Caravan Pictures
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Founded | November 17, 1992 |
| Founders | Roger Birnbaum Joe Roth |
| Defunct | Template:End date and age |
| Fate | Closed |
| Successor | Spyglass Entertainment |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Roger Birnbaum (chairman, CEO) Jonathan Glickman (president) |
| Products | Films |
Number of employees | 7 (1997) |
| Parent | The Walt Disney Studios |
Caravan Pictures, Inc. was a film production company based in the United States and operated as a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios. It was established by Roger Birnbaum and Joe Roth, with its motion pictures distributed through Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, the entity now known as Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
Distinct from Disney’s usual approach of multi-picture talent contracts, Caravan employed a project-specific model, emphasizing a slate strategy that paired screenwriters with directing roles, cast recognizable actors in roles they were known for, and produced modestly budgeted films that showcased emerging performers. The company held authority to approve budgets up to $30 million per project and aimed to release between five and seven films annually. Initially, it operated without salary restrictions or dedicated business and legal affairs teams. Executive positions were only formalized starting in 1997.
History
Caravan was launched in 1992 to bolster Disney’s capacity to produce 50 to 60 films each year. It secured a five-year agreement to deliver 25 films, along with a $3 million overhead budget and $30 million greenlight authority per film. Following its inaugural release with The Three Musketeers, the company planned to launch as many as ten films in 1994, which could have accelerated the timeline of its contract. Caravan also acquired projects such as Angie, I Says through turnaround deals from 20th Century Fox, leveraging the founders’ industry networks. In 1993, Jonathan Glickman, a graduate of USC’s Peter Stark Program, joined as an intern; Riley Kathryn Ellis, formerly at Fox, joined early the next year.
After several commercial disappointments—including I Love Trouble, which experienced budget overruns personally guaranteed by Joe Roth—Roth moved into the role of Disney studio chief in August 1994, leaving Birnbaum to lead Caravan. Disney CEO Michael Eisner supported Roth by forgiving outstanding debts and providing $40 million for unproduced films under Caravan’s contract.
In September 1997, Caravan underwent restructuring aimed at increasing output and branching into television movies; during this period, Jonathan Glickman was elevated to president, prompting the introduction of formal executive titles. In August 1998, Birnbaum left to co-found Spyglass Entertainment alongside Gary Barber under Roth’s mentorship; Disney acquired equity in Spyglass and entered into a five-year distribution deal with the new company. As Disney scaled back its annual production slate, Caravan concluded operations after completing its final three films. Its last credited production was the 1999 Disney release Inspector Gadget. Additionally, Disney absorbed Caravan’s remaining film projects and provided an initial financial advance between $10 million and $20 million against upcoming costs.
List of prominent Caravan Pictures productions
| Title | Release Date | Disney label released as | Notes | Budget | Gross (worldwide) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| The Three Musketeers | November 12, 1993 | Walt Disney Pictures | Produced jointly with Avnet-Kerner Productions; debut film | $30 million | $111 million | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Angie | March 4, 1994 | Hollywood Pictures | Collaborated with Morra-Brezner-Steinberg-Tenenbaum Productions | $26 million | $9.4 million | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I Love Trouble | June 29, 1994 | Touchstone Pictures | Joint production with Nancy Meyers/Charles Shyer Productions | $45 million | $61.9 million | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Angels in the Outfield | July 15, 1994 | Walt Disney Pictures | $24 million | $50.2 million | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A Low Down Dirty Shame | November 23, 1994 | Hollywood Pictures | $10 million | $29.4 million | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Houseguest | January 6, 1995 | Hollywood Pictures | $10.5 million | $26.3 million | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Jerky Boys: The Movie | February 3, 1995 | Touchstone Pictures | $8 million | $7.5 million | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Heavyweights | February 17, 1995 | Walt Disney Pictures | $17.6 million | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tall Tale | March 24, 1995 | Walt Disney Pictures | $32 million | $11 million | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| While You Were Sleeping | April 21, 1995 | Hollywood Pictures | Co-produced with Roger Birnbaum Productions | $17 million | $182 million | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Big Green | September 29, 1995 | Walt Disney Pictures | $12 million | $17.7 million | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dead Presidents | October 4, 1995 | Hollywood Pictures | Produced in partnership with Underworld Entertainment | $10 million | $24.1 million | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Powder | October 27, 1995 | Hollywood Pictures | Collaboration with Daniel Grodnik and Roger Birnbaum Productions | $9.5 million | $30.8 million | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 'Before and After' | February 23, 1996 | Hollywood Pictures | Joint venture with Schroeder/Hoffman Productions | $35 million | - | 'Celtic Pride' | April 19, 1996 | Hollywood Pictures | Produced alongside Roger Birnbaum Productions | $9.2 million | - | 'First Kid' | August 30, 1996 | Walt Disney Pictures | $15 million | - | 'The Rich Man's Wife' | September 13, 1996 | Hollywood Pictures | $8.5 million | - | 'Metro' | January 17, 1997 | Touchstone Pictures | $55 million | - | 'Grosse Pointe Blank' | April 11, 1997 | Hollywood Pictures | Co-produced with Roger Birnbaum Productions and others | $15 million | - | 'Gone Fishin'' | May 30, 1997 | Hollywood Pictures | Produced in collaboration with Roger Birnbaum Productions | $53 million | - | 'G.I. Jane' | August 22, 1997 | Hollywood Pictures | Joint production with Scott Free Productions and others | $50 million | - | 'RocketMan' | October 10, 1997 | Walt Disney Pictures | Co-production involving Roger Birnbaum Productions and Gold/Miller Management | $16 million | - | 'Washington Square' | October 17, 1997 | Hollywood Pictures | Co-produced with Roger Birnbaum Productions and Alchemy Filmworks | $15 million | - | 'Six Days, Seven Nights' | June 12, 1998 | Touchstone Pictures | Collaborative effort with Roger Birnbaum Productions and Northern Lights Entertainment | $70 million | - | 'Simon Birch' | September 11, 1998 | Hollywood Pictures | Produced alongside Roger Birnbaum and Laurence Mark Productions | $30 million | - | 'Holy Man' | October 9, 1998 | Touchstone Pictures | Joint production with Roger Birnbaum Productions | $60 million | - | 'Inspector Gadget' | July 23, 1999 | Walt Disney Pictures | Final production; co-produced with Avnet/Kerner Productions and others | $75 million | }
References |
- Businesses founded in California in 1992
- Businesses closed in California in 1999
- American enterprises founded in 1992
- American enterprises closed in 1999
- Organizations located in Santa Monica, California
- Former American film production companies
- Defunct firms from the Greater Los Angeles area
- Studios affiliated with Disney
- California-based entertainment firms
- Film production entities in the United States
- Mass media firms dissolved in 1999
- Mass media firms established in 1992
- Divisions of Walt Disney Studios
- American companies established in 1992
- 5
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment