Instruct: Given a question, retrieve relevant documents that answer the question.
Query: When did Disney buy Star Wars?
Under the deal, Disney acquired ownership of Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Lucasfilm's operating businesses in live-action film production, consumer products, video games, animation, visual effects, and audio post-production.[21] Disney also acquired Lucasfilm's portfolio of entertainment technologies. The intent was for Lucasfilm employees to remain in their current locations.[22] Star Wars merchandising would begin under Disney in the fiscal year 2014.[23] Starting with Star Wars Rebels, certain products will be co-branded with the Disney name,[24][25] akin to what Disney has done with Pixar.[26] On December 4, 2012, the Disney-Lucasfilm merger was approved by the Federal Trade Commission, allowing the acquisition to be finalized without dealing with antitrust problems.[27] On December 18, 2012, Lucasfilm Ltd. converted from a corporation to a limited liability company, changing its name to Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC in the process,[28]. On December 21, 2012, Disney completed the acquisition and Lucasfilm became a wholly owned subsidiary of Disney.[6]
When asked about the possibility of a "Family Guy" retelling of the other "Star Wars" trilogies, Alec Sulkin stated that a spoof of the "Star Wars" prequel and sequel trilogies were unlikely to happen due the difficulty and struggle of spoofing "The Empire Strikes Back" and the 2012 Disney acquisition of Lucasfilm being the primary reasons. Sulkin stated, "We like the first three but by the time we were done with the third one I think we were about ready to kill ourselves, The new regime at Star Wars slash Disney is a little more difficult to deal with. Before we were just dealing with Lucasfilm and Seth had a good relationship with them... I just think that [Disney's] a little more rigid". Series creator Seth MacFarlane also commented on the situation via Twitter stating "Disney keeps a tighter hold on it, so it's unlikely", though this could change following the ongoing buyout of 21st Century Fox's entertainment assets by Disney
The film is the first live-action "Star Wars" film not to be released theatrically by 20th Century Fox; accordingly the film is not introduced with either that company's logo, or its signature fanfare composed by Alfred Newman. Instead, the film is the first in the series to be distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Shortly following Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm, the studio had indicated that the then-untitled film would be released under the "Disney|Lucasfilm" branding, similar to the branding used for "Star Wars Rebels", and akin to the "Disney·Pixar" co-branding of Pixar-produced films released by Walt Disney Pictures. Ultimately, Disney's logo was largely absent from the film's marketing—but nonetheless, appeared on merchandise and the startup sequences of "Star Wars" smartphone games—and the film is presented with only Lucasfilm's production logo shown silently before the main titles; Disney chairman Bob Iger explained the change by saying it was "for the fans".
The "Star Wars" franchise has spawned several attractions at multiple Disney themed parks, starting before Disney's acquisition of the franchise from George Lucas. Lucas established a partnership in 1986 with the company's Imagineering division to create an attraction at Disney parks. The first such attraction, Star Tours, opened at Disneyland in 1987, with several versions opening at other Disney theme parks over the following years. The Star Tours rides at Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios closed in 2010, while Tokyo Disneyland's version closed in 2012 and Disneyland Paris' in 2016. All of the original Star Tours rides were then refurbished into Star Tours–The Adventures Continue. The new attraction randomly shuffles several scenes, allowing up to 54 combinations of different adventures. The successor attraction opened at Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disneyland in 2011, at Tokyo Disneyland in 2013, and at Disneyland Paris in 2017.
"Star Wars": Galaxy's Edge was first publicly announced by The Walt Disney Company Chairman and CEO Bob Iger at the D23 Expo on August 15, 2015, though it did not have an official name at the time. According to Iger, it will be "occupied by many inhabitants; humanoids, aliens and droids … the attractions, the entertainment, everything we create will be part of our storytelling. Nothing will be out of character or stray from the mythology." Bob Chapek, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, stated that the land "will introduce you to a "Star Wars" planet you've never seen before — a gateway planet located on the outer rim, full of places and characters familiar and not so familiar."
