This incarnation of Marvel was founded in 1993 as
Marvel Films, as a joint-venture between
Marvel Entertainment Group and
New World Entertainment. The venture also held an animation studio -
Marvel Films Animation, to produce animated content for television as well. In 1996, the company formed
Marvel Studios and signed a seven-year development deal with
20th Century Fox to produce movies based on some of their franchises, and soon signed a deal with
Artisan Entertainment as well. On August 31, 2009,
The Walt Disney Company announced that it would acquire Marvel Entertainment; the transaction was finalized on December 31. However, due to grandfathered contracts, Fox retained the film rights to the
X-Men and
Fantastic Four franchises until 2019, when the rights went back to Marvel after Disney's purchase of Fox.
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