Touchstone

[AnNaNiCoLe]

Is anyone else angered by Touchstone Pictures...the companys ADULT film studio...this is very un-Disney and un-Wholesome. Touchstone has produced movies such as THE HOT CHICK and SORORITY BOYS! Walt must be ashamed

 

[RoyalCanadian]

You mean the studio that did Hidalgo, The Alamo, King Arthur and Ladykillers? Oh yeah -- hardcore porn there.

 

[meowthew2]

Time for a Disney history lesson...

Walt wanted to make adult-oriented films badly, but he was increasingly frustrated by the public's refusal to accept anything from the Disney studios that wasn't squeaky clean. For instance, he was barraged with complaints when the parents in "The Parent Trap" drank alcohol, and when a French prostitute flirted with Fred MacMurray in "Bon Voyage!"

When Walt's son-in-law, Ron Miller, was the head of Walt Disney Productions, he created Touchstone Pictures to help Disney expand into films for a more adult audience. At the time, Ron stated that cursing, nudity, etc. in Touchstone films would be OK, and he thought that "Walt would approve".

As for "Sorority Boys" and "The Hot Chick", nobody saw them anyway, so it doesn't really matter. Plus, they were made under different studio management than the management that's there currently. If you'll notice, Disney's studio fare of late, including Touchstone, is more "Disney" than it's been in decades.

 

[AnNaNiCoLe]

Royal Canadian--i didn't mean porn!

 

[Crazy Hakim]

Originally posted by AnNaNiCoLe
Is anyone else angered by Touchstone Pictures...the companys ADULT film studio...this is very un-Disney and un-Wholesome. Touchstone has produced movies such as THE HOT CHICK and SORORITY BOYS! Walt must be ashamed

I think you are way off base. Of course along with some great films a few stinkers are inevitable. But, looking at this list I think the great films and performances greatly out weigh the junk!

Maybe you need to take a harder look at just what Touchstone has given us over the years!

Titles produced by Touchstone Pictures [us]

