Is Blue Sky Studios up for grabs?
If any entity is in danger of having a hard time in the new Disney/20th Century Fox mix it may be Blue Sky Studios. Fox has owned the animation entity since 1997 and it’s created a slew of incredibly profitable films including the “Ice Age” franchise ($3.2 billion global), the “Rio” films, “The Peanuts Movie” and the upcoming “Ferdinand.” Unlike Pixar, Disney Animations Studios or even Dreamworks Animation it hasn’t been that prolific releasing just 12 movies over the past 15 years. And while Disney has found a way to balance both Pixar and their own animation studio (Universal is doing the same now with Illumination and DWA) a third animated studio seems…unwieldy? Perhaps it stays to keep the status quo at 20th Century Fox who have made the “Ice Age” characters iconic overseas? Maybe Disney sells Blue Sky to Paramount or Sony who would kill to add its portfolio to their mix? Whatever the case, Blue Sky seems to be the one 20th Century Fox division that may not fit
Will Twentieth Television and ABC studio merge?
Even though it’s currently under the auspices of FOX television, Disney wants to acquire Twentieth Television. The TV studio has a long and storied history producing shows such as “M*A*S*H,” “L.A. Law,” “Doogie Howser, M.D.,” “NYPD Blue,” “Chicago Hope,” “24,” “Arrested Development,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “Glee,” “Modern Family,” “Empire” and, most recently, “This Is Us.” Will Disney merge Twentieth with its own ABC Studios (“Black-ish,” “The Amazing Race”)? Is the benefit Twentieth’s library, it’s current slate or it’s creative team?
Will Lucasfilm release a theatrical cut of original “Star Wars” now that they own it all?
“Star Wars” fans have dreamed of either owning or revisiting the original cuts of “Star Wars,” “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi” before George Lucas added new scenes and special effects for late ’90s re-releases. Fox currently owns distribution rights to the original film and bringing those rights under one roof might allow a “restoration” so to speak. Likely years away, but don’t discount Disney’s home entertainment division from making it happen.
Will the new “Avatar” films get the Disney stamp of approval?
This seems like a very easy “yes.” Disney already has “Pandora: The World of Avatar” attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park in Florida. Putting the Walt Disney logo on the new “Avatar” films seems like a logical step from a marketing perspective. Cameron will get to make his films, but with the Disney stamp, kids who were barely out of diapers when the first film was released may insist their parents make it a priority as much as any new “Avengers” or “Star Wars” flick.
