Disney Acquires Marvel - Steamboat Willie Blasts Peg-Leg Pete with Plasma Burst

BREAKING NEWS!!!

From the Hollywood Reporter:

Disney to buy Marvel for $4 billion
Stock and cash deal to combine character library

By Georg Szalai and Paul Bond
Aug 31, 2009, 09:39 AM ET
Updated: Aug 31, 2009, 11:00 AM ET

Disney is purchasing Marvel for $4 billion. Disney said Monday that it will acquire the
superhero factory in a cash and stock transaction that values each share of Marvel at
$50, a 29% premium to where the stock closed Friday. Disney will discuss the proposed transaction [edit] later Monday, when the companies
will detail the fallout -- if any -- the merger will have on several films that Marvel's own
studio has in the works based on characters such as Iron Man, Thor and Captain
America. "We'll take a look and see, but the bottom line is we like what they've been doing so far,"
Disney studio head Richard Cook told The Hollywood Reporter. Disney acquires ownership of 5,000 Marvel characters to be overseen by Marvel CEO
Ike Perlmutter, who is charged with cherry-picking when and where they'll show up
within Disney's vast empire, including online and in video games. "Disney is the perfect home for Marvel's fantastic library of characters given its proven
ability to expand content creation and licensing businesses," Perlmutter said. "This is
an unparalleled opportunity for Marvel to build upon its vibrant brand and character
properties by accessing Disney's tremendous global organization and infrastructure
around the world."

From the CBR News Team:

When asked if there was potential for cross-polination between Marvel and Pixar, Disney said that Pixar’s John Lasseter has met with key Marvel creative executives recently and the group got “pretty excited, very fast.” Disney will look at all opportunities and thinks there are some exciting product that could come from this sort of partnership.

JoeQuesada(Marvel Comics Editor-In-Chief): G' morning, Marvel U! Welcome to this moment in history. Everyone relax, this is incredible news and all is well in the Marvel U.

While the above may be true from Joe's point of view, some changes have already been spotted in the Marvel Universe. . .

• The upcoming Amazing Spider-Man storyline begins Peter Parker's new relationship with a young singer from Tenessee whom he suspects of also leading a double life and a creepy-close relationship with her dad.
• The Wings on Thor's helmet are now made with circles of black felt.
• Wolverine has been seen acting a little Goofy.
• Fantastic Four now comprised of Huey, Dewey, Louie, and The Thing.
• Magneto is now spelled "Mag-Neat-O!"
• The new "Beauty and the Hulk" musical is prepping for Broadway. Hulk sings different genres of song depending on what color he is in the scene.
• The Mighty Avengers have replaced The Wasp with provisional member Tinkerbell.
• Iron Man has already begun his new gig as permanent host of Tomorrowland.
• Don't be surprised to find Ghost Rider sitting next to you on the Haunted Mansion ride, or when you see Gambit dealing Three-Card Monte in New Orleans Square.
• Daredevil now patrols Heck's Kitchen.
• Captain America Movie (The First Avenger) casting news: Zac Efron as Cap, Ashley Tisdale as his SHIELD secret-agent girlfriend, Agent 13.

• Ka-Zar and Zabu are evicted from the Savage Land and replaced by Mowgli and Bagheera. Meeting Shanna the She-Devil causes a strange mutation in Mowgli's loincloth.
• The Matterhorn now sports one howling Sasquatch and five Alpha Flight corpses.
• Suddenly, nobody can understand a damn thing said by Howard the Duck.

More to come soon, I'm sure, from the House of Mouse Ideas.

--Ian

*** A 6:21 PM update (8/31) because it was too good to not post. From Twitter: @craigmcnamara posts about Ant-Man in the It's a Small World ride;

@KevinBrettauer: Hulk Is Happiest One There Is! ;

@theblairbutler: Finding Namor.;

@Ursieb: a miscommunication leads to Galactus eating Pluto

*** That's all for this update.