DIC Entertainment

DIC Entertainment was an animation studio based in Burbank, California that focused on the production of animated material. Although not currently owned by Disney, the company owned DIC through a Limited Partnership from 1996 to 2000.

Connection with Disney
DIC originally signed a home video deal with Buena Vista Home Video in 1991, which would allow them to distribute DIC shows onto VHS. On July 12, 1993, Disney signed a new video deal with the company, allowing Disney to distribute DIC releases under their own video label which would eventually be called DIC Toon-Time Video.

In 1993, DIC's parent company DIC Animation City formed a limited partnership with Capital Cities/ABC called DIC Entertainment L.P. which Andy Heyward, DIC's CEO took a smaller ownership stake in. Eventually the former company was folded, meaning CC/ABC fully owned DIC through DIC Entertainment L.P. Due to this status, the company was allowed to continue operating on it's own and produce shows outside of ABC.

In August 1995, The Walt Disney Company announced they would acquire Capital Cities/ABC for $19 Billion. The purchase was closed in January 1996 and so DIC became a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. continuing to trade the same way as before. DIC also launched a film division titled DIC Films, which produced live action movies with Disney like Meet the Deedles, Disney Channel Original Movie Genius and Inspector Gadget, an adaptation of the show of the same name, who's titular character was DIC's mascot.

When Toon Disney launched in 1998, various DIC Entertainment shows aired on the channel.

On November 18, 2000, Disney announced they would sell the company back to Andy Heyward through Bain Capital, Inc. The deal was closed on November 25, 2000, but the 2 companies still maintained a partnership afterwards.

Aftermath
In 2004, Heyward purchased the stake of DIC from Bain Capital and took the company publict the following year.

In July 2008 Cookie Jar Entertainment purchased and folded DIC Entertainment. Since 2019, most of DIC's former assets and library are owned by DHX Media, who acquired Cookie Jar in October 2012. Some exceptions include the live action films they produced with Disney, which the latter retains full ownership to.