Walt Disney Pictures (USA): 127

The movie Maleficent (2014) was helmed by director Robert Stromberg and written by Linda Woolverton. The film centers around the titular character, a formidable fairy residing in the enchanted Moors, which shares a border with a neighboring human kingdom. In her youth, Maleficent meets a peasant boy named Stefan and they fall in love. However, as they grow older, their paths diverge – Stefan’s affection is overshadowed by his desire for power and control as king, while Maleficent becomes determined to protect the Moors. When the human King Henry attempts to ...

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) is a 2014 superhero film based on the titular Marvel Comics team. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 10th installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In 1988, Peter Quill is taken from Earth by the Ravagers, a group of alien thieves led by Yondu Udonta, following his mother’s passing. Flash forward to 2014 on Morag, where Quill retrieves a mysterious Orb and faces off against Korath and his fanatical Kree cohorts, with Ronan at the helm. After escaping with the Orb, Yondu discovers Quill’s transgression and puts out a bounty for him while Ronan dispatches ...

The American superhero film, Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), is based on the popular character from Marvel Comics. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, the movie takes place two years after the Battle of New York. Steve Rogers now works for the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D. in Washington, D.C., as he tries to adjust to modern society. During a mission with Agent Natasha Romanoff and the S.T.R.I.K.E. team, led by Agent Brock Rumlow, they come across a hijacked S.H.I.E.L.D. vessel with hostages taken by pirates led by Georges Batroc. It is then that Rogers learns that Romanoff has another task: to retrieve data ...

Director John Lee Hancock created the biographical drama film, Saving Mr. Banks (2013). The screenplay was written by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith. At this time, Diarmuid Russell, a agent in London, urges Pamela ‘P. L.’ Travers to travel to Los Angeles and meet with Walt Disney. For the last twenty years, Disney has been pursuing the film rights to her Mary Poppins stories after promising his daughters he would make a movie based on them. Despite her financial struggles and dwindling book royalties, Travers has ...

The Lone Ranger (2013), an American Western action film directed by Gore Verbinski and written by Justin Haythe, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, follows the story of lawyer John Reid. In 1933 at a San Francisco funfair, young Will meets Comanche Tonto, who tells him about his encounters with the famous Lone Ranger. The film then flashes back to 1869, when Reid returns home to Colby, Texas on a train managed by railroad tycoon Latham Cole. Unbeknownst to Reid, the train also ...

Monsters University (2013) is an American animated comedy film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. As a child, Mike Wazowski visits the Monsters Inc. factory during a class field trip where he learns about the process of harnessing human children’s screams for energy to sustain the monster world. Despite being initially upset when sneaking into the human world through a door following a scarer at work, Mike is praised by the scarer, inspiring him to pursue a career as a scare himself. Fast forward twelve years later, Mike enrolls in the scaring program at Monsters University and is ...

The Halloween special Toy Story of Terror (2013) is a collaborative effort between Pixar Animation Studios and Disney Television Animation, distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. During a road trip to visit Bonnie’s grandmother, she has tagged along her beloved group of toys – Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, Rex, Mr. Pricklepants, Mr. Potato Head, and Trixie. While on the journey, the toys are engrossed in a horror movie on a portable DVD player kept in the car’s trunk. As fate would have it, their trip is cut short due to a flat tire and they are forced to spend the night at the Sleep Well roadside motel since help won’t arrive until morning. As ...

The popular movie Frozen (2013), released by Walt Disney Pictures, tells the story of Princess Elsa from Arendelle who possesses magical abilities over ice and snow. After unintentionally hurting her sister Anna with her powers, their parents, the King and Queen, take them to a group of trolls led by Grand Pabbie for help. He uses his magic to heal Anna’s injury by removing her memories of Elsa’s abilities. As a precautionary measure, the King and Queen decide to keep Elsa isolated within the castle until she learns to control her powers. This isolation causes a rift between the sisters that continues into their adulthood. Sadly, their parents perish in a ...

Thor: The Dark World (2013), an American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character, brings us back to the world of Asgard. This film is produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Serving as a sequel to Thor (2011) and the eighth installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it tells the story of an ancient clash between Bor, Odin’s father, and Malekith—the Dark Elf who seeks to unleash the Aether on the Nine Realms. After defeating Malekith and his powerful army, including warriors known as Kursed, Bor sends the Aether to a hidden world beyond anyone’s reach. However, what he doesn’t ...

The animated comedy film, Wreck-It Ralph (2012), produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures, follows the lives of video game characters after Litwak’s Arcade closes. After leaving their in-game roles, they gather at Game Central Station to socialize. One evening, the infamous villain of Fix-it Felix, Jr., Wreck-It Ralph, attends a support group called Bad-Anon where he expresses frustration with his designated role. Feeling excluded from his game’s 30th-anniversary party, Ralph sets out to win a medal in hopes of gaining respect. He overhears that the first-person shooter Hero’s Duty awards medals and sneaks into ...

