Walt Disney Pictures (also known simply as Disney, otherwise known as Disney Live-Action & Animation) is an American-based film studio part of The Walt Disney Studios. It is known for not only primary producing animated films but also British and American live-action feature films.
Walt Disney Pictures was established as a division of Walt Disney Productions (now The Walt Disney Company) on April 1, 1983, and the first film to bear the "Walt Disney Pictures" banner was Never Cry Wolf. Prior to that, "Walt Disney Productions" was the credit used for the company's live action films, with its first one, Treasure Island, making its theatrical premiere in 1950.
It includes films produced by other Disney divisions under Walt Disney Pictures including Walt Disney Animation Studios (since 1986), Pixar (since 1995), and now Lucasfilm (since 2023). Additionally, it includes films produced by The Walt Disney Studios under the Walt Disney Pictures banner including Marvel Studios; 20th Century Studios; Regency Enterprises; and Searchlight Pictures (international only) with Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures currently handling distribution.
On May 4, 1987, despite being industry rivals, Disney signed a theatrical distribution agreement with Warner Bros International for the release of Disney and Touchstone films in many overseas markets (including the UK) except in Australia and New Zealand, where distribution went through Roadshow Distributors instead, with Disney retaining full control of all distribution and marketing decisions on their product (one notable practice in this policy is obscuring Warner references in posters and it is credited only in very small text with the exception of some UK posters where sometimes the full logo is shown). Warner previously had an overseas distribution partnership with Columbia Pictures, but it was dissolved in 1988.
In 1992, Disney opted to end their joint venture with Warner Bros to start autonomously distributing their films in these aforementioned overseas markets beginning with Aladdin and at the same period, Warner Bros established the Family Entertainment label to self-distribute family-friendly films under the Warner umbrella. In these territories from 1993 to 2007, Disney reactivated the Buena Vista International name, and also sent distribution under it in countries that did not have any current arrangements with other companies. Disney would then continue its overseas film distribution relationship with Warner Bros. through a home video distribution deal in Europe and Australia in which Warner Home Video distributed select Disney material on DVD from 1999 to 2002, when Disney opted to self-distribute DVDs in these aforementioned territories.