Disneynature

Last updated

Disneynature
Company type Division
Industry Film
Genre Nature films
FoundedApril 21, 2008;16 years ago (2008-04-21) in Burbank, California, U.S.
Headquarters Paris, France
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Paul Baribault (VP & GM) [1]
Products Motion pictures
Parent Disney Entertainment
Website nature.disney.com

Disneynature is an independent film studio that specializes in the production of nature documentary films for Walt Disney Studios, a division of Disney Entertainment, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The production company was founded on April 21, 2008, and is headquartered in Paris, France.

Contents

The company's nature films are consistently budgeted between $5 million to $10 million, with their distribution and marketing handled by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. [2] The label's event films are released on Earth Day and have a conservation campaign based on the feature of the film with an appropriate conservation charity receiving donations based on tickets sold, [3] at a pace of one per year. [4] The eight Disneynature theatrical films have a gross of $151.6 million at the box office, at an average of $19 million, with Earth the top earner at $32 million. [5]

Background

Disney had a background in making nature films prior to the creation of Disneynature; Bambi (1942) featured forest life and was a hit. [4] From 1948 through 1960, the company produced the True-Life Adventures series, which won several Academy Awards. [2] Outside of film work, Disney parks were involved. Disneyland in 1955 opened the Jungle Cruise ride. Walt Disney World includes Disney's Animal Kingdom, which is a theme park crossed with a zoo. [4] Animal Kingdom has contributed to conservation causes by nursing endangered sea turtles back to health, returning white rhinos to Africa and conducting a census of cotton-top tamarins, a monkey species native to Colombia. In addition, since its creation in 1995, the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund has given over $11 million to 650 conservation projects in 110 countries. [2]

After a long absence from nature documentaries, Disney decided to get back into the market after the French release of March of the Penguins . The film was given U.S. distribution through Warner Independent Pictures in 2005. Made on an $8 million budget, it grossed almost 10 times its budget at the U.S. box office and won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2006. [2] Jean-Francois Camilleri, head of Buena Vista International France at the time, had the company acquire the film for the French market. Buena Vista International France also managed to obtain a 20% ownership stake in the French version of the film, but Buena Vista Pictures Distribution's bid to distribute the film in the U.S. ultimately failed. [6] Disney CEO Bob Iger, in consideration of Disney's past efforts, felt that Penguins "should have been a Disney film worldwide". This was the impetus behind the creation of Disneynature. The film's 2007 follow-up was Arctic Tale , which only took in $1.8 million worldwide. [2] Paul Baribault, Vice President of Disney Studios Marketing, led the US efforts for Disneynature from 2008 forward, overseeing all marketing, production, brand development, and conservation programmatic efforts for the label. He was eventually named general manager of Disneynature.

History

Disneynature was announced on April 21, 2008, a day before Earth Day, with a starting slate of seven films. Camilleri was set to head the new division. A multi-film production agreement was made with Alastair Fothergill, BBC's Planet Earth series producer, for three scheduled films: Earth (2009), African Cats (2011) and Chimpanzee (2012). [7] The other announced slate films and their release years were: The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos (2008), Oceans (2010), Orangutans: One Minute to Midnight (2010) and Wings of Life (2011). [8] Original announced plans had the division releasing two films per year, [9] which was curtailed by April 2009 due to a nature film's long period needed to film wildlife. [4] No decision was made at that time as to whether or not the studio would donate the films' proceeds to conservation causes. [2]

The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos was the first film produced for Disneynature. [10] The first film released domestically under the new label was Earth, opening on April 22, 2009, in the US. [2] In 2012, a Disneynature TV cable channel was launched in France. It is currently carried by France Telecom. [11]

Animal Planet pick up for a two-year period three Disneynature films, Oceans, African Cats, and The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos, in April 2012 from Disney-ABC Domestic Television. [12] In April 2014, Jane Goodall was named Disneynature ambassador. [13]

Disneynature has recently expanded to China with the production of Born in China . The production was made possible due to an expansion of Disney's relationship with Shanghai Media Group starting in 2014. [14] Following Born in China, Ghost of the Mountains and Expedition China were released to Netflix to reflect the incredible journeys involved in creating these films. In 2016, the company released its first compilation film, Growing Up Wild, direct-to-video (Blu-ray and DVD) and video on demand. [15] [16]

