Touchstone Pictures is an American film production label and is one of several film labels of the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, owned by The Walt Disney Company's Walt Disney Studios. Established in 1984 as Touchstone Films, its releases typically feature more mature themes and darker tones than those that are released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner.

Touchstone Pictures is merely a label (similar to a record label) and does not exist as a separate company: the two companies behind it are the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group and Walt Disney Pictures and Television.^[1]

Their most commercially successful production partners in later years have been Caravan Pictures, Summit Entertainment, Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Columbia Pictures, Icon Productions, Imagine Entertainment, Mandeville Films, Focus Features and Spyglass Entertainment.

The Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group entered into a long-term, 30-picture distribution deal with DreamWorks by which DreamWorks' productions would be released through the Touchstone Pictures banner over the next five years beginning in 2011.^[2]

Background[link]

In late 1979, Walt Disney Productions released The Black Hole, a science-fiction movie that was the studio's first production to receive a PG rating (the company, however, had already distributed its first PG-rated film, Take Down—without the Disney name visible—almost a year before the release of The Black Hole.) Over the next few years, Disney experimented with more PG-rated fare, such as the 1981 film Condorman; 1982's Tron and Tex (which featured scenes of teenagers smoking marijuana) and 1983's Never Cry Wolf (which featured male nudity) and Trenchcoat. The latter film attracted major criticism for including adult themes that were considered inappropriate for a Disney film.^[3] At the same time, the Disney name was strongly associated with children's films, and may have adversely affected the box-office performance of films aimed at an older audience, such as The Devil and Max Devlin and Tron.

Started by then-Disney CEO Ron W. Miller in 1984, Touchstone's first film was Splash, a huge hit for Walt Disney Productions, grossing $68 million at the domestic boxoffice.^[4] Splash included brief rear nudity on the part of star Daryl Hannah and occasional inappropriate language, earning a PG-rating. This label until the film Ruthless People was known as Touchstone Films. Because of its success, yet another Disney film label was started in 1990, Hollywood Pictures, with the release of Arachnophobia.

Following the success of the Disney-branded PG-13 rated Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl in 2003, and other films that in the 1980s and '90s would have been assigned to the Touchstone (or Hollywood Pictures) label, Disney has decided to weigh distribution of films more toward Disney-branded films and away from Touchstone films, though not entirely disbanding them as it is continues to regularly employ the Touchstone label for R and most PG-13 rated fare.^[5]

Notable films[link]

Some well-known Touchstone Pictures releases include Pretty Woman, Dead Poets Society, Sister Act, The Insider, Ernest Goes to Camp, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Con Air, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums and Good Morning Vietnam. Its highest-grossing film release is Armageddon.

Through Touchstone, Disney's first R-rated film, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, came in January 1986 and was a large box-office success. Ruthless People followed in June 1986 and was also very successful. Both of these pictures starred Bette Midler, who had signed a six-picture deal with Disney and became a major film star again with these hits as well as Beaches and Outrageous Fortune.

One of the key producers behind Touchstone films of recent times has been producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who has had a production deal with Disney since the early 1990s.^[6] His Touchstone titles include The Ref, Con Air, Armageddon, Enemy of the State, Gone in 60 Seconds, Coyote Ugly, Pearl Harbor, Bad Company, Veronica Guerin, King Arthur and Déjà Vu. In addition, Bruckheimer has also produced several other films released under the Walt Disney Pictures and Hollywood Pictures labels.

Many movies from the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group have before release shifted between the Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures and Hollywood Pictures imprints before finally settling for one. Examples include Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Dick Tracy, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Santa Clause, Remember the Titans, Sweet Home Alabama, Bringing Down the House, National Treasure, Enchanted, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Dark Water, Hidalgo, Tales of Earthsea, and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Of these films, The Rocketeer, The Santa Clause, Remember the Titans, National Treasure, Enchanted, Tales of Earthsea and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl were released under the Disney label. The Rocketeer was released under both the Disney and Touchstone Pictures labels, similar to the fact The Santa Clause was released under both the Disney and Hollywood Pictures labels. The rest were released under Touchstone. Since 2006, The Nightmare Before Christmas has been re-released under the Walt Disney label.

