Line #55 CashCowFranchise/Disney


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/disney_dollar.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Franchises made the House of Mouse so rich, they can ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disney_Dollars print their own money]]'' with [[WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse the face]] of [[Franchise/MickeyMouse their biggest franchise]] on them.[[note]]Disney Dollars were never real currency; they were a corporate scrip that were discontinued in 2016. However, although they're no longer printed or sold, they're still redeemable at their American stores and parks and on the Disney Cruise Line (including Castaway Cay in the Caribbean), with their value still pegged to the U.S. dollar.[[/note]]]]
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4	The [[Creator/{{Disney}} company]] founded by Creator/WaltDisney is such a titan of entertainment with so many cash cows, it needs its own page.
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6	* WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse alone has raked in millions of dollars ever since his creation in 1928. Major characters like WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck and WesternAnimation/{{Goofy}} have been best sellers for decades, while Disney's [[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon animated canon]] is one of the most unique (over 50 movies, almost all of which have nothing to do with each other) and consistently profitable franchises in Hollywood history. Apart from the animated cartoons Disney has also produced a stream of family friendly live-action films and TV series, including several theme parks devoted entirely to Disney's characters. Today the Disney brand extends to other major brands as well, including {{Creator/Pixar}}, Franchise/TheMuppets, ''Franchise/StarWars'', Creator/TwentiethCenturyStudios, Creator/MarvelComics, ''Franchise/IndianaJones'', {{Creator/ESPN}}...
7	* Though they've largely faded from [[WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts their original format]], Creator/{{Disney}}'s mascot characters have secured successful comic series, with wide arrays of spin-offs and sometimes even graphic novels, [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff in countries other than the US]] (Italy and Brazil in particular). Especially WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck and [[Characters/DisneyDucksComicUniverseDucks Scrooge McDuck]], who for ''several decades'' have been more popular than Mickey Mouse in UsefulNotes/{{Europe}} and UsefulNotes/LatinAmerica.
8	* ''Franchise/{{Tron}}'': is a unique one despite it was highly advertised, [[PeripheryDemographic saw a niche computer programming fanbase]] and the movies being a non-success in theaters, it has expanded uniquely into tie-ins, merchandise, video games, a comic miniseries, score albums, roller coaster attractions it's animated series ''WesternAnimation/TronUprising'' and the soon Tron: Ares sequel it still lives as a successful Science fiction franchise.
9	* Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon:
10	** ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen\|2013}}'' in particular has become a cash cow of its own merit, less than a year after becoming the highest-grossing animated film of all time. It now spans [[Franchise/{{Frozen}} several media]], including a toy line as successful as the ''Disney Princess'' line, two [[WesternAnimation/FrozenFever animated]] [[WesternAnimation/OlafsFrozenAdventure shorts]], [[WesternAnimation/FrozenII a feature-length sequel]], and [[Theatre/Frozen2018 its own Broadway musical]] within six years of the original film being released.
11	** ''Franchise/LiloAndStitch'' is a unique case in that its success is driven almost solely by the ridiculous popularity of the latter title character, who is self-described as "[[RidiculouslyCuteCritter cute and fluffy]]". It managed to receive a ton of sequel and spin-off media in under two decades from [[WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch the original film's]] release, including [[WesternAnimation/StitchTheMovie three]] [[WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch2StitchHasAGlitch sequel]] [[WesternAnimation/LeroyAndStitch films]], three [[WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitchTheSeries different]] [[Anime/{{Stitch}} TV]] [[Animation/StitchAndAi shows]], and even [[Manga/StitchAndTheSamurai an alternate universe manga]]. What's even more impressive is the fact that the original film itself succeeded during [[AudienceAlienatingEra a weak period]] for Disney's feature animation studio.