Prior to releasing the original film, Lucas planned "three trilogies of nine films," but after beginning work on the prequels, insisted that "Star Wars" was meant to be a six-part series and that there would be no sequel trilogy. However, in late 2012, Disney agreed to buy Lucasfilm and announced a new trilogy, beginning with "Episode VII" in 2015.
From 1997 to 2015, Walt Disney World Resort's Hollywood Studios held "Star Wars" Weekends, an annual festival, which typically occurred on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for four consecutive weekends in May and June. The festival featured appearances by cast and crew members from Disney's "Star Wars" franchise and in addition, many original Disney characters also appeared dressed as "Star Wars" characters, such as Jedi Mickey, Minnie as Leia, Donald as a stormtrooper, Goofy as Darth Vader and R2-MK (Mickey Mouse stylized astromech droid). The festival began in 1997 and had been held in 2000, 2001, and annually from 2003 until 2015. In November 2015, Disney discontinued the event due to the construction of a "Star Wars" themed-land and the larger daily presence "Star Wars" will have in the park onwards.
Disney, which now owns the "Star Wars" franchise, expressed plans to expand the franchise's presence in all of their theme parks since August 2014. At that time, there were rumors to include a major "Star Wars"-themed expansion to Disney's Hollywood Studios. When asked whether or not Disney has an intellectual property franchise that's comparable to "Harry Potter" at Universal theme parks, Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger mentioned "Cars", Disney Princesses, and promised that "Star Wars", "is going to be just that." Iger formally announced a 14-acre "Star Wars"-themed land expansion at the 2015 D23 Expo. In the 2017 D23, it was revealed that the area would be named . In November 2017, it was announced that the planet in the land is called Batuu. The area will debut at Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios in 2019 and will include two new attractions inspired by the "Millennium Falcon" and "a climactic battle between ". A "Star Wars"-themed hotel, a deluxe resort to be built near Disney's Hollywood Studios, was also announced at the 2017 D23 Expo.
"Disney Fantasy" can play songs from Disney movies and parks using its horns, specifically: "When You Wish Upon a Star (Makes no difference...)" [Pinocchio], "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" [Cinderella], "Be Our Guest" [Beauty and the Beast], "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" [Pirates of the Caribbean], "Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee (An Actor's Life for Me)" [Pinocchio] "Do you want to build a Snowman?" [Frozen] and "It's a Small World" [It's a Small World]. In addition to these music horns, during the "Star Wars Day At Sea" the ship can sound other horns, including: "Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme)" and a segment of the "Star Wars Main Title Theme". In total, the "Disney Fantasy" can play 11 horns.
Star Wars: Tiny Death Star was a business simulation video game developed by Disney Mobile and NimbleBit, and published by Disney Mobile for Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and Windows 8/RT devices. It is based on NimbleBit's previous game, "Tiny Tower", and is set in the "Star Wars" universe.
On April 3, 2013, it was announced that The Walt Disney Company had ceased internal development at LucasArts and laid off its staff, except a skeleton crew of less than 10 employees which would allow LucasArts to remain open as a licensor. As a result, all projects were shut down, including "Star Wars 1313". A Lucasfilm representative stated: "After evaluating our position in the games market, we’ve decided to shift LucasArts from an internal development to a licensing model, minimizing the company's risk while achieving a broader portfolio of quality "Star Wars" games. As a result of this change, we've had layoffs across the organization." It is possible that "Star Wars 1313" may resume development by an external developer, but until that happens "Star Wars 1313" remains shelved. Following the halting of internal development at LucasArts, Disney announced an exclusive deal with Electronic Arts to produce "Star Wars" games for the core gaming market. However, Disney Interactive Studios retained the ability to develop, and LucasArts retained the ability to license the franchise for the casual gaming market. When asked whether Electronic Arts would continue "Star Wars 1313" and "Star Wars: First Assault", a representative for the company stated, "We are not announcing any specific titles at this time."