Touchstone Television[link]

Disney's former non-Disney branded television division Touchstone Television Productions, LLC (formerly known as Touchstone Pictures and Television [itself an alternate version of Walt Disney Pictures and Television] and later Touchstone Television) is known for being the production company of the series The Golden Girls, Blossom, Boy Meets World (all three began before Disney's ABC acquisition), My Wife and Kids, Desperate Housewives, Lost, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice and Scrubs.

On February 8, 2007 at the Disney Investor Conference, Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney, announced that they would rebrand Touchstone Television to ABC Television Studio in order to tie its successful productions more closely with the ABC brand. The announcement was made as part of a company-wide strategy to focus on three core brands, Disney, ABC and ESPN.^[7] In May 2007, the television production company yet again changed its name, this time to ABC Studios.

Touchstone Games[link]

By the end of 2007, Disney's video game subsidiary Buena Vista Games began to produce material under its own Touchstone imprint. As is the case with its motion picture and television counterparts, Touchstone merely acts as a label/imprint of Disney Interactive and not its own entity.^{[citation needed]} The first such release was the Turok video game in 2008.

List of Touchstone Pictures films[link]

See also[link]

• A Trip Through the Walt Disney Studios, a documentary from 1937
• Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (formerly Buena Vista Home Entertainment)
• Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (formerly Buena Vista Pictures Distribution)
• List of notable Disney feature films for both live-action and animated films released under the Disney label
• Walt Disney Studios

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Touchstone Pictures at the Internet Movie Database

Jerry Bruckheimer
Bruckheimer at WonderCon 2010
Born	Jerome Leon Bruckheimer (1945-09-21) September 21, 1945 (age 66) Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Residence	Los Angeles, California
Nationality	American
Education	Mumford High School
Alma mater	University of Arizona
Occupation	Producer
Years active	1972–present
Notable work(s)	Beverly Hills Cop, Flashdance, Top Gun, The Rock, Con Air, Coyote Ugly, Crimson Tide, Armageddon, Enemy of the State, Gone in 60 Seconds, Black Hawk Down, Pearl Harbor, Bad Boys, Pirates of the Caribbean, G-Force, King Arthur, Prince of Persia, National Treasure franchise
Home town	Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Salary	$113 million (2011)[1]
Spouse	Bonnie Bruckheimer (divorced), Linda Bruckheimer
Children	Alexandra (step-daughter)

Jerome Leon "Jerry" Bruckheimer (born September 21, 1945) is an American film and television producer. He has achieved great success in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. His best known television series are CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, Without a Trace, Cold Case, and The Amazing Race. Some of his best known films include Beverly Hills Cop, Flashdance, Top Gun, The Rock, Con Air, Armageddon, Bad Boys, Enemy of the State, Black Hawk Down, Pearl Harbor, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the National Treasure franchise. He is also one of the Board of Directors at ZeniMax Media.

Many of his films were produced by Paramount and Disney, while many of his television series were co-produced by Warner Bros. and CBS Television Studios.

Early life[link]

The son of German Jewish immigrants,^[2] Bruckheimer was born in Detroit, Michigan. He attended Mumford High School in Detroit until moving to Arizona for college at age 17. Bruckheimer was also an active member of the Stamp Collecting Club.^{[citation needed]} He graduated with a degree in psychology from the University of Arizona with an algebra minor. He was a member of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. A film buff at an early age with an interest in photography, Bruckheimer would take snapshots when he had the opportunity. After college Bruckheimer worked in advertising in Detroit and New York City, producing award-winning commercials.^{[citation needed]}

Film production[link]

As of 2010, Bruckheimer has produced over 40 feature films, and is regarded in the industry as one of the most successful film producers of all time.

Bruckheimer started producing films in the 1970s, after leaving his job in advertising, with director Dick Richards. They had worked together on the films The Culpepper Cattle Company, Farewell, My Lovely, and March or Die. Bruckheimer then worked with Paul Schrader on two films, American Gigolo and Cat People, which began to give him notice in Hollywood.

During the 1980s and 1990s, he was a co-producer with Don Simpson of a string of highly successful Hollywood films for Paramount Pictures. He originally met Don at a screening of 1973's The Harder They Come at Warner Brothers. The two worked together and created Bruckheimer's first big hit, 1983's Flashdance, which brought in US$95 million, an incredible sum for an R-rated film.^[3] He had a number of other hits including the Beverly Hills Cop films, Top Gun and Days of Thunder.

