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MickeyXtreme's
News Archive July 22-28 2007
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Saturday
July, 28 2007 |
Disney rolls out Segway
tours at California Adventure
Disney backs out
of wine promotion
Disney
to give African elephants vasectomies
Walt Disney Teams Up With City To Make Playgrounds More Fun
Disney programs with
Verizon
Walt
Disney to bring shampoo range for kids!
Company targets tweens with 'Hannah Montana' clothes |
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Disney
rolls out Segway tours at California Adventure
The Orange County Register - Visitors can view California
Adventure before the theme park opens.
I'm going to fall off.
That's the first thing I thought
when I was invited to try the new Segway tours at Disney's
California Adventure. My husband's first reaction was to ask:
"Is it safe?"
Still, I agreed to go on the
expedition that the theme park started in June.
Each day, guides offer tours for
groups of up to 12 people on those futuristic, battery-powered
scooters to see the grounds before other visitors arrive.
 For
$99 each, visitors undergo about an hour of training starting at
7:30 a.m. before venturing out for about an hour-long guided
tour, learning little-known facts about the park. For example,
did you know The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is the tallest
structure in the park and goes underground?
At the same time, workers put
the finishing touches on the park for opening: Gardeners prune
flowers by the entrance. Others patch paint on a bridge through
the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. Announcers do a "check,
check" of the PA system. Empty carriages float through the
Grizzly River Run and rocket up the Maliboomer ride.
"They get to see it as it's
coming to life, so it's really exciting for a lot of the
guests," said Julio Badin, director of resort guest services.
California Adventure got the
idea from Epcot at Walt Disney World in Florida, which gives
Segway tours four times daily. The Anaheim park lately signs up
three to seven riders each day.
San Diego residents Jessica
Quiroz and Rudy Avalos, who are annual pass holders, read about
the tours on the message boards for pin collectors and decided
to arrive early on a Thursday morning to see another side of the
theme park.
"Coming here in the morning is
like, 'Oooh, it'll be better to really go around and look,' "
said Quiroz, 21.
Training
 Before
we ventured outside, two guides explained the Segways' features.
The two-wheeled personal transportation devices use gyroscopes
and microprocessors, readjusting about 100 times a second to
balance the rider – following prompts from the slightest tilt of
the hands or feet.
Guide Kristina Washington
described the way it works as trying to balance a pencil upright
on your hand by moving your hand forward or back to make sure
the pencil stands up straight.
The guides also showed what
happens when things go wrong. Red lights go on, a beeping alarm
sounds and the Segway column vibrates with a deep,
machine-gun-like sound. "Don't jump off. Just slow and step
off," she said.
I shot up my hand and asked her
to review what to do. "Because I will jump off," I said.
Once outside, we had to put on
helmets – safety is the first priority – before getting on the
transporters. Disney keeps the Segways on "turtle" mode –
beginning level so that riders can only go about 4 to 5 mph.
Segways can travel up to 12.5 mph.
As of July 19, no one had been
hurt on a tour.
Tour guides instructed us to
step on the Segway platform as if it were a step-stool. But the
first time, it felt wobbly, gliding back and forth, almost like
stepping on a wagon. After a few minutes – and a little
relaxation – it was easy to adjust to the sensation of the
scooter that reads just about every muscle twitch.
Tour
 Almost
an hour later, guides led us down the boulevard of the Hollywood
Pictures Backlot, stopping to point out the Hyperion Theater,
which was named after the street where Walt Disney had a studio.
The expedition continued in front of the Soarin' Over California
ride, through the walkways and bridges of the Redwood Creek
trail and alongside the water between the Ferris wheel and
roller coaster.
Half way through the tour, we
got a much-needed break. You'd think that walking would be more
strenuous on your feet. But after about a half hour, my feet
felt tired and numb, unaccustomed to the feeling of keeping them
firmly planted.
Toward the end of the tour, I
weaved in and out of lampposts and benches, swaying back and
forth the same way I did roller-skating as a kid.
I felt safe, and no, I didn't
fall down.
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Disney backs out of
wine promotion
Los Angeles Times - C'est la vie, Remy. The Mouse has decided
that Costco's wine aisle is no place for a cartoon rat.
Walt Disney Co. said Friday that it had abandoned the wine
business — even before its first bottles of Ratatouille
Chardonnay were scheduled to hit the big-box store's shelves in
August.
 Bottles
of the French 2004 vintage white Burgundy were to carry labels
featuring Remy, the haute-cuisine-loving rodent who stars in
"Ratatouille," the latest movie from Disney's Pixar Animation
Studios.
Disney said it and Costco Wholesale Corp. canceled the promotion
after getting flak from California winemakers and opponents of
underage drinking.
"We've decided to just not go through with it," Disney spokesman
Gary Foster said. "We've been getting a trickle of inquiries and
complaints."
A spokeswoman for Issaquah, Wash.-based Costco would only say,
"We have decided to withdraw this product prior to any bottles
being available or sold in the market."
In a decision that Burbank-based Disney called unrelated, Chief
Executive Robert A. Iger announced Wednesday that Disney-labeled
films would no longer show characters smoking.
Disney's Foster said the pressure to pull the Ratatouille wine
had been particularly strong from the California Wine Institute,
a San Francisco trade group that represents 950 California
wineries. He said domestic vintners were upset that the film
promoted a French product.
"The California Wine Institute has been relentless in trying to
make this an issue" that it's a French wine, Foster said. "But
the entire movie is based on a French restaurant and French food
and wine."
The institute applauded Disney's move and denied that it had any
problem with the Ratatouille wine's Gallic appellation. "We
would have been just as upset if it were a California wine,"
said Nancy Light, an institute spokeswoman.
She said her group complained to Disney because the Ratatouille
label, with Remy holding a rat-sized glass of wine, appeared to
violate the spirit of the code of advertising standards that all
institute members must follow. The code bans the use of any
advertising that might appeal to people below the legal drinking
age by using photos of very young models or cartoon characters,
Light said.
"We were in touch with [Disney]. We basically shared the code
with them," she said. The institute also voiced its concerns
with the attorneys general of various states, Light added.
In a separate, unrelated action, regulators at the California
Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control said last week that
they had opened an investigation into whether the Disney-Costco
wine marketing program might have violated state liquor laws.
Matthew Seck, chief of the trade enforcement unit, said he
expected to close the inquiry once he got a formal notice from
Disney that it no longer planned to sell the Ratatouille wine.
Foster said Disney canceled the wine deal to avoid a possible
Internet-fueled controversy about underage drinking.
"It was going to be a small offering" — 500 cases — "and we
thought it would be best not to proceed with it," he said. |
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Disney to
give African elephants vasectomies
Orlando Sentinel - When I was last in South Africa, I was lucky
enough to visit one of the big wildlife reserves. But was upset
to learn that the elephant population was doing too well for its
own good. The herds were expanding at such a rapid rate that
they were outgrowing the preserves and wandering off into nearby
villages, where they were likely to encounter angry residents
who wouldn't hesitate to kill them. Last year Disney sent vets
from Animal Kingdom to the Welgevonden Game Reserve in South
Africa where they performed vasectomies on four bull elephants
in hopes of controlling the exploding elephant population. Now,
they are returning to the same area to perform laparoscopic
vasectomies on six to 10 bull elephants. Here's video showing
how they performed the vasectomies on the elephants. |
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Walt Disney Teams Up With City To Make Playgrounds More Fun
NY1 News - The Disney Company is known for its theme parks, but
now Disney is thinking small, trying to make city playgrounds
more fun for the kids who use them. NY1's Roger Clark visited
one of the first to try out the new ideas.
The city parks department has
nearly one thousand playgrounds, with some neat stuff for kids
to frolic on.
"We have interesting play
equipment, fun play equipment, but we don't have things that
kids can actually move around," says New York City Parks and
Recreation Assistant Commissioner Nancy Bathold.
