Touchstone Pictures

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The Touchstone "lightning" logo, used from 1986 to 2003.

The origins of Touchstone Pictures can be traced to the 1979 release of The Black Hole, a science fiction film that sparked controversy due to the fact that it was the first Disney film to receive a PG rating. Over the next few years, Disney experimented with more PG-rated fare, such as the 1981 film Condorman, 1982's Tron and 1983's Never Cry Wolf (film) and Trenchcoat. The latter film attracted major criticism for including adult themes that were considered inappropriate for a Disney film. The controversy over Trenchcoat is generally considered the catalyst that sparked the creation of Touchstone Pictures. One title considered for the new company was "Hyperion Pictures," named after the location of the studio in the 1930s before the move to Burbank. Eventually, Hyperion would become the name of Disney's publishing arm.

Some critics felt that the creation of Touchstone side-stepped but did not address the view that mature content was inappropriate for Disney. The Touchstone name was taken from a William Shakespeare play.

Founded by Disney CEO Ron W. Miller in 1984, Touchstone's first release was Splash, a huge hit for the studio. The film included brief nudity on the part of star Daryl Hannah and adult language.

The unit became a top source of income for Disney during the 1980s. Touchstone/Disney's first R-rated film, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, came in January of 1986 and was another smash. Ruthless People followed in April of 1986 and was also huge. One example of a recent release is The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005). Touchstone is still an active unit of the company today. The studio's sister company, Touchstone Television currently produces the smash hits Desperate Housewives and Lost, as well as Scrubs.

List of notable Touchstone features

• Splash (1984)
• (1985)
• My Science Project (1985)
• Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986)
• Off Beat (1986)
• Ruthless People (1986)
• Tough Guys (1986)
• The Color of Money (1986)
• Outrageous Fortune (1987)
• Tin Men (1987)
• Ernest Goes to Camp (1987)
• Adventures in Babysitting (1987)
• Stakeout (1987)
• Can't Buy Me Love (1987)
• Hello Again (1987)
• Three Men and a Baby (1987)
• Good Morning Vietnam (1988)
• Shoot to Kill (1988)
• D.O.A (1988)
• Big Business (1988)
• Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
• Cocktail (1988)
• The Rescue (1988)
• Heartbreak Hotel (1988)
• The Good Mother (1988)
• Ernest Saves Christmas (1988)
• Beaches (1988)
• Three Fugitives (1989)
• New York Stories (1989)
• Disorganized Crime (1989)
• Dead Poets Society (1989)
• Turner and Hooch (1989)
• An Innocent Man (1989)
• Gross Anatomy (1989)
• Blaze (1989)
• Stella (1990)
• Where the Heart Is (1990)
• Pretty Woman (1990)
• Ernest Goes to Jail (1990)
• Fire Birds (1990)
• Dick Tracy (1990)
• Betsy's Wedding (1990)
• Mr. Destiny (1990)
• Three Men and a Little Lady (1990)
• Green Card (1991)
• Oscar (1991)
• What About Bob (1991)
• The Doctor (1991)
• Scenes from a Mall (1991)
• True Identity (1991)
• Decevise (1991)
• Paradise (1991)
• Ernest Scared Stupid (1991)
• Billy Bathgate (1991)
• Father of the Bride (1991)
• Noises Off (1992)
• Sister Act (1992)
• A Stranger Among Us (1992)
• The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag (1992)
• 3 Ninjas (1992)
• Crossing the Bridge (1992)
• Captain Ron (1992)
• (1992)
• Alive (1993)
• The Cemetery Club (1993)
• Life with Mikey (1993)
• What's Love Got to Do with It? (1993)
• Another Stakeout (1993)
• My Boyfriend's Back (1993)
• The Program (1993)
• The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
• Sister Act 2 Back in the Habit (1993)
• Cabin Boy (1994)
• My Father the Hero (1994)
• The Ref (1994)
• The Inkwell (1994)
• When a Man Loves a Woman (1994)
• Ed Wood (1994)
• Bad Company (1995)
• The Jerky Boys (1995)
• Jefferson in Paris (1995)
• Mad Love (1995)
• Feast of July (1995)
• Father of the Bride II (1995)
• Mr. Wrong (1996)
• Up Close and Personal (1996)
• Two Much (1996)
• Boys (1996)
• Last Dance (1996)
• Phenomenon (1996)
• Kazaam (1996)
• The War at Home (1996)
• Ransom (1996)
• The Preacher's Wife (1996)
• Metro (1997)
• The Sixth Man (1997)
• Con Air (1997)
• Armageddon (1998)
• Holy Man (1998)
• The Waterboy (1998)
• Enemy of the State (1998)
• The Other Sister (1999)
• Shanghai Noon (2000)
• Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000)
• Coyote Ugly (2000)
• Unbreakable (2000)
• Pearl Harbor (2001)
• Bad Company (2002)
• Signs (2002)
• Sweet Home Alabama (2002)
• The Hot Chick (2002)
• 25th Hour (2003)
• Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)
• The Alamo (2004)
• King Arthur (2004)
• The Village (2004)
• The Life Aquatic (2004)
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
• Flightplan (2005)
• Goal! The Dream Begins (2005)
• Annapolis (2006)
• Rearranged (2006)
• Stick It (2006)
• Step Up (2006)
• The Guardian (2006)
• Deja Vu (2006)

External links

• [Touchstone Pictures]

.8 billion USD (2004) | Employees: 129,000 | Stock Symbol: NYSE: [DIS] | Website: [disney.go.com]

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