Disney, which bought the "Star Wars" franchise in 2012, has expressed plans to expand the franchise's presence in all of their theme parks. In 2015, a 14-acre "Star Wars"-themed land expansion, titled , was announced. The area will debut at Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios in 2019 and include two new attractions. A "Star Wars"-themed hotel, a deluxe resort to be built near Disney's Hollywood Studios, was also announced in 2017. In addition to the attractions at the various Disney parks, the Museum of Science collaborated with Lucasfilm Ltd. to create an .
With Disney's 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm, speculation about "Star Wars"-themed attractions grew. And in 2014, Disney started a new Studio at Imagineering dedicated to developing Lucasfilm and Star Wars projects with Trowbridge leading the group. While speculation about new Disney theme parks and attractions continued, on August 15, 2015, Disney CEO, Bob Iger announced what had been long anticipated, that Disney would build two Star Wars themed lands, at both Disneyland and, at Disney Hollywood Studios. In July 2017, Disney announced that these new lands would be called, .
Star Wars Pinball: Heroes of the Force (2014) Xbox 360, PSVita, PS3, PS4, Android, iOSDeveloped by Lucas Learning:Other educational:
With the 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney Company, it was announced that LucasArts' development arm would stop making video games indefinitely. On May 6, 2013, Disney and Lucasfilm revealed a partnership with Electronic Arts that granted EA the rights to produce "Star Wars" games for consoles and PC, with Disney retaining the freedom to handle the games for mobile platforms, such as smartphones, tablets and browsers. Later on April 2014, most of the previous licensed "Star Wars" videogames, novels, comics produced since the originating 1977 film "Star Wars" were rebranded as "Star Wars Legends" and declared non-canon to the franchise in April 2014.
"Star Wars" Weekends was a festival held annually at the Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park of the Walt Disney World Resort. Included with park admission, the event typically occurred on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for four consecutive weekends in May and June and featured appearances by cast and crew members from Disney's "Star Wars" franchise created by George Lucas. Many original Disney characters also appeared dressed as "Star Wars" characters, such as Jedi Mickey, Minnie as Leia, Donald as a stormtrooper, Goofy as Darth Vader and R2-MK (Mickey Mouse stylized astromech droid). The festival began in 1997 and had been held in 2000, 2001, and annually from 2003 until 2015. In November 2015, Disney discontinued the event due to construction of and the larger daily presence "Star Wars" will have in the park onwards.Jedi Training Academy originally was a part of "Star Wars" Weekend and only took place during it. However, in October 2006 it began appearing as a stand-alone show at Disneyland. In 2008, the Walt Disney World version began operating year-round.
Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular (known as Star Wars: A Galactic Celebration in Walt Disney Studios Park) is a nighttime show at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World and Walt Disney Studios Park in Disneyland Paris. The show is based on the "Star Wars" film series and features fireworks, projection mapping, fire, lasers, fog effects, and searchlights. During the show, "Star Wars" imagery is projected onto the park's Chinese Theater facade and surrounding buildings around the park's hub on Hollywood Boulevard. The show debuted on June 17, 2016, replacing the park's similarly-themed display, "Symphony in the Stars: A Galactic Spectacular".
While Walt Disney Productions continued releasing family-friendly films throughout the 1970s, such as "Escape to Witch Mountain" (1975) and "Freaky Friday" (1976), the films did not fare as well at the box office as earlier material. However, the animation studio saw success with "Robin Hood" (1973), "The Rescuers" (1977), and "The Fox and the Hound" (1981). As head of the studio, Miller attempted to make films to drive the profitable teenage market who generally passed on seeing Disney films. Inspired by the popularity of "Star Wars", Disney produced the science-fiction adventure "The Black Hole" in 1979 that cost $20 million to make, but was lost in "Star Wars"' wake. "The Black Hole" was the first Disney film to carry a PG rating in the United States. Disney dabbled in the horror genre with "The Watcher in the Woods", and financed the boldly innovative "Tron"; both films were released to minimal success.