12	** ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King\|1994}}'' was the ''Frozen'' of its time: merchandise based on the characters could be found everywhere, the CD, Laserdisc and VHS topped music and video charts with the film itself becoming the biggest-selling VHS tape in history and it was adapted into any media possible, from [[WesternAnimation/TimonAndPumbaa a daily TV series]] about the {{Ensemble Dark Horse}}s of the film to [[Theatre/TheLionKing one of the most successful Broadway musicals of all time]]. Even today, ''Franchise/TheLionKing'' is still successful: when the parents who originally loved the film when it was big growing up had children of their own to share the movie with, Disney re-released the film into theaters, made new merchandise and [[WesternAnimation/TheLionGuard another TV show based on the franchise]], more specifically [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride its first sequel film]]. And just like all their other classic films, the film had [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing2019 a remake]], which is the highest-grossing animation ever.[[note]]Although a computer-animated film, due to its photorealistic graphics it's grouped with the Film/DisneyLiveActionRemakes.[[/note]]
13	** ''WesternAnimation/{{Moana}}'' is also this for Disney. Merchandise can still be found a year after the movie was made, it got an ice show and the CD topped the Billboard children's music charts before being dethroned by the soundtrack for the Broadway musical of ''Frozen'' in June of 2018. It helps that unlike most of their franchises, this one appeals to both genders.
14	** ''Franchise/WinnieThePooh'' makes Disney an insane amount of money each year. A settlement at one point for 2% of profits between Disney and the Creator/AAMilne estate was said to be around ''$300 million''. In fact, it is considered the third highest-grossing media franchise according to the Wikipedia article at an estimated $48.5 billion.
15	* Film/DisneyLiveActionRemakes: ''Film/{{Beauty and the Beast\|2017}}'', ''Film/{{Aladdin\|2019}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King\|2019}}'' have grossed over ''$1 billion'' each at the worldwide box office[[labelnote:*]]as did ''Film/{{Alice in Wonderland\|2010}}'', if you count it[[/labelnote]], and ''Film/{{The Jungle Book\|2016}}'' ended up pretty close. ''Film/{{Maleficent}}'' was big enough of a hit (over $750 million) to warrant a [[Film/MaleficentMistressOfEvil sequel]]. Even with the other films being modest-to-OK grossers and some releases going straight-to-streaming on Creator/DisneyPlus, the trend shows no sign of stopping and has become a major film franchise in its own right for Disney.
16	* Creator/{{Pixar}}:
17	** ''Franchise/ToyStory'' is quite easily the biggest money maker for Pixar. It wound up becoming their first movie to receive [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory2 a sequel]]. Even with the noticeably long SequelGap between two of their four installments, [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory3 both]] [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory4 sequels]] grossed over $1 billion at the box office. The former once held the record for the highest grossing animated feature of all time. And even ignoring the movies, there's been multiple [[WesternAnimation/ToyStoryToons shorts]], [[WesternAnimation/ToyStoryOfTerror television]] [[WesternAnimation/ToyStoryThatTimeForgot specials]], an [[WesternAnimation/BuzzLightyearOfStarCommand animated series]], a massive presence at all the Ride/DisneyThemeParks, and of course the piles and piles of merchandise. You'd begin to think that they started this whole franchise to [[MerchandiseDriven sell toys]].
18	** Lots of merchandise gets made of their films[[note]]''WesternAnimation/Cars2'' and ''WesternAnimation/MonstersUniversity'' are their first non-''Franchise/ToyStory'' sequel and prequel respectively[[/note]]. It should be said that ''Franchise/{{Cars}}'' is even more [[MerchandiseDriven toyetic]] ''than their own [[Franchise/ToyStory series about toys]]''. By 2015, the ''Cars'' franchise had made ''over 10 billion dollars in merchandising''. This is heavily theorized as to why Cars has gotten [[WesternAnimation/Cars2 two]] [[WesternAnimation/Cars3 sequels]], [[WesternAnimation/{{Planes}} a spin-off]] and [[WesternAnimation/PlanesFireAndRescue a sequel to the spin-off]] so quickly despite said franchise being Pixar's weakest at both the box office and with critics (with the first sequel being the first and so far only Pixar movie to get a Rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes); to keep selling toys.
19	** The ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'' franchise is also a cash cow. Aside from the original film being the best-selling DVD of all time, tons of merchandise for it, along with two different theme park experiences, were made in between the release of the original film and [[WesternAnimation/FindingDory its sequel]], with said sequel crossing the billion-dollar mark worldwide and becoming the fourth highest-grossing animated film of all time in the USA.
20	** ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'' has quickly become this for Pixar. According to one licensing website, Inside Out was the third highest-grossing licensed property based off an animated film amongst children in North America for the year of 2015, behind ''Frozen'' and ''Minions''. The movie has boatloads of spin-off merchandise that is still being produced long after the movie's release, and the film is one of the highest-selling Blu-rays of all time. It was also successful enough to get an ice show, a meet and greet at Walt Disney World and an entire ride devoted to it at Disney California Adventure. Eventually, it became Pixar's first original film from the 2010s to get a sequel.