While working with Simpson, Bruckheimer became known as "Mr. Outside" because of his experience with film making, while Simpson became known as "Mr. Inside" because of his film industry contacts. The Rock was the last film in which Bruckheimer collaborated with Simpson, due to Simpson's untimely death. Bruckheimer stipulated that The Rock be dedicated to the memory of Simpson (this fact is mentioned at the end of the film).

Despite the setback of the untimely death of Simpson in 1996, Bruckheimer has continued to produce a large number of action films often working with director Michael Bay for several hits including Armageddon. His other hit films produced include Remember the Titans, Black Hawk Down and the Pirates of the Caribbean series.

He has also acquired the rights to produce a film based on the popular role playing game by Palladium Books, Rifts.

Television production[link]

Early in his career, Bruckheimer produced television commercials, including one for Pepsi. Since 1997 he has branched out into television, creating a number of police dramas of which CSI: Crime Scene Investigation has been the most successful. He has also produced the reality game show The Amazing Race.

In May 2008 CBS announced it had picked up Bruckheimer's newest series, Eleventh Hour, for the 2008–2009 broadcast television season. The science fiction drama follows a government agent and a professor as they investigate strange scientific and medical activity.^[4]

Bruckheimer currently has four television shows on the air: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY and The Amazing Race.

At one point, three of his TV series ranked among the top 10 in the ratings—a unique feat in television.^[5]

It was announced on September 10, 2009 that NBC had picked up an action procedural from Jerry Bruckheimer. The show, titled Chase,^[6] "tells the stories of a team charged with making sure fugitive criminals don't evade justice," reports The Hollywood Reporter.^[7] It was canceled in May 2011.

Bruckheimer's most notable flop was Skin, which was cancelled after three episodes in 2003.

Financial success[link]

One of the most successful producers of all time, Bruckheimer has been nicknamed "Mr. Blockbuster", due to his track record of commercially successful, high-grossing films. Overall, his films have brought in over $13 billion to Hollywood,^[8] and have launched the careers of numerous actors and directors.

In 2007, he was ranked #39 on Forbes Celebrity 100 List, up from #42 in 2006. With reported annual earnings of $120 million,^[9] he was the 10th highest money-earner on the 2006 Forbes Celebrity 100 List.

Notable box-office grosses[link]

In July 2003, Bruckheimer was honored by Variety magazine as the first producer in Hollywood history to produce the top two highest-grossing films of a single weekend, the buddy-cop fender-bender Bad Boys II and the Disney theme-park spin-off, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

The Pirates of the Caribbean film trilogy, produced through Walt Disney Pictures was enormously profitable, and demonstrates Bruckheimer's ability to create lucrative projects. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, the first film in the franchise, was released on July 9, 2003. A surprisingly popular box office hit, it was well-received by critics and filmgoers alike. After the unexpected success of the first film, Walt Disney Pictures revealed that a trilogy was in the works. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest was released on July 7, 2006. The sequel proved to be very successful, breaking records worldwide the day of its premiere. In the end it acquired a total of $1,066,179,725 at the worldwide box office, becoming the third and fastest film to reach this staggering amount. The third film in the series, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End was released worldwide on May 25, 2007. Altogether, the film franchise has grossed over $2.79 billion worldwide. Also at 2011 the fourth film "Pirates of the Caribbean:On Stranger Tides"

For 19 years, the 1984 film Beverly Hills Cop (estimated earnings $234 million) stood as Bruckheimer's highest-grossing film until August 12, 2003, when it was pushed to the number two spot by Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, then to the number three spot by Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, and then to the number four spot by Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and at 2011 the fourth part "Pirates of the Caribbean:On Stranger Tides"

Professional honors and awards[link]

The editors of Entertainment Weekly named Bruckheimer the #1 most-powerful person in Hollywood in 2003. He was ranked #10 on Premiere's 2006 "Power 50" list, and had also ranked #10 on the 2005 list. He ranked #19 on Premiere's 2003 annual Hollywood Power List, and had ranked #22 in 2002.