A movie John Carter (2012) tells the story of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ uncle who passed away unexpectedly. The film was directed and written by Andrew Stanton, Mark Andrews, and Michael Chabon respectively, and is based on the Barsoom novel series. At the time of his uncle’s death in 1881, Burroughs learned that John had requested to be buried in a tomb that only he could open from inside. He was also given John’s personal journal to read by his lawyer. The plot then rewinds back to 1868 when Carter ...

The film Frankenweenie (2012), directed by Tim Burton and written by John August, tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist and aspiring filmmaker who lives in the quiet town of New Holland, Pennsylvania with his parents and beloved dog Sparky. Despite his involvement in various school activities, Victor keeps to himself and doesn’t interact much with his classmates, including Elsa Van Helsing, Edgar ‘E’ Gore, Bob, Toshiaki, Nassor, and an eccentric girl known as ‘Weird Girl’. To help him be more social, Victor’s father ...

Pixar Animation Studios produced Brave (2012), an American animated fantasy film distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. Set in Medieval Scotland, the story follows a young Princess Merida of clan Dunbroch on her birthday. As a gift, her father King Fergus gives her a bow and arrow, much to the dismay of Queen Elinor. While retrieving an arrow in the forest, Merida comes across a will-o’-the-wisp before being attacked by Mor’du, a massive demon bear. Escaping on horseback with Elinor, they leave Fergus and his men to defend against Mor’du, resulting in the loss of one of Fergus’s legs. A decade later, Merida learns she is to be betrothed to the ...

The American biographical historical drama film Lincoln (2012) was brought to life by director and producer Steven Spielberg. With a focus on Lincoln’s efforts in early 1865, the film showcases his determination to abolish slavery and involuntary servitude through the passing of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. As the Civil War nears its end with the defeat of the Confederate States, President Abraham Lincoln shares his concern that his 1863 Emancipation Proclamation may not hold up in court post-war, and that the proposed Thirteenth Amendment may face defeat from returning slave states. ...

The animated short film Toy Story Toons: Partysaurus Rex (2012) was written and directed by Mark Walsh. In the film, Rex is worried about making a mess with bubbles and is scolded by his fellow toys, who call him ‘Partypooper Rex’. When Bonnie starts preparing for a bath, the other toys scatter, leaving Rex alone. But then Bonnie plays with him and her bath toys until it’s time to go to her grandma’s. The bath toys are happy to have a visitor but become sad when all the water drains out. Since they need water to move and don’t have any arms, they wish someone could refill the tub. At first, ...

Mars Needs Moms (2011) is an American animated sci-fi movie co-written and directed by Simon Wells, produced by ImageMovers Digital and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Unbeknownst to humans, there exists a highly advanced society of Martians living beneath the surface of the Red Planet. The Martians’ Supervisor, while observing Earth, witnesses a mother encouraging her son, Milo, to complete his household duties. The Martians decide to bring her to Mars to extract her “mom-ness” and implant it into their next-generation nanny-bots. Meanwhile, Milo, who has been sent to his room for disobeying rules ...

Cars 2 (2011) is an American animated spy comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. During a mission to rescue his fellow British spy Leland Turbo, Finn McMissile infiltrates an oil rig owned by criminal lemon cars. There, he witnesses the lemons, led by Professor Zündapp, loading a disguised electromagnetic pulse generator onto a shipping crate. Unfortunately, Turbo is killed and Finn must escape by faking his own death. Meanwhile, Lightning McQueen takes a break from racing to visit his friends in Radiator Springs after winning his fourth Piston Cup. However, he soon gets caught up in the World Grand Prix – created by electric ...

Toy Story Toons: Small Fry (2011) is an American computer-animated short film written and directed by Angus MacLane. One evening at the fast-food chicken restaurant Poultry Palace, Bonnie is disappointed to receive a Zurg belt buckle as her kids’ meal toy instead of the Mini Buzz Lightyear she was hoping for. This happened because the restaurant had run out of Mini Buzz toys. In a nearby display cabinet, a Mini Buzz Lightyear expresses frustration to a Mini Zurg about never being played with, but Mini Zurg chooses to stay put. After finishing her meal, Bonnie heads over to play in the ball pit with Rex and Buzz ...

Toy Story Toons: Hawaiian Vacation (2011) is an animated short produced by Pixar and directed by Gary Rydstrom. Three months after Toy Story 3, Bonnie has winter break and plans to go to Hawaii with her family. The toys are looking forward to a relaxing week, but Ken and Barbie secretly hitch a ride in Bonnie’s backpack, hoping for a Hawaiian adventure. However, Bonnie leaves them in her room instead, much to Ken’s dismay when he realizes their destination is not Hawaii. Barbie tells Woody that Ken had planned for their first kiss at sunset on a beach, inspired by a travel brochure of Hawaii.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), the fantasy swashbuckler film directed by Rob Marshall, marks a change in leadership for the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. For this installment, Jerry Bruckheimer produces while Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio write, drawing inspiration from Tim Powers’ novel On Stranger Tides and connecting to previous films At World’s End (2007) and the first ...