Disney's Movie Lineup: Big Plans for Big Profits

When Disney (DIS) unveils movies, it's not just revealing what it expects to provide a revenue pop, it's giving insight into what brands could become profit engines moving forward. So, Disney has unveiled its 4-year animation slate.

Here's the Disney breakdown: ten theatrical releases plus four straight-to-DVD films that are part of the "Fairy" franchise.

I interviewed Walt Disney Studio chief Dick Cook who said it's the most diverse slate the studio has ever put together.

The presentation started with "Wall-E," about a robot in a post-apocalyptic future. The clips elicited oohs and ahhs about the love story between robots (no joke, it was actually really sweet).

The presentation then shot forward to 2012 with a film called "King of the Elves," based on a science fiction story. It aims to take moviegoers into a world where elves are real and these images of little creatures covered in leaves and twigs were really appealing. Do I see another franchise like Disney's "Fairies"? Perhaps. And on that note, Disney is releasing four Fairy movies straight to DVD. That's a good way to capitalize on the kids' DVD market without the expense of a theatrical release.

Pixar--Disney's animation studio--announced its first ever 3-D film. Called "Up" it stars a 78-year-old who bears a truly striking resemblance to Warren Buffett, replete with heavy glasses. The set up is really sad: guy dreams of being an adventurer his whole life, then his wife dies and he follows her dream. The animation manages to be very upbeat. I just wonder if they can do a sequel if he's already 78.

Disney is also going totally old school for holiday 2010, releasing "Rapunzel," one of the few classic fairy tales it hasn't done. Rendered with totally modern computer animation, Dick Cook told me the story would take a modern twist, i.e., the princess would play some role in her saving, that it wouldn't all be up to the prince.

These movies have their natural consumer product opportunities. Rapunzel falls neatly into the princess franchise, and the ones that work like "Toy Story" has will become key brands across the Disney empire's products, theme park, and even the Disney channel.