18 movies you'll be surprised Disney didn't make
Ann Schmidt
- Some animated and live-action films have somehow become synonymous with Disney, even though they were made by competing production companies.
- A few live-action movies that could confuse viewers include "Mowgli" and "Mirror Mirror," which are based on classic stories that Disney has also made film versions of.
- "Anastasia" and "FernGully: The Last Rainforest" were originally distributed by 20th Century Fox, however, Disney has since acquired the company.
With the prevalence of Pixar and Marvel, it seems like nearly everything is a Disney movie, especially when it comes to animated films.
However, throughout the last few decades, a couple of competing production companies have given Disney a run for its money.
Here are some movies that may seem like they were made by Disney, but actually weren't.
The 1973 animated adaptation of "Charlotte's Web" is a Paramount Pictures film.
The animated version of "Charlotte's Web" tells the story of a friendship between a young pig and a spider.
Though it could easily be mistaken for a Disney film from the 1970s, it was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, Sagittarius Productions, and Paramount Pictures.
"The Secret of NIMH" (1982) was created by a former Disney animator.
Directed by Don Bluth, "The Secret of NIMH" is based on a book by Robert C. O'Brien and tells the story of a mouse who seeks help from a colony of rats to save her sick son.
Before founding Don Bluth Productions, Bluth was a Disney animator. He worked on films including "Sleeping Beauty" (1959) before leaving the company with his colleague, Gary Goldman, to start their own animation studio.
Additionally, "The Secret of NIMH" was partially funded by Aurora Productions, which was created by former Disney executives Jim Stewart, Rich Irvine, and Jon Lang.
"An American Tail" (1986) was produced by Universal Pictures.
"An American Tail," the animated story about a mouse immigrating to the US, was directed by Bluth in the mid-1980s.
Although it could easily be mistaken for a Disney movie, it was actually produced by rival company Universal Pictures and created by Don Bluth Productions, U-Drive Productions, Sullivan Studios, and Amblin Entertainment (led by Steven Spielberg).
"The Land Before Time" (1988) was also produced by Universal Pictures.
Also directed by Bluth, "The Land Before Time" tells the story of young dinosaurs on a quest to find their families.
The 1988 animated film was produced by Universal Pictures, Sullivan Bluth Studios, U-Drive Productions, Amblin Entertainment, and Lucasfilm (uncredited) — which was eventually bought by Disney.
Sullivan Studios and Don Bluth Productions merged to form Sullivan Bluth Studios in the late 1980s.
The animated classic "All Dogs Go to Heaven" (1989) was another one of Bluth's creations.
"All Dogs Go to Heaven," an animated classic from 1989 directed by Bluth, Goldman, and Dan Kuenster, follows a dog angel who goes back to Earth and befriends an orphan girl.
The film shares some characteristics with Disney flicks, but "All Dogs Go to Heaven" was created and produced by Sullivan Bluth Studios and Goldcrest Films International.
The live-action film "Hook" (1991) is a TriStar Pictures film.
Although there are a number of animated and live-action "Peter Pan" films on the market — including a few made by Disney — the live-action "Hook" (1991), starring Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, and Julia Roberts, is one of the most popular adaptations
The story follows a grown-up Peter Pan as he rescues his children from Captain Hook.
The film was created and produced by Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and TriStar Pictures, which had recently been acquired by Sony.
"FernGully: The Last Rainforest" (1992) was made by 20th Century Fox, which is now owned by Disney.
"FernGully: The Last Rainforest," tells the story of fairies who have to save their home from loggers and pollution.
The 1992 film was voiced by stars like Williams, Christian Slater, and Tim Curry, and it was produced by FAI Films, Kroyer Films, and Youngheart Productions.
The film was directed by Bill Kroyer, the founder of Kroyer Films, who had previously been one of Disney's core animators.
The film was also distributed by 20th Century Fox, which was later acquired by Disney.
"The Swan Princess" (1994) was distributed by New Line Cinema, not Disney.
"The Swan Princess" tells the story of a woman who was cursed by a sorcerer and turned into a swan.
The storyline has Disney written all over it, but it was actually produced by smaller companies Nest Family Entertainment and Rich Animation Studios.