That is changing, through a
pilot program that is underway in ten city parks in all five
boroughs, like Tremont Park in the Bronx, and Maria Hernandez
Park in Brooklyn. The program will introduce moveable items to
the playgrounds, for instance, bringing classics like sandboxes,
pails and shovels to playgrounds that don't have them. And there
are buildings blocks, even good old fashioned wagons, all
allowing kids to interact more with their playground.
"We are offering a chance to be
more imaginative," says Bathold.
The program is being supported
by the Walt Disney Company with funding and staffing for the
sites. Ten parks summer playground associates have been trained
to work in the participating playgrounds.
"By this interactive idea of
having the workers having them facilitate the play," said
Bernadette Longford of the Walt Disney Company.
Jamal Pinckney is one of those
giving kids a hand with the new equipment.
"The turnout where I'm at has
been wonderful. The kids come out and ask me all the time," said
Pinckney. "Sometimes I have to put the sand away because I only
have so much sand, you know. Unfortunately, we're not the
beach."
Whether or not this project is a
success really depends on if the kids like it or not. And so
far, from what we've seen, it looks like they are getting real
kick out of it.
"It's fun like playing around
doing a castle, and everything, that you want to do," said Anahi
Arriaga.
Parks says if the program does
prove to be a success, they will expand it to other sites. |
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Disney
programs with Verizon
The Hollywood Reporter - The Walt Disney Co. on Thursday
announced two separate programming initiatives with Verizon.
Disney's ESPN and Qualcomm
Inc.'s MediaFLO USA Inc. wireless entertainment service will
create a mobile channel dedicated to the network's X Games in
early August that will be part of the FLO TV service available
through Verizon's V Cast network.
Disney Channel also said that it
will premiere "High School Musical 2" on Verizon's FiOS TV VOD
platform ahead of its Aug. 17 cable debut.
ESPN will provide eight hours of
daily live coverage, behind-the-scenes footage, highlights and
commentary from X Games 13, an annual extreme-sports showcase
set for Aug. 2-5 in Los Angeles. The channel also is featuring
highlights from previous X Games through Wednesday and will
replay this year's version from Aug. 6-7.
X Games footage also will be
available on V Cast's regular ESPN channel.
"High School Musical 2," the
follow-up to the 2006 made-for-TV musical, will be available to
FiOS subscribers Aug. 10, ahead of the broadcast premiere.
Verizon also will make behind-the-scenes footage from the movie
available on its Disney Connection site, and the company will
launch a sweepstakes on its VerizonSurround entertainment portal
that will bring a cast member of the musical to the winner's
school or community.
This is just one of several
multiplatform promotions tied to Disney's highly anticipated TV
musical. The company has showcased a music video from the sequel
and contests on its online network, and Disney is offering short
form programming relating to the musical on Sprint's wireless
network. |
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Walt
Disney to bring shampoo range for kids!
Fiber 2 Fashion - Walt Disney is set to add another gem to its
bag of goodies! The entertainment giant is planning to venture
into the world of beauty and cosmetics by introducing a personal
care product line of shampoos and shower-gels in India!
This unique range, specially for
children aged 4-14 years, has been test-marketed in Mumbai,
Delhi and Kolkata.
Director, Disney Consumer
Products, Roshini Bakshi, said, "The market response has been
good. We will be launching the range very soon."
However, instead of teaming up
with major domestic player, Disney has decided to partner
smaller, relatively unknown, third-party manufacturer whose name
was not disclosed.
Though, in the past attempts by
leading companies to launch personal care products for children
were not successful, experts opine that the times have changed.
Analysts believe that the
consumers will be more curious and responsive, now, and will
appreciate a quality product. |
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Company targets tweens with 'Hannah Montana' clothes
AP - Disney Channel's "Hannah Montana" has opened her closet to
fans.
The company has launched a full
collection of clothes, accessories, home decor and even real
electric guitars that target the increasingly powerful tween
market.
The look mimics Hannah's overall
style: sweet and appropriate for school with flashes of sparkle.
That matches the premise of the
show — that Hannah is a country-girl-turned-pop-star who tries
to keep her celebrity life a secret from her classmates.
Among the offerings:
- A denim jumper with
rhinestones.
- Slim-cut Bermuda shorts.
- Cargo-pocket capris with
swaths of silver.
- A sundress topped with a
denim vest.
- A sheer, peach-colored beaded
bolero worn over a regular tank top.
A few of the line's T-shirts are
covered with Hannah's face, but otherwise logos and literal
references to Hannah are kept to a minimum.
"It's not a costume. A tween
girl isn't doing dress-up. They want to look like they could be
Hannah Montana's friend," said Donna Sheridan, vice president
and general manager of apparel, footwear and accessories for
Disney Consumer Products. "This is a fashion line."
Disney worked with 14-year-old
Miley Cyrus — the show's star and daughter of singer Billy Ray
Cyrus — and the "Hannah Montana" stylist to create the line.
Miley's influence is most seen
in the broad array of colors in the collection and all the
little jackets that have become an important part of Hannah
Montana's wardrobe, Sheridan said.
Because the tween market is
largely made up of 9- to 14-year-old kids who rely on their
parents to pay for their clothes, purses and sequin-covered
duvet covers, the "Hannah Montana" collection has to also appeal
to Mom and Dad. It has to be fashionable and trendy but not
cross the line to sexy.
"We have to strike a balance
between what the girl wants and what the mother wants," Sheridan
said.
Disney is also planning on a
product partnership with Wal-Mart for the sequel to the popular
movie "High School Musical" that premieres Aug. 17 on the Disney
Channel.
"Wal-Mart has said its apparel
business needs a bump, and a way to do that is market to the
teen/tween consumer going forward. With 'High School Musical,'
'Hannah Montana' and 'Raven,' we can help them identify with
this consumer," said Ron Johnson, the head of Disney's Wal-Mart
team.
While the "Hannah Montana" and
"High School Musical 2" lines largely appeal to tween girls,
Nickelodeon recently announced that it plans to roll out a CD,
clothing line and book series based on its show "The Naked
Brothers Band," starring real-life tween brothers Nat and Alex
Wolff, who also play rock stars.
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Friday
July, 27 2007 |
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Disney's High School Musical 2 World Premiere Set for Downtown
Disney at Disneyland Resort
The Disney Channel - The world premiere of Disney Channel's
highly-anticipated High School Musical 2, will be hosted at AMC
Theatres in Downtown Disney at Disneyland Resort on Tuesday,
August 14.
It will be the latest highlight
of the ongoing Year of a Million Dreams celebration at the
Resort, and the newest chapter in the unparalleled worldwide
popularity of High School Musical. The phenomenon has even
extended into Disney's California Adventure, where High School
Musical has jumped out into the park as a live show.
Stars of the movie, along with
director-choreographer Kenny Ortega and other celebrity guests
will walk the carpet in Downtown Disney prior to the 6:00pm
screening. Following the Downtown Disney festivities, they will
attend an invitation-only poolside party at Disney's Grand
Californian Hotel & Spa. High School Musical 2 follows other
high-profile premieres hosted at the Disneyland Resort,
including all three Pirates of the Caribbean films. This will
mark the first time a movie made especially for Disney Channel
has been premiered at the Resort.
Kids, tweens and families have
found the first movie's appealing music, charismatic cast and
high-energy dancing irresistible. Rich Ross, president of Disney
Channel Worldwide, said, "What better way to celebrate this
movie than to have its world premiere screening at the happiest
place on earth!"
The music and spirited fun of
the High School Musical movie have been entertaining park guests
throughout the current Year of a Million Dreams celebration at
Disneyland Resort in Southern California and Walt Disney World
Resort in Florida. During live daily performances of the High
School Musical Pep Rally, an interactive sing-along street show,
guests have been catching Wildcat fever as they learn lively
cheers and cool dance moves from the hit movie's popular songs.
And inspired by the sequel, a brand new High School Musical 2:
School's Out! show will spring to life in Disney's California
Adventure beginning Saturday, August 18.
"We've seen the amazing
popularity of High School Musical firsthand as our guests
enthusiastically participate in the Pep Rally," said Ed Grier,
President of the Disneyland Resort. "Needless to say, High
School Musical 2 now brings new opportunities for our guests to
further engage in the High School Musical phenomenon."