His projects have been honored with 41 Academy Award nominations (six wins), eight Grammy Award nominations (five wins), 23 Golden Globe nominations (four wins), 77 Emmy Award nominations (seventeen wins), eight People's Choice nominations (four wins), and numerous MTV Awards, including one for Best Picture of the Decade.^[8]

Bruckheimer received the ShoWest Producer of the Year Award in 1998 and in 2000 the Producers Guild honored him with the David O. Selznick Award for Lifetime Achievement.

In May 2006, he was honored with a doctor of fine arts degree (DFA) from the University of Arizona's College of Fine Arts.

Views on cinema[link]

When asked about his favorite films, he named 1972's The Godfather, 1971's The French Connection, 1997's Good Will Hunting, and 1959's The 400 Blows.^[5]

• "We are in the transportation business. We transport audiences from one place to another."—Bruckheimer on the film industry's obligation to its audience.
• "If I made films for the critics, or for someone else, I'd probably be living in some small Hollywood studio apartment."—Jerry Bruckheimer on why he makes films.^[10]

Personal life[link]

Bruckheimer has been married twice. His first wife was Bonnie Bruckheimer. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his second wife, novelist Linda Bruckheimer. He also has one stepdaughter, Alexandra. The couple also owns a farm in Bloomfield, Kentucky, about 20 miles (32 km) southeast of Louisville, as well as another in Ojai, south of Santa Barbara. As a teenager, Linda moved from Kentucky to Los Angeles, where she has been a writer, producer and West Coast editor for Mirabella, and where she married Jerry Bruckheimer. She regularly spends time as a preservation activist, restoring and preserving historic buildings in small rural U.S. towns.^[11]

His film company, Jerry Bruckheimer Films, is located at 1631 10th Street in Santa Monica, California.

Philanthropic activities[link]

Bruckheimer's philanthropic activities have included publicly supporting the fight against multiple sclerosis via his work with The Nancy Davis Foundation for MS. He has additionally pledged to help various causes by establishing the Jerry Bruckheimer Foundation.^[10] However, according to The Smoking Gun, the last time the Jerry Bruckheimer Foundation made a contribution was in 1995, when it gave $9,350 to Van Nuys prep school.^[12]

Bruckheimer has aided in the repair and restoration of the historic clipper ship Cutty Sark, which is similar to the ships seen in the Pirates of the Caribbean films. A collection of photos taken by Bruckheimer went on display in London in November 2007 to help raise money for the Cutty Sark Conservation Project. The exhibition featured more than thirty pictures taken on set during the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.^[13]

Political contributions[link]

Bruckheimer is one of the few cinema personalities who supported President George W. Bush outspokenly.^{[citation needed]} He donated funds to John McCain's 2008 presidential election campaign. In 2007 it was reported that he donated 29% of his $20,700 in political contributions to Republican candidates.^[14] He gave $5,000 to a joint fundraising committee on John McCain’s behalf.^[15] Bruckheimer has donated more than $50,000 to Republican campaigns and committees.^[16]

Sports ownership[link]

Bruckheimer has been named as one of the investors of a new sports arena in Las Vegas and has been rumored to be the leading choice by the National Hockey League to own an expansion hockey team that would play in the proposed arena.^[17]

Filmography (producer)[link]

Films[link]

