To say the Walt Disney Company has its fingers in a lot of pies is the understatement of the millennium. With control over Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, and most recently 20th Century Fox, it's hard to find a distributor without at least six degrees of separation from the house of mouse.
With that in mind, it might come as a surprise that Disney has released several movies without their stylish signature above the title. This might be under a different distributor, studio, or even company, but these movies were still technically released by the house of mouse. Have a look at these ten films released by Disney but without their name.
10 Splash (1984)
The name Touchstone Pictures is going to appear quite frequently on this list, simply because it was a studio created by the Walt Disney Company to release more adult-oriented features, which is understandable given the studio's reputation for animated and family-friendly flicks. Adults enjoy a good Disney flick too, ya know.
Splash is a modern mermaid tale featuring a young Tom Hanks and directed by the legendary Ron Howard and a perfect first entry for our list. It has that classic Disney fairytale motif, but with more adult content. Still a PG film, but not one Disney would have directly.
9 Mission to Mars (2000)
If you thought Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl was the first time the studio made a movie based on one of their park attractions, we're afraid you'd be sorrowfully mistaken. Released under the now-defunct Buena Vista Studios, Mission to Mars is a sci-fi action flick that's partially based on the former Magic Kingdom attraction.
Directed by Brian De Palma, the film involves a group of astronauts and scientists embarking on an expedition to the surface of the red planet. Taking a few notes from the factual Apollo 13, Mission to Mars is a more serious sci-fi affair that has a more dramatic focus than its theme park counterpart.
8 Dragonslayer (1981)
Released by Disney but while in partnership with Paramount Pictures, we have the swords and sorcery epic that is Dragonslayer. In the time of Dungeons and Dragons and Conan the Barbarian, it's no surprise that Disney wanted to dip its toes in the dark-fantasy genre but we're not talking Black Cauldron here, folks.
Despite the strange casting of Peter MacNicol as its heroic lead, Dragonslayer has everything you could want out of a standard fantasy flick. With its sword-swinging action, strange and mysterious sorcery, and a fire-breathing dragon brought to life by impressive effects, what more could you ask for?
7 Mr. Holland's Opus (1995)
Definitely what many consider the highlight of Richard Dreyfuss's career, we have Mr. Holand's Opus. This fantastic and emotional drama presented by Hollywood Pictures and distributed by Buena Vista tells the story of a dedicated music teacher and his illustrious career through the decades.
Similar to Mission to Mars, we have Disney using a different studio/distributor to release a much more serious and drama-heavy film. We don't exactly see many family-focused Disney films focusing heavily on the Vietnam War or the assassination of John Lennon. Still, Mr. Holland's Opus ripe for the viewing on Disney+ come this October.
6 10 Things I hate About You (1999)
Distributed by Buena Vista and produced by Touchstone Pictures, 10 Things I Hate About You has to be one of the most beloved romantic-comedies and Shakespearean adaptations on the market. Based on Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt lead this charming and twisted love story.
If you're familiar with the bard's famous plays, the story and several easter-eggs should be all too familiar. In a romantic escapade involving a leather-jacket-clad bad boy, a shrewish older sister, her sweet but conceited sibling, and a lovesick nerd, we're given a love-filled high school comedy that only Shakespeare could dream up.
5 The Thief and The Cobbler (1995)
It's about time we had an animated flick or two on our list, and boy do we have a flick for you. Any animation buff worth their salt knows about the sordid history behind The Thief and the Cobbler, but in short, the film was in development from as early as 1964 before being released in 1992 under Disney's partnership with Miramax.
The plot is definitely a mixed-up Arabian Nights-inspired fantasy, but the animation brought to us by the brilliant Richard Williams makes this film a delectable feast for the eyes. Plus, it features Vincent Price as the film's antagonist. That should certainly make it worth a watch or two.
4 Gnomeo and Juliet (2011)
Though this Elton John-inspired take on Shakespeare's famous love story was released under Touchstone pictures, it was completely financed by the wonderful world of Disney. Gnomeo and Juliet is a strange but charming little film retelling of Romeo and Juliet starring lawn gnomes and other garden decor in the lead roles.
With a catchy soundtrack, lovable characters, and phenomenal vocal performances by a star-studded cast, there's a lot to love about this magnificent musical film. While it's definitely not as deep or graphic as its source material, Gnomeo and Juliet is an absolutely enchanting and enjoyable experience.
3 Popeye (1980)
We understand if you're not familiar with this musical movie, but it should still be on your radar for a future watch. In partnership with Paramount Pictures, the owners of the character, Disney helped create a live-action film based on the spinach-eating strong man and in the process gave Robin Williams an early lead film role.
In all honesty, Popeye probably isn't the best but it's not without merit. If given the right treatment, this film could have done well as a stage musical, and there's an undeniable amount of campy charm from both the cast and the plot. When all said and done, the film accomplishes what it sets out to be, a live-action Popeye film.
2 Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
Who Framed Roger Rabbit is definitely a Disney movie. True, it has several appearances by a multitude of other cartoon stars from the likes of Warner Bros, Fleisher, and Paramount, but they're all working on Mickey's payroll. Produced by Touchstone and Amblin pictures, a film with so many cartoon properties needed some serious treatment, and some Disney magic as well.
Half crime-noir film, half cartoon comedy, this film is definitely one of the greatest the era had to offer. If that's not convincing enough for you, it was inducted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2016.
1 The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
And now we come to the top of the heap with Disney's biggest cult-film yet, The Nightmare Before Christmas. Though the Henry Selick/Tim Burton masterpiece is a fan favorite nowadays with its own Haunted Mansion overlay at Disneyland. There was a time when the studio wanted nothing to do with it.
After his work on Vincent and Frankenweenie, Disney considered Tim Burton's work to be more than a bit too dark for their tastes, which led to a falling out with the prolific director. So when Nightmare Before Christmas was greenlit, Disney released it under Touchstone pictures and merely had a presentation credit with the project.
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