Reprising their singing and
dancing roles in the movie sequel are: Zac Efron as star athlete
Troy Bolton, Vanessa Hudgens as brainy transfer student
Gabriella Montez, Ashley Tisdale as drama club diva Sharpay
Evans, Lucas Grabeel as her brother and on-stage partner Ryan
Evans, Corbin Bleu as teammate and best friend Chad Danforth and
Monique Coleman as academic decathlete Taylor McKessie. Also
returning are Alyson Reed as Ms. Darbus, Chris Warren, Jr. as
Zeke Baylor, Olesya Rulin as Kelsi Nielsen, KayCee Stroh as
Martha Cox, Ryne Sanborn as Jason and Bart Johnson as Coach
Bolton. Mark L. Taylor joins the cast as the country club
manager, Mr. Fulton.
In the contemporary movie
musical High School Musical 2, the Wildcats are back. This time,
school's out and East High School hoops star Troy Bolton,
A-student Gabriella Montez and the rest of the Wildcats are
getting ready for a fun summer vacation. But that all changes
when scheming drama queen Sharpay Evans uses her dad's
connections to get Troy a job at Lava Springs, their ritzy
country club, and a chance at a college basketball scholarship.
The catch? He'll have to turn his back on his friends and pair
up with Sharpay in a musical extravaganza for the club's annual
talent show. But when Gabriella and the Wildcats start making
plans without Troy, he must decide where his loyalties truly
lie.
High School Musical 2, part of
the blockbuster Disney Channel Original Movie franchise,
premieres Friday, August 17 (8:00 p.m., ET/PT) on Disney Channel
U.S., and will be featured Saturday and Sunday, August 18 and
19, in online and on-air programming events hosted by the
movie's cast. It will also premiere on Disney Channels around
the world beginning in September.
Disney Channel is a 24-hour
kid-driven, family inclusive television network that taps into
the world of kids and families through original series and
movies. Currently available on basic cable in over 90 million
U.S. homes and to millions of other viewers on 27 Disney
Channels around the world, Disney Channel is part of the
Disney-ABC Television Group. |
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Disney's The Little Mermaid Begins Denver Run July 26
Playbill - As Disney's first stage musical, Beauty and the
Beast, plays its final week on Broadway, the company's latest
offering, The Little Mermaid, begins its pre-Broadway engagement
July 26 at The Denver Center for the Performing Arts' Ellie
Caulkins Opera House.
Directed by Francesca Zambello,
the new musical will officially open Aug. 23. After its Denver
run ends Sept. 9, Mermaid will arrive at the Lunt-Fontanne
Theatre, current home of Beauty and the Beast, Nov. 3 with an
official opening Dec. 6.
Sierra Boggess heads the cast in
the title role with Sean Palmer as Prince Eric, Norm Lewis as
King Triton, Tituss Burgess as Sebastian, Eddie Korbich as
Scuttle, Jonathan Freeman as Grimsby, Derrick Baskin as Jetsam,
Tyler Maynard as Flotsam, Cody Hanford and J.J. Singleton as
Flounder and Sherie René Scott as Ursula.
The remainder of the cast
comprises Adrian Bailey, Cathryn Basile, Heidi Blickenstaff
(Carlotta), James Brown III, Robert Creighton, Cicily Daniels,
John Treacy Egan (Louis), Tim Federle, Merwin Foard, Bahiyah
Sayyed Gaines, Ben Hartley, Meredith Inglesby, Michelle Lookadoo,
Joanne Manning, Alan Mingo Jr., Zakiya Young Mizen, Betsy
Morgan, Arbender J. Robinson, Bret Shuford, Jason Snow, Chelsea
Morgan Stock, Kay Trinidad, Price Waldman and Daniel J. Watts.
"In a magical kingdom beneath
the sea," reads Mermaid production notes, "a beautiful young
mermaid named Ariel longs to leave her ocean home to live in the
world above. But first, she'll have to defy her father – the
king of the sea – escape the clutches of an evil sea witch and
convince a prince that she's the girl with the perfect voice."
The musical is based on both the Disney animated film and the
classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale.
The Little Mermaid features
songs penned by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman for the
Disney film as well as 11 new tunes by Menken and Glenn Slater.
Doug Wright has written the book.
The creative team also includes
Stephen Mear (choreography), George Tsypin (scenery), Tatiana
Noginova (costumes), Natasha Katz (lighting), Angelina Avallone
(make-up design) and David Brian Brown (hair design).
Sierra Boggess portrayed
Christine Daae in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom — The Las Vegas
Spectacular. She was seen in the national tour of Les Misérables
as well as in regional productions of West Side Story, The
Boyfriend and Pirates of Penzance. Boggess also created the role
of Binky in productions of Princesses at Goodspeed and Seattle's
5th Avenue Theatre.
Tickets for the Denver run of
Mermaid, priced $20-$74 (July 26-Aug. 22) and $25-$77 (Aug.
23-Sept. 9), are available by calling (303) 893-4100 or (800)
641-1222 or by visiting www.denvercenter.org.
Tickets for the Broadway
production, priced $41.50-$111.50, are available by calling
(212) 307-4747 or by visiting the Lunt-Fontanne box office at
205 West 46th Street.
For more information visit Walt
Disney Theatricals on-line at
www.disneyonbroadway.com. |
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Jeff Gordon Foundation and Disney partner on 'Underdog'
marketing
ThatsRacin - “Have No Fear”, the canine hero from the Walt
Disney Pictures’ upcoming comedy “Underdog” helps “evil get
licked” but still finds time to pose on the hood of The Jeff
Gordon Foundation No. 24 car.
The 2007 Foundation Fantasy Car
was unveiled today at the Foundation’s annual Bowling Tournament
with the help from former patients at the Riley Hospital for
Children.
The limited edition die-cast
features Underdog prominently flying across the hood with the
words “One Nation Under Dog....” Underdog also appears on the
sides of the car -- scaling a building -- and on the back deck
lid where he handsomely sits upon his trademark U beside the
words “Have No Fear”.
Also showcased is the official
Jeff Gordon Foundation logo on each rear quarter panel and on
the rear bumper. The Foundation began issuing these special
collectibles in 2001, with proceeds benefiting children with
chronic and life-threatening diseases.
“Underdog was one of my favorite
cartoons growing up and The Jeff Gordon Foundation is excited to
partner with Disney on this program,” said Gordon. “The fantasy
paint schemes we’ve done are very popular, and they seem to get
cooler every year.”
Diecast models and officially
license merchandise of the Underdog car will be available for
sale at trackside merchandise trailers and available in the Fall
through the MA Dealer Network, online at www.goracing.com or at
The Jeff Gordon Foundation store at www.jeffgordonfoundation.org.
The Jeff Gordon Foundation The
Jeff Gordon Foundation was established in December of 1999 by
the four-time NASCAR Nextel Cup Series champion. The mission of
the foundation is to improve the lives of children facing
life-threatening and chronic diseases by supporting pediatric
medical care and initiatives that address the emotional needs of
these special children.
The Foundation is a non-profit
501 (c)(3) organization that benefits The Leukemia and Lymphoma
Society, The Make-A-Wish Foundation, Riley Hospital for
Children, The Marrow Foundation in partnership with the Hendrick
Marrow Program and the Jeff Gordon Children’s Hospital. |
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Department of Energy and Disney Join Forces to Promote Energy
Savings
US Department of Energy - This month the U.S. Department of
Energy (DOE) Secretary Samuel W. Bodman announced that DOE and
The Walt Disney Company are cooperating in a nationwide campaign
to promote energy efficiency through a TV spot based on the
upcoming film Disney Pixar film "Ratatouille."
"Combining the energy expertise
of the Department of Energy with the promotional ingenuity of
Disney is a unique way to raise energy awareness," Secretary
Bodman said. "I hope this will be the first project in a
continuing effort to leverage the resources of the entertainment
industry and government to encourage smart energy choices."