Paul Baribault, vice president of studio marketing and Disneynature, was appointed general manager of Disneynature officially in 2018, after having been operating in the capacity for several years. Camilleri resigned his posts with Disney in March 2019. Helene Etzi was appointed to take over his responsibility as head of Disney's French operations. The unit's first streaming films for Disney+ were Dolphin Reef and Elephant . [1]

Filmography

FilmRelease date [5] Companion documentaryMarket [8] Narrator [16] Budget
(millions)		Worldwide gross
(millions) [5] 		Production company
The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos October 26, 2008 (France)
October 27, 2010 (United States)		N/AWorldwide Mariella Frostrup [17]
Earth April 22, 2009N/ANorth America and South America Patrick Stewart (UK)
James Earl Jones (US) [2] 		$47$109
OceanWorld 3D 2009 Cannes Film Festival, Marché du Film N/ANorth America Marion Cotillard 3D Entertainment [3]
Oceans April 22, 2010N/ANorth America Jacques Perrin (FR)
Pierce Brosnan (US)		$80.0$82.7
Wings of Life April 16, 2011N/AWorldwide Meryl Streep Blacklight Films [8]
African Cats April 22, 2011N/A Patrick Stewart (UK) [18]
Samuel L. Jackson (US)		$5$30.9Big Cats Productions [19]
Chimpanzee April 20, 2012N/A Tim Allen [20] $5$34.8Great Ape Productions [19]
Bears April 18, 2014N/ANorth America John C. Reilly [21] $5$21.3Bearsar Productions
Monkey Kingdom April 17, 2015N/A Tina Fey $5–10$17.1Crazy Ape Productions [22]
Growing Up Wild [lower-alpha 1] December 6, 2016N/A Daveed Diggs [15]
L'Empereur
(March of the Penguins 2: The Next Step)		February 15, 2017N/AFrance Morgan Freeman [23]
Born in China April 21, 2017 Ghost of the Mountains Worldwide John Krasinski $5–10$25.1
Expedition China [lower-alpha 2]
Blue (France)March 28, 2018Diving with DolphinsFrance Cécile de France Silverback Films [24]
Dolphin Reef (US) [16] April 3, 2020North America Natalie Portman Silverback Films
Disney+ [25]
Penguins April 17, 2019Penguins: Life on the Edge Ed Helms $7.7Silverback Films [26]
Elephant April 3, 2020In the Footsteps of ElephantWorldwide (Disney+) Meghan, Duchess of Sussex [25] N/A
Polar Bear April 22, 2022Bear Witness Catherine Keener [27] N/A
Tiger April 22, 2024Tigers on the Rise Priyanka Chopra [28] N/A

Notes

  1. ↑ Growing Up Wild is a direct-to-video nature documentary film released on December 6, 2016, directed by Mark Linfield and Keith Scholey, with narration provided by Daveed Diggs. The film, which is based on clips from African Cats, Monkey Kingdom, Chimpanzee, and Bears, focuses on "growing up". [16]
  2. ↑ Expedition China is a Netflix original nature documentary film released on December 27, 2017, directed by Ben Wallis with narration by Maggie Q. The film which is based on clips from Born in China focuses on exploring the most remote wildlands in China. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walt Disney Pictures</span> American film studio and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios

Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of Disney Entertainment, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films and animation within the Walt Disney Studios unit, and is based at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. Animated films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios are also released under the studio banner. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures distributes and markets the films produced by Walt Disney Pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Touchstone Pictures</span> Former American film label of Walt Disney Pictures

Touchstone Pictures was an American film production label of Walt Disney Studios, founded and owned by The Walt Disney Company. Feature films released under the Touchstone label were produced and financed by Walt Disney Studios, and featured more mature themes targeted at adult audiences than typical Walt Disney Pictures films. As such, Touchstone was merely a pseudonym label for the studio and did not exist as a distinct business operation.

The Walt Disney Studios is a major division of the Disney Entertainment business segment of The Walt Disney Company best known for housing its multifaceted film studio divisions. Founded on October 16, 1923, and based mainly at the namesake studio lot in Burbank, California, it is the seventh-oldest global film studio and the fifth-oldest in the United States, a member of the Motion Picture Association (MPA) and one of the "Big Five" major film studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures</span> American film distribution studio

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is an American film distributor within the Disney Entertainment division of the Walt Disney Company. It handles theatrical and occasional digital distribution, marketing and promotion for films produced and released by the Walt Disney Studios, including Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Studios, and internationally Searchlight Pictures; which operates its own autonomous theatrical distribution and marketing unit in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Hahn</span> American film producer and director (born 1955)

Donald Paul Hahn is an American film producer who is credited with producing some of the most successful animated films in history, including Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King.