Lego Star Wars shorts for Disney Channel: Lego Star Wars: Revenge of the Brick (2005) Lego Star Wars: The Quest for R2-D2 (2009) Lego Star Wars: Bombad Bounty (2010) Lego Star Wars: The Padawan Menace (2011) Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out (2012) Lego Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Brick (2008) for Disney Channel Lego Star Wars: The New Yoda Chronicles (2014) for Disney XD
From 1997 to 2015, Disney's Hollywood Studios park hosted "Star Wars" Weekends, an annual festival, during specific dates from May to June. Since 2007, the parks include the live show , where children are selected to learn the teachings of the Jedi Knights and the Force to become Padawan learners; the show is present at Disney's Hollywood Studios and at the Tomorrowland Terrace at Disneyland. Since November 2015, Disneyland hosts a seasonal "Star Wars"-themed event entitled "Season of the Force", which also runs in Disney's Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World. An exhibition called "Star Wars" Launch Bay, featuring exhibits and meet-and-greets was also added.
Bob Chapek, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, stated that the "Star Wars" hotel would be Disney's "most experiential concept ever" when it opens. Chapek described the hotel as a "100% immersive" experience that "will culminate in a unique journey for every person who visits.” Some examples of the planned features included creatures and droids acting as certain hotel staff such as butlers; guests wearing "Star Wars" costumes; and an ability to interact with features of the hotel as if visitors were really in the "Star Wars" universe. Visitors would also be able to have lightsaber training and duels (an extension of the in Disney's Hollywood Studios); explore and pilot "Star Wars" spacecraft; and go on "secret missions" personalized toward the visitors' experience.
On May 6, 2013, it was revealed that Electronic Arts would develop "Star Wars" games, through an exclusive multi-year license, for the core gaming market. But the agreement allowed for the casual gaming market of "mobile, social, tablet and online game categories", Disney Interactive Studios to further develop for the franchise, and LucasArts to further license the franchise. On July 15, 2013, a sequel to "Angry Birds Star Wars" based on the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy, titled "Angry Birds Star Wars II", was announced. It was the first game released through LucasArts under Disney ownership when it launched for mobile platforms on September 18, 2013.
DCPI moved to address three issues for all franchises, expanding the audience, category expansion & product development and direct-to-consumer. With Marvel and Star Wars, DCPI planned to push into the female audience. With Star Wars, DCPI partnered with Lucasfilm Animation for "Star Wars Forces of Destiny" which features female characters, premieres on DCPI's Disney YouTube channel and supported by apparel, books and toys including a new product type, "adventure figures". DCPI has worked on aging up Minnie Mouse by working with several designers for product appealing to adults and young adults for primary the fashion field. With Ashley Eckstein's Her Universe, Disney Consumer had already work with on expanding Star Wars and Marvel products to girls and women. Now Her Universe is working on a Disney co-branded "athleisure" line for both sexes and Disney Princess.
After the purchase of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney Company in 2012, Disney Interactive assumed the role of developing "Star Wars" games for the casual gaming market, while Electronic Arts would develop "Star Wars" games for the core gaming market through an exclusive license (although LucasArts did retain the ability to license "Star Wars" games to other developers for the casual gaming market).
Since 2013, The Walt Disney Company has officially observed the holiday with several "Star Wars" events and festivities at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Disney had purchased Lucasfilm including the rights to "Star Wars" in late 2012.
Disney Consumer Products and Lucasfilm announced that September 4, 2015 would be deemed "Force Friday" and would be the official launch of all the merchandise for "The Force Awakens". Beginning at 12:01 am, fans could buy toys, books, clothing and various other products at Disney Stores and other retailers throughout the world. Disney and Maker Studios hosted an 18-hour live-streaming presentation on YouTube, showcasing multiple merchandise products beginning on September 3, 2015. Among these products were a remote-controlled BB-8 developed by Sphero. Sphero had participated in a Disney-run startup accelerator in July 2014, where they were invited into a private meeting with Disney CEO Bob Iger, in which they were shown on-set photos and imagery of BB-8 before its public unveiling. Many retailers were unable to meet demand for "Star Wars" products.