DisneyParks Blog - Today, Main Street, U.S.A. was buzzing
with the tune of several familiar songs as Richard and Robert
Sherman were honored with their own window. A window dedication,
by the way, is the highest honor a cast
member can receive at Disneyland Park. The window dedicated to
the Sherman Brothers reads “Two Brothers Tunemakers,” with their
names inscribed underneath. Check it out next time you stroll
down Main Street, U.S.A. The famous brothers are the creative
minds behind the song “it’s a small world (after all),” and the
theme songs for several attractions (The Enchanted Tiki Room,
Carousel of Progress) and songs from the movies “Mary Poppins,”
“The Jungle Book,” “Bedknobs and Broomsticks,” “The Aristocats”
and “Winnie the Pooh.” Richard Sherman was at the ceremony
today. Take a look at this video and hear what Richard had to
say at this heartwarming celebration of the Sherman Brothers’
amazing work.
DisneyParks Blog - At first glance, it’s hard to tell you’re
looking at a hospital lobby…but that’s the point. The entrance
to the Walt Disney Pavilion at Florida Hospital for Children
uses fantasy, imagination and adventure to create a remarkable
healing environment. And today, its doors were officially
opened.
Take a look at the images – Walt Disney Imagineers designed the
lobby with the same attention to detail they’d give to any
attraction at the theme parks. Characters like Timon and Pumbaa
from ‘The Lion King,” Flounder and Sebastian from “The Little
Mermaid” and Rutt and Tuke from “Brother Bear” immediately catch
your eye when walking in. And once inside, children can
experience interactive activities, including the opportunity to
fish for virtual salmon, step into a safari to touch and
illuminate a cave wall, generate jungle sounds on musical step
pads and swat chirping bugs that glow during a memory game.
As you may know, the lobby is the first in a series of
milestones for the Walt Disney Pavilion at Florida Hospital for
Children. Construction and renovations are currently underway
and work will continue throughout the year to complete units and
patient rooms. By early 2011, the addition including seven
stories and more than 200 dedicated pediatric beds, will open.
It’ll feature colors, sounds and themes inspired by the lobby
design. For more about the Pavilion, visit
www.floridahospitalforchildren.com.
HDR - Disney caused an uproar with exhibitors when they
suggested Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland would make its way to
Blu-ray Disc and DVD as soon as early June. Their intent to get
it into homes as soon as possible is clear which means work on
the home video bow is well underway.
With that in mind, today we have an early
sneak peek at the probable official Blu-ray Disc cover art for
Alice in Wonderland featuring Johnny Depp and, to a lesser
extent, Mia Wasikowska. There are two covers using familiar key
art; one possibly for the outer sleeve and one for the inner
case. Or one for the multi-disc release and one for a movie-only
release. Regardless of which, each cover has unique Alice-themed
symbols around its border.
These covers originated from Disney but
should not be considered final at this time as tweaks or changes
could still be made. I would place the probability of them
closely resembling the final artwork at better than 50/50 odds.
Speaking of Alice in Wonderland and Blu-ray,
you can play our Weekend Box Office Prophet Game and predict
what Alice and four other films will make in theaters this
weekend for a chance to win 6 Blu-ray Discs and a DVD.
DisneyParks Blog - Hi everyone…D23, the
Official Community for Disney Fans, celebrated its first
anniversary in style this week at Disneyland Park, as more than
1,500 D23 Members and their guests took over Fantasyland for an
after-hours blow out with classic attractions, beloved
characters, scrumptious desserts, and some very special guests!
After Disneyland theme park closed to
guests on Wednesday night, D23 Members were welcomed into the
happiest land of all with a burst of pyrotechnics from Sleeping
Beauty Castle. From there, guests—who had traveled from 25
different states as well as from places like New Zealand and
Japan to be at the event—crossed the drawbridge to enjoy the
event.
As part of the festivities, D23 announced the next D23 Expo,
which will be in Anaheim in 2011, as well as a new D23 Member
event—Destination D: Disneyland ’55, which will take place at
Disneyland Park in September of this year, and will celebrate
the rich legacy of Walt’s original theme park. For more
information about D23, Destination D, and the D23 Expo 2011,
visit
Disney.com/D23.
LATimes - It was "pay cable deal" day at Walt Disney Co.
Disney ABC Domestic Television group Thursday renewed its
long-term distribution deal with Starz Entertainment to carry
Walt Disney Studios films released theatrically through 2015.
The previous agreement was set to expire in two years.
Separately, Disney also negotiated a new
deal for DreamWorks that will see that production company's
films go to CBS' Showtime.
The Starz deal covers Disney's live-action
and animated films, including "The Princess and the Frog" and
"The Proposal," and future movies from Disney's newly acquired
Marvel Entertainment (other than "Iron Man 2" and four other
films to be distributed by Paramount Pictures). Starz secured
the rights to distribute movies from Disney, Disney Animation
Studios, Disney-Pixar, Touchstone Pictures and Hollywood
Pictures through its pay TV channels, as well as online and
on-demand.
Miramax Films, which Disney is attempting
to sell, also has a deal with Showtime. There are
six four
unreleased Miramax films that would go to Showtime ("Don't Be
Afraid of the Dark," "The Switch," "The Debt" and "The Tempest")
unless the company is sold and a new buyer decides not to
release the movies.
Under Disney's Showtime deal, the cable
channel will carry DreamWorks Studios films released this year
through 2015. Starz had indicated that id didn't want to
distribute the DreamWorks movies to its viewers, and was urging
Disney to find another outlet, people close to the situation
said.
Showtime needs more movie content because one of its biggest
providers of theatrical content, Viacom’s Paramount Pictures,
teams with Lions Gate and MGM in Epix, a new pay cable channel
that launched several months ago.
Showtime also has deals with Weinstein Co.,
Summit Entertainment and CBS Films, the latter of which just
released its first movie, “Extraordinary Measures," to
disappointing results.
Movies from DreamWorks Animation, which is
a separate company, remains with HBO.
Barron's - Responding to a question at the company’s annual
meeting Wednesday, Disney (DIS) CEO Bob Iger
wouldn’t rule out the sale of the ABC television network.
“There are no guarantees in terms of what
will remain part of our company and what will not,” Iger said.
A few other tidbits from the meeting:
Iger said the company had no plans
to release a DVD of the 1946 animated movie Song of the
South, which he said was “antiquated” and “fairly
offensive.”
The Disney chief also disclosed that
the company is adding a second Dumbo ride at Disney World in
Orlando, good news for parents accustomed to waiting in long
lines at the ride.
Disney added Facebook COO Sheryl
Sandberg as a director.
Orlando Sentinel - Design a race car
online and it could do a few laps on the Disney Channel when
Handy Manny puts the pedal to the metal in the series’ second
prime-time special, Handy Manny Big Race, at 7 p.m. ET March 20.
NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. and N’Sync’s Lance Bass
will guest star on the show.
Earnhardt has said: “My 4-year-old niece is a huge Handy
Manny fan, so when Disney Channel approached me about doing this
role, I did it with her in mind. It was fun doing it, and being
‘Chase Davis’ for a while. I know Kennedy will enjoy seeing me
on her favorite cartoon.”
In Handy Manny Big Race, Manny and the tools help Elliot fix
up his used race car to enter the big Wood Valley 500 race. The
car turns out better than expected and everyone is ready to race
– except Elliot, who’s too nervous to drive. Famous race car
driver Chase Davis steps in to help, but Elliot’s nerves get the
best of him. With the tools as his pit crew, Manny gets behind
the wheel in an attempt to win the race for the entire team.
In the special, Wilmer Valderrama
(who voices Manny), Bass (who recurs on the series as
surfer-dude Elliot) and the cast of Tools perform the new song
“One Step at a Time.” A music video for the song can be seen
here.
In addition, preschoolers can create
their own race cars
here for the
chance to have them featured on air during the premiere of Handy
Manny Big Race. Kids can also play Manny’s Pit Stop Shop Game,
and parents can find tips and recipes to make family viewing
night fun.
AP - Encouraged by the reception of its Hindi animated movie,
Disney is shooting a new adventure film in the southern Indian
dialect of Telugu as it deepens its localization drive in the
populous country.
The
still-unnamed production is about a 9-year-old girl with special
healing powers who tries to save her homeland from a tyrannical
queen, assisted by a blind swordsman, The
Walt Disney Co. said in a statement
Thursday.
Directed by veteran Indian filmmaker Prakash Rao Kovelamudi,
the movie stars actors Lakshmi Manchu, Sidharth, Shruthi Hassan
and Harshitha. Shooting started in November.
Disney spokeswoman Alannah Hall-Smith declined to reveal the
budget.
The film --scheduled to be released in January 2011 -- will
also be dubbed in another southern Indian dialect, Tamil, to
broaden its appeal.
"As we work to build a family entertainment brand in India,
we plan to provide Indian audiences with an unparalleled roster
of locally relevant stories and engaging characters," The
Walt Disney Co. India Managing
Director Mahesh Samat was quoted as saying in the statement.
The Telugu project comes after Disney released the Hindi
animated feature "Roadside Romeo" in 2008, which gave the
Hollywood studio its strongest opening weekend in India.
The co-production with Yash Raj Films -- one of the country's
top movie studios -- was voiced by popular Indian stars and
features the song-and-dance numbers that are a trademark of the
country's Hindi-language industry, commonly referred to as
Bollywood.
In localization efforts elsewhere in Asia, Disney has made
two co-productions in China -- "The Magic Gourd" (2007) and
"Trail of a Panda"(2009) -- and is about to release a third, a
Chinese version of its hit franchise film, "High School
Musical."
Latino Review - Disney just gave us
a brand new image from Tron: Legacy.
The image shows Sam going up against another program on the game
grid. Looks like these two are having a good ol time bumping
fists and comparing paint jobs. (If I make small changes in the
previous sentence then this article suddenly becomes an 'x'
rated one.)
TRON is a 3D high-tech adventure set in a digital world that’s
unlike anything ever captured on the big screen. Sam Flynn
(GARRETT HEDLUND), the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn
(JEFF BRIDGES), looks into his father’s disappearance and finds
himself pulled into the same world of fierce programs and
gladiatorial games where his father has been living for 25
years. Along with Kevin’s loyal confidant (OLIVIA WILDE), father
and son embark on a life-and-death journey across a
visually-stunning cyber universe that has become far more
advanced and exceedingly dangerous.
Check out the image below. When is a company going to make
motorcycles that look like the Tron ones? They'd sell like mad.
UGO - I just came back from Ancient
Persia and I brought this awesome new poster with me! (I simply
rolled it up in an awesome magic rug to prevent it from getting
damaged!)
UGO is proud to debut the latest
imagery from Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. While the flick
looks to be a solid blend of Bruckheimer-esque family fun and
nods to original gameplay (crates, get ready to be shoved!) the
poster is pure Hollywood star power.
Front and center is Jake Gyllenhall
with a weapon in each hand - the golden one being, of course,
the "oops, let's do it again" Dagger of Time. Flanking him are
Sir Ben Kingsley and Gemma Arterton, as Nazir and Tamina.
LATimes - Warner Bros. has two "Wizard of Oz" remakes in
development. Universal has the Oz-inspired "Wicked." And now
Disney has an Oz movie too -- from the producer of "Alice in
Wonderland," no less.
Joe Roth, the
studio-executive-turned-producer, is developing a movie called
"Brick" that delves into how the Wizard of Oz came to sit behind
the curtain (like Dorothy, he's apparently from Kansas).
Mitchell Kapner, the writer on the mob comedy "The Whole Nine
Yards," has written a draft of a screenplay, basing it on pieces
from several other L. Frank Baum "Oz" books as well as his
original ideas.
While the pair of Warner Bros. projects take a direct cue
from "Alice" -- like the Burton picture, they're also stories
about a girl protagonist on a series of identity-forging
adventures -- this one takes the "Wicked" approach, imagining
and elaborating on the story from a non-traditional point of
view. As conceived in Kapner's script, the wizard is a charlatan
who's part of a traveling circus but goes on a similar odyssey
as Dorothy when he mysteriously lands in Oz. The project has
heat: Roth met with Disney production president Sean Bailey on
Tuesday to discuss directors and details.
After Alice earned $210 million at the global box office last
weekend, it's understandable if Disney is eager to get another
"Alice"-type movie in the pipeline: a family-film spectacle
based on a beloved title. And Roth is the guy who's just
delivered for the studio. Some critics may bray, but if it's
done well, the movie could be kind of brilliant, a deepening of
the mythology that started with "The Wiz" and continued with
"Wicked."
AP - For the want of a better two-second picture of a
tachometer, ABC News has called into question its reporting on
acceleration problems with
Toyota vehicles.
The network's handling of a Feb. 22 "World News" story about
potential problems with computer systems in Toyotas has created
ethical questions and intensified bitter feelings the besieged
automaker already had toward ABC.
ABC has admitted to a misjudgment and swapped out the brief
dashboard video in its report, which continues to be available
online. Its story illustrated a report by David Gilbert, a
Southern Illinois University professor who suggested that a
design flaw in Toyotas might leave a short-circuit that could
cause sudden acceleration undetected by the car's computer
system.
Correspondent Brian Ross' "World News" report showed him
driving a
Toyota with
Gilbert that was rigged to quickly accelerate. Even though he
knew it was coming, Ross said the incident left him shaken, and
he had a hard time getting the car to come to a stop.
Briefly during the drive, ABC cut to a picture of a
tachometer with the needle zooming forward. The impression was
that the tachometer was documenting the ride Ross was taking.
Instead, that picture was taken from a separate instance where a
short-circuit was induced in a parked car.
ABC said that editing was done because it was impossible to
get a good picture of the tachometer while the car was moving
because the camera was shaking. The camera shot was steady when
it was taken in a parked car.
