Disney buys Marvel

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In the age of the Internet, how this remained a secret, I will never know.  But it was announced this morning that Marvel Entertainment would become part of the Walt Disney Co., giving Disney the outlet it needed to appeal to males ages 13-30. It’ll still be a few years before we hear the Touchstone and Disney fanfares in front of Marvel Studios releases, so I’ll drink the Kool-Aid for now.

Both Marvel and Disney this morning made an effort to compare the deal with the one the Mouse House struck with Pixar Animation Studios, which only happened three years ago. Truth be told, we haven’t really seen what the Disney-Pixar deal means for Pixar motion pictures… or for Disney for that matter. Up was already well into production at the time of the merger. Bolt is only half-Pixar. The Princess and the Frog and Toy Story 3, the first two solidly post-merger animated features, will be the real tests.

Still, Marvel Comics waited until the right moment to get exactly what it wanted. And like the Disney-Pixar deal, we won’t likely see the real effects until after The Avengers is in the bag. Marvel fans have a right to be worried, just like I’m worried about Pixar. But as long as both mergers turn out better than the Muppets acquisition did, I think we’ll all be happy. (And yes, I’m still waiting for America’s Next Muppet, Disney.)