Disney Pulls Out of 'Peter Pan' Movie in Hospital Dispute
Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2003 3:30 am
From IMDB
Disney was being depicted as a Scrooge after it dropped out of a new $140-million film version of Peter Pan over a merchandising dispute involving the distribution of profits to the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. In his will, Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie had transferred the copyright to the hospital, which subsequently made a deal with Disney, in which it receives a regular annual payment for rights to the story. Disney continues to dispute the hospital's claim to a percentage of profits from Peter Pan merchandise that Disney produces. A Disney spokeswoman said, "We did not want to be in a situation where we were paying twice." But the London Daily Telegraph quoted an unnamed producer connected with the film as saying, "The bottom line is that [Disney] wanted a share of the merchandising but did not want to pay for it."
Disney was being depicted as a Scrooge after it dropped out of a new $140-million film version of Peter Pan over a merchandising dispute involving the distribution of profits to the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. In his will, Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie had transferred the copyright to the hospital, which subsequently made a deal with Disney, in which it receives a regular annual payment for rights to the story. Disney continues to dispute the hospital's claim to a percentage of profits from Peter Pan merchandise that Disney produces. A Disney spokeswoman said, "We did not want to be in a situation where we were paying twice." But the London Daily Telegraph quoted an unnamed producer connected with the film as saying, "The bottom line is that [Disney] wanted a share of the merchandising but did not want to pay for it."
