You may have heard Disney and Universal’s names together often. So much so that you start associating one with the other, thinking they are one and the same. If you are confused about whether Universal is owned by Disney, here are the facts clarified for you.
Disney does not own Universal. It is one of the oldest film studios still active today. In the United States, and is the oldest film studio that still produces movies. That said, Universal has had several owners in the past. None of them have ever been connected to Disney.
Instead, Universal is currently owned by NBCUniversal and Comcast. Although Universal might have some Marvel characters and other Disney properties in its parks, it’s not because Disney owns it.
For more information on the standing of the studios, keep reading.
Why Do People Think Disney Owns Universal Studios
Disney and Universal have now become so huge that they are household names. Their movies enjoy massive success globally. The quality of Universal’s films, along with the presence of Marvel characters in Universal’s theme park, does mislead some to believe that Disney owns Universal.
Disney has recently acquired a number of properties and studios, including FX and Fox. It’s easy to think that now they purchased Universal at some point.
Disney’s Biggest Acquisition
As if recently, Disney has been on a spending spree and has bought multiple large studios over the last few decades. These studios include the likes of
Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC is an American film and television production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is a business segment of The Walt Disney Company. The studio is best known for creating and producing the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, as well as its leadership in developing special effects, sound, and computer animation for films.
Marvel Studios
is an American film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Walt Disney Company. Marvel Studios produces the Marvel Cinematic Universe films based on characters that appear in Marvel Comics publications.
Pixar
Pixar is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, California, United States, and is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is another studio owned by The Walt Disney Company.
Fox Family Worldwide Saban Entertainment
Freeform Group is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Television that is responsible for the operations of the U.S. cable network Freeform and the Canadian cable network ABC Spark.
21st Century Fox
21st Century Fox was an American multinational mass media corporation that was based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.
Which is their latest acquisition that they made at the price of a whooping $71.3 Billion on the 20th of March 2019.
How Can Universal Still Use Marvel Characters in Their Theme Parks?
In 2009 Disney bought Marvel from Universal for $4 Billion yet to this day Universal continues to use certain Marvel characters in their Parks and many do not understand the reasons behind it.
In the deal that was made by Disney with Universal, Disney didn’t get all of Marvel’s licensing rights is why Disney is very limited on how it’s able to use the word “Marvel” when it comes to the brand, and what characters are allowed to be used at Walt Disney World.
The contract also mentioned that any characters being used by Universal, like Spider-Man and Captain America, cannot be used by The Walt Disney Company east of the Mississippi River, which means Walt Disney World. The agreement is perpetual as long as Universal continues to pay Disney.
There are a few loopholes in the contract that Disney has cleverly worked around at Walt Disney World, mostly at Disney Springs. The shopping and entertainment complex at Walt Disney World is not considered a theme park.
This is why Disney is free to use characters like Loki on treats from locations like Amorette’s Patisserie, or sell merchandise at Super Hero Headquarters, as long as neither location uses the word “Marvel.”
Why Can’t Disneyland Use Word “Marvel”?
Disney purchased Marvel Entertainment back in 2009, but the rights to the characters in theme parks at the time did not transfer to Disney. Instead, if you wanted to see Spider-Man or other characters in the flesh, you had to go to places like Universal Studios.
Even today, some characters cannot be used by Disney. The new characters, now that the MCU has expanded, are used by Disney.
Although Disney will eventually be able to use some of its superheroes in the parks, it for sure cannot use the word, Marvel. Marvel characters cannot be used in the area “east of the Mississippi River.” Those characters not in use by Universal, like Star-Lord, can be used at parks including but not limited to Walt Disney World.
Disney World can however use some Marvel characters, but Disneyland is still the better location in terms of what characters Disney can use in the parks, thanks to being located West of the Mississippi River.
That’s presumably why the expansion is happening there. In addition, the word ‘Marvel’ specifically can’t be used in the title of any of the theme parks. So, you will not see signs anywhere toting “Marvel Land” or anything of that.
Conclusion
Even though Disney is among the highest earning companies and they have a net worth of US$203.609 billion, and many assume that they have bought Universal, it is untrue. Universal is not under the House of Mouse.
Although Disney doesn’t own Universal, Universal Studios has had its share of different owners in the past. The two are also closely linked due to their shared ownership of Marvel characters and properties.
As long as Universal continues to pay its licensing fee to Disney to use its characters, it will be able to keep Disney from using its Marvel properties at Disney World.