Featuring the Ratatouille
characters Remy, Emile and Skinner, the 30-second animated spot
encourages viewers to switch from incandescent light bulbs to
EnergyStar compact fluorescent lighting (CFL) and points them to
the energy.gov website for more tips on saving energy or using
renewable energy technologies in the home.
Beginning June 15, the spot will
air on cable networks nationwide, with a particular emphasis in
northern portions of Virginia as well as in northern and
southern California, and will continue through the summer. While
the spot points out that energy can be used in a variety of
ways, it emphasizes that it can be used more efficiently by
employing technologies such as CFLs.
DOE leads federal efforts to
research, develop and deploy alternative and renewable
technologies that will help consumers save energy and money,
furthering President Bush's Advanced Energy Initiative, which
seeks to change the way we power our homes, offices and
transportation sector.
To view the spot, and for tips
on saving energy visit the Department of Energy's homepage. |
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Epcot "rededication ceremony" planned for 25th birthday
Orlando Sentinel - Until now, it
was looking like the most ambitious Epcot 25th anniversary
public event was being produced by Adam Roth, a remarkable
16-year-old fan from Dr. Phillips, with the help of some other
Disney World fans. But now it looks as if Walt Disney World and
Walt Disney Imagineering are stepping up, and will be offering
some sort of "rededication ceremony" to mark the park's 25th on
Oct. 1.
Word has it that Epcot's
planning to have dignitaries such as Imagineering legend Marty
Sklar come in for the fun.
When Disney officials announced
in January that they were planning nothing public for the
anniversary, Adam and some others, including Jenn Waitt, began
organizing a privately-sponsored public celebration called
Celebration 25, spelled out on Adam's website
Dreamfinder Forever. They've
been working with Epcot's special events office, and Adam
advises now that they've gotten word from that office about the
Disney-produced public celebration.
Adam said Celebration 25 has 240
participants registered thus far. Details of their celebration
will be coming. |
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Additional New Years Eve show performance at Magic Kingdom
WDW News - This
year there will be an additional New Years Eve show, in addition
to the already scheduled 2 nights of December 30th and December
31st. This means there will now be 3 opportunities to see the
incredible show - the 29th, 30th and 31st December. On those
nights, the Wishes Show time has been moved to 8:30pm, in
preparation for New Years Eve Special Edition Fantasy In The Sky
at 11:50pm. |
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WDW News - Tampa Bay Bucs
training camp is underway at Disney's Wide World of Sports
complex, marking the sixth straight year the 2002 Super Bowl
champions are preparing for the season at Walt Disney World
Resort.
The Bucs will be practicing
twice a day most days until Aug. 16 on the Hess Sports Fields
located behind the Milk House on the Wide World of Sports
property. All training sessions are open to the public at no
cost.
For more information on the Bucs
and training camp, please call (813)-870-2700.
2007 TRAINING
CAMP SCHEDULE
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Holiday
Wishes schedule at Magic Kingdom
WDW News - The special Holiday Wishes (with perimeter fireworks)
is set to run as normal on Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party
nights (Nov. 12, 15, 16, 25, 27, 29, 30 and Dec. 2, 4, 6, 7, 9,
11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20, 21. However, from Dec 22 - 31, the
Holiday Wishes version will play instead of the regular Wishes
show for non-party nights. |
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Goldberg,
Shepherd Candidates for `View'
AP - ABC's daytime show "The View" appears close to
adding Whoopi Goldberg and Sherri Shepherd as regular cast
members following a year with more plot twists than a soap
opera.
The two women were in final
negotiations to join the show, the Los Angeles Times reported
Friday. While characterizing the report as premature, an
executive close to the show who spoke on condition of anonymity
because negotiations were ongoing wouldn't deny they were the
top candidates.
Goldberg, 51, would give "The
View" creator Barbara Walters a big name to replace Rosie
O'Donnell. In less than a year on the show, the brash O'Donnell
was a never-ending source of headlines for her feuds with Donald
Trump and co-star Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Despite the
near-constant need for damage control, ratings shot up.
Goldberg is one of the few
performers to earn Emmy, Grammy, Tony and Academy awards in her
versatile career, and could be expected to take the moderator
role filled by O'Donnell.
Shepherd, 40, has been a guest
host on "The View" more than a dozen times, five times this
month alone -- an indication that producers were considering her
seriously.
The busy actress appears in the
upcoming film "Who's Your Caddy." Her resume includes roles on "Pauly
Shore Is Dead" and "The Jamie Foxx Show," and she even played
God once on the CBS show "Joan of Arcadia."
With Hasselbeck and Joy Behar,
the cast changes would give the show a full complement of
regulars for the first time since last summer, when Star Jones
Reynolds left amid acrimony. Walters appears on the show
occasionally.
The changes would also give the
show some ethnic diversity. "The View" has been without a
regular black cast member since Reynolds left, and both Goldberg
and Shepherd are black.
ABC is owned by The Walt Disney
Co. |
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`Grey's Anatomy'
Creator Looking Ahead
AP - "Grey's Anatomy" creator Shonda Rhimes said she's confident
fans will put last year's unsettling season in perspective and
remain loyal to the ABC medical drama.
"It's a thing that happens in
any show," Rhimes said. "People love you, then there has to be a
moment ... in which people disagree with where you're going
creatively. But if you're telling your stories, well, they'll
stick with you, hopefully, and watch us grow and change."
The series will get back to having fun next season, she said
Thursday.
Rhimes acknowledged story lines
that included death and infidelity represented a "darker
journey," one that provoked some critics and fans. The series
was hit by the real-life drama involving Isaiah Washington, who
was fired after he twice used an anti-gay slur.
Rhimes said the show rose above
that crisis.
"It was a difficult season for
us behind the scenes. But creatively we moved in the direction
we planned to move," Rhimes told a meeting of the Television
Critics Association.
Washington moved on quickly,
hired by NBC to appear in five episodes of the network's new
fall drama "Bionic Woman." Last week, NBC executive Ben
Silverman said he had spoken to Washington about coming to the
network before the actor was dumped by ABC in June.
Rhimes, who had called
Washington with the network's decision, was asked if she was
aware he had talked to NBC and what her reaction was to his
hiring.
"No, I wasn't aware of any
conversation that happened before I had a conversation with
him," she said. "I guess I don't have a reaction. He's a very
talented actor. I hope he does really well with the `Bionic
Woman.' I hope that show does well."
"Not as well as `Private
Practice,'" she added, a reference to the "Grey's Anatomy"
spinoff debuting this fall. The series stars Kate Walsh as her
"Grey's" character Dr. Addison Shepherd and co-stars include Amy
Brenneman, Tim Daly and Taye Diggs.
ABC is owned by The Walt Disney
Co.; NBC is a unit of General Electric Co. |
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Walt
Disney to bring shampoo range for kids
Fibre2fashion - Walt Disney is set to add another gem to its bag
of goodies! The entertainment giant is planning to venture into
the world of beauty and cosmetics by introducing a personal care
product line of shampoos and shower-gels in India!
This unique range, specially for children aged 4-14 years, has
been test-marketed in Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata.
Director, Disney Consumer Products, Roshini Bakshi, said, “The
market response has been good. We will be launching the range
very soon.”
However, instead of teaming up with major domestic player,
Disney has decided to partner smaller, relatively unknown,
third-party manufacturer whose name was not disclosed.
Though, in the past attempts by leading companies to launch
personal care products for children were not successful, experts
opine that the times have changed.
Analysts believe that the consumers will be more curious and
responsive, now, and will appreciate a quality product. |
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CNN - This month on the
Screening Room we're turning to the wonderful world of animated
films.
Blockbusters like "Finding Nemo"
and Dreamworks' franchise "Shrek" have turned animation into a
multi-billion-dollar industry, and a market once dominated by
Disney is becoming crowded with competition.
This year, Pixar celebrates its
20th anniversary. From "Toy Story" to "Ratatouille," the company
has transformed expectations about what's possible with animated
film.
