Disney comes to YouTube

SAN FRANCISCO - Agence France-Presse

Disney films were available for rent on YouTube on Wednesday in the latest bid by the Google-owned website to transform into an online stage for the gamut of digital video content.

The first of hundreds of films from Disney studios including Pixar and DreamWorks joined the array of Hollywood titles that can be viewed as streaming rentals at youtube.com/movies.

Movies available for rent include “Alice in Wonderland” and all four films in the blockbuster “Pirates of the Caribbean” series, according to YouTube movies and television marketing manager Minjae Ormes.

“Even more of the great Disney classics and new releases will be added in weeks to come, including our YouTube Movie Extras with behind-the-scenes clips, interviews, and more,” Ormes promised in a blog post.

Earlier this month, YouTube and The Walt Disney Co. said they were teaming up to produce an original video series and feature “family-friendly” Disney programming on the popular video-sharing site.

Disney Interactive and YouTube said the programming will be available on Disney.com and on YouTube and the “complementary online video destinations” will launch in early 2012