21	* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse:
22	** Ever since it started with ''Film/IronMan1'' and (to a lesser extent) ''Film/{{The Incredible Hulk\|2008}}'' in 2008, the universe has quickly shaped into this, with [[Film/{{Thor}} each of]] [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger its films]] being big moneymakers. For emphasis, when ''Film/{{The Avengers\|2012}}'' was released, not only did it break numerous box office records around the world, it saved Creator/{{Disney}}[[note]] The company distributing this and other future MCU films after they bought Creator/MarvelComics in 2009[[/note]] from a sticky spot after ''Film/JohnCarter'' bombed months earlier and boosted both the film and comic book industries in the process, and even [[http://worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=24820 boosted sales]] of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawarma Shawarma]] thanks to a joke Tony Stark makes near the end of the film. They've had [[WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes two]] [[WesternAnimation/AvengersAssemble cartoons]], [[Anime/MarvelDiskWarsTheAvengers two]] [[Anime/MarvelFutureAvengers animes]], [[Series/AgentsofSHIELD a live-action TV spinoff,]] and tons of ancillary items. They generate so much cash that [[http://www.bleedingcool.com/2015/09/03/avengers-age-of-ultron-was-considered-a-failure-at-disney-and-what-happened-next/#comment-anchor some reported]] Marvel Studios got some independence from the comics parent for saying ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'', which nearly reached the original's box office, was "a failure".[[note]]Though it indeed was one of the projects that a Marvel ""creative comittee" was not helping; seeing them nearly drive away [[Creator/RobertDowneyJr Iron Man himself]] from ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' over salary concerns was a breaking point, as Disney knew paying him as much as needed would bring even more money[[/note]]
23	** Comicbook/IronMan has been the most profitable of the non-Sony, non-Fox Marvel characters so far. [[Film/IronMan1 His]] [[Film/IronMan2 three]] [[Film/IronMan3 movies]] were the highest-grossing solo films of the entire [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse MCU]] (''Film/IronMan3'' is also their most successful non-''Avengers'' film to this day), and he has had [[WesternAnimation/IronManArmoredAdventures so]] [[Anime/MarvelAnimeIronMan many]] [[Anime/IronManRiseOfTechnovore mass-media]] [[WesternAnimation/IronManAndHulkHeroesUnited appearances]] in the past few years that WolverinePublicity might as well be renamed "Iron Man Publicity".
24	** As of ''Film/BlackPantherWakandaForever'', the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse includes 30 films and a total collective gross of '''''$22,588,202,270'''''. That's an average of approximately '''''$982,095,751 per film'''''. And just to prove how massive it's become, the highly anticipated ''Film/AvengersEndgame'' briefly surpassed ''Film/{{Avatar}}'' as the highest grossing film of all time. It ended with a total gross of '''''$2,797,800,564'''''. Just the four ''Avengers'' movies themselves count as the fourth-biggest franchise (after the MCU itself, Star Wars, and Harry Potter) with an average gross of just under '''$2 billion apiece'''.
25	* ''Franchise/StarWars'':
26	** The original trilogy (1977-1983) started it, and a bunch of licensed books created a Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse big enough to support all kinds of [[EpilepticTrees wacky fan theories]]. As of 2020, the films alone are worth well over ''ten billion dollars''. The Walt Disney Company bought Lucasfilm solely to get its hands on the ''Star Wars'' license, and the critical and commercial success of ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' (which grossed over ''1.8 billion'' dollars in its first month of release, and over 2 billion dollars overall, making it the ''third highest grossing film of all time worldwide'' and the ''highest grossing film of all time in the United States'', not adjusted for inflation) proved that the gamble paid off.
27	** [[PlayedForLaughs Spoofed extensively]] in ''Film/{{Spaceballs}}'' with oodles of dubious merchandise advertised in the movie itself. Of note is the fact that the vast majority of capitalizing on the Star Wars brand was done ''after'' Spaceballs, ensuring the parody remained as relevant as ever. As a result, "Spaceballs: The (Item)" has become a prominent meme all by itself. Spaceballs even made a joke that they were making a sequel called "Spaceballs 2: The Search For More Money" in which now Mel Brooks hinted that he may [[http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/spaceballs/34030/spaceballs-2-mel-brooks-teases-possibility-of-new-film actually be considering making]]
28	** ''Star Wars'' toy sales weren't that great for Disney with the Sequel Trilogy and spinoff films. That is, until the Creator/DisneyPlus series ''Series/TheMandalorian'' came along. A certain cute little green Force-sensitive alien pulled this off and caused massive DemandOverload.