Pixar's position as a world
leader in animated film is largely down to John Lasseter -
considered by some to be the Walt Disney for a new generation.
From "Toy Story" and "A Bug's Life" to "Monsters, Inc." and
"Cars," the Pixar back-catalogue is a testament to his creative
genius. And when Pixar merged with Disney he became one of the
most powerful players in the movie business.
The first Pixar production
released since the merger is "Ratatouille," the story of an
unlikely alliance between a blundering trainee chef and a
gourmet-loving rat.
"Ratatouille" director Brad
Bird's credits for Pixar include the Oscar-winning feature "The
Incredibles," which won critical plaudits for its
ground-breaking animation.
He told CNN, "I think that one
of the nice things about Pixar is that they don't feel like they
have discovered the secret formula to making a good movie. They
just keep focused on trying to make a movie that they would want
to see. We are challenged and surprised every time they work
out."
But while Pixar and Disney may
be the giants of animation they face formidable competition from
another box-office monster -- Shrek.
The adventures of the world's
favorite ogre have generated a total of two billion dollars in
takings.
Actor Mike Myers, who voices
Shrek, told CNN that he thinks the movies' appeal is their
unlikely hero. He said, "With 'Shrek,' they took fairytales and
turned them on their heads. Everything is inverted. Traditional
villains are heroes, traditional heroes are villains. The whole
team decided, we're going to look at somebody who has been told
he was a villain and we're going to make him a hero. That's when
I knew they were on to something."
The success of the Shrek
franchise, supported by other big budget features such as
"Madagascar," has cemented Dreamworks' position as a major force
in the animated world.
Another successful franchise --
"Ice Age" -- has been a hot seller for 20th Century Fox.
And the polar climate has also
been kind to Warner Brothers with last year's Oscar-winning
"Happy Feet" charming audiences around the world with a tale of
dancing penguins, while the Tom Hanks-voiced "The Polar Express"
also scored well on its way to becoming a seasonal
stocking-filler on DVD.
The life-like motion-capture
technique used in "The Polar Express" will also feature in
Warner's forthcoming release, "Beowulf" featuring Angelina Jolie.
But in a market dominated by 3-D
CGI animations, one of the big three summer blockbusters this
year belongs to a more traditional form of the art.
"The Simpsons Movie" is the
world's longest-running animated television series, and fans
have eagerly awaited its move to the big screen. Creator Matt
Groening told the Screening Room, "We've had fans clamoring for
a movie for the past 18 years. We've had kids, they've grown up,
they've become adults, they've become writers for the Simpsons,
so we had to do a movie after all this time."
So, will Springfield's most
famous inhabitants break all former animation records? Groening
and co. will certainly be hoping that the movie gets a
box-office "Woo hoo!" from its fans. |
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Disney-trained UW grad fulfills dream by opening Wisconsin Dells
theater
Wisconsin State Journal - In his early 20s, UW-Madison grad
Michael Stanek got a performance job in Florida with Disney. He
liked it so much, the Spring Green native figured he'd become a
"lifer" -- a long-time Disney performer who'd stick with the
company for decades, working his way up to the title of, say,
choreographer, or maybe heading into management.
Well, half that enchanted dream
came true. The Disney luster eventually wore off, and young
Stanek headed to New York to try his fortunes there. That path
led him, by way of many freelance jobs, back to his native
Wisconsin, where today he directs his own company of peppy,
Disney-esque performers.
And yes, he also choreographs
and works in management -- and at times, taste-tests beef,
designs promotional materials and welcomes busloads of senior
citizens to Wisconsin Dells for a meal and a show.
Stanek, who turned 40 last
Thursday, is the producing artistic director of the Broadway
Theatre in the Dells, a $10 million, 700-seat dinner theater
erected just a year ago on one of the Dells' hottest main
drags. Tastefully done in red brick, the 38,000-square foot
building sports a marquee that Stanek was determined to have,
he says -- because it reminds him of the Orpheum Theatre's
classic signage back in Madison.
Though he grew up in Spring
Green, a town probably best known as home to the
Shakespeare-driven American Players Theatre, Stanek is an
unabashed "song and dance man." This is a guy who revels in
the zesty fun of musicals so much that he'll call them "fluff"
in one breath, and in another, describe them as the greatest
art form invented for the stage. The American musical, he
notes, magically marries dance, music, laughter, tears and the
kind of catchy tunes that the audience will sing on the way
out the door.
"For me, it's the most
relate-able' (of all the performing arts) for the average
person," says Stanek, siting in a plush armchair in the
Broadway Theatre's lobby. "And it's a great thing because you
can affect people with live theater and change their opinions
on things."
Not that Stanek is trying to
push the edge. He and his financial partner, Peggy Sutphin of
Wytheville, Va., opened the Broadway Theatre in the Dells in
July 2006 with Stanek's "American Musical Revue," a
high-energy variety show created in "that Branson style," he
says. Two of the show's highlights: An Elvis number and the
patriotic finale, where a huge American flag unfurls over the
2,000-square-foot stage.
"Everyone loves that," he
says. "The whole God Bless the USA' effect."
Stanek also wrote, directed
and choreographed "Christmas in the Dells," an annual show
inspired by spectacles at Radio City Music Hall. A Santa's
Workshop scene features toys that come alive, including
Stanek's own "Broadway Bears" (the Lawrence Welk-inspired
"Bobby and Cissy") and yet another blowout finale: a nativity
scene with a trio of real, live camels, two sheep and a donkey
named Frankie.
It's the kind of vacation
escapism and entertainment thrill that is trademark Dells.
Before a recent matinee of "Grease," Stanek's chef got the
crowd cheering for their meal, the five-piece house band
performed a '50s set, and audience members were plucked from
their seats to compete in a pre-show hula-hoop contest.
"Right now it's summer, and I
know who my audience is: It's people in water parks, who are
on vacation," says Stanek.
"They don't want to see Les
Miz' and be depressed. They don't want to see Phantom of the
Opera' and have to think. They want to be purely entertained,"
he says, "which is why I did the revue show initially, and why
I am doing Grease' and High School Musical'" -- the one-hour
version, starring a group of volunteer youth actors that
Stanek formed into his "Broadway Kidz Wisconzin" company. The
5,000 tickets for that July-August show are sold out.
"Again, both those of those
shows are fluff' in my mind -- boy meets girl, boy loses girl,
boy gets girl in the end," says Stanek. "It's a happy ending.
You don't have to think, you know the show -- lots of singing,
lots of dancing, and the show is funny. Pure entertainment for
what it is."
Stanek will bring the sassier
"Chicago" to the theater in January to attract the winter
adult crowd. The Actors Equity member also keeps one foot (and
an apartment) in New York, where he freelances as a
choreographer and director and works toward his ultimate goal:
directing a big show on Broadway. The real Broadway.
At River Valley High School,
he played baritone in the band and his junior year became drum
major. The school's new choral director, Jan Swenson,
hand-picked a few students to help start a song-and-dance show
choir, including Stanek; the following year, he was
choreographing and was named dance captain.
"It was something he was
absolutely suited for," says Swenson, who's remained in touch
with Stanek throughout his career. "And now he's gone on to do
wonderful things. For a teacher to see a student do that is
very rewarding."
Swenson urged Stanek to apply
to UW-Madison and audition for the prestigious Wisconsin
Singers. Three years later he took his first formal dance
lesson at West Side Performing Arts studio. That quickly led
to a scholarship at an L.A. dance studio.
"I'm proud of it, just because
I'd only been taking dance class less than a year, and I won
this scholarship in a competition," Stanek says. "That was
really big for me." Then on to Disney -- where, after four
years of playing the original Prince in "Beauty and the Beast"
and other roles, the job started to feel rote. Stanek moved to
New York, and got his big break with a role in the touring
production of "42nd Street," followed by lots of regional
theater and dinner theater shows.
Stanek's choreography and
directing work eventually led to his current position of
artistic director at Sutphin's Wohlfahrt Haus Dinner Theatre
in Viriginia. Bankrolled by her pharmaceutical business,
Sutphin wanted to expand, and began to look for a tourist town
that might need a live-theater attraction. Friends and family
urged Stanek to try his own backyard: the Dells.
