Mickey Mouse, Darth Vader and Iron Man Walk into a Bar; Disney buys Lucasfilm

Both of my sons called me within minutes of each other; the Walt Disney Company had just announced the acquisition of Lucasfilm, the owner of StarWars. They were blown away; I was too.

Here's why; the Walt Disney now owns the crown jewels of intellectual property and entertainment. They own ABC television, Disney Channel, ESPN, Walt Disney Studios, Pixar, Disney Animation, Marvel Entertainment, Jim Henson, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and now...(drumroll please)... Lucasfilm.

That means they control the licensing rights to:

Spiderman

Iron Man

Thor

Hulk

Mickey Mouse

Disney Princesses

Disney Fairies

Cars

StarWars

Indiana Jones

Toy Story

Wall-E

Finding Nemo

Which is not to say that there are no other licenses; there's Transformers, Hello Kitty, Barbie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers and more. They are not, however, part of one big stable of
properties controlled by one company. Only Disney has the potential, should they choose to exercise it, to unilaterally increase royalty fees and / or guarantees.

Kudos to the Walt Disney Company for another brilliant acquisition. Just, like Luke Skywalker was admonished, however, use your power wisely. And if you do, may the "Force Be with you."