"The tachometer showed the same thing every time," said ABC
News spokeswoman Emily Lenzner.
Toyota
spokesman John Hanson disputes that, saying tachometers react
much more dramatically when short-circuits happen in a parked
car than a car that is moving. Tachometers measure engine speed.
It all points to problems that are created when visual
journalists try to alter reality in order to get a better
picture.
"Anytime you give the audience any reason to doubt the
honesty of the piece, that's a serious problem," said Charlotte
Grimes, a Syracuse University journalism professor who
specializes in ethical issues.
"Do they honestly think that a company like
Toyota, with all the resources that
it has, would not be looking at these things?" Grimes asked.
Toyota
recognized the differences right away: the shot showed the car's
speedometer was at zero, the parking brake was on and no one was
using the seat belts -- while Ross wore one on the test drive,
Hanson said. Online discussion of the differences began almost
immediately, and the Web site Gawker.com wrote about it last
week.
ABC edited the online version of its story shortly after that
story appeared and wrote a note on its Web site explaining why.
"This was a misjudgment made in the editing room," Lenzner
said. "They should have left the shaky shot in. But I want to
make clear that the two-second shot that was used did not change
the outcome of the report in any way."
The inserted tachometer shot still didn't specifically
illustrate Ross' ride. It was from another ride made in order to
create different camera angles. A camera person could not have
captured the tachometer shot with Ross and Gilbert both in the
car, Lenzner said.
Toyota's
Hanson said it was next to impossible for the short circuit
detailed by Gilbert to happen in real life. The automaker, which
had to recall many of its cars because of problems associated
with a depressed gas pedal, held a news conference on Monday to
try and refute Gilbert's study. It depicted similar short
circuits in other cars, none of which were detected by the
vehicles' computer system.
Gilbert did not return phone or e-mail messages for comment,
and a woman who answered the phone at his home said he was
unavailable.
Hanson said he wished
Toyota could have been invited to see
the simulation conducted by ABC. "Simulation" is a word that
brings back tough memories for TV networks: NBC's news president
lost his job in 1993 after it was revealed that for a "Dateline
NBC" study about alleged safety problems with
General Motors trucks, the network
rigged a truck with small explosives for a story. Lenzner said
it was ridiculous to compare a two-second tachometer shot to the
NBC case.
She said
Toyota
was given a chance to comment on the story the day it was aired.
"It was not like ABC was trying to alter the footage," she
said. "There was no staging. There was no dramatization. It was
an editing mistake."
Even before this report, relations between
Toyota and ABC were on edge. More
than 100 Toyota
dealerships in the Southeast had agreed last month to pull
advertising on local ABC affiliated because they were angry with
Ross' aggressive reporting on the automaker's problems.
DisneyParks Blog - Breaking news…we just announced during
Disney’s annual shareholders meeting that a new premium annual
pass for admission to the parks at both
Disneyland Resort and the Walt Disney World Resort will be
offered beginning Thursday. It’s called “Disney Premier
Passport” and it’ll feature the same benefits you get with the
“premium” annual passes for Disneyland and Walt Disney World
Resorts for $700, plus applicable- sales tax.
So, what’s in it for you? At Walt
Disney World:
Unlimited admission for a period of
one year to all four Walt Disney World Theme Parks,
including the ability to visit multiple parks on the same
day.
Unlimited admission to Disney’s
Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach Water Parks
Unlimited admission to DisneyQuest
Indoor Interactive Theme Park, ESPN Wide World of Sports
Complex (valid only on event days; some events require an
additional admission charge) and Disney’s Oak Trail Golf
Course (greens fee only. Tee time reservations are required
and subject to availability)
Parking at all four Theme Parks
Subscription to Mickey Monitor, a
collectible Passholder-only publication
And at Disneyland Resort:
Unlimited admission to both
Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure Parks for a
period of one year, including the ability to visit multiple
parks on the same day.
Parking at any pay-on-entry parking
lot
Subscription to Backstage Pass.
Complimentary subscription to
Disney’s Family Fun Magazine (one per household)
If you’re already holding a Premium
Annual Pass for both Resorts, you’ll automatically be issued a
“Disney Premier Passport” – with an expiration date based on the
later of the two annual passes. You may also upgrade your
annual or seasonal pass for one resort to a “Disney Premier
Passport” for an additional fee.
The Passport will be available for sale at the Disneyland
Resort box office and Walt Disney World Guest Relations windows
beginning tomorrow. So, sound interesting? Let us know what you
think.
DisneyParks Blog - Nope, your eyes are not deceiving you…that’s
a light cycle from the Tron universe on our
“highway in the sky.” And today, we’re sharing a first look at
the attention-grabbing art coming to the Walt Disney World
Resort.
The transformed trains will be visible
on the Epcot monorail line as early as this month. And if
you look close, you’ll notice that the design of the
futuristic motorcycle-like vehicles from the upcoming film
Tron: Legacy also includes walls of trailing colored
light.
Tron: Legacy is a 3D high-tech adventure set in a digital
world that’s unlike anything ever captured on the big
screen. The film is scheduled to hit theaters on December
17. But there will be more updates to come before then.
Reuters - Walt Disney
Co (DIS.N)
Chief Executive
Bob Iger said on Wednesday the top U.S. media company is
keeping its options open for dealing with TV network ABC and
its struggling news division, including a spin-off.
At Disney's shareholders'
meeting, Iger noted that ABC News, which cut 300 to 400 jobs
as part of a drive to refocus and to recapture viewers lost
to the Internet, is in a business undergoing significant
challenges because of changes in the way people access and
consume news.
Asked by a shareholder
whether Disney intended to spin off ABC, Iger said he was
comfortable with Disney's current mix of assets but added
that the company was always reviewing the longer-term
options for all its businesses.
"There are no guarantees in
terms of what will remain part of our company and what will
not," he said.
Speculation has surfaced
from time to time in the media and among market analysts
that ABC might be split from Disney. Alan Gould, analyst
with Soleil Research, does not believe that Iger was
signaling any developments in the works.
"Iger was just making sure
he was not locking himself into a position by saying he'd
never sell ABC News. He was keeping all of his options
open," Gould said.
At its annual meeting in San
Antonio, Texas, Disney also unveiled a $700 single annual
pass to both Disneyland in Anaheim, California, and Walt
Disney World Resort in Florida.
Disney generated $36 billion
in revenues in its most recent fiscal year and owns media
properties including the Walt Disney Pictures movie studio,
ABC Television Networks and cable sports network ESPN, plus
part of online video website Hulu.
Disney last month reported
better-than-expected earnings on the back of a strong
performance at its cable division and cost cuts at its film
studio, but signaled that its theme parks division remained
under pressure, with room reservations at its parks for the
second quarter down 10 percent from a year before.
Noting that 2009 was
challenging, Iger said the company has put in place various
strategic measures, citing its newly restructured film
division's success with the recently released "Alice in
Wonderland" and drawing applause when he unveiled previews
of its upcoming "Toy Story 3" and "Tron Legacy."
Shareholders at the meeting
elected Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook,
and reelected the 12 other nominees to its board, expanding
its size to 13.
The move to tap Sandberg
reflects Disney's aggressive push into the younger, popular
world of online social networks, which was a key part of its
successful marketing of "Alice."
Sandberg's experience at
Facebook, which has more than tripled in size during the
past 16 months to more than 350 million users, will provide
Disney with helpful insight from one of the Web's
fastest-growing companies in a way that is more
cost-efficient than acquiring a company.
Shareholders voted against a
proposal on executive pay that had asked for a nonbinding,
advisory vote on the pay packages of top Disney executives.
The "say on pay" initiative was voted down in the previous
year's annual meeting, and Disney was one of many companies
facing such a proposal.
PRNewswire - It's a milestone year for
the Disneyland Resort, and D23: The Official Community for
Disney Fans is celebrating with the premiere of DESTINATION
D, a brand-new, two-day event exclusively for D23 Members
that illuminates Disney's fascinating history.
D23 announced its latest members-only
event on its first anniversary – capping a year in which
Disney's first-ever fan community grew to encompass tens of
thousands of members from all 50 U.S. states and more than
30 countries worldwide.
The inaugural DESTINATION D, whose
theme is "Disneyland '55," will be held this
Sept. 24-25. DESTINATION D:
Disneyland '55 will take D23 Members on a journey through
the design, creation, debut and magical history of the
world's first Disney theme park. The first DESTINATION D
will be held in the Grand Ballroom of the Disneyland Hotel.
DESTINATION D: Disneyland '55 will
offer two full days of special presentations, panels,
screenings and guest speakers that let fans meet and talk
with key figures in Disneyland's history. Future DESTINATION
D events will explore other important aspects of Disney's
creative legacy. Following its premiere in September,
DESTINATION D will alternate annually with the enormously
popular D23 EXPO.
The next D23 EXPO is set for
Aug. 19-21, 2011, returning to
the Anaheim Convention
Center. Tickets for the 2011 D23 EXPO will go on sale
Aug. 19 (one year in advance),
with specially priced tickets available exclusively to D23
Members. In addition, D23 Charter Members will have access
to a special Charter Member Lounge at the 2011 D23 EXPO, at
no additional cost.
The first-ever D23 EXPO attracted
nearly 40,000 Disney fans when it debuted last September, bringing the entire world
of Disney under one massive roof. During the D23 EXPO, fans
were treated to appearances by superstars like
Johnny Depp,
Miley Cyrus and
John Travolta; explored
exciting, new concepts and attractions from Disney Parks and
Walt Disney Imagineering; peered into Disney's
history at special panels, presentations and displays; and
discovered the newest entertainment, products and events
from throughout The Walt Disney Company.
"The first D23 EXPO surpassed all of
our expectations, and our 2011 Expo is already shaping up to
be a jaw-dropping, not-to-be missed showcase of the best and
brightest Disney has to offer," said
Steven Clark, head of D23.
"We're very excited to also be
creating an entirely new event with DESTINATION D, which
will bring Disney's fascinating history to D23 Members in
ways no other Disney fan can experience," Clark said.
"There's nowhere on earth quite as special as Disneyland,
and we want fans to see it as they never have before."
The D23 team is in the midst of
developing exclusive programming for DESTINATION D – but an
early peek at plans reveals a host of special speakers,
presentations and panels throughout the two-day event,
including:
"Disneyland: The Way We Were" – Disney's Chief Archivist
Dave Smith will look back at highlights from Disneyland
history;
"Disney Undiscovered" – An
exploration of never-built projects and attractions
developed for Disneyland;
"23 on 55" – The
Walt Disney Archives celebrates
Disneyland's 55th anniversary;
"Weird Disney" – A showcase for
some of the quirky, little-known facts, places, people
and ideas that even the most avid fan might not know.
More details on the programming and
events planned for DESTINATION D: Disneyland '55 – as well
as details about the 2011 D23 EXPO – will be available soon
at
www.disney.com/D23.
Tickets will go on sale early this summer.
DESTINATION D joins a lineup of
special events throughout 2010 designed exclusively
for D23 Members. Among them are free screenings of classic
Disney movies during the "50 & Fabulous" film festival at
the Walt
Disney
Studios in Burbank;
members-only tours of the famed
Walt Disney
Archives; an exclusive Sip & Stroll event during the Epcot
International Food and Wine Festival; and holiday-themed
Magic and Merriment weekend at the
Walt Disney World
Resort in Florida.
MTV - Perhaps the biggest release this month is "Alice in
Wonderland," Tim Burton's sequel (get over it; that's what
it is) to the 1951 Disney classic. The movie opened to
Burton's biggest-ever opening weekend and it remains popular
going into its second week.
You know what that means, right? Sequel!
That's how these things work. Movie with established name
and franchise potential opens, performs well, gets a
follow-up. Only that might not be the case with "Alice." Not
as far as star Mia Wasikowska is concerned.
"I think it's left in a really good place and I don't
think it really needs [a sequel]," she told MTV's Josh
Horowitz on the red carpet at the 2010 Independent Spirit
Awards. "I think it's good how it is."
Does Wasikowska's apparent
lack of interest in a sequel spell doom for the franchise
before its even been picked up for more? Not necessarily.
It's entirely possible that Disney will simply re-cast the
role. Maybe even take a similar approach that Burton did
with his movie, go for someone even older next time around.
Alternatively, there's also the possibility of a prequel.
There are a few, brief flashback moments in Burton's movie
which recreate scenes from the original "Alice." With reboot
fever gripping Hollywood already, perhaps Disney's next move
will be to produce a live-action remake of the animated 1951
classic.
Frankly, I'd almost prefer to see a live-action
re-telling of Lewis Carroll's story. If nothing else, it
would offer the opportunity to make things a little darker.
The little bits of footage in Burton's movie definitely
captured the oddball absurdity of the original tale; one
could only imagine how classic story elements like "The
Walrus and the Carpenter" and Alice's trial would look.
Disney News - “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day”
– a first-of-its-kind program of Disney Parks – reached its
goal of inspiring 1 million people in 2010 to give back to their
communities through volunteer service in the United States,
Puerto Rico and Canada. Since the program started just 10 weeks
ago, on Jan. 1, a million people already have volunteered or
have committed to volunteer in their communities, according to
Disney Parks and HandsOn Network, the nation’s largest volunteer
network and a facilitator of “Give a Day, Get a Disney
Day.”
To celebrate the good deeds of these individuals, Disney Parks
offered each volunteer who completed an eligible project a free
one-day admission to one theme park in Walt Disney World Resort
in Florida or Disneyland Resort in California. Although
registration is now closed and the program has ended, those who
volunteered have until Dec. 15, 2010, to redeem their free park
ticket (certain block-out dates apply).