Hearts and Minds - 1974
Country - 1984
Splash - 1984
Baby... Secret of the Lost Legend - 1985
My Science Project - 1985
Color of Money, The - 1986
Down and Out in Beverly Hills - 1986
Off Beat - 1986
Ruthless People - 1986
Tough Guys - 1986
Adventures in Babysitting - 1987
Can't Buy Me Love - 1987
Ernest Goes to Camp - 1987
Good Morning, Vietnam - 1987
Hello Again - 1987
Outrageous Fortune - 1987
Stakeout - 1987
Three Men and a Baby - 1987
Tin Men - 1987
Beaches - 1988
Big Business - 1988
Cocktail - 1988
D.O.A. - 1988
Ernest Saves Christmas - 1988
Good Mother, The - 1988
Heartbreak Hotel - 1988
Rescue, The - 1988
Shoot to Kill - 1988
Who Framed Roger Rabbit - 1988
Blaze - 1989
Dead Poets Society - 1989
Disorganized Crime - 1989
Gross Anatomy - 1989
Innocent Man, An - 1989
New York Stories - 1989
Three Fugitives - 1989
Turner & Hooch - 1989
3 Men and a Little Lady - 1990
Betsy's Wedding - 1990
Dick Tracy - 1990
Disturbance, The - 1990
Ernest Goes to Jail - 1990
Fire Birds - 1990
Green Card - 1990
Mr. Destiny - 1990
Pretty Woman - 1990
Roller Coaster Rabbit - 1990
Spaced Invaders - 1990
Stella - 1990
Where the Heart Is - 1990
Billy Bathgate - 1991
Deceived - 1991
Doctor, The - 1991
Ernest Scared Stupid - 1991
Father of the Bride - 1991
Oscar - 1991
Paradise - 1991
Rocketeer, The - 1991
Scenes from a Mall - 1991
True Identity - 1991
What About Bob? - 1991
1492: Conquest of Paradise - 1992
3 Ninjas - 1992
Captain Ron - 1992
Crossing the Bridge - 1992
Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag, The - 1992
Noises Off... - 1992
Sister Act - 1992
Stranger Among Us, A - 1992
Alive - 1993
Alive: 20 Years Later - 1993
Another Stakeout - 1993
Cemetery Club, The - 1993
Indian Summer - 1993
Life with Mikey - 1993
My Boyfriend's Back - 1993
Nightmare Before Christmas, The - 1993
Program, The - 1993
Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit - 1993
What's Love Got to Do with It - 1993
Cabin Boy - 1994
Ed Wood - 1994
I Love Trouble - 1994
Inkwell, The - 1994
It's Pat - 1994
My Father the Hero - 1994
Ref, The - 1994
Renaissance Man - 1994
Simple Twist of Fate, A - 1994
Un indien dans la ville - 1994
When a Man Loves a Woman - 1994
Bad Company - 1995
Everybody Can Float - 1995
Father of the Bride Part II - 1995
Feast of July - 1995
Jefferson in Paris - 1995
Jerky Boys, The - 1995
Mad Love - 1995
Boys - 1996
Kazaam - 1996
Last Dance - 1996
Mr. Wrong - 1996
Phenomenon - 1996
Preacher's Wife, The - 1996
Ransom - 1996
Two Much - 1996
Up Close & Personal - 1996
War at Home, The - 1996
Con Air - 1997
Cyclops, Baby - 1997
Face/Off - 1997
Kundun - 1997
Metro - 1997
Nothing to Lose - 1997
Playing God - 1997
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion - 1997
Sixth Man, The - 1997
Starship Troopers - 1997
Thousand Acres, A - 1997
Armageddon - 1998
Beloved - 1998
Civil Action, A - 1998
Enemy of the State - 1998
He Got Game - 1998
Holy Man - 1998
Horse Whisperer, The - 1998
Jane Austen's Mafia! - 1998
Krippendorf's Tribe - 1998
Rushmore - 1998
Six Days Seven Nights - 1998
Snake Eyes - 1998
Waterboy, The - 1998
10 Things I Hate About You - 1999
13th Warrior, The - 1999
Bicentennial Man - 1999
Bringing Out the Dead - 1999
Cradle Will Rock - 1999
Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo - 1999
Insider, The - 1999
Instinct - 1999
Mother's Helper - 1999
Mumford - 1999
Other Sister, The - 1999
Play It to the Bone - 1999
Runaway Bride - 1999
Summer of Sam - 1999
Coyote Ugly - 2000
Crew, The - 2000
Gone in Sixty Seconds - 2000
High Fidelity - 2000
Mission to Mars - 2000
Shanghai Noon - 2000
Unbreakable - 2000
Bubble Boy - 2001
Corky Romano - 2001
Crazy/Beautiful - 2001
Double Take - 2001
High Heels and Low Lifes - 2001
New Port South - 2001
Out Cold - 2001
Pearl Harbor - 2001
Royal Tenenbaums, The - 2001
25th Hour - 2002
Bad Company - 2002
Big Trouble - 2002
Count of Monte Cristo, The - 2002
Frank McKlusky, C.I. - 2002
Hot Chick, The - 2002
Moonlight Mile - 2002
O Brother, Where Art Thou? - 2002
Reign of Fire - 2002
Signs - 2002
Sorority Boys - 2002
Sweet Home Alabama - 2002
Ultimate X: The Movie - 2002
Bringing Down the House - 2003
Calendar Girls - 2003
Cold Creek Manor - 2003
Hope Springs - 2003
Open Range - 2003
Recruit, The - 2003
Shanghai Knights - 2003
Under the Tuscan Sun - 2003
Veronica Guerin - 2003
Alamo, The - 2004
Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen - 2004
Hidalgo - 2004
(Not Released Yet)
King Arthur - 2004
Ladder 49 - 2004
Ladykillers, The - 2004
Last Shot, The - 2004
Life Aquatic, The - 2004
Love and Honor - 2004
National Treasure - 2004
Regulators, The - 2004
Village, The - 2004

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

First, meowthew2 provided an accurate and succinct history lesson.

Originally posted by Crazy Hakim
Titles produced by Touchstone Pictures [us]

Hearts and Minds - 1974
Country - 1984
Splash - 1984
(rest of list snipped)

Hearts and Minds was not a Touchstone Pictures movie.