Costs for the Broadway
Theatre, built on the site of a former go-cart track, ran
higher than planned, however; Stanek and Sutphin both say that
"financing issues" will be worked out by fall. Stanek isn't
concerned about competition from Wisconsin's other two
prominent dinner theaters, because each has its niche, he
says: the 40-year-old Fireside Theatre in Fort Atkinson offers
more "traditional" musicals, while the Armory in Janesville is
far "edgier."
As for Stanek, it's all about
being a song and dance man -- and from the looks of his nearly
sold-out 2007 Christmas show, a businessman, too.
"I didn't realize this until
later, but when I was working at theaters, I paid attention to
everything," he says. "Even if I was just performing there, I
paid attention to the way things ran. Little did I know that I
was doing that for a reason."
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Local artist sets sights on Disney
Oakley Press - Every holiday season, Oakley resident Lindsay
Waddell has made passersby smile as they check out the
realistic Pirates of the Caribbean displays in her front yard
on Norcross Lane. Now she has set her sights on Hollywood –
and her ship may one day sail straight into the studios of the
Happiest Place on Earth.
“I’ve contacted the people at Disney and they have been very
encouraging,” said Waddell, who recently sent pictures of her
dolls to Disney. “They said that I had a lot of potential and
raw talent, and when I was ready to pursue things I should let
them know.”
But in order to get the ball rolling, Disney studios require
an extensive amount of course work and art classes before
they’ll consider any new artists. And to do that, Waddell
needs to clear a few things off her busy plate.
Unfortunately, the first thing to go are the holiday displays.
“I love what I do and I hate to give it up, but every year it
gets bigger and bigger and it takes up literally all my time,”
said Waddell, 20. “I mean, I even have a budget for supplies.
It has gotten to where it’s running me instead of the other
way around.”
The self-taught artist began crafting her dolls nearly five
years ago when she designed A.J. from the Backstreet Boys
band. But once the Pirate movies came out, Johnny Depp and
company completely captivated both her heart and imagination.
“That was it for me when the first ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’
movie came out,” she said. “I started making all of the
characters. And each time a sequel came out I would do all
those characters, too. They become very real to me.”
A trip to Waddell’s bedroom is a bit like a visit to Davey
Jones’ locker. Five Caribbean characters stand watch in
various locations throughout the room. There are pirate ship
paintings and models on display, along with a wall-sized
aquarium. Tables are filled with sea shells and sand. White
lights and netting strung from the ceiling lend a mystical,
magical quality to the room.
Clearly, this is a girl who loves pirates.
“I do, I really do,” she said. “They take on a life of their
own sometimes. But this is my art, this is what I do and I
love it.”
Waddell’s dolls made their first professional appearance last
year at the Brendan Cinemas in Pittsburg, where they were on
display for the opening of the third “Pirates of the
Caribbean” movie.
“That was really fun. I went down and showed the manager
pictures of my work and asked if I could display them there
for the premiere,” she said. “He said yes right away. It was
really neat to see them there, and it gave me a lot of
confidence in my work. That’s more of the kind of thing I’m
trying to do, so I can get my name out there and get some more
experience.”
For Waddell, the coming year will be spent making contacts,
crafting her art (which will expand to subjects other than
pirates) and waiting for her career to take off.
“It’s time. I need to get going on pursuing the things that
will make my career,” said Waddell, who has also sent samples
of her work to Pixar Studios. “I want to test myself this year
and really see what I can do.
“I appreciate all the people who come by and see my work, and
I appreciate that they have been so loyal. It’s hard giving
the whole thing up, and the closer it gets to October, the
harder it will be. But I know this is the right move. I’m
excited to see what happens next.”
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Thursday
July, 26 2007 |
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Another watershed
year for Disney
Hollywood Reporter - Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
International has become the third major company to hurdle the
$1 billion mark this year at the overseas boxoffice, a goal the
overseas distributor previously known as Buena Vista
International has reached for a record 13 consecutive years.
WDSMPI entered the billionaire ranks again Wednesday when
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" became the
fourth-most-popular movie ever released in the international
marketplace by reaching a gross of $642.3 million and narrowly
topping the final $642.2 million achieved by previous company
record-holder, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest."
Sony Pictures Releasing International and then Warner Bros.
International reached the $1 billion plateau this month.
This year's summer tent poles played a key role in helping
Disney, Sony Pictures Releasing International and Warner Bros.
Pictures International reach the overseas $1 billion benchmark.
Sony's billionaire status was triggered by "Spider-Man 3" and
Warners by "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."
WDSMPI said that it has racked up $18 billion at the overseas
boxoffice since it started its $1 billion run 13 years ago.
"In a business like ours, consistency is not easy and is
something you continually strive toward," WDSMPI sales and
distribution president Anthony Marcoly said. "Achieving this
$1 billion plateau for the 13th consecutive year really
highlights our continued commitment and release slates that
international audiences have truly embraced."
"At World's End" is still playing on 2,958 screens in 54
countries. It picked up $2.9 million last weekend, and the
studio expects it to exceed "Dead Man's Chest's"
international gross by a much larger margin as the run
continues. In nine weeks, it has taken in $83.7 million in
Japan, $79.8 million in the U.K., $57.7 million in Germany,
$46.7 million in France and $33.9 million in Korea.
As the fourth-all-time international grosser, "At World's
End" follows "Titanic" ($1.2 billion), "The Lord of the
Rings: The Return of the King" ($752.2 million) and "Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" ($651.1 million).
Along the way to its new niche in industry boxoffice
history, "At World's End" set many overseas boxoffice
records, among them exceeding $300 million in nine days,
$400 million in 12, $500 million in 20 and $600 in 38.
"I'm extremely proud of the job our team has done (on 'At
World's End') around the world," Marcoly said. "To achieve
milestones like this, you need a great movie, great
exhibitor partners and a dedicated and passionate marketing
and distribution organization."
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Euro
Disney third-quarter revenues rise 12 pct
Reuters - Theme park operator Euro Disney SCA (EDLP.PA) said on
Thursday its third-quarter revenues rose 12 percent to 322
million euros ($444.7 million), citing stronger hotel revenues
as well as a rise in the number of visitors.
Theme park revenues gained 8
percent to 173.7 million euros, boosted by a 9 percent rise in
attendance to Disneyland Paris.
Hotels and Disney Village
revenues rose 21 percent to 132.7 million euros, lifted by a 17
percent increase in average spending per room as well as a 4.7
percentage point increase in hotel occupancy.
The company's real estate
development segment revenues gained 1.0 million euros, boosted
by the closing of a larger residential transaction than closed
in the prior-year period, it said.
"Our third quarter and
year-to-date revenues are encouraging, and both represent
records for Disneyland Resort Paris for their respective
periods. Naturally, the higher Resort activity and labor rate
inflation have caused costs and expenses to also increase,"
Chairman and Chief Executive Karl Holz said in a statement.
The company, which is
celebrating 15 years of the park east of the French capital,
said revenues for the nine months ended June 30 rose 11 percent,
to 834.3 million euros from 754 million euros in the
corresponding period a year earlier. |
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Worldwide Box Office Hit of 2007 Washes Ashore on Disney DVD &
Blu-ray Disc on December 4
Earthtimes - Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment presents
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" like you have never
experienced it before on Disney DVD and stunning high-definition
Blu-ray Disc loaded with an armada of bonus materials. Johnny
Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley and Geoffrey Rush lead a
stellar cast in the biggest, most thrilling installment of the
blockbuster franchise, filled with spectacular visual effects,
exotic locales and breathtaking action. "Pirates of the
Caribbean: At World's End" arrives in time for the holidays on
multiple platforms including 2-disc DVD and 2-disc 75GB Blu-ray
sets featuring hours of extra material highlighted by bloopers
and extensive behind-the-scenes content -- plus the Blu-ray
exclusive Enter the Maelstrom: a BD-Java feature that takes Blu-ray
interactivity to an astounding new level! Produced by Jerry
Bruckheimer and directed by Gore Verbinski, "Pirates of the
Caribbean: At World's End," which catapulted to become the #1
global box office hit of 2007 to date with over $946 million
generated at the box office, arrives December 4 on multiple
platforms, including a 2-disc DVD for the SRP of $34.99, 2-disc
75GB Blu-ray for the SRP of $35.99, and single-disc DVD for the
SRP of $29.99.