“By any measure, the ‘Give a Day, Get a Disney Day’ program
exceeded our expectations,” said Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt
Disney Parks and Resorts. “These one million volunteers touched
their communities with their hearts and hands. Their commitment
to service is truly worth celebrating, and there’s no better
place to celebrate than at Disney Parks.”
Volunteerism has been a part of the Disney culture since the
beginning. Through Disney VoluntEARS, cast members have been
giving back to communities for more than a quarter century. More
than 5.5 million hours of volunteer service worldwide have been
donated, and Disney’s commitment to volunteerism will continue
even as “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” draws to a
close.
Officials at HandsOn Network credited the “Give a Day, Get a
Disney Day” program for increasing volunteer activities this
year. “The innovative nature of this program has exponentially
increased our capacity to both invite and excite people about
volunteerism,” said Michelle Nunn, co-founder of HandsOn Network
and CEO of Points of Lights Institute. “The overwhelming
participation of families – and youth especially – is a
testament to a growing trend. Many of these volunteers are
serving for the first time, and some will develop into service
leaders that help change the face of our nation.”
Encouraging that kind of commitment was one aim of the Disney
program, Staggs said. “The goal of the ‘Give a Day, Get a Disney
Day’ program was to lay the groundwork for a new spirit of
volunteerism,” he said. “The need for volunteers across the
country is ongoing. We look forward to more people, especially
families, carrying on the momentum and giving back to their
communities through volunteerism.”
Neighborhoods in need were the big beneficiaries of “Give a Day,
Get a Disney Day” – from San Juan to San Diego, Vero Beach to
Vancouver.
In Puerto Rico, 500 volunteers cleaned the beaches of
Vaciatalega and La Perla located in the vicinity of Old San
Juan. In Oakville, Ontario, a neighborhood center got new
shelving and a spruced-up mural.
In Boston, volunteers served meals to people in need, knitted
and crocheted scarves and mittens for children afflicted with
life-threatening illnesses and helped as caregivers at an animal
adoption center. In California, San Francisco Bay-area
volunteers helped with basic English lessons, painted park
benches and planted flowers.
In Jacksonville, Fla., volunteers painted murals and spruced up
rooms at a home for women and children, while in Pittsburgh they
took on construction tasks – tiling, sanding, staining and
painting – to help create affordable housing.
Although the program has ended and a free Disney theme park
ticket will no longer be provided, those still interested in
volunteering may search for opportunities through HandsOn
Network at
http://handsonnetwork.org/.
“If I had a nickel for every time I heard
that one…”
“Stop on a dime.”
And, of course, the ever popular “penny
for your thoughts.”
So in an effort not to become a cliché,
here’s a fun way that you can turn your spare change into a
collectible. I’m sure that you’ve seen your fair share of
pressed coin machines before at theme parks, fairs and
historical landmarks. Did you know that Disneyland Resort offers
more than 150 different dies that can be pressed on a penny,
nickel or even a quarter? Most of the pressed coin machines
you’ll find are for pennies, but it’s the thrill of the hunt
that makes it that much more fun to find the others. There are
currently 57 coin press machines in the Resort. Have you found
them all?
Tip: Most pressed coin
machines can be found on Main Street, U.S.A., but there are also
a few near the exits of some attractions.
Over the years, some of the most
popular pressed coins have been…
Buzz Lightyear near the Buzz
Lightyear Astro Blasters in Tomorrowland at Disneyland park
Haunted Mansion in the Courtyard of
Angels in New Orleans Square
Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before
Christmas (quarters only; typically found during the holiday
season, October through early January)
Seasonal Nickel Set (found only
during the holidays, usually on Main Street, U.S.A.)
Our Disney Princesses, including
Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Cinderella and Snow White
Fun Facts:
The art of pressing coins dates back more
than 100 years. The earliest known pressed coins are from 1818
Vienna, Austria. In the late 1800s, pressed coin souvenirs were
introduced into the United States at the World’s Columbian
Exposition held in Chicago, Illinois.
Did you know that the image is actually
etched in reverse (i.e. like a mirror image) so that the picture
pressed onto the coin will appear correctly?
A complete list of locations and coin
press collectibles is available at Guest Relations/City Hall in
Disneyland park as well as online at
ArtofDisneyParks.com
under Park Treasures.
Have you pressed a coin at the Disneyland
Resort? If so, do you have a favorite?
bizjournals - The Walt Disney Co.
held its annual shareholder's meeting on Wednesday in San
Antonio, with two changes at the company.
The first is a new annual pass that provides unlimited
access to both Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland
Resort in California. The new Disney Premier Passport will
cost $700, and goes on sale March 11. An annual pass to Walt
Disney World alone costs $489 and a pass for Disneyland
Resort runs $439.
The company also named Facebook Chief
Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg to its board of directors,
giving Disney access to a major name in social networking,
which will likely play a larger role in the company's
marketing efforts going forward.
Shareholders also voted down a so-called "say on pay"
initiative, which was voted down at last year's meeting as
well.
The biggest question mark could come in the form of ABC,
which CEO Bob Iger said is currently well-regarded as part
of Disney's overall group of assets, but did not rule out a
possibility of a spin-off, which has been rumored, at some
point in the future.
"There are no guarantees in terms of what will remain
part of our company and what will not," Iger said at the
meeting.
CNBC - Disney shareholders on Thursday voted down a proposal put
forth by an advocacy group to expand the entertainment giant's
non-discrimination policy to include people who the group says
are formerly gay, CNBC has learned.
A group
called Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays, or PFOX, is asking
the entertainment giant to expand non-discrimination practices
to cover "men and women with unwanted same-sex attractions who
leave homosexuality by gender affirming therapy, faith based
ministries, Homosexuals Anonymous support groups, or other
non-judgmental environments."
Whether a homosexual can become
"ex-gay" is hotly debated, but PFOX claims the ex-gay community
is "subject to an increasingly hostile environment because they
live out or support a different view of homosexuality."
Therefore, they're seeking specific protection from
discrimination in Disney's employment policy.
The Disney board is against the
proposal, saying current policy provides "broad and appropriate
protection against discrimination."
Disney also disputes PFOX's claims that
the company has an existing sexual orientation policy and
mandatory diversity training "that supports gays and bisexuals,
but excludes any support for ex-gays." On the contrary, says the
company adding it "does not have a sexual orientation policy" or
a policy that specifically "supports gays and bisexuals" and
"excludes any support for ex-gays." Instead, Disney says it has
a general equal opportunity employment policy and a general
policy against harassment "for any reason."
The company expressed concerns that
if shareholders approve specific language to protect ex-gays,
other groups would follow, such as "persons of mixed race,
persons who have changed their religious identification, persons
whose marital status has changed or persons who have specific
mental or physical disabilities or who developed those
disabilities in specific ways."
The company told CNBC that 98
percent of shareholders voted against the initiative.
Disney has been one of the highest
profile corporations to offer benefits to same-sex domestic
partners, and maybe, some have suggested, PFOX expected a warmer
reception.
Reuters - One day after March 19 was set as the deadline for
binding offers for MGM, the same date has emerged as a deadline
in the latest round of bidding for Miramax.
Owner Walt Disney Co. hopes to
select a winning bidder from offers received by that date and
close on a sale of the one-time indie highflyer within 30 days
of the deadline.
Interested parties offer
conflicting takes on how heated interest in Miramax has been.
Some say Disney's suggested minimum bid of $700 million is
overcooked by at least $200 million, and others claim sufficient
interest to deliver offers of that level or higher.
Disney finally allowed some
financial due diligence among prospective suitors during the
past few weeks. But with the studio running the Miramax auction
without the assistance of an outside consultant, Disney has been
able to control information about individual bidders -- and the
Burbank studio's ultimate intentions in the process.
"They're keeping things tightly
under wraps," a representative of one interested party said
Tuesday.
MGM, which is using Moelis & Co.
to conduct its solicitation of bids, is racing against a March
31 deadline on a big interest payment owed by the studio. If no
acceptable offer is secured by then, a bankruptcy reorganization
of the Lion and its $3.7 billion in debt is likely.
Disney execs have no such gun to
their heads in putting Miramax and its 700-title library up for
sale. But the studio maintains hope of wrapping up its auction
quickly, assuming one or more reasonable offer is secured by the
bidding deadline.
Entertainment Weekly - Disney Studios scored last
weekend with Alice in Wonderland so it’s no wonder the
studio has set another spring date for another 3-D spectacle.
The studio announced today that the Robert Zemeckis’ produced
film, Mars Needs Moms!, based on Berkley Breathed’s
children story, will open on March 11, 2011 in 3-D and likely in
IMAX 3-d too. The motion capture movie is being directed by
Simon Wells (The Prince of Egypt) and stars the voice
cast of Seth Green, Joan Cusack and Dan Fogler. It tells the
story of a young boy, named Milo, who gains a deeper
appreciation for his mom after Martians come to Earth to take
her away.
More than 13,000 princesses (including 400
princes) took to the streets of Walt Disney World Resort on
Sunday morning all in the name of Disney’s Princess Half
Marathon. The 13.1-mile race started in true Disney fashion with
fireworks lighting up the sky and Fairy Godmother wishing all
well on their journey. Many runners came dressed in their
princess best. Here are some of our favorite photos from the
event.
Disney’s Princess Half Marathon isn’t our
only endurance event that’s filled with Disney magic. Here are
some of our popular upcoming endurance events so be sure to sign
up (disneyenduranceseries.com)
while space is available.
Expedition Everest Challenge : June 12, 2010
Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend: September 3-5, 2010
Inaugural Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend:
October 1-2,2010
AP - Robert De Niro is set to play Vince Lombardi in an upcoming
movie.
ESPN announced Tuesday
that the Academy Award-winning actor has agreed to play the Hall
of Fame coach in the film it is
developing with Andell Entertainment and the NFL.
"Lombardi" will chronicle the years in which he transformed
the Green Bay Packers from the NFL's worst team to league
champions. It is tentatively scheduled to be released in 2012
during the weekend between the conference championship games and
the Super Bowl.
Screenwriter Eric Roth, who won an Oscar for "Forrest Gump," has also signed on to
the project. De Niro's Tribeca Productions will join the
producing group. A director has yet to be chosen.
Disney Fans Insider - Walt Disney created a company synonymous
with family entertainment – just hearing his name brings back
warm, fuzzy 'n' fun childhood memories for kids of all ages. And
the family connections reach beyond the magic as well. You'll be
surprised at the number of children, parents, grandparents,
husbands, and wives who've worked behind the Disney scenes to
help sprinkle some of Walt's precious pixie dust.
Actors, animators, directors, Imagineers, and many other
talented Disney luminaries have created or grown up in families
dedicated to bringing some of the world's favorite characters,
movies, television shows, and Theme Park attractions to life.
Each has contributed to Walt's iconic legacy in their own unique
way.
Let's begin with one third-generation actor who's followed in
some pretty historical footsteps – Disney XD star Hutch Dano,
who plays Zeke on the hit television series "Zeke & Luther."
Hutch's grandfather, notable film and television character actor
Royal Dano, provided the voice of Abraham Lincoln for Walt's
"Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln," which debuted at the 1964
World's Fair. Royal lives on as the voice of Honest Abe in the
Audio-Animatronic "Hall of Presidents" program at Disneyland and
Walt Disney World. Rick Dano, Royal's son and Hutch's dad, is
also an accomplished character actor credited with various roles
in film and television.
Other television families include Disney Channel stars Dylan and
Cole Sprouse, twin brothers who've gone from tween-to-teen right
before our eyes as Zack and Cody Martin on "The Suite Life of
Zack and Cody" and "The Suite Life on Deck." Miley Cyrus and
real-life dad Billy Ray have catapulted Disney Channel's "Hannah
Montana" into an international phenomenon, while Jonas Brothers
Kevin, Nick, and Joe are the 21st century's answer to the
Beatles, making music and melting hearts along the way. Miley's
little sis, Noah Lindsey, and "bonus Jonas" Frankie won hearts
as the voices of Ponyo and Sosuke (respectively) in Hayao
Miyazaki's animated feature film "Ponyo."
But Disney family ties don't start and end on the small screen.
Take Marc and Alice Davis, the husband-and-wife team who lived a
true fairy-tale romance during their Disney careers and were
both named Disney Legends for their contributions to the
Company. One of Walt's original "Nine Old Men," Marc was a
master animator/designer who created some of Disney's most
celebrated characters ever – Tinker Bell, Cinderella, Alice,
Maleficent, and that fantastically evil fashionista, Cruella De
Vil. During his 43 years with the Studio, Marc stepped into the
role of Imagineer as well, developing story and character
concepts for Disneyland attractions including the Haunted
Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, the Enchanted
Tiki Room, and It's a Small World.
His wife, costume designer Alice Estes, was originally hired by
Marc to create an ensemble for live-action model Helene Stanley,
his inspiration for the Briar Rose character in "Sleeping
Beauty." Most well-known for her elaborate children's costumes –
over 150 in all – featured in Disneyland's It's a Small World,
Alice also designed swashbuckling pirate garb for Pirates of the
Caribbean and contributed to other Theme Park attractions. To
this day, Alice continues making special guest appearances at
Disneyland events.
Another of Walt's "Nine Old Men," Wolfgang "Woolie" Reitherman,
had no aspirations to become an animator at first. He joined the
Company after much convincing from a Chouinard Art Institute
friend and began working on Walt's Silly Symphony "Funny Little
Bunnies." It was love at first frame and Woolie decided
animation was for him. During his 48-year Studio stint, he began
directing fight sequences ("Fantasia," "The Adventures of
Ichabod and Mr. Toad," and "Sleeping Beauty") and later became
one of the Studio's first animators to receive full directorial
credit for "The Sword in the Stone."
