Unit G322 - Frozen (Case Study)
- 1. AUDIENCE AND INSTITUTIONS: FROZEN LEARNING OBJECTIVES: AM I ABLE TO EVALUATE THE ELEMENTS OF DISTRIBUTION AND EXHIBITION WHICH CONTRIBUTED TOWARDS FROZEN’S SUCCESS?
- 2. FIRST THINGS FIRST • In pairs, create a spider diagram about what you know about The Walt Disney Company. • What do they do? • What products do they make? • What subsidiaries do they own? • What are they most famous for?
- 3. Formed in 1923 by Walt Disney. First full length animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released in 1937.Disneyland in California is first opened in 1955.The Disney Channel is launched in 1983. The first Disney Store is opened in 1987. The first Disney Store is opened in 1987. In 1991, Beauty and the Beast is the first Disney film to win an Oscar for Best Picture. 2006 – Disney buys Pixar. 2009 – Disney buys Marvel. 2012 – Disney buys Lucasfilm.
- 4. Overall… The Walt Disney Company is the 2nd largest conglomerate in the world. Walt Disney Studios is the 2nd largest film production company. In 2014 the company made around $48 billion.
- 5. UNLESS YOU HAVE BEEN LIVING UNDER A ROCK… • Frozen was first released in December 2013 (in the UK) and is Disney’s 53rd animated feature. • The film’s budget was $150 million. • To date (Jan 2015) the film has made $1.274 billion worldwide – making it the highest-grossing animated film of all time, the fifth highest-grossing film of all time, the highest-grossing film of 2013. • Frozen won two Academy Awards in 2014: Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song ("Let It Go"). • The film will be followed by a short sequel ‘Frozen Fever’ in Spring 2015. • The film also managed to top the UK Box Office TWICE – firstly, on its initial release and then for it’s re-release to the cinema in December 2014.
- 6. SO… HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE SEEN IT? • If you have seen the film, did you like it? Why? • Why do you think the film has been so successful – generally AND in comparison to other recent Disney animations (such as Tangled – which I think is WAY better)? Try to think about the different stages of the production, distribution and exhibition – not just what the film’s about. What can a company like Disney do that a small, British production company cannot?
- 7. HANDS UP IF YOU’VE HEARD OF THE FOLLOWING MARKETING STRATEGIES/MERCHANDISE…
- 8. COMPARE IT… • How does Frozen’s marketing campaign compare to the British case studies we have looked at? • Do any of them easily compare? How? • What advantage does Frozen have, ahead of these films in relation to its production company and its audience?
- 9. EXHIBITION… Cinema: • First released on the 8th December 2014 on around 500 screens (a wide release). • The film made £4.7 million in it’s opening weekend and was top of the UK box-office. DVD/Blu-Ray • Released on 31st March 2014 – the film sold over 500,000 copies in the first few days and by the end of the first three weeks of its release had sold 1.45 million units. Frozen is the biggest selling video title of 2014.
- 10. • Frozen continues to earn money at the box-office NOW through special sing-a-long screenings. • For example at The Prince Charles’ Cinema in Leicester Square. Typically, this cinema is associated with classic, cult and independent films – but they are screening Frozen! • What does this tell
- 11. COMPARE IT… • How does Frozen’s exhibition methods compare to the British case studies we have looked at? • Do any of them compare? Why/why not? • What exhibition methods could British films take advantage of, to help them compete with global institutions, such as Disney?
- 12. LINK IT… • Overall, how does Disney and Frozen link into the exam question themes? a) Media ownership b) Cross-media convergence and synergy in production, distribution and marketing c) New technology and its impact on distribution, marketing and exchange d) The proliferation in hardware and content e) Technological convergence