Disney's Live Action Touchstone Era Explained

Рет қаралды 6,447

Ай бұрын

In the mid-1980s, Disney changed course and brought in new executives Michael Eisner and Frank Wells to run the company. Walt Disney's son-in-law and previous president of the company moved into heading up a new film division called Touchstone Pictures. This new division made films for adults rather than families. The studio was looking to shed the reputation of being a company for kids and wanted to make money. The new venture worked and between 1984 and 1989 they would make several hit films that would turn the company around, making it profitable as they headed into their next era.
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Пікірлер: 75

@ModernMouse Ай бұрын

Thanks to everyone who watched. If you want to see more from this series on Disney's live action film eras, you can see it from the beginning --> tinyurl.com/y4rap33n

@techguypaul Ай бұрын

The Disney Renaissance really started with Oliver & Company. That movie started the formula that made movies like Little Mermaid and Aladdin so popular, even if Roger Rabbit made people look at animation again.

@ModernMouse Ай бұрын

I love Oliver and I know people debate where it belongs. It's difficult to say since it's not as fluid in animation but the music and story do feel like the beginning of tge Renaissance. Regardless, I stand by Roger Rabbit as the film that made animation popular again

@Otokichi786 Ай бұрын

Touchstone Pictures: A short Golden Age of real life movies that makes the current Walt Disney output look like failed grade school projects by comparison.

@ModernMouse Ай бұрын

I'd say this isn't a totally fair comparison. It's different times and the early Touchstone films feel more like movies you'd currently see being distributed by A24. They are a bit more independent and adult. Disney's current crop, outside of the remakes, are typically big blockbusters. Both are worthy of existing. I also think that when people think of Disney live action, they only think of the animated remakes, but recent films like Queen of Katwe, The BFG, Timmy Failure, Stargirl, etc... have all been decent to great. They just aren't the big productions that Disney is pushing. They feel like the smaller movies that get a limited release or get thrown onto Disney+ right away.

@j.b.9260 Ай бұрын

"Real life"? What?

@STho205 Ай бұрын

@@j.b.9260he likely means Live Action.

@angusng816 Ай бұрын

Highest-Grossing Touchstone Pictures 1. Splash (1984) Box Office: $630.9 million 2. Ruthless People (1986) Box Office: $581.7 million 3. Three Men and a Baby (1987) Box Office: $1.814 billion 4. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) Box Office: $2.450 billion 5. Cocktail (1988) Box Office: $1.195 billion 6. Dead Poets Society (1989) Box Office: $1.497 billion 7. Pretty Woman (1990) Box Office: $2.667 billion 8. Sister Act (1992) Box Office: $1.157 billion

@ModernMouse Ай бұрын

I've downplayed numbers in recent videos as I worry people find them boring to talk about. I'm glad you tossed these in here. In the next video I plan to touch on those films from the early 90s. Pretty Woman in particular.

@MB-rx2qy Ай бұрын

Where are these "box office numbers" from? Even adjusted for inflation some of these are way too high...

@jonathanpeck6112 18 күн бұрын

I can’t wait you talked about part 2 of Touchstone Pictures films in the 90’s like Pretty Women, Dick Tracy, What about Bob?, Father of the Bride, Sister Act. With blockbuster hits like The Nightmare Before Christmas, Con Air, Armageddon, Enemy of the State and with prestige films and Oscar winning films like Ed Wood, What’s Love Got to Do with it and The Insider.

@ModernMouse 18 күн бұрын

I sat down and started planning out the next few videos in the series. The 90s have a ton to talk about, so I will likely be splitting it up into Disney, Touchstone, and Hollywood Pictures with each getting their own video. Too many important films to talk about.

@MsDisneylandlover Ай бұрын

Rip Rob and Ernest ❤

@ModernMouse Ай бұрын

About halfway through editing this, I found a video of the two of them together. They never worked together but now I wish they had.

@tueferbenz7492 Ай бұрын

1980-88, including Touchstone, was a creatively fertile time for Disney. Return To Oz, The Tron, The Black Cauldron, Adventures In Babysitting, Vincent, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Watcher In The Woods. Many of these have a cultural resonance and inter-generational reach far greater than their box office would suggest. Sometimes the creative side of company can be the victim of its own success, like we've seen in the last decade or so of Disney.

@jerrelljones9991 Ай бұрын

Yes The Little Mermaid 🧜‍♀️ may have started the Disney Renaissance but Roger Rabbit was the one that paved the way for it to get started Roger Rabbit and Oliver

@coldghost86 Ай бұрын

I love this series you made! I can't wait for the next one!

@ModernMouse Ай бұрын

Thank you! My goal I'd to get this series of videos out much more often. I do enjoy highlighting these movies.

@victoriaallen9393 Ай бұрын

I must admit, some of the films you listed in this era of Touchstone I never heard of 😮. Now I want to watch them!