In the meantime, Woolie's three sons – Bruce, Richard, and
Robert – got into the act by providing voices for animated
features directed by their dad. Richard and Robert shared the
role of Wart in "The Sword in the Stone" (1963), while brother
Bruce voiced Mowgli in "The Jungle Book" (1967) as well as
Christopher Robin in "Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree" (1966)
and "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" (1977). Bruce still
carries on the family tradition as a nature film producer,
cinematographer, writer, and director.
And since it all started with one very famous mouse, we couldn't
think of a more fitting way to wrap up than by mentioning Russi
Taylor and the late Wayne Allwine, the husband-and-wife team
better known as the voices of Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Wayne was
a former Disney sound effects technician who began voicing
Mickey after assuming the role in 1977. His "Mickey" voice can
be heard in film, television, Theme Parks, radio, and live
events.
Though she voices an extensive "cast of characters," actress
Russi Taylor won the coveted role of Minnie Mouse at a 1986
audition and has brought Mickey's sweetheart to life in film and
television ever since. Some of Russi's other Disney voices
include Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Webbigail Vanderquack in "Ducktales,"
Nurse Mouse in "The Rescuers Down Under," and various roles in
the television series "Tale Spin," "The Little Mermaid," "Buzz
Lightyear of Star Command," and "Kim Possible."
Today's top talents could very well be the start of yet another
dynasty in the Disney family tree. Most importantly, all are
proud to continue Walt's vision and contribute to future Disney
history!
Orlando Sentinel - Ready for something besides green beer on St.
Patrick’s Day? Walt Disney World has a celebration planned for
March 17 that makes room for even the wee ones.
Raglan Road
Irish Pub and Restaurant at Downtown Disney will host a
family-friendly, all-day bash with traditional Irish foods and
entertainment. The party begins at 11 a.m. with a $10 cover
charge for the day; guests can come and go as they please once
they have wristbands. Even better — kids younger than 18 are
free, and all guests will receive party favors. (Advance dining
reservations are not available for March 17.)
Live musical entertainment kicks off with Creel and Danielle
at noon, and Myra Waters will lead her dance troupe in their
routines starting at 1 p.m. Elevation U2, billed as “the world’s
most popular U2 tribute band,” will perform from 10 p.m. to
close.
Throughout the day, guests will have the opportunity to
participate in games and competitions, including “So You Think
You Can Riverdance”, and prizes will be awarded. That contest
alone is worth the cover charge in my book.
Raglan Road offers bistro-style food
and Irish beers and whiskies in a dining room that seats more
than 400 guests and showcases four antique bars that were
imported from Ireland. The regular dinner menu will be served
all day March 17
So, come out and celebrate the luck o’ the Irish, lads and
lasses. Just don’t forget to wear green!
New York Times - For a few days last fall,
the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood celebrated a big
victory: the tiny advocacy group had successfully pushed the
Walt Disney Company to offer full refunds to everyone who had
bought the company’s popular Baby Einstein videos from June 2004
to September 2009.
But it did not take long for trouble to
follow. The group has been evicted from the Harvard-affiliated
children’s mental-health center in Boston that had housed and
sponsored it for more than a decade.
Campaign officials say they were forced
out after Disney made contact with health center officials.
Neither Disney nor officials of the center, the Judge Baker
Children’s Center, would comment about the eviction.
Just days after the Disney refunds were
described on the front page of The New York Times on Oct. 23,
campaign officials said they were contacted by Judge Baker
officials expressing unhappiness with the group’s activities.
Dr. Alvin F. Poussaint, the psychiatrist
who directs the Media Center at the Judge Baker center and
oversaw the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, and Susan
Linn, the campaign’s director, said center officials had told
them that Disney contacted them three times.
“The Judge Baker staff informed us they
didn’t want us to talk to the press, or to say anything about
Baby Einstein,” Dr. Poussaint said. “They suggested to me that
Disney was threatening to sue Judge Baker.”
As a professor at Harvard Medical School
who has written books with Bill Cosby, Dr. Poussaint fields
frequent calls from the news media. He said he was upset to be
told not talk to reporters — and to be told that a group
fighting the commercialization of children’s lives should not
advocate against corporations.
“We’d been doing this for 10 years at
Judge Baker with no problem,” Dr. Poussaint said. “We took up a
thing with McDonald’s putting advertisements on report cards in
Florida. The only thing that seemed to cause a problem was this
Disney thing.”
The campaign had for years fought
Disney’s marketing of the Baby Einstein videos — short videos
filled with colors, nature pictures, music and puppets — as
educational; it contended that there was no evidence that babies
learned anything. Indeed, the American Academy of Pediatrics
recommends no screen time for children under 2.
After the campaign filed a Federal Trade
Commission complaint, Disney dropped the word “educational” from
its marketing. But that was not enough for campaign officials.
They forwarded their research to lawyers who threatened a
class-action suit, prompting Disney to offer refunds of $15.99
for up to four Baby Einstein DVDs per household.
Barely two weeks after the story of the
refunds appeared, Dr. Poussaint said, he and Dr. Linn were
called before the Baker center’s executive board.
“I asked the lawyer who had talked to
Disney, point-blank, whether Disney had threatened to sue, and
he said no,” Dr. Poussaint said. “But I still don’t know the
content of the conversations with Disney.”
In January, Dr. Poussaint said, the
campaign was told to leave the center by the end of February.
The timing could hardly have been more awkward. Dr. Poussaint
was to be the honoree at the Judge Baker Children’s Center’s
$250-a-ticket “World of Children” gala, scheduled for this
Saturday — and Dr. Linn was the event’s co-chairwoman.
Dr. Poussaint decided that he could not
in good faith receive the award when he was so at odds with the
center. On Feb. 10, he sent a letter to John Weisz, the center’s
president, saying that “with sadness and regret,” he was
withdrawing from the event.
“I find the timing of your decision to
expel C.C.F.C. from Judge Baker very difficult to understand,
coming just before I was to receive the World of Children award,
which was supposed to be a celebration — not a repudiation — of
my work,” Dr. Poussaint wrote. “You told me that the mission of
C.C.F.C. — to protect children from harmful exploitation by
corporate marketers — is not in line with the Judge Baker
mission. Indeed, we were told that we could no longer criticize
any corporations, even if they were exploiting children.”
Judge Baker quickly canceled the gala,
for which it had incurred costs of about $80,000, said Karen
Schwartzman, a spokeswoman for the center. Ms. Schwartzman said
no one at the center would discuss the break with the campaign.
Mr. Weisz and Kathryn Cade, who leads the
board, announced the cancellation in a Feb. 16 letter to staff
members and trustees. They emphasized that Judge Baker admired
Dr. Poussaint and the Media Center, and had problems only with
the campaign, which it acknowledged had been effective in
curbing corporate advertising that preys on children’s
vulnerabilities.
“It is the methods used by C.C.F.C., some
of which have the potential to utilize litigation to achieve
this success — in tandem with the shifting focus of the Judge
Baker Children’s Center — that has led to the current difference
of views,” the letter said.
Ms. Schwartzman said Judge Baker received
no money and no promise of money from Disney.
Word of the rupture has not yet spread
through the nation’s network of mental-health centers.
But Dr. Carl Bell, president and chief
executive of the Community Mental Health Council in Chicago,
when alerted by a reporter, said he was troubled because
advocacy was a core responsibility of the 1963 legislation that
provided federal financing for community mental-health centers.
“Children are all gasoline and no
brakes,” Dr. Bell said, “and whether it’s cigarettes, alcohol or
junk food, we need advocates to tell society to stop giving
children so much gasoline.”
Dr. Bell, director of the Institute for
Juvenile Research at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said
his mental-health center had a community board, while Judge
Baker had a corporate board, which he said might explain the
Boston center’s actions.
“On a community board, it’s about public
health, trying to transform people,” Dr. Bell said. “Corporate
boards are more on the business transactional side of life, so
they’re a bit more money-oriented.”
Ms. Schwartzman said the center was
uncomfortable with the potential legal issues that might arise
from the campaign’s aggressive advocacy.
The campaign, which has a paid staff of
two and a budget of about $250,000, has just moved into new
quarters in Boston at Third Sector New England, a group that
helps support nonprofit organizations.
“It’s
really chilling, that any corporation, and particularly one
marketing itself as child friendly, would lean on a children’s
center,” said Dr. Lynn, a psychiatry instructor at Harvard
Medical School. “And it’s heartbreaking that a children’s center
would cave in.”
All Things Digital - It’s looking like a movie sequel/viral
video kind of a day. Or in other words: I’ll
see your “Iron Man 2″ trailer and raise you a “Tron
Legacy.”
That’s the official name of Disney’s (DIS) sequel to its 1982
classic, which may have been the first movie to imagine what
living inside your computer would be like.
Now we no longer need to guess, since way too many of us are
essentially doing this every day. But “Tron” still has a special
resonance for Web nerds of a certain age–hence “Tron Guy,” one
of the first viral video characters to break on YouTube–and
Disney is hoping it can revive its appeal for the young-uns.
Hint to the Disney folks: It will be easier to get free
promotion if you make the YouTube version of this embeddable.
Still, we’ll do our best: Here’s a
vintage one for the original version (note that Oscar winner
Jeff Bridges, who starred in the first movie, shows up in the
new one as well), and Tron Guy himself, Jay Maynard.
Baltimore Sun - What's this the Los Angeles Times tells us --
that Disney is actually down on princess movie themes after a
less-than-stellar box office performance from "The Princess and
the Frog"?
It seems that boys are turned off by movies with
"princess" in the title. So for its new version of the Rapunzel
story, coming out in November, Disney is calling the tale
"Tangled" and ramping up the role of "the infamous bandit Flynn
Rider." (Huh?) Rapunzel herself is being made into a "feisty
teen."
As transparent as this marketing move seems, as the mom of
both a girl and a boy I'm cheering this development, and I know
my daughter will, too. At the age of almost-9, she's not only
over princesses, she's adamantly opposed to them. (She showed
shades of that even when she was 3, when I told her the story of
Rapunzel and she supplied a surprise ending.)
OCRegister - Four Disney hotel workers plan to take their plea
for affordable health care directly to top Disney officials at
Wednesday’s annual shareholders meeting.
The union members, who have been embroiled in a two-year
contract dispute with Disney, are scheduled to go to Disney’s
meeting in San Antonio, Texas, where they hope to address the
Board of Directors.
The meeting will have a question-and-answer period, when any
shareholder can talk, said Jonathan Friedland, a Disney
spokesman. Three of the workers are Disney shareholders, said
Leigh Shelton, a spokesman for the union, Unite Here Local 11.
Hotel workers have been working without a contract for more
than two years. Last month, 15 union members held hunger strikes
in front of Disneyland hotels and at Disney’s Burbank
headquarters to draw attention to their stance.
Disney and the union recently resumed talks by holding
separate meetings with a federal mediator last week. The
mediator asked both sides to avoid discussing the negotiations
in public, Disney officials said.
Disney and the union mostly clash over health-care costs. Hotel
workers now pay nothing to belong to the union-run program,
which they want to keep. Disney requires payments for company
benefits, which 30 of 31 unions have joined.
The most-similar Disney plan would cost about $272 monthly
for a family this year. Disney benefits would be free this year,
but Disney would gradually increase payments to the full cost in
2014 under a recent proposal. The union estimates that benefits
would cost about $500 monthly by then.
The four union members want to ask the board of directors to
maintain their health program.
Also, the hotel workers plan to voice their support for the
“say-on-pay” initiative, a shareholders’ proposal that would
give shareholders an advisory vote on executive pay. The Disney
board voted down the proposal last year and Disney officials are
opposing the initiative again this year.
Union members believe some of the money used for executives’
pay should go to health-care costs. Disney president Bob Iger
made $29 million last year, while a beginning housekeeper earns
about $20,800, according to the union.
Shelton said union allies in Texas plan to picket outside the
meeting as well.
THR - Walt Disney Television International India announced
Tuesday the appointment of Arnab Chaudhuri to the newly created
position of director, content and creative. In this role, he
will oversee the network's creative and content strategy for the
Disney Channel, Disney XD and Hungama TV.
The announcement was made by WDTVII vp and GM Natasha Malhotra
to whom Chaudhuri will report.
”Creating compelling content, channel environments and engaging
and entertaining our audience with locally relevant initiatives
is a key strategic priority for (our channels),” said Malhotra.
Chaudhuri comes to Disney with over 15 years of experience in
various positions in the TV industry which also included
overseas work experience. Chaudhuri recently directed a
full-length animation feature, “Arjun” produced by UTV which is
slated for release this year.
Blooloop - Disney World's new
tilt-shift video series has become very popular. Tilt shift
photography techniques result in miniaturization of the
subjects, making life-size things appear model-size, for humor
and effect. An example is the hit, “A Model Day at the Magic
Kingdom Park.”
Blooloop’s Chad Emerson discussed
the videos with Todd Heiden,
International PR Director, Disney Destinations LLC.
Chad Emerson: Which of Disney’s tilt shift videos has
been the most popular so far?
Todd Heiden: “A Model Day at Magic Kingdom” has by far
been the most popular for many different reasons. First, the
park resonates very well with the target audience; when you
think of Disney Parks, the first of our parks that springs to
mind is the Magic Kingdom. Second, the video launched
simultaneously with our Disney Parks Blog, which has turned out
to be a huge success for us in terms of having an official Parks
voice with which to engage our fans within the social media
realm. Lastly, the video itself received key references and
embeds from influential external sites that helped drive the
views up significantly.
Emerson: Please explain how the idea of using the
tilt-shift technique came to mind and why you thought it would
fit well with Disney theme parks.
Heiden: I was first introduced to tilt-shift by my
sister-in-law who is an avid photographer. She shared an example
of a video by a gentleman in Australia and I was mesmerized by
the effect. Tilt-shift is first and foremost a photographic
technique, but when the individual images are stitched together
the resulting video works particularly well with motion and
people. I thought, since so many of our ideas start out as
models, how fun would it be to revert to a model-like look and
incorporate both motion (trains, monorails, busses, boats, etc.)
and moving people?
