Ownership, Marketing and Distribution
‘Disney leads the world in the production and distribution of popular culture. What’s more they can use their incredible back catalogue of production and re-present it for new audiences: To have this incredible vault of content that they can go back to and re imagine, retool and recreate for today’s audiences just gives them a depth and breadth of films that
is almost unparalleled.’
TASK: Read the following report from Media analyst Paul Dergarabedian in https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/movies/jungle-book-roars-box-office-103-6-million-debut-n557341
As noted above JB16 was planned by Walt Disney Studios Chairman, Alan Horn, as one of a series of remakes of their classic properties: ‘Hollywood makes lots of films for kids, but the Disney reboots may be one of the few safe bets. They revive classic characters for a new generation of kids, and their already smitten parents may be especially willing to shell out for related merchandise.’ With DVD sales declining and digital downloads on the rise, studios can’t just reissue old films in new packaging, says Robert Levin, a former Disney marketing executive: ‘There used to be a re-release of a classic film every seven years..Now re-imagining them is what’s hot.’
TASK: Read the following article and add to your notes.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-05/disney-remakes-cinderella-other-classics-as-live-action-films)
‘[Sean] Bailey credited the division’s escalating success rate to the silo system instituted by Disney chairman Bob Iger and managed by Alan Horn... It is a program where each division stays in its own lane and isn’t pressured to make more movies than its marketing machine can handle, while maintaining quality controls. This differs from some studios that seem to be bent on filling a high number of films on a slate. Disney’s annual collective output usually doesn’t exceed a dozen. But eight of those Disney films are global blockbusters that suck all the oxygen out of the box office when they are released.’
TASK: Read the following article and add to your notes. http://deadline.com/2017/03/beauty-and-the-beast-sean-bailey-disney-emma-watson-1202047710/
In terms of Disney being a conglomerate, diversified. However, the production process of JB16 was highly dependent on other companies, such as MPC, and so was not fully made in-house, as JB had been. The 2016 was distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
Warner Brothers had been producing their own adaptation of Kipling’s The Jungle Book (possible because the book itself was out of copyright) but delayed the release date, probably to separate it from the Disney film and to give its version a chance at the box office:
TASK: Read the following article about how Andy Serkis (Gollum) feels about his Jungle Book being delayed.
(https://www.cinemablend.com/new/How-Andy-Serkis-Feels-About-His-Jungle-Book-Getting-Delayed-123057.html)
Favreau was aware of the technological inter-relationship between the making of the film and its promotion ‘What’s interesting about the film is we are telling an old story with new technology, and that’s bled over into other aspects of film and promotion...We had an extremely sophisticated technological landscape that we were dealing with day to day as we created the film. Now, as we explore the means by which we share it with people, technology seemed like a very inherent part of the whole live action Jungle Book movie.’
(http://mashable.com/2015/12/16/jungle-book-tech-social-media/#XgnQY9WQaGqY)
This is seen in the way Disney uses social media, having JB16 Facebook, Twitter, Instagram accounts. The accounts released teasers and making of photos and videos (including behind the scenes) in the months before the theatrical release and kept up the promotion for the release on DVD and as downloads. Sharing is obviously an invaluable promotional tool. There are a number of online articles talking about how Disney generally uses social media, e.g. https://econsultancy.com/blog/67860-10-examples-of-great-disney-marketing-campaigns. This discusses how JB16 was marketed https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/18/business/media/disneys-savvy-marketing-jungle-book.html
Apart from traditional marketing devices (theatrical trailers and print-based posters) Disney uploaded an interactive movie poster on Snapchat and users could apply a framed ‘Jungle Book’ lens, which turned their faces into the snake, Kaa.
The film tied in with other partners for promotional opportunities, with competitions and other products, for example https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/apr/22/competition-win-a-disney-jungle-book-prize-pack
JB16 was produced in 3D (as well as 2D) and was one of the first films to be released in Dolby Vision 3D (but only a handful of cinemas were equipped to show it in that form). 10% of US showings were in IMAX.
It has subsequently been released on DVD and Blu Ray and JB has also been released by Disney as digital downloads via iTunes, Disney Movies Anywhere, Disney Life, Amazon Video, Movies Anywhere, Google Play etc.
Walt Disney Records has released a soundtrack album. Merchandise was, of course, another money spinner for Disney, with the Disney Store (online and in high street shops) selling toys, clothing and homeware. Disney also licensed othermanufacturers to produce related products – the designer Kenzo produced a range of clothing to mark the new film but featuring designs from the original film.
TASK: Have a look.
http://www.globalblue.com/destinations/uk/london/kenzo-jungle-book-
capsule-collection
The whole Disney ‘Jungle Book Franchise’ is listed at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jungle_Book_(franchise)