Disney Culls 'Fox' From 20th Century Fox In Rebrand



Disney executives have cut the word "Fox" from their 20th Century Fox film studio in an apparent bid to distance it from operations of the previous owner, Rupert Murdoch. US media suggests Disney does not want to it to be associated with the media mogul's highly partisan, right-wing Fox News network. However, Disney has not clarified its reasons. It bought the studio, with other media operations, in a $71bn deal last March.

20th Century Fox is known for producing some of the biggest films of all-time, including Avatar and Titanic. Variety magazine, which broke the news about the name change, said it had spoken to an unnamed Disney source, who said: "I think the Fox name means Murdoch, and that is toxic." Hollywood is known for being liberal, unlike the Australian tycoon. Disney has also renamed Fox Searchlight Pictures, the arthouse arm, as simply Searchlight Pictures.