Emerson: What about the technology creates that
miniature effect?
Heiden: I’m sure I won’t do the technology any justice
with this explanation but here’s a try. Tilt-shift lenses do
exactly what they advertise: tilt and shift. Whereas a
traditional lens is mounted on a camera body in a
straightforward affixed position, a tilt-shift lens allows for
the movement of the lens relative to the image plane – namely
left-right (tilt) and up-down (shift). The ability to do this
allows for selective focus and precise control of the
perspective. When you take a camera with a traditional lens and
point it down or up at a subject (e.g. a building), you either
only capture the base of the building or affect the perspective
in the resulting image (a building that slowly converges near
the top). Shifting the lens upwards on the camera body allows
you to capture the entire subject, which is important when
trying to tell the whole story. Tilting the lens produces a
narrow region of sharpness with a blurring effect top and bottom
in the image. Combining these two effects - and punching the
color saturation up a bit in post-edit – can give the impression
of a miniature.
Results are best when photographed from above or at a distance
with a wide angle of view. In certain instances we chose to go
with a zoom lens as the resulting image helped move the somewhat
loose narrative along.
Emerson: You’ve really focused on the theme parks to
date. What are some other types of settings in which you could
imagine this technique would also work well?
Heiden: We’re about to drop our next video, which will
feature the Disney Cruise Lines and in particular their ship the
Disney Wonder. Seeing a massive 90 million pound cruise line
bobbing about on the water like a toy ship in a bathtub is a
really cool effect. Beyond the cruise line we have our 24
resorts on property, our two water parks and our shopping
district, as well as unique perspective shots that we can
consider for smaller POV segments.
Emerson: What type of feedback have you
received back from guests regarding the videos? What has been
the most surprising response?
Heiden: The response has been overwhelmingly positive
and “more” is what we’re being asked for. Everyone has their
favorite park so obviously, if we haven’t featured their park
yet, the expectation has now been set that it will be coming.
David Roark, our
photographer who shoots all the images, has had guests approach
him in the parks and comment on the videos. It really is a labor
of love on his part given all the different locations he needs
to lug his equipment around to so the recognition is a pleasant
surprise for him.
Probably the most amusing responses have been to the music
selections. I wanted something that wasn’t standard Disney,
something that would challenge people to “experience” Disney
differently rather than hearing the music and automatically
saying to themselves – “Disney.” The Magic Kingdom music is an
overwhelming favorite, with Epcot’s music being a little more
polarizing – they love it or hate it. Either way, the videos
generate a healthy trail of comments that are fun to follow.
Moviefone - When Disney debuted scenes at last year's Comic-Con
for 'Tron Legacy', the long-awaited sequel to the
motherboards-meet-Oz adventure of the early 80s, the Internet
went a little bananas.
"Kinetic, delirious and full of light-cycle brilliance," was how
io9 described the test footage, which featured two
light-cyclists in pursuit of one another through a computerized
landscape, and a final, intriguing reveal of Jeff Bridges'
gaming guru Kevin Flynn -- both in human and "program" form.
The first official trailer for 'Tron Legacy' opens in the
earth-bound realm, with Bruce Boxleitner's Alan Bradley
delivering Kevin's son, Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) information
that he's received a page from a long-disconnected number. When
the number is tracked to Sam's father's closed-down arcade, Sam
finds himself pulled down the digital rabbit hole, destined for
a mainframe meeting with his long, lost father.
While last year's teaser footage
triggered some light-cycle nostalgia for 'Tron' fans--we imagine
this guy was quite pleased--the first trailer shows a more
realized digital world. It maintains the look and feel of the
original--discs still seem to be the weapons of choice--but
upgraded to appear sleeker, sexier, and a little more dangerous.
But the question remains: what's become of Kevin Flynn? Through
both sets of clips, shots of the recent Oscar winner have been
cryptic and ominous, as through the ENCOM CEO has gone viral, in
a bad way.
Could we be gearing up for a father-son disc battle for the
ages? Guess we'll have to wait and see.
'Tron Legacy' hits theaters on December 17 in 3-D.
DisneyParks Blog - In recent weeks, we’ve shared some
spectacular images of the Epcot International Flower and Garden
Festival, but it’s best to experience it in person. And
beginning this week, Florida residents (18 years of age and
older) are getting a chance to win their way to the event.
It’s easy to participate. Simply visit
www.EpcotGardenContest.com and
play the new Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival “Grow
Your Garden” Instant Win Game for a chance to win a pair of
Florida Resident “4-Day Dream Passes.” The tickets offer
admission to one Walt Disney World Resort theme park per day for
four days and are valid 3/8/10 – 3/26/10 and 4/10/10 – 5/25/10.
And no, the four days do not need to be consecutive.
There are some official details you need to know about.
Admission with the 4-Day Dream Passes is for one park per day
and blockout dates to apply. Also, NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT IS
NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT WILL NOT
INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. “Epcot International Flower &
Garden Festival Grow Your Garden Instant Win Game & Community
Garden Essay Contest” starts 3/8/10 at 12:00 AM, ET and ends
4/30/10 at 11:59:59 PM, ET. See Complete Official Rules at
www.EpcotGardenContest.com for
entry qualifications, participation instructions, judging
criteria, prize details, odds of winning Instant Win Game and
other important information. Open only to legal residents of
Florida who are 18 or older. Void outside of Florida and in all
jurisdictions where prohibited.
Orlando Sentinel - Disney Live! Rockin’ Road Show is
making a stop at the University of Central Florida Arena next
week. If your children love the Disney characters, this
interactive show is sure to put smiles on their faces.
Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy are on a
crazy road trip to find the best acts in town for a talent show
with help from the audience. Along the way, you’ll hit a high
note with Cinderella; get your bounce on with Tigger; and shout
out your loudest “yee-haw” at a hoedown with Woody, Jessie and
Buzz Lightyear from Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story.
Mickey and his pals will be at the new UCF Arena at 3 p.m.
and 6:30 p.m. March 19. Tickets range from $18 to $50 through
Ticketmaster. Call 1-800-745-3000 or visit Ticketmaster.com to
purchase.
Orlando radio station WMMO is giving away family 4-packs of
tickets to the show, and you can enter through March 14 on
wmmo.com. Sweepstakes details and official rules are there as
well.
Seeking Alpha - Although the shifting
economics of TV are treacherous, there are five reasons why Walt
Disney (DIS) felt empowered to yank its New York WABC-TV signal
and live Oscars telecast during stalled negotiations with
Cablevision (CVC), and why it could do it again in a looming
retransmission-fee tussle with the much bigger Time Warner Cable
(TWC).
Disney had nothing to lose and
everything to gain. The $40 million in annual retransmission
fees Disney sought from the cable operator represent the
first time it is being paid separately to provide its
flagship station signal. Cablevision already pays $200
million annually to carry the ABC network. Even if Disney
only receives between 55 cents and 65 cents per subscriber
(instead of the $1 per sub it demanded), it is a new source
of revenue for its struggling broadcast operations.
Disney is now empowered to use
hardball tactics with other distributors who know it will
pull the plug. Disney must negotiate a new retransmission
agreement by August with Time Warner Cable, which has about
14 million basic cable subscribers. Time Warner Cable
recently signed a new retransmission pact with Fox,
reportedly agreeing to pay 75 cents per subscriber by 2015.
Disney’s Oscars advertising revenues
were assured. Cablevision’s 3 million east coast subscribers
are a fraction of the 41.3 million national viewers for
Sunday’s Oscars telecast (or 26.5 percent of all US TV
homes), according to Nielsen. ABC’s advertising sales for
the Academy Awards reportedly did not include minimum
ratings guarantees. So, regardless of the national ratings —
with or without Cablevision coverage — ABC keeps all of the
revenues.
Disney’s live Oscars telecast was
the only game in town. ABC received less money for a
30-second spot than it has in recent years and lost some
traditional Oscar sponsors such as General Motors and
L’Oreal Paris. It expected to make about $68 million in ad
revenues, or 16 percent less than last year, according to
TNS Media Intelligence. But ABC was the only traditional or
online media licensed to telecast the entire live awards
show.
Disney is a multinational media
conglomerate with bigger fish to fry. Disney’s savvy CEO Bob
Iger is capitalizing on radical digital change and
determined to grow core business revenues, even if it means
upsetting conventions. The weekend premiere of its 3D
Alice in Wonderland broke box office records with $210
million in receipts. Still, theater owners are upset about
Disney’s plans for the early DVD release of Alice
within 12 weeks, instead of the customary 17 weeks, of the
film’s box office debut.
Of course, the ultimate risk is that
consumers fed up with such heavy-handed shenanigans by Disney,
Cablevision and their peers will black-out traditional media in
favor of streaming online video, social networks and other new
options.
In the case of the Oscars, some viewers
may have discovered they are satisfied catching real-time
glimpses of Red Carpet fashions and interviews on the Web, along
with real-time blogging on winners from the awards ceremony,
about which they can Tweet and post on social networks. That
personalized experience could prove a more pleasurable
alternative to enduring three hours and 37 minutes of live
Oscars, 18 percent of which is advertising and promotions.
Recession-weary consumers have questioned
the value of cable TV subscriptions that cost upwards of $50 per
month, when they can opt instead for less costly
Internet-connected options. The Oscar brouhaha appears to have
pushed some over the edge. Target (TGT) and Wal-Mart (WMT)
reported increased sales of converter boxes, and DirecTV (DTV)
said there was a spike in requests for new services over the
weekend. Cable customers canceling their service over the Disney
rift could cost Cablevision up to $2,000 in video subscription
profits over the average four-year contract, Bernstein Research
analyst Craig Moffett told The Wall Street Journal.
LATimes - Disney is wringing the pink out of its princess
movies.
After the less-than-fairy-tale results for its most recent
animated release, "The Princess and the Frog," executives at the
Burbank studio believe they know why the acclaimed movie came up
short at the box office.
Brace yourself: Boys didn't want to see a movie with "princess"
in the title.
This time, Disney is taking measures to ensure that doesn't
happen again. The studio renamed its next animated film with the
girl-centric name "Rapunzel" to the less gender-specific
"Tangled."
The makeover of "Rapunzel" is more than cosmetic. Disney can ill
afford a moniker that alienates half the potential audience,
young boys, who are needed to make an expensive family film a
success.
"We did not want to be put in a box," said Ed Catmull, president
of Pixar and Disney Animation Studios, explaining the reason for
the name change. "Some people might assume it's a fairy tale for
girls when it's not. We make movies to be appreciated and loved
by everybody."
So Disney is taking no chances with "Tangled," positioned to
take advantage of holiday family moviegoing when it opens Nov.
24. The studio's marketing campaign will amp up the role of the
dashing Errol Flynn-styled male lead to share the spotlight with
the golden-haired namesake of the classic Brothers Grimm story.
Hints of swashbuckling action are already being leaked online.
"In our film, the infamous bandit Flynn Rider meets his match in
the girl with the 70 feet of magical golden hair," wrote the
film's producer, Roy Conli, on Disney Animation's Facebook page.
"We're having a lot of fun pairing Flynn, who's seen it all,
with Rapunzel, who's been locked away in a tower for 18 years."
Flynn Rider, of course, is nowhere to be found in the original
"Rapunzel" story.
In the Grimm tale, a prince riding through a forest is enticed
by Rapunzel's sweet singing and climbs up the tower where the
imprisoned girl is reachable only by her golden tresses. The
prince is hardly the boastful swordsman type, let alone a
charming rogue. And in Disney's latest version, the demure
princess is transformed into a feisty teen.
Disney hopes the introduction of the slightly bad-boy character
will help it tap the broadest possible audience for "Tangled,"
emulating the success of its corporate sibling, Pixar. Pixar's
movies have been huge hits because they appeal to girls, boys
and adults. Its most recent release, "Up," grossed more than
$700 million worldwide.
"The Princess and the Frog" generated considerably less -- $222
million in global ticket sales to date.
"Based upon the response from fans and critics, we believe it
would have been higher if it wasn't prejudged by its title,"
Catmull said.
In rethinking "Rapunzel," Disney tested a number of titles,
finally settling on "Tangled" because people responded to
meanings beyond the obvious hair reference: a twisted version of
the familiar story and the tangled relationship between the two
lead characters.
However, some in the Disney animation community think the name
change is misguided.
Floyd Norman, a retired Disney and Pixar animator, lampooned the
new name with a cartoon on his blog that depicts Rapunzel in her
tower brandishing a machine gun and declaring "Rapunzel
Salvation: This Is Not a Princess Movie."
"The idea of changing the title of a classic like 'Rapunzel' to
'Tangled' is beyond stupid," said Norman, who worked on films
including "Mulan" and "Monsters, Inc."
"I'm still hoping that Disney will eventually regain their
sanity and return the title of their movie to what it should be.
I'm convinced they'll gain nothing from this except the public
seeing Disney as desperately trying to find an audience."
Rapunzel isn't the only Disney princess to have a boy problem.
Concluding it had too many animated girl flicks in its lineup,
Disney has shelved its long-gestating project "The Snow Queen,"
based on the Hans Christian Andersen story. "Snow Queen" would
have marked the company's fourth animated film with a female
protagonist, following "The Princess and the Frog," "Tangled"
and Pixar's forthcoming "The Bear and the Bow," directed by
Pixar's first female director, Brenda Chapman, and starring
Reese Witherspoon.
Since the release of its first movie, "Toy Story," in 1995,
Pixar has uniformly featured male leads in its films, including
Buzz and Woody; Mr. Incredible, the middle-aged superhero in
"The Incredibles"; and Lightning McQueen, the stock-car star of
"Cars."
