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Touchstone Pictures was a film distribution label of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Previously, it operated as an active film production banner of The Walt Disney Studios, owned by The Walt Disney Company. Established on February 15, 1984 by then-Disney CEO Ron W. Miller as Touchstone Films. Its releases are typically more adult orientated than those under the Disney label, although the features Who Framed Roger Rabbit and The Nightmare Before Christmas, which used to be released under the Touchstone banner, are now considered as "Disney" movies (the former featured Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and many other Disney characters, though it also featured characters from other studios while the latter was featured in the Kingdom Hearts series: a Disney/Square Enix video game crossover and the latter was released under Walt Disney Pictures upon its theatrical re-release in 2007). Another Touchstone film Reign of Fire may also be considered as a "Disney" movie.

Touchstone Pictures merely serves as a Disney-related brand, not a distinct business operation, and did not exist as a separate company.

Their most commercially successful production partners over the years include Jerry Bruckheimer, Caravan Pictures, Summit Entertainment, Columbia Pictures, Warner Bros Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, Icon Productions, Imagine Entertainment, Mandeville Films, Focus Features, Spyglass Entertainment, and DreamWorks Pictures.

The origins of Touchstone Pictures can be traced to the 1979 release of The Black Hole, a science fiction film that sparked controversy due to the fact that it was the first Disney film to receive a PG rating (although Disney had already distributed its first PG rated film, Take Down, without the Disney name visible). Over the next few years, Disney experimented with more PG-rated fare, such as the 1981 film, Condorman, 1982's Tron, and 1983's Trenchcoat. The latter film attracted major criticism for including adult themes that were considered inappropriate for a Disney film. The controversy over Trenchcoat is generally considered the catalyst that sparked the creation of Touchstone Pictures. One title suggested for the new company was Hyperion Pictures, named after the location of the studio in the 1930s before the move to Burbank.

Touchstone's first release was Splash, a huge hit for the studio. The film included brief nudity on the part of star Daryl Hannah and adult language. Ironically, some critics complained that the creation of Touchstone in order to distribute more adult content was itself inappropriate for Disney. The unit become a top source of income for Disney during the 1980s. Touchstone/Disney's first R-rated film, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, came in January 1986 and was another smash. Ruthless People followed in April of 1986 and was also huge. One example of a recent release is Signs (2002). The studio's sister company, ABC Studios currently produces the smash hits: Alias, Desperate Housewives, and Lost, as well as Scrubs.

On February 9, 2009, DreamWorks Pictures entered a long-term deal with Walt Disney Pictures by which the next films made by DreamWorks would be released through the Touchstone banner from 2011 to 2016. However, in September 2015, it was announced that the contract with Disney would expire in 2016, as DreamWorks signs a contract with Universal Pictures. The last film from the DreamWorks-Disney contract would be The Light Between Oceans.

By the end of the DreamWorks deal, Disney had distributed fourteen of DreamWorks' original 30-picture agreement, with thirteen through Touchstone. The deal ended in August 2016, with The Light Between Oceans being the last film released under the agreement. Universal Pictures then replaced Disney as DreamWorks' distributor. Disney will retain the distribution rights for these DreamWorks films in perpetuity as compensation for the studio's outstanding loan.

As of 2017, following the release of The Light Between Oceans, the label was shuttered and permanently defunct. Since then, several other Disney divisions have produced or are developing television series and films based on previous Touchstone properties, such as Turner & Hooch, High Fidelity, Three Men and a Baby, Sister Act, and Real Steel — for Disney+ and Hulu while Touchstone's libraries are currently owned by Walt Disney Pictures.

Gallery[]

List of notable Touchstone features[]

1980s[]

1990s[]

2000s[]

  • Mission to Mars (2000) (PG)
  • High Fidelity (2000) (R)
  • Keeping the Faith (2000) (PG-13)
  • Shanghai Noon (2000) (PG-13)
  • Gone in 60 Seconds (2000) (PG-13)
  • Coyote Ugly (2000) (PG-13)
  • The Crew (2000) (PG-13)
  • Unbreakable (2000) (PG-13)
  • O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) (PG-13) (Universal Pictures handles the international rights)
  • Pearl Harbor (2001) (PG-13)
  • The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) (R)
  • Bubble Boy (2001) (PG-13)
  • Reign of Fire (2002) (PG-13)
  • Signs (2002) (PG-13)
  • 25th Hour (2002) (R)
  • Sweet Home Alabama (2002) (PG-13)
  • The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) (PG-13)
  • Sorority Boys (2002) (R)
  • The Hot Chick (2002) (PG-13)
  • Bruce Almighty (2003) (PG-13) (The film was released domestically by Universal, but Touchstone handled international distribution)
  • Under the Tuscan Sun (2003) (PG-13)
  • Shanghai Knights (2003) (PG-13)
  • The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) (R)
  • The Village (2004) (PG-13)
  • King Arthur (2004) (PG-13)
  • Ladder 49 (2004) (PG-13)
  • The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) (PG)
  • Dark Water (2005) (PG-13)
  • Flightplan (2005) (PG-13)
  • Shopgirl (2005) (R) (20th Century Fox owns the international rights. Today, Disney owns this movie completely.)
  • Casanova (2005) (R)
  • Stick It (2006) (PG-13)
  • The Prestige (2006) (PG-13) (Warner Bros. Pictures owns the international rights)
  • Step Up (2006) (PG-13)
  • Goal!: The Dream Begins (2006) (Released in two versions: PG - Cut and PG-13 Uncut)
  • Déjà Vu (2006) (PG-13)
  • Apocalypto (2006) (R)
  • Wild Hogs (2007) (PG-13)
  • Dan in Real Life (2007) (PG-13) (Focus Features owns the international rights)
  • Swing Vote (2008) (PG-13)
  • Step Up 2: The Streets (2008) (PG-13)
  • Miracle at St. Anna (2008) (R)
  • Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009) (PG)
  • Surrogates (2009) (PG-13)
  • The Proposal (2009) (PG-13)

2010s[]

Shorts[]

External link[]

WikipediaListLink Touchstone Pictures on Wikipedia


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