Corporate- The Greatest Franchises

Disney has some great franchises to rely on including Toy Story, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Disney Princesses, but lately it seems that Disney's new franchises are weak and underwhelming. Think about this term for a minute; what is a franchise? A franchise is an idea or concept that the company can bank on. A franchise is never a one hit wonder, it is an idea that starts a trend and easily spawns new ideas and ventures. A franchise should also be able to have successful movie sequels, strong consumer product lines, television shows, video games, and theme park attractions. Don't be mistaken by franchise fakers; as dear as the Haunted Mansion is, it's not a franchise. The Lion King is not a franchise. Cars is not a franchise (though I know Disney is really trying to make it one). A franchise is exciting. The best franchises do not get an attraction at the park, they get a whole park to themselves. Here is a list of the ten best franchises in entertainment

10) Marvel Universe. It's fun to follow and know how the characters interplay.

9) Indiana Jones. The act of discovery is very exciting.

8) The Simpsons. The strength of this franchise is in the large cast of characters.

7) Preacher comic book series. (Potential...why has this not been made a series of movies yet?)

6) Lord of the Rings. Imagine walking around the Shire, Rivendell, or Gondor.

5) Harry Potter series. Wizards of Waverly place was Disney's attempt to capture some of these fans, but the Potter series is so well-written and full of fun ideas and language that it is in a league all its own.

4) Star Wars. Since 1977 this franchise has been leading the charge. The Disney/Lucas cooperation projects only help Disney, but they can do more. Why not a star wars themed land or park? Why not a Soarin style attraction in the millennium falcon? Star Tours is good, but why not create a 3-D environment that actually follows the stories?

3) Batman. He's a superhero without superpowers...making him believeable (to a degree) and addictive. Look at the Christopher Nolan Batman movies, they are amazing. The adventures of Batman are never going away.

2) The Muppets. This is the strongest asset Disney has right now that they can actually work with. They can't mess with Mickey, but the Muppets are those type of characters for adults. They can use adult humor and they can experiment with these characters! I'm glad they re-vitalized the franchise again, but lets hope they made it good.

1) Jurassic Park. What a concept this is, interesting, fun, exciting, and full of imagination. The books are great, the first movie is great, and it hits the inner kid in all of us...but the best part is that IT IS A THEME PARK SO THERE WON'T BE ANY PROBLEM ADAPTING IT. It is a shame that universal has this because they do not know how to properly leverage this asset. The ride they have now is terrible, the little eatery is terrible, and they aren't using it to its full potential. Imagine what Disney could do with this idea. It would demand its own theme park and Disney would really attempt to recreate the feeling of the books/movies. Not just a "dinosaur ride", but imagine a park that had all the elements and layout of the story. That would be exciting.

Obviously, all of these franchises already exist and would cost a lot of money to acquire (if they even could). However, Disney can also grow franchises in-house. Concepts such as Ninjas, Karate, Astronauts/Space, ghosts, Mafia, etc. All these concepts are GENRES in addition to their current Pirates, Princesses, and the recent vampire craze.