But princesses have played an integral role in Disney's
animation division since the 1937 debut of "Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs" all the way to last year's "Princess and the
Frog." Princesses and other female protagonists helped lead the
1980s and '90s revival of the animation unit with "The Little
Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast" and "Mulan." The difference
between those releases and "Princess and the Frog" is that those
earlier films weren't marketed as princess movies.
The female characters emerged as a brand only in 1999, when
Disney Consumer Products lumped nine of the favorite Disney
princesses together to sell toys, clothing and other
merchandise. That licensing business accounted for $3.7 billion
in retail sales last year. Even though "Princess and the Frog"
was a box-office disappointment, dolls depicting Disney's first
African American princess flew off shelves last holiday season.
Over the last decade, "Rapunzel" has had a tortured history. The
movie was conceived as a straightforward retelling of the German
fairy tale about a girl who, at the age of 12, is locked away in
a tower in the woods by an enchantress.
Initially, veteran Disney animator Glen Keane, who had worked on
"Beauty and the Beast" and "The Little Mermaid," was developing
"Rapunzel" in the hand-drawn tradition. Then in 2003 Disney
retooled the movie creatively and technically in response to the
popularity of such computer-animated tales as "Monsters, Inc."
and "Finding Nemo." Redubbed "Rapunzel Unbraided," the new
version attempted to echo the snarky tone of DreamWorks
Animation Studios' blockbuster "Shrek."
Two years after Disney's 2006 acquisition of Pixar, Keane
relinquished his director role, citing health issues, and was
replaced by Nathan Greno and Byron Howard, who were asked to
give the film a fresh take.
- Walt Disney Co., which blocked some
viewers from the first 13 minutes of the Oscars on Sunday night
amid a dispute with Cablevision Systems, may be about to do it
again with bigger cable operators, analysts said.
Disney restored the WABC-TV signal after the Academy Awards
show began Sunday night. Disney may repeat the maneuver if
it can't reach a deal with Time Warner Cable once their
agreement ends in August, according to Wunderlich Securities
analyst Matthew Harrigan. Time Warner has already put its 13
million viewers on alert.
Comcast, whose contract for ABC
isn't up this year, faces off with CBS at the end of 2010.
Latino Review - It seems
like if you get your foot in with Disney, the possibilities
are endless for you in Hollywood. So seems to be the case
with Liam Hemsworth who stars alongside Miley Cyrus in the
upcoming Disney drama “The Last Song”. THR is reporting that
Hemsworth is set to start in the Chuck Russell directed
“Arabian Nights”.
“Arabian Nights” centers around a commander (Hemsworth) who
joins forces with Sinbad and Aladdin to rescue Queen
Scheherazade after his king is murdered. The film is being
produced by Bill Johnson of Inferno, along with Mark Ciardi
and Gordon Gray of Mayhem Pictures. The film is set to begin
shooting end of summer 2010. Oh and did I mention its going
to be in 3-D?
Hemsworth has done very little in his short Hollywood
career, but was seen in last years “Knowing” with Nic Cage.
You may also recognize the name since his brother Chris
Hemsworth will be representing as the Marvel superhero
"Thor"…you may have heard of it?
What are your feelings on yet another 3-D period film or 3-D
as a whole? Can't we just return to a time where I didnt
have to choose between watching a movie with just my glasses
on or watching a movie with glasses over my glasses?
DisneyParks Blog - Hmmm, what to cook when President Barack
Obama and the Greek prime minister are coming for dinner – and
dinner is for 400 guests?
Just ask Chef Dee Foundoukis and Chef
George Paterakis, Walt Disney World chefs from Kouzzina by Cat
Cora on Disney’s BoardWalk. They’ll be in the White House
kitchen on Tuesday along with celebrity chef Cat Cora to cook
for Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, in Washington to
meet with the President. Among the dishes to be served is
Fishermen’s Stew – the very same stew that you can taste at
Kouzzina by Cat Cora.
The popular restaurant showcases many of Cora’s Greek family
recipes, including the stew, a savory bowl of scallops, lobster,
shrimp and clams dressed with ouzo butter. We think the guests
will be impressed.
Also are on the menu are Kouzzina’s loukoumades,
those addictive Greek donuts served hot and drizzled with honey.
DisneyParks Blog - It very rarely rains in Southern California,
but this past year we saw some serious rain. On one of those
rainy days, guests got to see a beautiful rainbow that arched
all the way across the sky.
We asked guests in Disneyland
park: “What’s it like when it’s raining while you’re visiting
the Parks?”
There are many attractions and things to do inside at the
Resort, whether you’re trying to avoid the rain or take a break
from the hot sun.
Here are a few tips to make the best of a rainy day:
Catch a showing of “Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular” at
Disney’s California Adventure park.
Spend some time on Main Street, U.S.A. in Disneyland
park and check out the recently reopened Great Moments with
Mr. Lincoln or the Main Street Cinema.
Watch the candy makers at the Candy Palace and sample
the day’s special treat.
Browse the shops. There are a lot of items you can only
buy in the Parks.
Get a never-ending cup of coffee at the Market House to
stay warm at Disneyland park.
Grab a poncho and take advantage of the shorter lines at
some of the attractions.
Do you have any tips to share for enjoying a rainy day?
BusinessWire - The
annual meeting of shareholders of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS), including remarks by
management regarding the Company, will be available live via
audio webcast at this
LINK beginning at 8 a.m. PST / 11:00 a.m. EST on March 10,
2010. A re-play will be provided through March 24, 2010 at 4:00
p.m. PDT.
DisneyParks Blog - As people in most of the U.S. get ready to
set their clocks one hour ahead for Daylight Saving time, Guests
visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom will “spring forward” to save
frogs and other amphibians. On March 10, just a few days before
Daylight Saving time begins, Guests and their families visiting
the theme park will have the opportunity to participate in a
variety of frog-related activities and find out how they can
help amphibians, which are facing an extinction crisis.
Conservation Station at Rafiki’s Planet Watch will be hopping
with fun and educational activities from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Young
Guests and their families can play games that teach them about a
frog’s life cycle and adaptations, listen to frog calls, and
enter jumping contests to see if they can leap as far as a frog
can.
Here are some steps all of us can take to help amphibians:
Do your part to keep trash, chemicals and non-native
plants and animals out of the natural environment
Don’t let your pets pester frogs and other wildlife
DisneyParks Blog - As Debbie told us last
week, it takes 24,000 cast member hours to make the Epcot
International Flower and Garden Festival happen. But that’s just
a number until you’re able to actually see the work behind it
all — so, how about an exclusive peek? Take a look at overnight
time-lapse video featuring the creation of an area containing
three of the more than 70 Disney character topiaries in the park
this year. Notice how many hands touch it.
Every year, I learn something new to take home at the Festival
and you can too. In fact, there are nearly 200 hands-on
gardening demonstrations and seminars being presented in the
upcoming weeks. We’ve posted an updated list of events to check
out and keep checking the blog for event updates.
Minyanville - What an
awesome weekend. With the exception of a bike ride and taking in
my daughter's soccer game, I did absolutely nothing and loved
every second of it.
Asian stocks started off the week on an up note. The Hang Seng
and the Nikkei rose 1.97% and 2.09% respectively. European
stocks advanced in early trading too. And here in the US we are
currently trading higher.
Here's what I'm focused on this fine Monday morning:
Walt Disney Co (DIS)
There's bound to be a lot of chatter this morning about how well
Alice in Wonderland did in theaters this past weekend.
And I suspect that the Disney shares may get a bit of a goose
given the strong results.
Some quick thoughts:
1. While the movie has apparently done very well in its
opening weekend, and will probably continue to draw in big bucks
in the coming weeks, I don't think that, by itself, is a reason
to belly up to the shares.
2. In my mind the Disney story is much bigger than this
one film. In a nutshell, with the economy clawing its way back,
I think this is a good way to play: what should be a bounce back
in overall theme park attendance, an improving advertising
environment (which should goose results in its broadcasting
biz), and a rebound in consumer spending (which should mean more
folks in movie theater seats and greater merchandise sales).
Again, I'm focused on all of these as opposed to the success of
one movie.
3. All that said, if the stock can keep making new highs,
I expect it to remain on a lot of radar screens and think that
interest in the shares could perk up from here as momentum
players and Johnny-come-latelies climb aboard.
BusinessWeek -
Analysts see "Alice in Wonderland"
as a much-needed hit for The Walt Disney Co., but note the
returns from one movie aren't enough to move the needle on its
financial results.
The adventure through the looking glass
earned a blowout $116.3 million in its opening weekend -- a
record for a 3-D film and for a non-sequel.
Analyst Doug Mitchelson at Deutsche Bank said his tentative
estimate was that Disney could ultimately make $200 million from
the movie. More importantly, he sees the movie as kicking off a
recovery in content for Disney, "which has been in an 18-month
dry spell with duds like Bedtime Stories, G-Force and A
Christmas Carol."
This summer, Disney will debut "Toy Story 3" and "Iron Man
2," followed by the second "Cars" movie and the fourth
installment of "Pirates of the Caribbean" next summer. A
recovery in content can drive success for the whole company, he
writes.
Tony Wible at Janney Capital Markets also noted that the
success of "Alice" was a "much needed boost" for Disney, but
said it wouldn't change his earnings estimates, which already
factored in some returns from the movie.
He highlighted another weekend drama as more significant for
Disney's prospects. New York-area cable company Cablevision
Systems Corp. reached a deal with the local Disney-owned ABC
affiliate for retransmission, giving cable subscribers the
signal back 14 minutes into the Academy Awards broadcast.
Wible estimates Disney will get $9 million to $18 million per
year from a deal with Cablevision. If other ABC stations can get
more money from cable companies, that could be worth $200
million in annual revenue for Disney, Wible wrote.
"We believe this high-profile standoff ultimately went in
(Disney's) favor and validates our theory that distribution is
becoming more of a commodity as content becomes increasingly
more valuable," Wible wrote.
Who?Won - USAC has
partnered with Disney Sports Travel to offer discounted
participant packages for the inaugural running of the “Mickyard”
at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida June 16-20, 2010
featuring the USAC .25 Midget series.
The event will be held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
at Walt Disney World and will feature USAC .25 Midget drivers
ranging in age from 5-17 years old. Packages include tickets to
the Walt Disney World theme park, credentialed access to the
ESPN Wide World of Sports, transportation services as well as
hotel and campground accommodations.
“Were excited about the opportunity to visit the world’s premier
destination for kids,” states USAC Director James Spink. “In
addition to the intense racing on the track we have arranged for
plenty of downtime for families to enjoy the many attractions
Disney has to offer.”
For more information on the event visit usacracing.com or call
317-247-5151. For the participant packages visit:
wdw.disney.sports.travel@disneysports.com or call 409-939-7810.
BusinessWeek - Walt Disney Co.’s ABC said 26.5 percent of U.S.
TV homes last night watched its broadcast of the Academy Awards,
where “The Hurt Locker” won six Oscars.
The 82nd Annual Academy Awards, hosted by
Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, was viewed in more than a quarter
of the 56 U.S. television markets measured earliest by Nielsen
Co., ABC said today in an e-mailed statement. Last year’s
telecast attracted a final average household rating of 23.3.
Each rating point equals 1 percent of U.S. TV households.
“The Hurt Locker,” which was made for $15
million, beat out James Cameron’s “Avatar,” the highest-grossing
movie of all time, for the best-picture Oscar. The Academy of
Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences doubled the best picture
nominees to 10 to include more commercial films and attract more
viewers to the telecast. “The Hurt Locker” also won Oscars for
best original screenplay and best director for Kathryn Bigelow.
An audience total and number of viewers aged
18 to 49, a group sought by advertisers, for last night’s
ceremony will be available after 3 p.m. New York time, ABC said.
Disney, based in Burbank, California, fell 12
cents to $33.10 at 12:56 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange
composite trading. The shares had gained 3 percent this year
before today.
Multichannel News -
One year after its rebrand, Disney XD is poised to battle with
the big boys for a share of advertising dollars targeted to
young men due to a strong 2009 ratings performance and several
new programming projects debuting over the next year.
Since its launch in February 2009, the former Toon Disney has
experienced double-digit increases in viewership in key young
male demos, including a 40% increase in its target ofv boys 6 to
14, according to Disney Channel Worldwide president of
entertainment Gary Marsh.
Disney XD has successfully integrated new original series such
as Aaron Stone, Zeek and Luther, I'm In the Band, and Kick
Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil with off-Disney Channel shows such
as Suite Life on Deck and animated series Phineas and Ferb.
Marsh said the network hasn't forsaken female viewers: 40%
percent of the network's audience consists of young girls. "The
goal was to target boys but never exclude girls, which gives
advertisers a much bigger opportunity," he said.
Marsh would not predict how well Disney XD would perform in the
kids' upfront market, but believes the network's ratings growth
should help sell the network's future prospects to advertisers.
The network will be fighting for boys-targeted ad dollars in a
very crowded marketplace that includes Nickelodeon, Cartoon
Network and The Hub, the new joint venture between Discovery
Communications and toy maker Hasbro, to launch this fall.
Nickelodeon will present its slate of new programming this week
during its upfront in New York.
Overall, the 2009 kids' upfront was pegged at $850 million,
according to industry estimates, and few see that-or the total
ad spend figure-increasing, according to Multichannel News
sister publication Broadcasting & Cable.
Bill Carroll, vice president and director of programming for
Katz Media Group, expects the networks to divvy up a growing
boys-targeted advertising market that will draw from such
categories as soft drinks, film studios, fast-food companies,
video-game developers, electronics and cellphone makers.
