The Best Brands in Movies

BrandZ is out with its list of the world's most valuable brands. Most of the big names are tech titans or consumer products standouts. What of the geekier businesses we love and follow? What are the best brands in, say, movies?

Guest host Alison Southwick puts this question to Fool analysts Nathan Alderman and Tim Beyers in this  episode of 1-Up on Wall Street, The Motley Fool's Web show in which we talk about the big-money names behind your favorite movies, toys, video games, comics, and more.

Nathan says that Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS  ) tops the list right now. BrandZ agrees. Among dozens of tech titans, retailers, and banks ranked, Disney (23rd) was the only entertainment company in the researcher's list of the top 100 names.

Smart diversification is helping the story. Last year's Frozen has proved to be a runaway hit while changing expectations for a Disney Princess movie. Marvel Studios' Captain America: The Winter Soldier has generated over $700 million at the worldwide box office. And beginning next winter, we'll see regular entries in a new live-action Star Wars universe. No other studio can lay claim to so many bankable properties.

Guardians of the Galaxy opens August 1 in U.S. theaters. Credit: Marvel Entertainment.

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Tim agrees, noting that even Disney's riskiest big-ticket properties -- such as Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy -- are benefiting from uncommon enthusiasm for an unknown property. A new trailer featuring the talking, gun-toting raccoon Rocket and his various teammates has inspired more than 139,000 "likes" since appearing on Facebook (NASDAQ: FB  ) on May 19. Another 85,000-plus had reshared that post over the same period, while 1.85 million tuned in via YouTube.

Now it's your turn to weigh in. Click the video to watch as Alison puts Nathan and Tim on the spot, and then leave a comment below tell us your picks for the best brands in movies. You can also follow us on Twitter for more segments and regular geek news updates!

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