As meowthew2 noted, Walt's son-in-law, Ron Miller, started Touchstone in 1984 so that Walt Disney Productions could make movies that would not have to meet the audience expectaions for movies from "Walt Disney." The first Touchstone release was Splash, the PG-rated comedy starring Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah, directed by Ron Howard. It was an entertaining movie, and it was successful at the box office.

When Ron Miller was kicked out, Eisner, Wells and Katzenburg came into power. They ran with the Touchstone brand, approving the hard R-rated "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" as their first project. As production increased, they launched a second brand, Hollywood Pictures, with same mission to make profitable movies, not aimed at a family audience. (Hollywood Pictures has quietly disappeared.)

I don't think there's any reason to be angered that The Walt Disney Company can and does release movies that aren't appropriate for children under the Touchstone Pictures brand. They've been doing so for 20 years. If there's a reason to be angered, it's because there have been way too many bad Touchstone movies in recent years.

 

[Crazy Hakim]

Originally posted by Horace Horsecollar
First, meowthew2 provided an accurate and succinct history lesson.

Hearts and Minds was not a Touchstone Pictures movie.

Production Companies
BBS Productions
Rainbow Releasing
Touchstone Pictures [us]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071604/combined

They may not have been the sole Production Company, but according to IMDB they were involved.

 

[bekkiz]

They probably have the current distribution rights

 

[HauntedMansionFan]

Yikes... if the OP is disappointed in Touchstone, perhaps nobody should tell them that Miramax is under the Disney umbrella also. Shhhhhh....

 

[Douglas Dubh]

As production increased, they launched a second brand, Hollywood Pictures, with same mission to make profitable movies, not aimed at a family audience. (Hollywood Pictures has quietly disappeared.)

In his book, Eisner says the reason Hollywood Pictures was started was to promote an executive at Touchstone. Once it was no longer necessary to have two studios to keep two talent executives happy, the Hollywood brand was ended.

 

[AnNaNiCoLe]

But DISNEY should be a strictly FAMILY company! oh well!

 

[Bob O]

The touchstone films dont bother me for the most part they are pg-13 and not r rated. The films mentioned were midless comedies and not prono type movies.
But i do think disney as a company shouldnt be involved in some of the films released under their Miramax label, which would IMHO cause Walt to spin in his grave. They release a gory/mindless film like Kill Bill(which i saw and have nothing against /it just shouldnt be released by a disney owned company) and then shun a movie while violentgrahpic-Passions of the Christ-does tell a story important to hundreds on millions of people's faith. And not surprisingly one that is done well with meaning makes hundreds of millions of dollars whiel the other one failed to pay it costs at the box office.
By the way the above is only for comparsion purposes and a example of disney's dumb/wrong pc thinking and i dont think disney as a company should make r-rated movies. They can leave that to other companies, escpecially since pg/pg-13 movies on average make more money than r-rated movies anyway.

 

[HauntedMansionFan]

Originally posted by Bob O
But i do think disney as a company shouldnt be involved in some of the films released under their Miramax label, which would IMHO cause Walt to spin in his grave.

Why not? It is cross marketing and allows for more income overall. Also that is why it is listed under the Miramax label and not the Disney pictures. ESPN is under the Disney label, should they stop showing hockey because some of those fights can get pretty violent?

They release a gory/mindless film like Kill Bill(which i saw and have nothing against /it just shouldnt be released by a disney owned company) and then shun a movie while violentgrahpic-Passions of the Christ-does tell a story important to hundreds on millions of people's faith.

First off, is is your opinion that it is gory and mindless. Secondly, most major studios didn't want to touch "The Passion" because of the religious controversy surrounding it.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Originally posted by Crazy Hakim
Production Companies
BBS Productions
Rainbow Releasing
Touchstone Pictures [us]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071604/combined

They may not have been the sole Production Company, but according to IMDB they were involved.

"Hearts and Minds" was made in 1974. Touchstone Pictures was started in 1984. Touchstone Pictures was not involved with "Hearts and Minds" in 1974, because Touchstone Pictures did not exist then. Nor does Touchstone Pictures have the current distribution rights.