• The Culpepper Cattle Co. (1972) (associate producer, with 20th Century Fox)
• Farewell, My Lovely (1975) (with AVCO Embassy Pictures)
• Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins (1975) (associate producer, with Warner Bros.)
• March or Die (1977) (with Columbia Pictures and ITC Entertainment)
• Defiance (1980) (with American International Pictures)
• American Gigolo (1980) (with Paramount Pictures)
• Thief (1981) (with United Artists)
• Young Doctors in Love (1982) (with 20th Century Fox)
• Cat People (1982) (with Universal Pictures and RKO Pictures)
• Flashdance (1983) (with Paramount Pictures)
• Beverly Hills Cop (1984) (with Paramount Pictures)
• Thief of Hearts (1984) (with Paramount Pictures)
• Top Gun (1986) (with Paramount Pictures)
• Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) (with Paramount Pictures)
• Days of Thunder (1990) (with Paramount Pictures)
• The Ref (1994) (with Touchstone Pictures)
• Dangerous Minds (1995) (with Hollywood Pictures)
• Crimson Tide (1995) (with Hollywood Pictures, reissued since 2009 by Walt Disney Pictures)
• Bad Boys (1995) (with Columbia Pictures)
• The Rock (1996) (with Hollywood Pictures)
• Con Air (1997) (with Touchstone Pictures)
• Enemy of the State (1998) (with Touchstone Pictures)
• Armageddon (1998) (with Touchstone Pictures)
• Remember the Titans (2000) (with Walt Disney Pictures)
• Coyote Ugly (2000) (with Touchstone Pictures)
• Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000) (with Touchstone Pictures)
• Black Hawk Down (2001) (with Columbia Pictures and Revolution Studios)
• Pearl Harbor (2001) (with Touchstone Pictures)
• Bad Company (2002) (with Touchstone Pictures)
• Bad Boys II (2003) (with Columbia Pictures)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) (with Walt Disney Pictures)
• Veronica Guerin (2003) (with Touchstone Pictures)
• Kangaroo Jack (2003) (with Warner Bros. and Castle Rock Entertainment)
• National Treasure (2004) (with Walt Disney Pictures)
• King Arthur (2004) (with Touchstone Pictures)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) (with Walt Disney Pictures)
• Déjà Vu (2006) (with Touchstone Pictures)
• Glory Road (2006) (with Walt Disney Pictures)
• National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007) (with Walt Disney Pictures)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) (with Walt Disney Pictures)
• G-Force (2009) (with Walt Disney Pictures)
• Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009) (with Touchstone Pictures)
• Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) (with Walt Disney Pictures)
• The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010) (with Walt Disney Pictures)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) (with Walt Disney Pictures)
• The Lone Ranger (2013) (with Walt Disney Pictures)

Television[link]

Television films[link]

• Max Q (1998) television film (exec. producer)
• Swing Vote (1999) television film (exec. producer)
• Fearless (2004) television film (co-producer, exec. producer)

Reality television[link]

• The Amazing Race (2001–present) TV Series (exec. producer)
• Take the Money and Run (2011) TV series (exec. producer)

Sitcoms[link]

• iCarly
• Drake and Josh

Comedy[link]

• Modern Men (2006) TV series (exec. producer)

Drama[link]

• Soldier of Fortune, Inc. (1997–1998) TV Series (exec. producer)
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000–present) TV Series (exec. producer)
• Without a Trace (2002–2009) TV Series (exec. producer)
• CSI: Miami (2002–2012) TV Series (exec. producer)
• Profiles from the Front Line (2003) TV Series (exec. producer)
• Skin (2003) TV Series (exec. producer)
• Cold Case (2003–2010) TV Series (exec. producer)
• CSI: NY (2004–present) TV Series (exec. producer)
• Just Legal (2005–2006) TV Series (exec. producer)
• E-Ring (2005–2006) TV Series (exec. producer)
• Close to Home (2005–2007) TV Series (exec. producer)
• Justice (2006) TV Series (exec. producer)
• Eleventh Hour (2008–2009) TV Series (exec. producer)
• The Forgotten (2009–2010) TV Series (exec. producer)
• Dark Blue (2009–2010) TV Series (exec. producer)
• Miami Medical (2010) TV Series (exec. producer)
• Chase (2010–2011) TV Series (exec. producer)
• The Whole Truth (2010) TV series (exec. producer)

Pilots[link]

• The Legacy was shot for UPN's 2002-2003 season, written by Simon Kinberg and directed by Jim Gillespie.^[18] The Legacy is a science fiction drama that tells the story of a young assistant District Attorney Sam (Matthew Marsden) who inherits superpowers and must juggle the responsibility with his existing job and girlfriend Jess.

• An HBO television series inspired by Cocaine Cowboys is in the works, with Jerry Bruckheimer, Michael Bay, Alfred Spellman and Billy Corben serving as executive producers. It will chronicle the early days of cocaine trafficking in Miami, and is being produced by HBO sister company Warner Bros. Television, where Jerry Bruckheimer TV is based.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jerry Bruckheimer

• Jerry Bruckheimer Films
• Jerry Bruckheimer at the Internet Movie Database
• Jerry Bruckheimer collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• http://www.zenimax.com/bod.htm