Captain Jack Sparrow returns in
a massively entertaining epic adventure beyond the very ends of
the earth in the #1 worldwide box office phenomenon of 2007.
Join Elizabeth, Will, and Captain Barbossa as they navigate
through treacherous lands, mysterious lore, and supernatural
wonders of the pirate world. Meet the legendary pirate lords as
they prepare for a titanic clash with the ruthless Lord Beckett
and Davy Jones' fearsome Flying Dutchman.
The "Pirates of the Caribbean:
At World's End" 2-disc Disney DVD set immerses users in hours of
behind-the-scenes content and pirate lore from the four corners
of the earth. Features include a behind-the-scenes documentary,
"Keith & the Captain"; "Anatomy of a Scene: The Maelstrom"; "The
Tale of the Multiple Jacks"; "Hoist the Colors"; "Masters of
Design"; "Inside the Brethren Court"; "The Pirate Code:
Revealed"; "The World of Chow Yun Fat"; "The Pirate Maestro: The
Music of Hans Zimmer"; "Bloopers of the Caribbean"; and much,
much more!
Relive the breathtaking action
and mind-boggling special effects in glorious high-definition
detail with the "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" Blu-ray
2-disc release. The Blu-ray Disc high-definition feature film
presentation was created from the original digital source files,
delivering an unequaled, demo-worthy home viewing experience.
Marvel at the wondrous 1080p detail of Davy Jones' slimy,
barnacle-encrusted crew and tremble at the ground-shaking
cannonade of ship to ship battles with 7.1 channels surround, 48
kHz, 24-bit uncompressed audio -- you'll swear you smell the gun
powder and feel the salty sea-spray splash across your face!
The Blu-ray Disc release
includes all of the standard DVD bonus content re-mastered in
high-definition, plus exclusive BD-Java enhanced features
including "Enter the Maelstrom," an extensive interactive look
at the climactic sequence of "Pirates of the Caribbean: At
World's End" and the return of the Jolly Roger host, who
navigates users through animated menus with state-of-the-art
BD-Java enabled artificial intelligence. This scurvy scallywag
entertainingly guides you through the pirate waters of your
Blu-ray experience, responding to your actions (and inactions)
with humorous commentary.
About "Enter The Maelstrom"
"Enter the Maelstrom," the
exclusive showpiece of the Blu-ray Disc, takes you deep into the
perilous whirlpool of the Maelstrom, a sequence of unimaginable
scale. The colossal battle between the Black Pearl and the
Flying Dutchman stands as one of the most impressive action set
pieces in cinema history with its photorealistic blend of
live-action footage and computer-aided FX wizardry. Jerry
Bruckheimer hosts the BD-Java feature -- a one-hour immersive,
interactive tour that explores the sequence from stem to stern,
covering everything you would want to know and more about this
awe-inspiring cinematic achievement. Explore the Palmdale hanger
that housed the sets from floor to ceiling seamlessly through an
interactive, time-lapse footage interface. In-feature pop-ups
and selectable icons appear throughout the time-lapse footage
over different areas of the massive set; navigating to each of
these reveals multimedia content about how the Maelstrom was
created, from set construction to special effects. Discover the
Maelstrom on your own, or take a tour of the highlights of the
set with Jerry Bruckheimer, who also provides optional
commentary throughout the feature.
"Enter the Maelstrom" is a
BD-Java interactive feature that was developed and produced by
Disney and programmed by Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory.
Panasonic is a key technology provider for BD-Java or Blu-ray
Disc Java, which is the interactive platform supporting advanced
content for Blu-ray Disc. BD-Java allows bonus content on Blu-ray
Disc titles to be far more sophisticated then bonus content
provided by standard definition DVD. Panasonic also handled the
film's AVC video compression (Advanced Video Coding; a digital
video codec standard that is noted for achieving very high data
compression) direct from digital intermediates as well as menu
authoring for Disc 1 of the Blu-ray 2-disc set.
Synopsis
Just when he's needed most,
Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), that witty and wily charmer
of a pirate, is trapped on a sea of sand in Davy Jones' Locker.
In an increasingly shaky alliance, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom),
Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) and Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey
Rush) begin a desperate quest to find and rescue him. Captain
Jack's the last of the nine Pirate Lords of the Brethren Court
who must come together united in one last stand to preserve the
freedom-loving pirates' way of life. From exotic Singapore, to
World's End and beyond, from Shipwreck Island, to a titanic
battle, this adventure's filled with over-the-edge action,
irreverent humor and seafaring myth and magic. Everything has
led to this twisting, turning, wild swashbuckling ride in this
final chapter of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy. |
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Hallmark Keepsake
Disney Ornaments
Hallmark - While we were away the 2007 Hallmark Keepsake
Ornaments were announced, below are the Disney 2007 Ornaments. |
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Haunted Mansion Refurbishment Details
WDW News - Details are beginning to emerge about the Haunted
Mansion's refurbishment at the Magic Kingdom.
When the ride reopens in September, guests will be able to
experience a whole new scene based on the idea of endless
staircases sort of like the artwork of M.C. Escher.
Additionally, the floating head of Madame Leota as well as the
new bride from California's Disneyland Resort will debut but in
technologically updated forms. The whole ride system audio is
being overhauled in this bi-coastal effort involving Imagineers
from both Florida and California. As always, a thorough dusting
of the attraction will occur prior to reopening. |
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Producers: ABC's 'Cavemen' Pilot Re-Shot
AP - The producers of ABC's new
"Cavemen" said Wednesday the comedy is much more than the
insurance company commercials that inspired it, but isn't
designed to be an ambitious allegory about race.
Geico's TV spots show highly evolved but shaggy-looking cavemen
chafing at misconceptions about their sophistication and
intelligence. The series, debuting Oct. 2, follows another trio
of Cro-Magnons facing prejudice as they try to fit in
contemporary society.
"If the show works, it will work
because people care about these three guys under a lot of makeup
and ... can relate to their problems and find them charming,"
producer Mike Schiff told the Television Critics Association's
summer meeting.
The pilot is being re-shot, ABC
said. The network and producers said they decided it jumped
ahead too far in the characters' lives and failed to establish
them properly.
Schiff and fellow producers
responded to reporters' questions about the series, many of them
focusing on parallels between the cavemen and black stereotypes
and the pitfalls of turning an ad into a series.
The producers said the
characters' creative potential and their "fish-out-of-water
experience" was only touched on in the commercial spots. Walt
Disney-owned ABC obtained rights to the characters from Geico,
which is not involved in the show.
It's unusual for characters from
an advertising campaign to move into shows of their own, but not
unprecedented. The CBS comedy "Baby Bob" featured a talking baby
that had been used in several ads..
"We knew we'd be under a lot of
scrutiny" adapting the Geico concept to a series, producer Will
Speck said. "But I think it just makes our job a little harder."
There was no intention to have
the Cro-Magnons represent any minority group, said his
colleague, Josh Gordon.
"We're aware that the pilot
(episode) seems to lean a little bit more in that direction. But
in the episodes that we're coming up with now, we never saw them
as, again, a stand-in for one group," Gordon said.
"I think it's really a show
about acclimation more than anything, and that's something that
everybody deals with, doesn't matter whether you are a minority
or not," producer Joe Lawson said.
Lawson wrote the Geico
commercials, which were directed by Gordon and Speck. The three
co-developed the series starring Bill English, Nick Kroll and
Sam Huntington.
Two of actors featured in the
ads were unavailable for the series, the producers said, but
another, Jeff Phillips, will be joining it.
One reporter asked why the
cavemen don't ease their way by getting a shave and a haircut.