29	* Creator/TwentiethCenturyStudios:
30	** ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'', even if [[http://www.plaidstallions.com/kenner/alien.html a lot is]] MisaimedMerchandising given how [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids kid-unfriendly the whole deal is]].
31	** The first four films of ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'' series are this for Twentieth Century Fox and Creator/BlueSkyStudios, each installment generating at least six times its budget, [[{{Sequelitis}} despite steadily declining critical reception]] (only the first film is certified fresh by Rotten Tomatoes). And then [[FranchiseKiller the fifth film]] rolled out, which was savaged by both critics and audience, grossing only three times its budget. Still, $3 billion in total series gross ain't bad.
32	** One of the other {{Trope Makers}} for this in the 1960s along with Film/JamesBond was ''Franchise/PlanetOfTheApes''. The original movie earned four sequels, lots of merchandise and two television spin-offs. [[Film/PlanetOfTheApes2001 A remake/reboot]] in 2001 and a [[Film/RiseOfThePlanetOfTheApes reboot in 2011]] kept the apes alive through the 21st century.
33	** After ''Film/{{Avatar}}'' became the highest-grossing film at the time and the only film that came close to grossing $3 billion at the box office before ''Film/AvengersEndgame'', Disney has installed ''Ride/PandoraTheWorldOfAvatar'' in their Animal Kingdom location in Florida (even before they bought 20th Century Fox) and factory-issued 2 to 4 more sequels. Later, following the purchase of Fox, ''Film/AvatarTheWayOfWater'' became the third highest-grossing film of all time.
34	* [[Creator/TwentiethCenturyStudios 20th Television:]]
35	** ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''. Being airing since 1989, this series is the longest-running American sitcom, and the longest-running American scripted primetime television series. They warned you in song: "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oUXUn30hts They'll NEVER stop the Simpsons!!]]"
36	** ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' as Creator/{{Fox}}'s second cash cow cartoon. Incidentally, both are fond of [[BitingTheHandHumor jokes at the expense of Fox and their supporters]], the only reason they're allowed to get away with it being precisely this trope.
37	** ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'' quickly became the third biggest cartoon on Fox upon its debut. And it has no signs of slowing down. The Belchers have already gotten lots of merchandise across the board to go along with their multiple Emmys, and they've also recieved [[WesternAnimation/TheBobsBurgersMovie a theatrical movie]].
38	** ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. There was no real need to continue the series after it ended (and many feel it should have ended [[SeasonalRot a few seasons]] before it did), but Creator/JossWhedon and company continue to profit off of it with the line of comics that continue the series.
39	** ''Series/{{Glee}}'' was barely in its first season when it was earning FOX millions by selling music -- it usually charts a handful of songs every week -- and releasing the first half of the first season on DVD and preparing a live tour. It immediately got commissioned for two more season and had a shedload of merchandise: two different karaoke games have been announced, as well as various articles of Glee-themed clothing, jewelry, and school supplies.
40	* Creator/DisneyChannel:
41	** ''Series/HannahMontana'', due to Music/MileyCyrus and her massive publicity scandals every few months, and the fact that almost every kid adored the series in its heyday. The show itself makes money, then they have concert tours, dolls, music CD's, games, everything you'd expect from Disney merchandise. Same with ''Series/LizzieMcGuire'' and ''Series/ThatsSoRaven''.
42	** ''Film/HighSchoolMusical'' proved to be insanely popular with kids after coming out. The first movie's soundtrack was a huge seller, topping the Billboard 100s album charts for several weeks. And when the second film premired, it gained over 17 million viewers (the most views of anything on Disney Channel to date). Because of this, Disney went and gave the third film a bigger budget and released it in theaters. And on top of that, the franchise launched the careers of [[Creator/ZacEfron multiple]] [[Creator/VanessaHudgens young]] [[Creator/AshleyTisdale stars]]. It seems the nostalgia is still pretty high with many people as the local school productions of the film continue to be a very popular choice for high school plays, and a [[Series/HighSchoolMusicalTheMusicalTheSeries new series inspired by the trilogy]] is now streaming on Creator/DisneyPlus, which itself launched the careers of [[Music/OliviaRodrigo several]] [[Creator/JoshuaBassett artists]].
