Does Disney Own Warner Brothers?

Warner Brothers signature water tower.
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Warner Brothers signature water tower. (Photo by Jorge Salazar / unsplash)

With so many different movie studios out there today, it can be hard to understand the relationship between various studios. A common question we receive is whether Disney owns Warner Brothers, which has brought us many of the world’s most famous franchises over the years. Today we’re going to head back in time to learn more about both the Warner Bros and Disney studios and whether there’s any relationship between them.

Are Disney and Warner Bros Friends?

Many movie studios have worked together over the years, with companies such as Disney buying out popular studios such as Marvel over recent years. If you aren’t familiar with Warner Bros. Entertainment, it’s one of the largest studios within the United States. The company was founded back in 1923, and it’s one of the top competitors for studios such as Disney, Universal Studios, and Paramount.

One of the reasons that people often ask about the link between Warner Bros and Disney is that Disney tried to buy out the company back in 2016. Unfortunately, the deal didn’t go through, which is why Warner Bros is still its own company with no relationship to Disney. Both companies continue to produce incredible movies year after year, but there’s no denying that adding some of the Warner Bros franchises to the Disney theme parks would be absolutely incredible. Disney has made some fantastic acquisitions over the recent years, and it’s helped them to establish themselves at the forefront of the media industry. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for the company in this area, as it’s likely to be as exciting as the past few years.

Does Disney Own Harry Potter?

Disney does not own Harry Potter, which is why we are unlikely to ever see this franchise appear in the Disney theme parks. Instead, just down the road from Walt Disney World, you’ll find the Harry Potter themed lands at the Universal Orlando Resort. If you have huge Harry Potter fans in your family, we’d highly recommend taking a trip here in order to see Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. You’ll have a day to remember feeling like you are immersed in the books and films, and it will be another highlight of your Orlando vacation.

The Relationships Between Disney and Warner Bros

Both Disney and Warner Bros were founded in the same year, all the way back in 1923. Since this time, they’ve both been competing for the title of the top company within the entertainment industry in the US and globally. However, the real competition began in the following decades, when both Mickey Mouse and the Looney Tunes came onto the scene.

People have always compared the two companies due to their long history and the fact that they were founded in the same year. That means the projects that come out from the companies are often compared, with the two companies battling for the top spot within the industry. The good news is that for movie viewers, this type of relationship can only help to improve the quality of the content. When the standards are so high, you’ll find that year after year the quality improves, offering movie-goers the chance to sit back and be amazed at the talent both on and off the screen found by these studios.

Mickey Mouse was first introduced by Disney in the 1930s, and he’s become the most famous cartoon character in the world since this time. Disney soon became known for their innovative and family-friendly animated short films, which took the world by storm. A decade later, Looney Tunes began to get more attention, and although they were developed in the previous decade, it took this time for them to be seen as a huge rival of Mickey Mouse. The good news for Disney is that Looney Tunes never had quite enough popularity to really rival that of Mickey Mouse, but this did all start to change over the upcoming years.

The Golden Age for Warner Bros

In the 1940s, it was the golden age for the Warner Bros studios, where Looney Tunes was starting to be seen as one of the top animated shorts. This franchise is aimed more towards adults and older kids, with the hilarious Bugs Bunny being the starring character. The writing was very different to that which you’d expect from Disney, which is why they attracted so much attention. At this time, Warner Bros became known as the top company for animated shorts, but it wasn’t long until Disney stole the spotlight once again. With the introduction of their full-length animated films, Disney soon became known as the one to watch within this industry.

Marvel and DC Comics

Another area we have to look at when discussing the relationship between Warner Bros and Disney is that of DC and Marvel Comics. This superhero battle has been a fascinating one to watch over the years, which started back in 1969 when Warner Bros acquired DC Comics. When Disney then opted to purchase Marvel Entertainment in more recent times in 2009, the studios were once again seen as rivals in a whole new field. Marvel has been a fantastic acquisition for Disney, and we are already seeing new theme park attractions based on the movies. We can’t wait to see what is yet to come from this purchase, which was one of the finest pieces of work done by Bob Iger during his tenure as CEO for Disney.

Did Disney Try to Buy Warner Bros?

Disney has actually tried to buy Warner Bros in the past, with the most recent acquisition attempt taking place in 2016. Bob Iger, who was the CEO for Disney at the time, spoke to the Warner Bros CEO about a potential merger. This never went through as Warner Bros were signed up with AT&T already. Instead, Disney went on to acquire 21st Century Fox. The two companies still remain fierce rivals to this day, however, they still encourage each other in many ways due to their mutual love for producing some of the world’s finest entertainment.

Warner Brothers is owned by WarnerMedia LLC, which is owned by AT&T at this current time. This massive media company owns other entertainment brands including HBO and CNN, creating movies and TV series including DC Comics and Game of Thrones. As you can see, it’s one of the most powerful companies in the world, so it should come as no surprise that it would be compared to Disney.

Disney has its fair share of companies under its own umbrella, with nine production studios currently being operated by the brand. They bring out new movies throughout the year, offering you endless entertainment options. Some of their most famous studios include Walt Disney Animated Studios, which was founded in 1923 by Walt Disney, and Walt Disney Pictures, which separated from the animation studios in the 1980s. We all know that Disney offers some of the world’s best movies each year, and the more studios they are able to add to their belt, the more varied these will likely be.

Disney’s Recent Acquisitions

Disney has made some cunning business moves in the past decades, which have solidified its position as one of the top companies in the business. Back in 2006, Disney purchased Pixar from Lucasfilm. They had already been working with the animation studios for many years, and have continued to bring out beloved titles for families and kids since this time.

One of the most exciting pieces of news for Disney fans was when Disney acquired Marvel Studios in 2009. This merger took place after the initial Iron Man movie, and we’ve seen some of the highest grossing movies of all time come as a result of this deal. Lucasfilm was the next acquisition in 2012, adding Star Wars to the Disney franchise. We’ve seen how fantastic these two deals have been for the Disney theme parks in recent years. Although there are some rules surrounding Marvel at Walt Disney World, the new additions to the Anaheim and Paris parks are a sneak peek at the future for many theme park lovers.

The most recent purchases for Disney were of 20th Century Studios and 20th Century Animation. These studios have created some amazing movies over the years, and they will be another great addition to the company’s line-up of production studios.

No matter what type of movies you enjoy watching, both Warner Brothers and Disney have something to offer you. While the two companies aren’t related in any way, you’ll find that they help to push each other forward to offer viewers like yourself the best content possible. The history of both of these companies is very interesting to read about, and we encourage you to learn more about the movies and franchises owned by each. You’ll find that you have a much greater appreciation of both the movies and theme park attractions that are based on them in the future, and we can’t wait to see which movies are added to the Orlando theme parks next.

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