@ModernMouse Ай бұрын

I think some of the fun of this series is being able to talk about these films and recommending them to people. It feels like a nice curated list of "the best of" each era.

@victoriaallen9393 Ай бұрын

@@ModernMouse I agree!

@cdub3484 Ай бұрын

LOL, I watched one of these just today! Glad this series is back!

@ModernMouse Ай бұрын

Which one? I hope it was an Ernest film

@MsDisneylandlover Ай бұрын

I love Return OZ my favorite movie ❤ .

@caronstout354 Ай бұрын

Honorable mention: "Deagonslayer", the best, for its time, fantasy film with the best dragon ever created!

@mrwoodandmrtin Ай бұрын

I got here while researching Disney's Studio Backlot. It was tiny. The look of Disney cinematography evolved to hide the very very limited number of buildings and space. Once you lean the lot layout and buildings you become amazed with the creativity.

@ModernMouse Ай бұрын

Welcome! As someone who has had the chance to walk several studio lots I can say that the Disney lot is one of the smallest in Hollywood. Paramount might be in that same ballpark

@mrwoodandmrtin Ай бұрын

@@ModernMouse The Strange Monster of Strawberry Lake and the Secret of the Pirates Inn were the two TV movies I examined. They almost have a formula, with glass matte shots used to fake an exotic location around the well-used small studio lot street. Always money conscious, only going off to Golden Oaks Ranch when absolutely necessary. I wondered why they had a dog in both, your animal = success observation answered the question.

@ModernMouse Ай бұрын

In the last few years, because I've started taking my camera out of the house and started shooting more things elsewhere, I'm always fascinated by camera trickery and I'm always trying to learn how to get the most from a shot and location. Honestly, it's fun to do!

@mrwoodandmrtin Ай бұрын

@@ModernMouse Yes. Indeed. The film "Super 8" has a funny reoccurring joke about that. "Production Values"!

@glazdarklee1683 Ай бұрын

I just discovered this channel and am working through all of them. It's been time well spent.

@ModernMouse Ай бұрын

Don't get me wrong, I love everyone who leaves a comment because they spend time writing something about the work I do, but this comment is the type of comment any KZfaq creator I talk to dreams of. Truly, thank you! I'll be spending the rest of my week feeling like the prettiest girl at the school dance!

@JohnPannozzi Ай бұрын

The Flight of Navigator wasn't actually made by Disney, it was just distributed in North America by them. It was produced by Producers Sales Organization. See, the film was pitched to Disney, who took too long to give it a greenlight, then PSO picked up it, and made a deal with Disney for the US distribution rights.

@ModernMouse Ай бұрын

I definitely should have added this bit it, but yes, the deal ended up being a distribution deal. The lesson learned from the film I do think still stands, although it also shows that Disney's live action priorities were very much with Touchstone and not under the Disney banner.

@MrGabeanator Ай бұрын

Funny thing about Bette Midler and Robin Williams they owe some of their best roles to touchstone for the latter I don’t think the genie in Aladdin would be what he is now without good morning Vietnam and dead poets society and for Bette I think it was down and out in Beverly Hills that got her the roles of Georgette in Oliver&company and Winifred Sanderson in hocus pocus at least that’s what I think

@ModernMouse Ай бұрын

This is absolutely correct. The crossover from Touchstone into Disney was there. Even though the studio system of the golden age was no longer keeping stars under contract, I think Disney understood who they wanted to work with and called upon them frequently.

@MrGabeanator Ай бұрын

@@ModernMouse precisely

@NoCreamedCorn Ай бұрын

I miss Touchstone very much.

@ModernMouse Ай бұрын

In hindsight, Disney shutting down the division feels like a bad move. They could always revive it or start a new division that's similar

@sebabaran Ай бұрын

Good that you are back making those Disney era videos. You make a great work! Greetings from Berlin, GER

@ModernMouse Ай бұрын

I'll be mixing in Era videos more often. Thanks for watching from Berlin!

@MsDisneylandlover Ай бұрын

I love the music n the background

@ModernMouse Ай бұрын

Thank you! I use Epidemic Sound. The great thing is that I can just type a feeling or style of music into the search bar and it pulls things similar for me. This was my "jazz hop" search.

@j.j.q1379 Ай бұрын

Thank you 😊 for another great video 🙌🙌🙌🙌

@ModernMouse Ай бұрын

Thank you for watching! I appreciate it.

@MsDisneylandlover Ай бұрын

Love Roger and Rip to Bob H

@aisforapple2494 Ай бұрын

I love 'Adventures In Babysitting'! If you watch it, look for a small cameo by Vincent D' Onifrio, better known as "Gomer Pyle" in 'Full Metal Jacket'. Elizabeth Shue is simply gorgeous!