43	** Around the time Hannah Montana was insanely popular, Disney was milking a crap-ton of money from putting Music/TheJonasBrothers and Music/MileyCyrus on absolutely everything. Music/SelenaGomez and Music/DemiLovato were heading on the same direction before breaking into their solo careers. And then there was Music/BridgitMendler, Creator/BellaThorne, Creator/{{Zendaya}}, Music/ChinaAnneMcClain, and Creator/OliviaHolt, and it won't end at all. [[OlderThanTheyThink Before that]], there was Music/HilaryDuff, and waaaay before that, [[Series/TheMickeyMouseClub Annette Funicello]], Tommy Kirk and Creator/HayleyMills, with the latter three being popular when Walt was still alive. So it's only a continuation of what Walt did in TheFifties and TheSixties to market teenage stars to the baby boom.
44	** In Latin America and certain sections of Europe, ''Series/{{Violetta}}'' was raking it in for Disney. With an international concert tour, four albums, and a bunch of merchandising, news sources were even calling it the next ''Series/HannahMontana'', at least in these regions.
45	** ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' was this for them in the late 2000s/early 2010s, after word of mouth gained it a humongous fanbase. Its merchandise was a huge seller, their meet and greet location in Walt Disney World had some of the longest lines for any character there, and at one point the show even rivaled ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' in viewer ratings (This would be because [=SpongeBob=] only found both critical acclaim and high ratings in his first 3 seasons (1999 to 2003), Phineas and Ferb debuted long after [=SpongeBob=]'s golden age). It got to the point that [[WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerbTheMovieCandaceAgainstTheUniverse new projects]] starring the characters are still occuring to this day. And if that wasn't enough, the original series got picked up for two more seasons almost '''eight years''' after its initial conclusion. Safe to say those brothers aren't going anywhere for a long time.
46	** ''WesternAnimation/ElenaOfAvalor'' on its release quickly became one of the top girls' properties that Disney has. The show ties with ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' and ''WesternAnimation/PAWPatrol'' as the highest-rated kids' cartoon on TV (not counting ''Creator/{{Netflix}}'' and other streaming services), has merchandise sell well (especially the wand the titular character uses, which has multiple versions) and a very successful meet and greet at Disney World. The same logic can also be applied to its parent series, ''WesternAnimation/SofiaTheFirst''.
47	** It seems that in a way, all of the shows on Disney Junior have become this over time. ''WesternAnimation/MickeyMouseClubhouse'' continues to be very successful for Disney despite ending back in 2016 to make room for ''WesternAnimation/MickeyAndTheRoadsterRacers'' while ''WesternAnimation/DocMcStuffins'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Vampirina}}'' and ''[[WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies2018 Muppet Babies]]'' have proven to be insanely popular with the target demographic and have both gained hugely profitable toylines.
48	** The ''Film/{{Descendants}}'' franchise is insanely popular with tween girls and has everything, from a toyline, to soundtrack albums, to bedsheets, to Halloween costumes, to a cartoon series, you name it.
49	* Creator/{{ABC}}:
50	** ''Series/AmericanIdol''. It was the highest rated show of the year for several years.
51	** ''Series/DavyCrockett'' spawned a licensing craze in the mid-1950s that film historian Leonard Maltin described as being ''bigger than Star Wars''.
52	** In the early [[TheSeventies 1970s]], Creator/GarryMarshall sold an unsuccessful pilot to ''Series/LoveAmericanStyle'', where it ran under the segment title "Love and the Television Set". Two years later, ''Film/AmericanGraffiti'' had made TheFifties cool and Creator/RonHoward, one of the young stars of said pilot, a star. Thus ABC picked up ''Series/HappyDays'' for the 1974 season, which went on to become the #1 Nielsen-ratings show (replacing ''All in the Family'') on American TV; it kept Mr. Marshall busy producing eleven seasons, seven spin-offs, and two failed spin-off pilots.
53	* The Franchise/{{Disney Princess}}es pull in about 4 billion dollars ''each year''.
54	* Creator/{{ESPN}} is possibly Disney's biggest moneymaker ever. At one point in the mid-2010s it was estimated that the single division alone accounted for ''43%'' of all of Disney's year-end revenue, compared to the studios and theme parks at 8% and 15% respectively.
