Disney Cashes In With Oscar Nominations

 by Ray Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

February 8, 2022

 

Oscar nominations are a win-win for any movie studio. That is, it’s a win from the perspective of artistic recognition (if one considers the Oscars to provide this), and it’s a win commercially, as films with Academy Award nominations often experience some additional life at the box office, via Blu-Rays or digital purchases, and/or streaming eyes.

 

Disney got a lot of win-wins by racking up 23 Oscar nominations, as announced on Tuesday (February 8) morning.

Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company

The big winner for Disney in terms of nominations was Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story. Among its seven nominations were nods for Best Picture, Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Ariana DeBose, and Best Directing for Spielberg. I certainly hope that these nods give West Side Story some added attention with audiences. This marvelous film deserved much more at the box office.

 

Nightmare Alley earned four nominations, including one for Best Picture.

Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company

In addition, Jessica Chastain earned a Best Lead Actress nomination for The Eyes of Tammy Faye.

 

On the animation front, Encanto, Luca and Raya and the Last Dragon all received nominations for Best Animated Feature Film. So, it wound up that Disney produced three of the five films nominated in this category.

Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company

As for Marvel superheroes, Sony’s (and Marvel’s) Spider-Man: No Way Home received a nomination for Best Visual Effects. As a Sony release, this is not counted among Disney’s 23 nominations. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings also received a Best Visual Effects nomination, as did Free Guy. If one counts Spider-Man, Disney/Marvel claimed three of the five nominations for visual effects.

 

The Academy Awards will be televised on Disney’s ABC network on the night of March 27.

 

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?

 

Get more out of 2022 with The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution! It combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement and fun for Disney fans, including those who love Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, princesses and more. Also, “The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution” comes with a handy spiral binding for easy use. 

 

Keating has three new books out. Vatican Shadows: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel is the 13^th thriller/mystery in the Pastor Stephen Grant series. Get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed books at www.raykeatingonline.com. Past Lives: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story is the 14th book in the series. Again, get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed book at www.raykeatingonline.com. And order the 15th book in the series What’s Lost? A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story – grab it at Amazon.com or signed editions at www.raykeatingonline.com. 

 

Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.

Disney’s Big Oscar Night: “Soul” and “Nomadland” Honored at 2021 Academy Awards

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

April 26, 2021

 

The 93rd Academy Awards have come and gone, and Disney’s Soul and Nomadland were the company’s big winners this year under its Pixar and Searchlight brands.  

Held at Union Station Los Angeles and the Dolby Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center, with appearances by winners videoed in from points around the globe, the Oscar ceremonies took place last night, April 25, 2021, honoring movies released in 2020. 

 

Aired on the Disney-owned ABC network, the company also snuck in a lavishly done new trailer for the upcoming Disney and Steven Spielberg film remake of West Side Story. 

Given the repercussions of this year’s pandemic, it is no surprise that Disney and Netflix, the two streaming powerhouses, were the big winners this year.

 

The Oscars for Disney under its Pixar partnership both belonged to Soul. Soul was released on Disney+.

 

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM WINNER:

SOUL

Pete Docter and Dana Murray

 

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE) WINNER:

SOUL

Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste

 

And if you include the Searchlight film Nomadland among the Disney family of properties (Disney acquired Searchlight in 2019), you can chalk up a few more wins in the Disney column.

Chloé Zhao, who took home her statue for Nomadland,  became the second woman to win the category, as well as the first woman of color and the first woman of Asian descent to win for Best Director. Nomadland was released on Disney’s Hulu platform, as well as in theaters.

 

BEST PICTURE WINNER:

NOMADLAND

Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey and Chloé Zhao, Producers

 

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE WINNER:

Frances McDormand

NOMADLAND

 

DIRECTING WINNER:

NOMADLAND

Chloé Zhao

 

Best picture and best animated feature film – it can’t get much better than that for Disney and its movie studios.

 

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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.

 

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Disney Shareholder Meeting Announcements Include Disney+ Subscribers Top 100 Million

 by Ray Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

March 9, 2021

 

During its annual shareholder meeting today, The Walt Disney Company announced that its Disney+ streaming service subscriber number topped 100 million.

Disney CEO Bob Chapek said, “The enormous success of Disney+ —which has now surpassed 100 million subscribers—has inspired us to be even more ambitious, and to significantly increase our investment in the development of high-quality content... In fact, we set a target of 100+ new titles per year, and this includes Disney Animation, Disney Live Action, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic. Our direct-to-consumer business is the company’s top priority, and our robust pipeline of content will continue to fuel its growth.”

 

As of the end of its first quarter on January 2, 2021, Disney+ subscribers had registered 94.9 million. The service is 16 months old and is available in 59 countries now.

 

All ten members of the Disney board of directors also were re-elected.

 

Bob Iger noted that this would be his last shareholder meeting, and he will be leaving Disney at the end of the year.

 

Beyond the Disney+ announcement, Chapek mentioned that Black Widow is still set for a theatrical release on May 7, and West Side Story will hit theaters on December 10.

 

In addition, Chapek said the company was looking to open Disneyland in late April. A firm date would be announced later.

 

And Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure will be opened on October 1 at EPCOT’s France pavilion, with Avengers Campus opening later this year at Disneyland’s California Adventure.

 

Finally, the Disney college program will be reinstated, but no specific date has been set. Chapek was hoping that it might happen by the end of the year.

 

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the  Pastor Stephen Grant novels and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?

 

Keating has two new books out. Vatican Shadows: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel is the 13ththriller/mystery in the Pastor Stephen Grant series. Get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed books at www.raykeatingonline.com. Past Lives: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story is the 14th book in the series. Get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed book at www.raykeatingonline.com. 

 

You also can order his book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York  from Amazon or signed books  at RayKeatingOnline.com. His other recent nonfiction book is Free Trade Rocks! 10 Points on International Trade Everyone Should Know. 

 

Please support the efforts of DisneyBizJournal.com to bring news, analysis and commentary on Disney to readers such as yourself. Make a contribution right here via PayPal. Thanks!

 

Disney Announces New Movie Release Schedule

 by Ray Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

September 23, 2020

 

The Walt Disney Company announced a new movie release schedule, with Black Widow among the films getting rescheduled.

Black Widow is being shifted from November 6, 2020, to May 7, 2021. As for other moves among the current Marvel Studios slate, Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings goes from May 7, 2021, to July 9, 2021; and Eternals moves from February 12, 2021, to November 5, 2021. Remaining in place, as far as we know, are Thor: Love and Thunder on February 11, 2022; Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on March 25, 2022; and Captain Marvel 2 on July 8, 2022. Also, Black Panther 2 was scheduled for May 6, 2022, and officially remains there even with the tragic death of Chadwick Boseman.

 

As for other Disney films, the following moves have been made to release dates for 20^th Century Studios releases: The Empty Man is now scheduled for October 23, 2020 (actually moved back from December 4, 2020); Death on the Nile was moved from October 9, 2020, to December 18, 2020; The King’s Man is now scheduled for February 12, 2021 (also moved back from February 26, 2021); Deep Water moved from November 13, 2020, to August 13, 2021; The Last Duel went from January 8, 2021, to October 15, 2021.

 

And Steven Spielberg’s version of West Side Story (also 20th Century Studios) was pushed back a year – from December 18, 2020, to December 10, 2021.

 

Pixar’s Soul remained at November 20, 2020.

 

While these moves are not surprising given the ongoing pandemic challenges, it’s nonetheless brutal news for movie theaters.

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

Also, get the paperback or Kindle edition of Ray Keating’s new book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York.