<i>True-Life Adventures</i> Nature documentary film series by Disney

True-Life Adventures is a series of short and full-length nature documentary films released by Walt Disney Studios between the years 1948 and 1960. The first seven films released were thirty-minute shorts, with the subsequent seven films being full features. The series won eight Academy Awards for the studio, including five for Best Two Reel Live Action Short and three for Best Documentary Feature.

<i>Earth</i> (2007 film) 2007 film

Earth is a 2007 nature wildlife documentary film which depicts the diversity of wild habitats and creatures across the planet. The film begins in the Arctic in January of one year and moves southward, concluding in Antarctica in the December of the same year. Along the way, it features the journeys made by three particular species—the polar bear, African bush elephant and humpback whale—to highlight the threats to their survival in the face of rapid environmental change. A companion piece and a sequel to the 2006 BBC/Discovery/NHK/CBC television series Planet Earth, the film uses many of the same sequences, though most are edited differently, and features previously unseen footage not seen on TV.

<i>The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos</i> 2008 British film

The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos is a 2008 British-American nature documentary that explores the great gathering of lesser flamingos which occurs every year at Lake Natron in Tanzania and along the salt lakes of the African Rift Valley. It was the first film released under the then-new Disneynature film label through Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It premiered in France on 26 October 2008, with narration by Zabou Breitman. The film was released in theatres in the UK on 29 September 2009 and direct-to-video in the United States on 19 October 2010 with narration by Mariella Frostrup.

The Walt Disney Company France, formerly Walt Disney Mickey Mouse, S.A. and Walt Disney Productions France, is one of The Walt Disney Company's international divisions and also European divisions. It is headquartered in Paris, Île-de-France.

<i>Chimpanzee</i> (film) 2012 nature documentary film

Chimpanzee is a 2012 nature documentary film about a young common chimpanzee named Oscar who finds himself alone in the African forests until he is adopted by another chimpanzee, who takes him in and treats him like his own child. The American release of the film is narrated by Tim Allen.

<i>Wings of Life</i> 2011 French film

Wings of Life is a 2011 French-American nature documentary film directed by Louis Schwartzberg and released by Disneynature. It was released theatrically in France on 16 March 2011, with narration by Mélanie Laurent, and in home media markets across the US on 16 April 2013, with narration by Meryl Streep.

<i>Penguins</i> (film) 2019 American film

Penguins is a 2019 American nature documentary film directed by Alastair Fothergill and Jeff Wilson. The coming-of-age story follows an Adélie penguin named Steve, who joins fellow males in the icy Antarctic spring on a quest to build a suitable nest, find a life partner and start a family. The American release of the film is narrated by Ed Helms.

<i>Monkey Kingdom</i> 2015 American nature documentary film

Monkey Kingdom is a 2015 American nature documentary film directed and produced by Mark Linfield and Alastair Fothergill and narrated by Tina Fey. The documentary is about a family of monkeys living in ancient ruins founded in the jungles of Polonnaruwa in Sri Lanka. The film was released by Disneynature on April 17, 2015, the eighth nature documentary released under that label.

<i>Born in China</i> 2016 American film

Born in China (我们诞生在中国) is a 2016 nature documentary film directed by Lu Chuan. A co-production between Disneynature and Shanghai Media Group, the film was released in China on August 12, 2016, in the United States on April 21, 2017, one day before Earth Day, and in France on August 23 of the same year. The film focuses on a snow leopard named Dawa and her cubs, a young golden snub-nosed monkey named Tao Tao, a female giant panda named Ya Ya along with her daughter Mei Mei, and a herd of chiru. The American release of the film is narrated by John Krasinski, the Chinese release is narrated by Zhou Xun, and the French release is narrated by Claire Keim.

Planet Earth is a television and film documentary franchise produced and broadcast by the BBC. The franchise began in 2001 with the success of The Blue Planet. As of 2017, The Blue Planet has spawned 5 series and one feature film.

<i>Dolphin Reef</i> (film) 2020 American nature documentary film about dolphins

Dolphin Reef is a 2018 American nature documentary film about dolphins directed by Alastair Fothergill and Keith Scholey and narrated by Natalie Portman. It is the fourteenth nature documentary to be released under the Disneynature label. The film was released theatrically on March 28, 2018, in France under the title Blue with actress Cécile de France providing narration.

