A New Hope, Episode V: Empire Strikes Back, and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. The three original movies have made movie making history and were extremely well received from fans and critics alike. These films starred Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamilton, and Harrison Ford.
In 1999 George Lucas released the first film of Star Wars Prequel series. The first film was entitled Episode I: The Phantom Menace and was followed by two other films Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The Films were released from 1999 to 2005. Lucas directed four of the six films.
Disney additionally announced that they are aiming to release Star Wars Episode VII by 2015, followed by an Episode VIII and Episode IX. Disney is currently courting the original cast to be part of the new trilogy. Fisher and Ford both reported interest in being a part of the new trilogy.
Disney is a well-known franchise across the world. From Disney animated films, to the collection of Disney princesses, to amusement parks, and to our own homes in the form of DVD’s and television programs, Disney has been a major staple in American culture since the 1930’s.
Fans of the franchise have many different opinions regarding the merger of Disney and Lucasfilm.
“I grew up watching Star Wars and was sadly disappointed by the most recent releases; they attempted to reach out to a broader audience and sacrificed the quality of the movies to do so. I’ve always appreciated Disney and its movies, but I cannot see how Disney will pull off the relatively dark and, often blatantly, adult themes from Star Wars,” said John Wrench, a sophomore philosophy and religious studies major.
“I don’t see anything positive coming from this situation, except a once immortal film series used to milk countless new generations,” Wrench said.
Senior art and English major Veronica Goin, believes the acquisition of Lucusfilms possible could be good for the franchise after the negative reviews of the prequel Star Wars series.
“If it means that George Lucas will stop butchering the original Star Wars trilogy, I’m pleased that Disney will acquire Lucasfilms. I think it also proves that George Lucas was really only ever in it for the money; he just knew to hold out until the bid was high enough. I don’t really care about Episodes I-III, but I know that they disappointed a lot of people because they were a shameless money-grab with little discernible plot or content…” Goin said. “I would be delighted if Disney re-issued the original films, as they appeared in 1977, 1980, and 1983, in addition to the planned sequel trilogy.”
While many fans have different views, opinions, and hopes for this transaction, the merger itself is a massive economic move for both Disney and George Lucas and only time will unfold the results.
For more information on Disney, George Lucus, or Star Wars please visit IMDb.com.