New to Disney XD this fall will be Pair of Kings, which stars
Mitchell Musso (Hannah Montana) and Doc Shaw (Suite Life on
Deck) as fraternal twins who find out they are heirs to the
throne of a distant land.
The network will also benefit from Disney's September 2009
acquisition of Marvel Comics, with a new animated series set for
fall. The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes is based on the
team of Marvel superhero characters Iron Man, Thor, Captain
America, The Incredible Hulk, Giant Man and Wasp, said Marsh. In
summer 2011, Disney XD will air an animated movie based on
Phineas and Ferb.
And Disney Channel in April will premiere new series, Good Luck
Charlie, which revolves around the exploits of three siblings
whose lives are turned around by the birth of their baby sister.
The network will also ramp up its original movie production in
2010 with development with the debut of Den Brother, Avalon High
and a sequel to its successful 2008 movie Camp Rock movie with
Demi Lovato (Sonny With a Chance) and the Jonas Brothers
reprising their roles from the 2008 telefilm.
Reuters -
Disney/Pixar's balloon adventure blockbuster "Up" won the best
animated movie Oscar on Sunday, as the studio continued its
dominance of cartoons at the Academy Awards.
That gives Pixar Animation Studios, which was bought by the
Walt Disney Co in 2006, an industry-leading five Oscars for
animation since that award was first handed out in 2002.
"Up" Director Pete Docter
accepted the award on behalf of the studio and his animation
team.
"Never did I dream that making a
flipbook out of my third-grade math book would lead to this,"
Docter said.
A flipbook is a crude animation
that children often make, with drawings on a series of pieces of
paper that seem to move as the pages flip.
"Up" came out last May in 3-D
and made more than $700 million at worldwide box offices.
The film is about a curmudgeonly
old man named Carl, who is voiced by Ed Asner, and a young boy
named Russell who fly off in a house tied to helium balloons.
They touch down in South America
and meet the aged and exiled explorer Charles Muntz, who has
made it his life mission to find a rare, flightless bird.
When he was a boy, Carl idolized
Muntz, but in the remote South American jungle he learns the
explorer is more sinister than he ever imagined.
"Up" was also nominated for best
picture, as the only animated film apart from Disney's 1991
"Beauty and the Beast" ever to get that honor.
It also was nominated for Oscars
for best original screenplay, original score and sound editing.
Most Hollywood watchers expected
"Up" to win the Oscar for best animation, in a field that they
said featured some of the best movies of 2009.
The animation category was
widened to five films from its usual three because of the amount
of eligible movies.
The other nominees were "Coraline,"
"Fantastic Mr. Fox," "The Princess and the Frog" and "The Secret
of Kells."
Unlike some past years, only one
nominated film was made with computer-generated imagery -- and
that was "Up."
Hand-drawn movies saw a
resurgence with "The Princess and the Frog" and "The Secret of
Kells," and filmmakers on "Coraline" and "Fantastic Mr. Fox"
opted for the painstaking stop-motion technique.
Docter, who got help on the film
from co-director Bob Peterson, told Reuters earlier this year
that the nominated films represent "many different approaches,"
which shows the genre "is in a healthy place."
Docter has racked up a
half-dozen Oscar nominations in his career, including for his
screenplay work on 2008's "WALL-E" and for making 2001's
"Monsters, Inc."
In Oscars for best animated
film, Disney/Pixar's closest competitor is DreamWorks Animation
SKG with two wins.
"Up" this year won the animation
industry's Annie Award for best feature film, and it also
claimed a Golden Globe and a slew of critics' choice awards.
Fifteen minutes into the Academy Award presentation, Cablevision
and WABC
announced that they've finally made enough progress to put the
show on the air.
Cablevision customers missed out on the show's opening number
and Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin's opening monologue, but
somewhere right before the Best Supporting Actor award
presentation the channel popped back on the air.
The station went dark at 12:01 am
this morning when the two companies' contract expired.
Cablevision released this
statement: "We are happy to report that WABC Channel 7 has
returned to Cablevision's 3 million New York area homes. We are
very grateful to our customers for their support and pleased to
welcome ABC back."
Cablevision will not reveal terms
of the deal other than to say that it is in line with their
other programming agreements with other broadcasters, and that
the deal will not result in a rate increase for their customers.
Meanwhile, WABC-TV said
negotiations are progressing well.
"We've made significant progress
and have reached an agreement in principle that recognizes the
fair value of ABC7, with deal points that we expect to finalize
with Cablevision," Rebecca Campbell, President and General
Manager of WABC-TV
"Given this movement, we're pleased
to announce that ABC7 will return to Cablevision households
while we work to complete our negotiations."
The show is sure to draw some big
numbers -- it kicked off with a flashy opening number setting up
the fact that there are two hosts. The show opened up with all
the nominees for best actor and best actress on the stage. The
Academy is trying to go mainstream and reach out to all the
folks who buy gossip magazines by putting celebs front and
center.
LATimes - Disney ended up picking just
the right moment to jump down the 3-D rabbit hole.
As "Avatar" comes to the end of a historic three-month run, Walt
Disney Studios' "Alice in Wonderland" took most of the 3-D
screens and opened to an eye-popping $210.3 million worldwide.
Much like director James Cameron's mega-hit, Tim Burton's
adaptation of the classic tale, starring Johnny Depp, generated
about 70% of its opening weekend business from theaters with 3-D
screens. It easily beat the premiere of "Avatar" and set a
record for the biggest winter opening, even accounting for
ticket price inflation, selling a studio-estimated $116.3
million worth of tickets in the U.S. and Canada.
Overseas, it took in $94 million in 40 territories, also setting
a record winter opening.
"After 'Avatar,' people were saying that they're ready for the
next 3-D world and the first weekend in March was all of a
sudden the right place to be to meet that desire," said Disney
Studios Chairman Rich Ross.
"Alice" played at about 220 more 3-D theaters than "Avatar,"
since exhibitors have added more capacity recently. As returns
came in, it became clear that audiences generally preferred to
see Disney's movie with the advanced technology, despite higher
ticket prices.
"In theaters with multiple formats, we saw that the Imax 3-D
sold out first, then regular 3-D, and then 2-D," said Disney
distribution President Chuck Viane.
Though young women were most interested in "Alice," the
picture's strong showing and sellouts at all times of day
indicated that it had broad appeal. At midnight shows Thursday
night, Viane said, the movie made $4 million, mainly from young
adults. It generated $41 million in the U.S. and Canada on
Friday largely from families with daughters early in the evening
and from couples on dates later in the night. On Saturday,
"Alice" grossed $44.3 million domestically, in large part due to
families attending matinees.
3-D has accounted for an increasingly large percentage of ticket
sales over the last three months for "Avatar" as it has marched
past $2.6 billion. That will be very difficult for "Alice,"
however, because most 3-D screens will switch to DreamWorks
Animation's "How to Train Your Dragon" on March 26, a sign of
the increasingly crowded marketplace for 3-D movies.
Word of mouth should be strong for "Alice," however, as
audiences gave it an average grade of A-minus, according to
market research firm CinemaScore, though reviews of the film
were decidedly mixed. And with American students starting spring
break next week, Disney will benefit from higher-than-average
family attendance on weekdays.
The film's European opening was almost derailed when the studio,
in an initiative championed by Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive
Robert Iger, announced that "Alice" would be released on DVD
just 12 weeks after it hit the big screen. Several theater
chains, including two of the three biggest in Britain,
threatened not to show the movie because of concerns the short
window would hurt ticket sales. That led to a tense standoff
that was resolved at the last minute.
Ultimately, "Alice" collected $16.8 million in Britain, by far
the highest opening for a movie in March in the country. It also
performed very well in Italy, Russia, Mexico and Australia.
"I'm just glad we had enough seats for everybody," said Viane.
Disney estimated that the countries where "Alice" opened last
week would account for 60% of its international gross. The film
has yet to premiere in several key territories including France,
China, Japan and Brazil.
As often happens amid executive shake-ups in Hollywood, "Alice
in Wonderland" is a gift of sorts left by former Disney Studios
chairman Dick Cook, who was ousted in September. Though the team
led by his replacement Ross handled the successful marketing
push for the picture -- including an aggressive campaign on
Facebook and a controversial ad covering the front of Friday's
L.A. Times -- it was Cook and former production president Oren
Aviv who approved the risky $200-million production.
"The Disney team has developed a lot of terrific movies,
including my predecessors who developed and produced this
movie," Ross said.
box
office haul in its opening weekend, Walt Disney Pictures' "Alice
in Wonderland" has bagged a
TV deal.
Sibling cable network ABC Family has acquired the rights to Tim
Burton's 3D fantasy in a deal with Disney-ABC Domestic TV.
"Alice," which opened with $116.3 million domestically, will
premiere on ABC Family in 2012. The cable network has not
decided whether it would telecast the movie in 3D or 2D.
The sides wouldn't discuss financials, but an opening of that
caliber normally fetches about $24 million. ABC Family's small
slate of acquired features include the "Harry Potter" franchise.
Orlando Sentinel - My family is embarking on a Disney experience
we haven’t yet tried — yes, there still are a few of those! —
and I’m the most excited. At least for now.
We just booked a three-night Disney cruise to the Bahamas
after being enticed by Florida resident rates. The ease of
celebrating this year’s family milestones at sea helped me
convince my husband that this was the year to set sail.
But we are waiting to tell our children about the vacation
until the date is a little closer for various reasons. Because
of the delay, I have time to plan a fun way to tell them about
the trip. My kids do not need anything beyond the announcement
to encourage their enthusiasm; they will be over the moon to
know that we’re finally going to travel on the Disney Wonder
after hearing about their friends’ adventures and seeing the
ships from Jetty Park.
Still, I want to do something
special, starting with a way to count down the days until we
head to Port Canaveral. One mom created a calendar based on the
concept of an advent box — each day contained a small trinket
for the child.
I’m also considering making a meal,
or at least a dessert, that is served onboard for our
celebration. Magical Kingdoms comes through with dozens of
Disney Cruise Line recipes. Chocolate and Peanut Butter Pie from
Animator’s Palette, anyone?
Still, the ultimate Disney Cruise
Line gatherings on land must have been the house parties DCL
sponsored last fall. Our friends at Orlando Attractions
Magazine were selected to host one of the more than 1,000
parties, and they wrote about it. I might borrow the idea of
party favors and purchase something from eBay.com for my prince
and princess.
If you’ve been on a Disney cruise, tell us how you shared the
news with your family. We want your creative ideas!
And, please, if you know my prince and princess: Shhhhhhhhhh.
Disney News - Disney's fan community,
D23, will celebrate its first anniversary on March 10 with a
party for its members at Disneyland. The $65
tickets are not available at the door and are only available to
D23 members. Guests will enjoy a party in Fantasyland, with time
to enjoy the attractions and visit with characters.
Desserts and drinks will be served, along with a few special
surprises. Party guests will also receive a limited-edition pin
to mark the occasion.
Another bit of D23 news - there will be no D23 Expo this year.
The event was held this past year to promote new movies,
upcoming projects and celebrate the new fan community. No
reasons were given for the cancellation.
BusinessWire - Joe Roth and his three assistants share a cramped
office suite on the Sony lot. It's a long way from the plush
corner office the one-time Hollywood titan inhabited when he ran
the Fox (NWS) and Disney (DIS) studios,
turning out such high-profile flicks as Home Alone
and Pearl Harbor. Then again, the 61-year old Roth
has been out of the movie-making business for the past two
years, launching, of all things, a professional soccer team.
In typically Hollywood fashion, Roth is back
with a flourish, having persuaded Disney to remake its 1951
animated film Alice in Wonderland into a $150
million 3D extravaganza. If the movie is a financial hit, it
will be as much a comeback for Roth as it is for the fabled
Lewis Carroll tale that never quite made it big in Hollywood
despite at least three efforts, including a 1933 version staring
both Cary Grant and Gary Cooper as Wonderland inhabitants.
The film is an apt metaphor for Roth, who
went down a "rabbit hole" of sorts himself. The last most people
heard of Roth was in 2007, as he was ending a seven-year run
making films for Sony (SNE). Roth's production company,
Revolution Studios, for which he raised nearly $1 billion,
produced some hits, including the Jerry Bruckheimer war flick
Black Hawk Down, but it also made its share of
flops, including the super-dud Gigli, known mostly
for the rocky love affair between stars Jennifer Lopez and Ben
Affleck. Even Roth has a hard time calling Revolution a success.
"It was profitable, it was unprofitable, it started out well, it
made some mistakes," says Roth, who owned more than half the
company.
Fewer But Better
The experience soured Roth on owning a
large production company. "You have to make 10, 12 films a year,
because the investors have to show a rate of return," he says.
This time around, he wants more control. "Let me make fewer
films and make them well." He says he already has films and TV
shows placed at several studios. A Tom Cruise-Cameron Diaz
action comedy called Knight and Day is scheduled to
come out July 2 with Fox. Actor Vin Diesel is lined up to
reprise his 2002 hit action flick XXX—Roth is
waiting for the green light from Sony—and there are TV shows for
TBS based on Revolution's 2005 comedy Are We There Yet.
Two years ago Roth was more concerned
with bringing fans into a soccer stadium than a movie theater.
Along with comedian Drew Carey and billionaire Paul Allen, Roth
plunked down $30 million in 2007 for the Seattle Sounders pro
soccer franchise. Roth's love of soccer came from an abbreviated
college career and 15 years of coaching his now 25-year-old
son's soccer team. "Seattle was this great city, with among the
largest numbers of kids' soccer teams anywhere and two
teams—football and baseball," he says. "This was a city that
could use something else to cheer for."