<i>Polar Bear</i> (film) 2022 American nature documentary film about polar bears

Polar Bear is a 2022 American nature documentary film about polar bears directed by Alastair Fothergill and Jeff Wilson. Narrated by Catherine Keener, it is the sixteenth nature documentary to be released under the Disneynature label. The film was released as a Disney+ exclusive on Earth Day April 22, 2022.

Paul Baribault is an American business executive who serves as the President and CEO of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

References

  1. 1 2 Vlessing, Etan (April 22, 2019). "Natalie Portman to Narrate Disney's 'Dolphin Reef' Movie". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Eller, Claudia; Dawn C. Chmielewski (April 22, 2008). "Disney gets back to nature". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 King, Geoff; Molloy, Claire; Tzioumakis, Yannis (2013). American Independent Cinema: Indie, Indiewood and Beyond. Routledge. pp. 173–175. ISBN   9780415684286 . Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Barnes, Brooks (April 10, 2009). "In 'Earth,' Disneynature Balances Cuddliness and Reality". The New York Times. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 "Disneynature Movies at the Box Office – Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo.com. IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  6. ↑ Carvajal, Doreen (September 28, 2005). "Compared With Their Filmmakers, the Penguins Have It Easy". The New York Times. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  7. ↑ Giardina, Carolyn (April 29, 2008). "Studios envision beast case scenario". The Hollywood Reporter. AP. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  8. 1 2 3 "Disney Gets Back To Nature..." (Press release). Walt Disney Studios. April 21, 2008. Retrieved January 6, 2017– via Blue Sky Disney.
  9. ↑ Glaister, Dan (April 23, 2008). "Disney launches unit to make cinematic nature documentaries". The Guardian. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  10. ↑ Davies, Caroline (January 10, 2009). "Disney film spotlights threat to spectacular flamingo lake". The Guardian. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  11. ↑ "TV Channel: Disney Nature TV". MAVISE. European Audiovisual Observatory. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  12. ↑ Whittingham, Clive (April 24, 2012). "Animal Planet picks Disney docs". C21 Media. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  13. ↑ Terrero, Nina (April 10, 2014). "Jane Goodall Q&A: Scientist talks Disneynature Ambassador role, more". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  14. 1 2 "Disney Expands Relationship With China's Shanghai Media Group". Variety. April 10, 2015. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  15. 1 2 James, Will (December 25, 2016). "Disneynature's 'Growing Up Wild' on Digital HD". GeekDad. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 Hoffman, Jordan (April 17, 2019). "All 13 Disneynature Movies, Ranked". Thrillist. Retrieved May 9, 2019. For some reason, the team nixed the Natalie Portman-narrated Dolphins last year, only a week before its release. (A version was released in France under the name Blue.)
  17. ↑ "The Crimson Wing – Mystery of the Flamingos". www.bbfc.co.uk. British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  18. ↑ Hume, Tim (April 30, 2012). "Real-life 'Lion Kings': African big cats caught on film - CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  19. 1 2 Kilday, Gregg (May 19, 2009). "Disneynature starts up two new films". The Hollywood Reporter. AP. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  20. ↑ O'Sullivan, Michael (April 20, 2012). "Editorial Review: More than just a furry person". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on January 15, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  21. ↑ Chen, Sandie Angulo (April 17, 2014). "'Bears' movie review: A real-life struggle to survive". The Washington Post . Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  22. ↑ "Focus Sets Stephen Hawking Pic 'Theory Of Everything' For November; Disneynature Dates 'Monkey Kingdom' For 2015". Deadline Hollywood. April 10, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  23. ↑ "L'Empereur de Luc Jacquet: la suite maudite de La Marche de l'Empereur". Avoir Alire – Critiques et news films, Livres, BD, musique, séries TV, Spectacles (in French). September 24, 2017. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  24. ↑ "'Blue' review". Hollywood Reporter. April 7, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  25. 1 2 Vary, Adam B. (March 26, 2020). "Meghan Markle Narrating Disney Plus Nature Documentary 'Elephants'". Variety. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  26. ↑ Kylie Hemmert (February 26, 2019). "Penguins: Ed Helms to Narrate Disneynature's Feature Film". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  27. ↑ Palmer, Roger (January 14, 2022). "DisneyNature "Polar Bear" Coming To Disney+ On Earth Day". What's On Disney Plus. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  28. ↑ Disney Plus (March 15, 2024). "Priyanka Chopra Jonas to Narrate Disneynature's "Tiger"". press.disneyplus. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.