55	* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' seems to be this as well, though on a smaller scale. All the games released on the Platform/{{P\|layStation2}}S2 are labeled as Greatest Hits, and the series doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon, especially with ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'' being a much awaited title that finally got released. Since ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' is Square ''and'' Disney, the cash-cow...ing of the game was inevitable.
56	* Creator/MarvelComics:
57	** ''Comicbook/TheAvengers'' have become this since their [[Film/{{The Avengers\|2012}} live-action movie]], which became the highest-grossing superhero movie of all time. They've had [[WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes two]] [[WesternAnimation/AvengersAssemble cartoons]] and [[Anime/MarvelDiskWarsTheAvengers two]] [[Anime/MarvelFutureAvengers anime series]] in the span of a few years, [[Series/AgentsofSHIELD a live-action TV spinoff,]] ''[[Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron three]]'' [[Film/AvengersInfinityWar live-action]] [[Film/AvengersEndgame movie sequels]], and tons of ancillary items. There's even ''Avengers''-brand ''[[DuctTapeForEverything Duct Tape]]''!
58	** ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}. His best known superpower is the ability to appear in and boost sales of any comic he's in -- [[PopularityPower simply by appearing on a cover]]. That and the fact he was the center of the first three ''[[Film/XMenFilmSeries X-Men]]'' films and his own spin-off trilogy, [[SpotlightStealingTitle got his name as a prefix to]] [[WesternAnimation/WolverineAndTheXMen2009 the newest cartoon]], made [[Comicbook/TheIncredibleHulk the Hulk]] a guest star in the ''[[WesternAnimation/HulkVs Hulk vs. Wolverine]]'' animated feature, being the only character to appear in all four Creator/{{Madhouse}} ''Anime/MarvelAnime'' shows, and constantly having his "mysterious" past retold.
59	* While they're clearly nowhere near as popular as they were in the 70's and 80's, ''Franchise/TheMuppets'' are still very profitable. They've had at least 4 TV shows, [[Film/TheMuppetMovie many]] [[Film/TheGreatMuppetCaper well]] [[Film/TheMuppetChristmasCarol received]] [[Film/TheMuppets2011 movies]], tie in video games, [[WebVideo/MuppetViralVideos a series of popular YouTube videos]], and tons of merch with Kermit the Frog and other characters slapped onto it.
60	** The reboot of the ''Muppet Babies'' franchise has become this for Disney, launching a successful merchandise line and a popular [[WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies2018 TV show]].
61	* ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'' is becoming this. Its Universe, plus the Kane Chronicles, draws large mobs. And unlike Harry Potter, it has two more books, a Norse side series and interest in a CrisisCrossover between the Greek/Roman, Egyptian and Norse worlds.
62	* ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'': At one time, this only existed as a ride at Ride/DisneyThemeParks. As of 2018, five live-action movies have been released and a sixth is in the planning stage. Even before the fourth movie was released, the franchise garnered billions of dollars in global merchandising revenues.
63	* ''VideoGame/TwistedWonderland'': The ActionAdventure game with RhythmGame aspects developed by f4samurai and published by Creator/{{Aniplex}} and Creator/{{Disney}} has quickly become for both publishers due to its association with Disney, the CastFullOfPrettyBoys that are essentially expies of Disney villains, the game being illustrated by Yana Toboso of ''Manga/BlackButler'' fame and having an interesting story.
64	* For the old Playhouse Disney block, ''Series/BearInTheBigBlueHouse'' was easily their biggest hit. It's success also gave [[Creator/JimHenson The Jim Henson Company]] some much needed revenue, during a time where their flagship [[Franchise/TheMuppets Muppets]] franchise was declining in popularity.
65	* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'': For WesternAnimation/TheDisneyAfternoon, the show was the first and biggest success, which inspired other shows to be greenlit. It's success and inspiration was such that it became the first property to be rebooted in ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017''.
66	* Once Disney transfered the ownership of the film from the Touchstone Pictures label to their main company, ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'' became this. It's common to see merchandise themed around it around Halloween and Christmas in retail stores. In addition, meet and greets at the Ride/DisneyThemeParks with the characters draw huge lines, and whenever the movie is re-released to theaters, it still turns in a good profit, with the most recent re-release in 2023 bringing in over ten million dollars.

Context CashCowFranchise / Disney