Disney's Fox Deal - 10 Properties That Will Be Selling Points For Disney+
7. Blue Sky Animations
Disney’s biggest rival in the world of Western animation has long been Dreamworks, now owned by Comcast (who also bid for Fox’s assets), who have garnered a significant following with their Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, How To Train Your Dragon and Madagascar franchises. Blue Sky haven’t made as much of an impression, but the acquisition of their library is a good score for Disney nonetheless.
This is chiefly due to the strength of the Ice Age franchise, which has spanned five films since the first was released in 2002. The antics of Sid the sloth, Manny the mammoth, Diego the sabretooth and Scrat the squirrel have undoubtably declined in quality over time (the most recent film having scored 17% on RottenTomatoes compared to the original’s 77%), but each film since the first has grossed at least $400 million, indicating a sizable fanbase that Disney will be keen to exploit through both cinemas and streaming.
Control of Blue Sky also gives Disney ownership of the two Rio films and the studio’s five other one-offs, as well as the three productions they currently have in development. Whilst fifteen films total (and a handful of shorts) isn’t a huge amount in the grand scheme of things (especially when Disney have hundreds if not thousands already) they are by no means insignificant.