In other words, there's a mistake in the IMDB. I'm sure it's not the only mistake in the IMDB.

Originally posted AnNaNiCoLe
But DISNEY should be a strictly FAMILY company! oh well!

Whether you like it or not, The Walt Disney Company is a major media company which has grown way beyond Disney-branded movies, television, theme parks and resorts. Disney, as a company, is likely to grow bigger, regardless of what happens with Comcast's efforts. Disney-branded "product" is likely to make up an even smaller percentage over time.

 

[Bob O]

A company like Disney that is "known for family entertainment" shouldnt have to lower itself to make graphic films or films with a strong sexual content, you dont have to "sell your your soul to make a buck"!!!!! If that is the case why doesnt disney make r-rated re-make of little mermaid with underage sex, i mean if it makes money that is good right?? Or how about Snow White getting it on with some dwarves, if its for the pursuit of money, then it has to be ok(at least for some it would).
And yes, Kill Bill was mindless and gory, but making that kind of movie is fine, but one based on a religious theme apparently isnt. Im glad the american public now and the world public late will show that they beg to differ with hollywood's thinking and will pay to see a thoughtful religious movie,

 

[HauntedMansionFan]

Originally posted by Bob O
A company like Disney that is "known for family entertainment" shouldnt have to lower itself to make graphic films or films with a strong sexual content, you dont have to "sell your your soul to make a buck"!!!!! If that is the case why doesnt disney make r-rated re-make of little mermaid with underage sex, i mean if it makes money that is good right?? Or how about Snow White getting it on with some dwarves, if its for the pursuit of money, then it has to be ok(at least for some it would).

And yes, Kill Bill was mindless and gory

Again, in your opinion, you state it like it is a fact.

but making that kind of movie is fine, but one based on a religious theme apparently isnt.

It isn't because it is religiously themed, it is because of the massive controversy surrounding it that no major studio wanted to touch it.

Im glad the american public now and the world public late will show that they beg to differ with hollywood's thinking and will pay to see a thoughtful religious movie,

I'm sure the argument could be made also that "The Passion" was mindless and gory, Mel Gibson has said in many interviews that he wanted it to be "over the top".

 

[dcentity2000]

If you watch Natural Born Killers, Bob O, does your head implode?

Only kidding!



Rich::

 

[WDSearcher]

"But DISNEY should be a strictly FAMILY Company..."

OK ... then we have to get rid of anything the Disney banner has done that wasn't rated G. Which means that we lose the upcoming "Home on the Range" (PG), 1998's "Parent Trap" (PG), "Treasure Planet" (PG), "Atlantis: The Lost Empire" (PG), "Lilo & Stitch" (PG), and "The Black Cauldron" (PG), among many others. Also gone would be any "tween" series on the Disney Channel, since most of those deal with issues like dating, drugs, and general growing up, which probably wouldn't be something that you'd sit down to watch with the littler kids. The theme parks would have to lose rides like Thunder Mountain or Tower of Terror because they're not "family friendly" -- they have height restrictions and are not safe for smaller kids. Anything scary -- Haunted Mansion, Tower of Terror again, Honey I Shrunk the Audience -- would have to be toned down or closed. Pleasure Island would pretty much be gone ... or it would have to be totally synthesized to only include family-friendly humor and activities. Get rid of Victoria & Alberts, since they recommend you not bring kids, "due to the intimate nature of the dining experience." And forget about "adults only" and "kids only" sections of the Disney Cruise Lines. It's gotta be "all family, all the time."

And what about those of us who don't have families -- we just like going to WDW by ourselves. Does that mean we can't get in any more because Disney is a FAMILY company?

I know that's not what you meant, but the name Disney does still stand for FAMILY entertainment. The name Touchstone stands for something else. But no matter how you anagram the letters in "Touchstone", there's no way you can spell the word "Disney." There's a reason for that. Touchstone is a label that the Walt Disney Company created so that it could serve other audiences and compete on a different level. Take away Touchstone, Miramax, ABC, ESPN, and any other area that the Company owns simply because it's not "all family, all the time" and you may as well be operating Sesame Place.

If you don't like Touchstone films, don't go to them. If you do like Disney films, take your family. And then there's no problem!