@ModernMouse Ай бұрын

I have a friend who always thinks of D'Onofrio from Full Metal Jacket. It's interesting how people reference actors, and maybe its something I should write about some day because for me D'Onofrio is the cockroach from Men In Black or he is Kingpin from Daredevil. I've seen Full Metal Jacket and it's a famous movie with Gomer Pyle being a famous role, but it's not the first thing I think of. The human brain is fascinating. Also, yes, Elizabeth Shue was and still is a class act and absolutely stunning.

@aisforapple2494 Ай бұрын

@ModernMouse I think the reason that I think 'Full Metal Jacket' is because it's the second thing I remember him being in. The first being 'Adventures In Babysitting'.

@ModernMouse Ай бұрын

I think it's possibly his best and most critically successful role. I think of Men in Black because it was the first thing I saw him in. It's interesting. I might make this a conversation piece with friends this week about what character they think of first and why when I talk about an actor.

@MsDisneylandlover Ай бұрын

The was dark 4 me with the headless n screams.

@ModernMouse Ай бұрын

Real talk! The thing I remember most from Return to Oz when I was a kid was being frightened by this scene.

@nightisright1873 Ай бұрын

What funny to is that the Disney studios was a already perfectly designed for animation

@ModernMouse Ай бұрын

While the studio was designed for animation, I do think the animation team benefitted from the open warehouse they got dumped into when moved off the lot. The work flow opened up because everyone could hear everything. I do think that warehouse plays a part in Disney's animation Renaissance. Maybe not a major part, but I do think it sparked something.

@nightisright1873 Ай бұрын

@@ModernMouse The guys at Warners did there best work in a shit hole called Termite terrace

@Jamal-bl7yh Ай бұрын

Controversial Opinion But I Prefer Touchstone and Hollywood Pictures over standard Disney fare It's the reason films like Down and Out In Beverly Hills Pretty Woman Grosse Pointe Blank and Blood In Blood Out are some of the Disney films I love the most also Encino Man

@ModernMouse Ай бұрын

I'll be getting more of Touchstone films in the future, but I can't discount that the next period of Disney live action films after this had some fantastic movies. Honey I Shrunk the Kids, White Fang, Mighty Ducks, etc... were all great and now feel like classic films. It just so happens that Disney found the family formula while Touchstone was making more films for adults. Different audiences overall, but both hit a great stride in the 90s.

@jerrelljones9991 Ай бұрын

Another awesome and incredible video by you Josh Yea I've never seen hardly any of those early Touchstone films except Who Framed Roger Rabbit ofc and Good Morning Vietnam which I loved because of Robin Williams who ate up the part and I've never seen Splash nor Down and Out in Beverly Hills Return to Oz I saw for the first time 2 years ago on Disney + and it is too weird it wasn't the horror movie everyone made it out to be it was just average and meh but just very weird but the effects were nice and for the most part aged well

@ModernMouse Ай бұрын

I said this to somebody else, but I can't imagine working on the set of Return to Oz and thinking that they were working on something for children. I also agree that it has horror elements, but misses the mark there too. It's a film sort of for nobody, although I secretly enjoy it. Maybe it's because I'm just a weirdo.

@jerrelljones9991 Ай бұрын

@ModernMouse Yea Yea Josh outside of the visuals and the effects I kept asking myself about Return to Oz what the hell is this???? Lol but yea this was clearly not meant for children it's so cringe 😬

@Dexter649 Ай бұрын

I like What About Bob?

@ModernMouse Ай бұрын

I like that film too. I'm not sure it has the historical or cultural relevance I wanted for this video, but it's a very fun film worth recommending

@sonofdragon5530 Ай бұрын

I need a part two

@ModernMouse Ай бұрын

This video is actually part of a larger series. I believe this is the 6th video in the series, but this will definitely continue. Touchstone in the 90s, Hollywood Pictures, and Disney's Live Action Renaissance will about be part of it soon. If you want to watch the whole series from the start beginning, here is the playlist: tinyurl.com/y4rap33n

@MsDisneylandlover Ай бұрын

Thanks to Jessica Rabbit ❤ she was best . Disneyland is tripping covering her up at on the ride. She is so cool and on my pin vest i have a few Jessica Rabbit pins❤.

@ModernMouse Ай бұрын

While I don't mind the change since Jessica takes over the role of Eddie Valiant in the ride, there is something about the glittery dress missing that makes me a bit sad.

@MsDisneylandlover Ай бұрын

#DisneyDiva ❤

@Prettygirlcn5 Ай бұрын

Out of all of the movies you mentioned, I’ve only seen “Three Men and a Baby” and “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” So which of the other movies would you suggest as must-see?🤓🎬📝 (Dead Poet Society has been on my list, especially since I’m a Swiftie ☺️)

@ModernMouse Ай бұрын

I think Splash is worthwhile because it's the first and it's a cute movie. Dead Poet's Society and Good Morning Vietnam feel like the most important and relevant films outside of the one's you've seen.