What Companies Does Disney Own? The Colossal List

What Does Disney Own?

What companies does Disney own?

They can’t possibly own everything. But then why do I see Disney logos everywhere? I always assumed bigger networks stand on their own two feet. Does Disney own ABC? Marvel?

We’re grateful to Title Max, for creating this epic graphic. But below it is a list a little less intimidating.

What Does Disney Own?

Networks and production companies

• ABC
• ESPN (80% stake)
• Marvel
• Lucasfilm
• A&E (50% equity holding with Hearst Corporation)
• The History Channel (50% equity holding with Hearst Corporation)
• Lifetime (50% equity holding with Hearst Corporation)
• Pixar
• Hollywood Records
• Vice Media (10% stake)
• Core Publishing

That’s kind of aggressive isn’t it? Well, there’s more...much more. Disney owns brands too. Don’t forget about those. Here’s another list of all the brands Disney owns...

Disney Owns What?

Brands and franchises

Owning companies is one thing but owning intellectual property can bring endless opportunities. And for Disney, who has dominated franchising and merchandising for decades, it makes perfect sense to bring these properties into the fold.

Star Wars

George Lucas sold his company, Lucasfilm, to Disney for over $4 billion. Naturally, to make good on their investments, Disney restarted the Star Wars franchise to mostly stellar success.

The Muppets 

Another beloved property now under the purview of Disney is The Muppets. You would think that The Muppets would find a natural home at the House of Mouse but no everyone feels the same. Here's Frank Oz (a longtime fixture in the Muppet crew, and voice of Miss Piggy) on how he feels about the new direction Disney has taken the brand.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (but not the X-Men — yet!)

Certainly one of the most lucrative acquisitions Disney has made in the last few years was Marvel. The MCU, as it's called, is the most successful film franchise of all time — and showing no signs of slowing.

Disney Princesses/Princes 

Of course, we shouldn't forget properties that Disney has created themselves. The Disney Princes and Princesses are still part of the family. Here's a clip from Ralph Breaks the Internet when we can see synergy in action (with a little dash of Star Wars for fun!).

The Chronicles of Narnia

Of the seven books in The Chronicles of Narnia series, only 3 movies have been made at this point. Here's a trailer for Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the latest of the films produced.

Pirates of the Caribbean

In 2003, Disney looked inward for new material and conjured up movies based on their own theme park rides (Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion). One of these began a multi-film franchise that has made billions around the world and the other did much less than that. Any guesses?

Pixar

In Pixar's early days, Disney was just distributing their films. But in 2006, this partnership was made permanent when Disney acquired Pixar for over $7 billion. For the most part, the Pixar brand seems to be mostly untouched except for maybe the curious amount of sequels being produced these days.

Winnie-the-Pooh

Disney has actually been in the business of this honey-loving bear since the early 1960s. A number of animated projects have been completed over the years, with their recent live-action hybrid Christopher Robin coming in 2018. Here's a quick look back at the origins of Pooh, including a rather surprising connection to WWI.

Indiana Jones

Your favorite fedora-wearing, whip-cracking archaeologist was brought into the Disney family with the aforementioned Lucasfilm purchase. As of this writing, Disney has yet to make any more Indiana Jones movies but chances are good we'll see Dr. Jones back in action very soon.

Also, there are plenty of companies/brands Disney owns that we just have never heard of. Feel free to take a look at that infographic again. It may actually be the size of all of the Disney Parks combined. 

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