 

[Bob O]

Disney is going away from family entertainment when it comes to the movie business(and pg 13 can still be wholesome family enterainment). Miramax and Touchstone DO mean disney, unless one believe people are too stupid too realize that disney owns many assets. Just like they know Pixar doesnt mean disney, though they are marketed by the disney. A company that prides itself on being family and uses that image to sell itself as a wholesome company shouldnt get into the gutter and make films that go against tha image. And as proof, look at what films made disney money this year, POTV and PIXAR'S Fidning Nemo, very enjoyable movies the WHOLE family could see and disney can be proud of and not want to hide from. Do you think disney feels the same with movies like Kill Bill and are just dying to turn it into a theme park attraction and maybe have Uma walk around the parks and stab people??? Was that Walts vision for his theme parks and mopvie companies??

As for Kill Bill, for those who think it wasnt mindless and gory(not that it is a bad thing for a none disney owned company)tell us what great meaning was told by this masterpiece of art???(and i will restate i did like the movie and will see the next one ,but that doesnt hide the fact it was gory and mindless) .
As for the Passion, i guess those of us who arent christian or show no respect for other people's religions may find the death of their savior/god mindless. And was it gory, yes, but with a purpose, and that was too show the suffering one person would go thru to help save others. And Mel has said he wanted to show the suffering one man endured to save the lives of other and would go over the top so as not to sanitize the real suffering that took place on the cross. As for controversy, that was caused by those who wanted to censor the movie, and the great thing about it, is that there actions have helped to fuel the fire that will make this movie one of the top money makers of all time. And it is great to see a movie that is important to hundreds of millions of people for spirtual/religious reasons to be a box office success, its just sad that hollywood has no ability or willingness to do this.

PS-I saw Nautral Born Killers and wasnt upset by the movie at all and found it entertaining, but a disney owned company should and doesnt need to make films like that. They can get along quite fine by making the movies they have historically done and throw in pg 13 movies like Armageddon/POTC etc

 

[meowthew2]

Originally posted by Bob O
Disney is going away from family entertainment when it comes to the movie business

That's really not true. If anything, Disney is going BACK to its core family audience in its movie business. Again, besides the inconsequential releases from Miramax (which probably won't be part of Disney much longer anyway), look at Disney's actual studio output from the past couple years -- the films developed and produced under the leadership of Dick Cook and Nina Jacobson.

Disney is making a very conscious return to its family audience. More movies have been released under the Walt Disney Pictures label each year for the past couple years than any year before, and most movies released from Disney Studios in the past couple years have been rated PG-13 or lower.

Just look at 2003, for example:

Under Walt Disney Pictures in 2003, there were 11 movies released, which I believe is the most Disney movies ever released in a single year.

The Jungle Book 2 - G
Piglet's Big Movie - G
Ghosts of the Abyss - G
Holes - PG
The Lizzie McGuire Movie - PG
Finding Nemo - PG
Pirates of the Caribbean - PG-13
Freaky Friday - PG
Brother Bear - PG
The Haunted Mansion - PG
The Young Black Stallion - G

Under Touchstone Pictures in 2003, there were 8 movies released, the least under that banner in a single year since the 80s.

The Recruit - PG-13
Shanghai Knights - R
Bringing Down the House - PG-13
Open Range - PG-13
Cold Creek Manor - R
Under the Tuscan Sun - PG-13
Veronica Guerin - R
Calendar Girls - PG-13

So there were 11 "Disney" films in 2003 -- 4 were G, 6 were PG (because of a very conservative MPAA it's now almost impossible to get anything but a PG rating for even the most innocuous of movies), and 1 was PG-13. There were 8 Touchstone films -- 5 rated PG-13, and just 3 rated R.

Now compare that to a few years ago when Joe Roth ran the studio and released 40 or more films a year, most of which were rated R (Disney released the most R-rated films of any studio for several years during the 90s), and only a few movies were released under Walt Disney Pictures (and they were mostly trash like Inspector Gadget, Mr. Magoo, My Favorite Martian, etc.).

Clearly, Disney is not going away from family entertainment. Quite the opposite.