"Balto" (1995) was produced by Amblimation and Universal Pictures.
"Balto," the animated movie about a husky in Alaska who leads a dog team 600 miles to get medical supplies, was produced by Amblimation — an animation subsidiary of Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment — and Universal Pictures.
"Jumanji" (1995) is another non-Disney live-action film produced by TriStar Pictures.
The original 1995 version of "Jumanji" tells the adventure of two kids who play a magical game that releases a man who had been trapped inside the board for years.
Although it may seem like the kind of movie that Disney would make, it was actually produced by TriStar Pictures (Sony), Interscope Communications, and Teitler Film.
There's a big debate over whether "Anastasia" (1997), with its roots in 20th Century Fox, should become part of the Disney canon.
"Anastasia," the animated classic about the last surviving daughter of the Russian royal family, was not actually made by Disney — even though the titular heroine has been mistaken for a Disney princess since the film's release.
The movie was produced by 20th Century Fox, as well as Fox Animation Studios, Fox Family Films, and The Big Gun Project. Notably, "Anastasia" was also directed by Bluth and Goldman.
The film has now technically become the property of Disney since it acquired Fox, however, it's hard to say whether that really makes Anastasia a Disney princess or not.
Warner Brothers produced the animated film "Quest for Camelot" (1998).
"Quest for Camelot," also called "The Magic Sword: Quest for Camelot," was released in 1998 and tells the story of a young woman, a handsome hermit, and a two-headed dragon who are searching for King Arthur's sword, Excalibur.
The film is filled with catchy songs, adventure, and a touching love story, which is a formula that Disney often uses as well.
Disney released "The Sword in the Stone" in 1963, but this animated film about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table was made by Warner Brothers Feature Animation.
The star-studded animated movie "The Prince of Egypt" (1998) was produced by DreamWorks Animation.
The 1998 animated film "The Prince of Egypt" tells the Biblical story of Moses with a cast of voices including Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sandra Bullock, Danny Glover, Jeff Goldblum, Patrick Stewart, Helen Mirren, Steve Martin, and Martin Short.
Despite the high-profile cast, which was typical of Disney movies, the film was actually produced by DreamWorks Animation, a subsidiary of Universal Pictures.
DreamWorks was founded in 1994 by Spielberg, David Geffen, and former chairman of Walt Disney Studios Jeffrey Katzenberg.
The animated classic "The Iron Giant" (1999) was produced by Warner Brothers.
Released in 1999, "The Iron Giant" follows the blossoming friendship between a young boy and a giant space robot as a government agent tries to send the alien back.
Brad Bird — who went on to write and direct "Ratatouille," "The Incredibles," and "Incredibles 2" for Disney/Pixar — spearheaded Warner Brothers Animation's "The Iron Giant."
"Stuart Little" (1999) was produced by Columbia Pictures.
"Stuart Little," the 1999 movie about a mouse who gets adopted by a human family, might seem like it had the makings of a Disney movie, but it was produced by Columbia Pictures Corporation, Franklin/Waterman Productions, and Global Medien KG.
"The Trumpet of the Swan" (2001) was another TriStar Pictures film.
The 2001 animated movie, "The Trumpet of the Swan," starred Jason Alexander, Reese Witherspoon, Seth Green, Carol Burnett, and Joe Mantegna. The movie, based on the book by E.B. White, is about a mute trumpeter swan named Louie who finds his voice.
But this feel-good kids' movie was produced by TriStar Pictures (Sony), Nest Family Entertainment, and RichCrest Animation, not Disney.
The film was directed by Richard Rich, though, who spent part of his early career at Walt Disney Studios.
The 2012 live-action film "Mirror Mirror" was produced by Relativity Media.
Although it's a live-action version of the classic fairy tale "Snow White" — which Disney has a famous animated adaptation of — "Mirror Mirror," starring Roberts and Lily Collins, was produced by Relativity Media and Goldmann Pictures among other smaller studios.
"Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle" (2018) is a Netflix original.
Disney adapted Rudyard Kipling's "The Jungle Book" into an animated movie in 1967 and a live-action film in 2016.
But "Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle" was produced by Imaginarium Productions and Warner Brothers for Netflix.
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