The liftoff of the Seattle Sounders was
pure Hollywood. With the fervor of a producer putting together a
blockbuster, majority-owner Roth lured big name talent: The
goalie is Washington native Kasey Keller, who became one of the
world's best while playing in Europe, and the team's coach is
Sigi Schmid, one of Major League Soccer's most successful
coaches. The team's leading scorer, 22-year-old Fredy Montero,
came from Colombia's Copa Mustang II team and became an
immediate fan favorite.
Marching Band
Roth took players to parks and schools
around Seattle to build a fan base among the soccer-playing kids
in the area. He launched the "March to the Match," where Roth
would lead fans to the stadium 90 minutes before game time. To
encourage even more fan support, the team held elections to pick
the team name. Roth's club has the only marching band in the
league. Next, he plans to give season ticket holders the ability
to vote out the club's general manager.
The team's biggest draw was that it was
an immediate winner, making the playoffs in its first season
(albeit losing in the first round) and selling out its home
games. "That gave me the confidence to go back," says Roth.
"Here I was running something I knew nothing about, and it was a
great success."
Roth decided it was time to get back into
the film business. Last year he sat down with then Walt Disney
Co. studio chief Dick Cook at Art's Deli in Studio City, Calif.,
to pitch him on a 3D live action remake of Disney's 1951
animated flick. It was a film, Roth says, that had interested
him while he was at Disney, but he never had a good script. This
time Roth lined up a writer, Linda Woolverton, who had written
the screenplays for The Lion King and Beauty
and the Beast. He also signed up director Tim Burton and
actor Johnny Depp. The new story line pitted Alice against the
(evil) Red Queen in helping the (good) White Queen, which Roth
says is closer to how Carroll intended the story. The film opens
on Mar. 5, although the budget grew to a steep $150 million,
Roth admits, before the flick was completed.
None of that will matter if Alice in Wonderland
is the big hit Roth believes it will be. At a Hollywood
screening five days before the film was set to open, the movie
played well at the producer's screening at Disney's iconic El
Capitan Theater. The film clearly was a favorite. But then
again, so was Roth, who held court beforehand in the lobby,
taking in the well wishes of the community he has climbed out of
the rabbit hole to rejoin.
Orlando Sentinel - The Walt Disney World Speedway on Saturday
was the site of my first-ever experience in a race car. I zipped
around that track three times at speeds that can zoom up to 140
mph. My stomach also, apparently, made the trip — just not with
my brain.
Kidding!
And, Disney annual passholders, don’t forget that the
ride-along experience is free until March 31. Just show up with
your pass and they will fit you in.
One of the most amazing things
about the experience was the disconnect between my brain and the
rest of my body (not the first time that has happened). I knew
I was going really fast, I could feel it in my legs. Yet the
trees along the track didn’t seem to be flying by too quickly.
However, the trees and objects far in the distance were moving
out of my field of vision WAY too fast. A totally cool
sensation.
The helmet, braces and strapping into the vehicle made the
danger seem real, but my driver, besides being friendly, was so
confident that I never felt any fear.
Frankly, it was over all too quick. (Well, what do you expect
at speeds like that!) I would gladly have gone around three or
four more times, but it was time to clamber out of the window —
just like you see at the races on TV.
Yes, I bought the official photo/plaque and even a $5
T-shirt, so Disney got some money out of the “free” experience.
But it’s something I want to remember!
The Walt Disney World Speedway, affiliated with the Richard
Petty Driving Experience, is next door to the Magic Kingdom
parking lot at Disney’s Transportation & Ticket Center. Drive to
the TTC, and follow the signs to the speedway.
Another fun tip: You can see the slow-w-w-w-w-moving cars and
buses approaching the parking lot as you fly around that track.
AP - Tom Bergeron will have his own partner when "Dancing With the Stars" returns later
this month. Former series winner Brooke Burke will be his co-host.
Bergeron announced the change on ABC's "Good Morning America" on Monday.
As a contestant, Burke won during the season that ended in
November 2008. She has hosted TV shows including CBS' "Rock
Star" and E!'s "Wild On."
Contestants this season include former "Baywatch" babe Pamela Anderson, reality star
Kate Gosselin,
astronaut Buzz Aldrin and Olympics figure skating gold medalist
Evan Lysacek (LY' suh check).
's
(DIS.N)
3D update of "Alice in Wonderland" smashed multiple records
during its first weekend at the North American box office,
selling $116.3
million in tickets, the company said on Sunday.
It also earned $94 million in more than 40 foreign countries,
ending the 11-week reign of "Avatar" overseas. The early
worldwide total stands at $210.3 million, with the film yet to
open in 40 percent of the international marketplace.
Disney said the
better-than-expected opening in the United States and Canada set
new records for a film released in both March and the first
quarter.
It is also the best performance
by a non-sequel, and established new benchmarks for a 3D
and Imax Corp (IMAX.O)
big-screen title.
Moreover, it is director Tim Burton's best debut, surpassing the
$68.5 million start for his 2001 remake of "Planet of the Apes."
Pundits had conservatively
forecast an opening weekend above $75 million for his bold
reinvention of the Lewis Carroll classic. The last movie to
reach that level was "Avatar," which opened at $77 million in
December on its way to world domination.
Johnny Depp stars as the Mad
Hatter, while Australian actress Mia Wasikowska plays Alice.
Burton's girlfriend Helena, Bonham Carter, and Anne Hathaway
round out the headliners as the Red Queen and White Queen,
respectively.
Reviews were mixed, with critics
more enthused by the movie's visual splendor than its narrative
essence.
Orlando Sentinel - Gina Aalgaard Kelly of
Lisbon, N.D., outlasted more than 13,000 other registered
runners to win Disney’s Princess Half Marathon at Walt Disney
World this morning.
Kelly, 33, finished the 13.1-mile course
in 1 hour, 23 minutes, 58 seconds, beating second-place finisher
Heather Schulz, 35, of Orlando by 23 seconds.
Nicole Falvo, 35, of Grand Blanc, Mich.,
took third place just 4 seconds later in 1:24:25).
Mary Pardi, 40, of Falmouth, Maine, won
the masters division in 1:25:10.
More than 18,000 people participated in
Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend, which included a
5K and kids’ races on Saturday. Although the event is designed
for women, more than 400 men participated on behalf of their
spouses and partners.
DisneyParks Blog - One of the many
conservation efforts undertaken by Disney’s Animal Programs team
members is rehabilitating and returning to the wild rescued
manatees. With only 5,000 around the state, manatees are
considered an endangered species in Florida. During the past few
weeks, the team welcomed to The Seas with Nemo & Friends a
rescued manatee, released another that they rehabilitated, and
received a fantastic report on a manatee that the team returned
to the wild a year ago.
This week, the team welcomed to The Seas
rescued manatee, Jasper, who weighs 632 pounds and is
6-foot-8-inches long. The team expects Jasper to be released
back into the wild in about a year, after he has gained weight
and received medical care for cold stress. Guests can see Jasper
(right in above photo) and resident manatee, Lou, when they
visit Epcot.
Last month, Animal Programs team members
returned to its natural habitat in Brevard County another
rescued manatee, Kringle. In the photo, the team is fitting
Kringle with a satellite tracking belt to follow his movements.
During his 14-month rehabilitation at The Seas, Kringle received
treatment and therapy and weighed more than 800 pounds when he
was released.
Animal Programs team members released
another manatee, Bock, last year after the mammal, which had
been rescued as a calf, spent six years undergoing care at The
Seas. On February 27, his satellite tracking belt was removed
after being used to track his movements during his first year
after release. The team reports that Bock looks fantastic and
has done extremely well readapting to living in the wild in the
St. John’s River area.
MarketWatch - Cablevision Systems Corp. customers lost access to
ABC television stations early on Sunday as the cable operator
and ABC parent Walt Disney Co. couldn't come to terms on an
agreement about monthly subscription fees, the Wall Street
Journal reported
The blackout jeopardizes Cablevision's
customers' ability to watch ABC's Sunday night broadcast of the
Academy Awards, one of the most watched U.S. TV programs, the
Journal reported.
Traditionally, broadcast networks haven't demanded that
cable, satellite and fiber-television operators pay cash-based
retransmission fees to air their programming. Instead, the
companies that owned those networks reached barter agreements
that would secure distribution for cable channels owned by the
same company, or some other benefit.
However,
the combination of stiffer competition from cable networks and a
sputtering economy has changed the landscape. CBS
(CBS14.65)
and Fox have demanded cash, and now ABC
(DIS33.22) is
following suit.
"Cablevision has once again betrayed its
subscribers by losing ABC 7, the most popular station in the
tri-state area" of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, said
Rebecca Campbell, president and general manager of WABC-TV, in a
Sunday statement.
"This follows two years of negotiations,
during which we worked diligently, up to the final moments, to
reach an agreement."
Cablevision, based in Bethpage, N.Y.,
shot back. "It is now painfully clear to millions of New
York-area households that Disney CEO Bob Iger will hold his own
ABC viewers hostage in order to extract $40 million in new fees
from Cablevision," said Charles Schueler, Cablevision's
executive vice president of communications.
"We call on Bob Iger to immediately
return ABC to Cablevision customers while we continue to work to
reach a fair agreement."
People familiar with the matter told the
Journal that earlier in the negotiations, Disney had proposed
that Cablevision pay about $1 per subscriber per month for ABC.
Another person told the paper that Disney more recently asked
for about half that amount.
Earlier this year, Time Warner Cable Inc.(TWC48.29) customers
nearly lost access to Fox when News Corp.(NWS16.81)(NWSA14.43) demanded
cash compensation for its programming.
The two sides were able to reach a deal.
Published reports said that Fox will receive 75 cents per
subscriber from TWC for nine of its owned-and-operated stations
by the time the current agreement expires.
Fox, MarketWatch and the Journal are all
members of News Corp., the New York media group.
Also, at the start of this year, Cablevision
customers lost access for about three weeks to Scripps Networks
Interactive's
SNI40.82)
HGTV and Food Network. The companies settled that dispute as
well. Terms weren't disclosed.
Two Minute News - It made a
business of 222,724,172
dollars. It was followed by three parts honey i shrunk the kids
part2 and honey i shrunk the kids part 3.The story was based on
a professor who
mistakenly shrinks the kids. The kids are sent out via trash
into the backyard. An animated version of the movie honey i
shrunk the kids was also made. honey i shrunk the kids was also
awarded the Saturn award. It was also nominated for best
visual effects at BAFTA.
The director of the film was Joe Johnston and was filmed in
Churubusco studio. It was as well, nominated for the prestigious
young Artist award. The cast Wayne Szalinski was playing the
role of professor Morains. Later the movie honey i blew the kids
was also a part of the sequel produced my Walt Disney and with
the same cast. After that the movie
honey we shrunk ourselves was released in 1997.In 1997 TV
show of the same movie honey i shrunk the kids was also
released.
Now the remake of the movie honey i shrunk the kids is being
heard and Walt Disney programmes to make over the movie. The
remake would be having some good visual effects as compared to
honey i shrunk the kids made in the later 80s.The story will
continue after the retirement of professor Morains and the rest
is a mystery yet, but will be expecting some leaks on the movie
soon.
AP
- Millions of cable subscribers faced the prospect of Oscar
night without the Academy Awards broadcast Sunday after ABC's
parent company switched off its signal to Cablevision customers
and the two companies blasted each other for failing to reach a
deal in a dispute over fees.
In dueling statements dispatched early Sunday, the two
companies traded blame for the stalemate ahead of one of the
most-watched nights of television.
"Cablevision has once again betrayed its subscribers," said
Charissa Gilmore, a spokeswoman for the Walt Disney Co. and ABC
Television Group, in a statement. "Cablevision pocketed almost
$8 billion last year, and now customers aren't getting what they
pay for ... again."
Cablevision Systems Corp. said the stall in negotiations
should be blamed on Disney CEO Bob Iger. "It is now painfully
clear to millions of New York area households that Disney CEO
Bob Iger will hold his own ABC viewers hostage in order to
extract $40 million in new fees from Cablevision," said Charles
Schueler, a Cablevision executive vice president, in a
statement.
The signal can still be pulled from the air for free with an
antenna and a new TV or digital converter box.
Cablevision has argued that Disney is seeking an additional
$40 million a year in new fees, even though the company pays
more than $200 million a year to Disney.
Disney counters by arguing that Cablevision charges customers
$18 per month for basic broadcast signals but does not pass on
any payment for ABC to Disney.
The dispute is similar to a standoff at the end of last year
between News Corp. and Time Warner Cable over how much Fox
television station signals were worth. That tussle, which
threatened the college football bowl season and new episodes of
"The Simpsons," was resolved without a
signal interruption.
Cablevision also feuded with Scripps Networks Interactive
Inc. in a January dispute that temporarily forced the Food
Network and HGTV off the service. Neither side provided terms of
an agreement that restored the channels after three weeks.
Disney and Cablevision have been airing dueling
advertisements about the ongoing dispute for the past week.
Also, lawmakers in Washington have chimed in, suggesting the
Federal Communications Commission step in.
The company's previous contract with Cablevision expired more
than two years ago, but it was extended month by month as talks
continued.
Under previous arrangements, Disney was paid for cable
channels such as ESPN and Disney Channel, but gave its ABC
broadcast signal away for free, a situation that most
broadcasters are now trying to change.
"We can no longer sit back and allow Cablevision to use our
shows for free while they continue to charge their customers for
them," WABC-TV president and general manager Rebecca Campbell
said in a statement.
Schueler suggested that disgruntled viewers should blame
Disney's top executive if the station goes dark.
"There is one man who is going to decide whether New York
gets to see the Oscars, and that's Disney President and CEO Bob
Iger," he said in a statement late Friday. "We call on Bob Iger
to stop holding his own viewers hostage, end his threats to pull
the plug on ABC at midnight and instead work with us to reach a
fair agreement."
WABC-TV is the most-watched TV station in the country, said
Disney, which is based in Burbank, Calif.
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