"There's a name for those kind
of people, and they're called 'shavers,' and the cavemen
community looks down on them," Gordon said. |
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National
Treasures Exhibit Comes to Epcot
WDW News - One of the most amazing
collections of real-life Americana ever assembled ”National
Treasures” comes September 26. You'll find it inside the
landmark American Adventure pavilion at the center of
World Showcase, a place where you can become completely immersed
in the astonishing authenticity and culture of eleven great
nations. The National Treasures
collection, located in the American Heritage Gallery, will also
be continually changed so you never know when you'll see
something new.
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New look for Disney stores
Toy News - Disney Store is undergoing an extensive refurbishment
program for its UK and European stores.
The 56-strong chain is also
unveiling a new store concept at Lakeside next week which will
include an interactive element.
Teresa Tideman, joint MD of the
store group told ToyNews: "At the heart of it is presenting a
contemporary and updated Disney Store proposition for our
guests. Technology will be a big part of it."
As well as new concept stores
the firm will be refreshing all its existing stores.
"The plan is ensure that all our
stores come up to the level we want and that all our real estate
is appropriate for the brand," added Tideman.
In addition, stores will be
expanded into new European territories. There are already 104
Disney stores across the continent.
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Disney offers its Blu-ray titles at almost 50 percent off
Afterdawn - In the ever escalating HD format war, Blu-ray has
made the next move, with Disney offering their Blu-ray titles at
45 percent off suggested retail price.
The catalogue consists of 27 titles including the hits
"Chicago", "Finding Neverland" and "Pearl Harbor".
There is no official word on how long the promotion will last,
but many believe it will be for a limited time only. Currently,
Amazon, Buy.com and DVDempire have the sale, so those looking
for Blu-ray titles at DVD prices, may want to check it out. |
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Verizon FiOS TV Video-on-Demand Customers Will Be Among First to
See Disney's 'High School Musical 2'
CNNMoney - Verizon FiOS TV Video on Demand customers will get a
first look at the summer's hottest television movie phenomenon
-- the premiere of Disney Channel's "High School Musical 2." The
highly anticipated sequel to the Disney Channel Original Movie
"High School Musical" will be available on FiOS TV's Video on
Demand library prior to the movie's worldwide premiere on Aug.
17 on Disney Channel.
Verizon also will launch a public sweepstakes in the Kids area
of the VerizonSurround entertainment portal (http://verizonsurround.com/kids).
The sweepstakes will offer a grand prize of the ultimate
barbeque party for the winner's school or community
organization, complete with a visit from one of the "High School
Musical 2" cast members, as well as daily instant-win prizes.
In addition to entering the
sweepstakes on http://VerizonSurround.com/kids, Verizon's more
than 7 million FiOS Internet and Verizon High Speed Internet
customers can also access "High School Musical 2" content in
Disney Connection, including a brand new game, behind-the-scenes
video footage and a complete guide to planning a "High School
Musical 2" party.
"The buzz around the release of
'High School Musical 2' is at a fever pitch, and we're delighted
that our FiOS TV Video on Demand customers will be among the
first to see it," said Terry Denson, vice president - Verizon
FiOS TV content and programming. "Our sweepstakes, plus the
online content from Disney Connection, give our broadband
customers additional enjoyment of this entertainment phenomenon.
This is the kind of enriched experience that customers expect
from Verizon and that sets us apart from other entertainment
providers."
Verizon provides FiOS TV and
Internet services over the nation's most advanced fiber-optic
network that reaches all the way to customers' homes. FiOS
Internet, available in parts of 16 states, provides downstream
connection speeds as high as up to 30 to 50 Mbps (megabits per
second), and upstream connection speeds as high as up to 10
Mbps. Verizon FiOS TV offers a broad collection of all-digital
programming, more than 20 high-definition channels, 8,600
video-on-demand titles and more.
The company offers Verizon High
Speed Internet service, based on DSL technology, in 27 states
and the District of Columbia. Verizon High Speed Internet
provides a fast, affordable broadband connection that includes
access to exclusive content and a wide variety of value-added
services, all from the Verizon network that over 100 million
people worldwide rely on every day.
For more information about
Verizon FiOS, visit http://verizon.com/fios. For more
information about Verizon High Speed Internet, visit http://verizon.com/dsl.
The VerizonSurround entertainment portal can be visited at
http://verizonsurround.com.
Verizon Communications Inc. ,
headquartered in New York, is a leader in delivering broadband
and other wireline and wireless communication innovations to
mass market, business, government and wholesale customers.
Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless
network, serving 60.7 million customers nationwide. Verizon's
Wireline operations include Verizon Business, which delivers
innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around
the world, and Verizon Telecom, which brings customers the
benefits of converged communications, information and
entertainment services over the nation's most advanced
fiber-optic network. A Dow 30 company, Verizon has a diverse
workforce of more than 238,000 and last year generated
consolidated operating revenues of more than $88 billion. For
more information, visit
http://www.verizon.com/. |
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Telecom Paper - Orange UK has signed a
licensing agreement with Disney-ABC International Television to
secure content for its upcoming digital TV service. The
multi-year agreement includes video-on-demand selections from
Disney for both the PC and digital TV. Orange plans to launch
the IPTV service later this year. The company already offers TV
over ADSL in France, Spain, Mauritius, Senegal and Poland.
Disney content will include films from Walt Disney Pictures,
Touchstone Pictures and Miramax Films. |
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Skater
joins Disney's "High School Musical on Ice"
YourHub - Karleen Armstrong of Westminster is joining the
Disney on Ice west coast skating tour, High School Musical on
Ice, ina principal roll as Ms. Darbus. Karleen is a 2002
graduate of Ranum High School and graduated cum laude from the
University of Denver in 2006.
As a competitive figure skater
representing the Rocky Mountain Figure Skating Clib, Karleen was
the U.S. Figure Skating Southwestern Region senior ladies
champion and U.S. Collegiatesenior ladies team skating champion.
Karleen turned professional in
2006 and has skated for Bitek Productions in Mexico, as a
featured skater on the Royal Caribbean Cruise line ship, Voyager
of the Seas, in the Mediterranean and Caribbean and with
Shipstad Productions. She loves the travel and performing. |
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False Alarm at ABC
News Building
AP - A building housing the Washington bureau of ABC News
was evacuated Thursday because of a suspicious envelope
containing a white powdery substance that turned out to be
aspirin, District of Columbia authorities said.
D.C. Fire and EMS spokesman Alan
Etter said there was no note or address on the small envelope.
No one reported any medical symptoms, he said. The substance
turned out to be aspirin, Etter said.
People were forced to leave the
downtown building for about 45 minutes, Etter said. |
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Wednesday
July, 25 2007 |
Disney-branded films to ban depictions of smoking
Hong
Kong Disneyland Plans To Build New Hotel
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Disney-branded films to ban depictions of smoking
Reuters - Walt Disney Co. on Wednesday became the first major
Hollywood studio to ban depictions of smoking, saying there
would be no smoking in its family-oriented, Disney-branded films
and it would "discourage" it in films distributed by its
Touchstone and Miramax labels.
Disney Chief Executive Robert Iger also said in a letter to
U.S. Rep. Edward Markey, whose committee last month held
hearings on the effects of movie images on children, that the
studio would place anti-smoking public service announcements on
DVDs of any future films that feature cigarette smoking.
He said the company would encourage theater owners to show
screen anti-smoking public service announcements, or PSAs,
before such films.
Iger cautioned, however, that "cigarette smoking is a unique
problem and this PSA effort is not a precedent for any other
issue."
Markey described Disney's commitment as "groundbreaking" and
urged other studios to follow suit.
Dr. Cheryl Healton, president and CEO of the American Legacy
Foundation, commended Disney's move but said the studio left
"some ambiguity about what would happen in relation to
Touchstone and Miramax."
Research cited by American Legacy, a nonprofit created out of
landmark litigation between the tobacco industry and states
attorneys general, shows that 90 percent of all films depict
smoking and children with the highest exposure to smoking in
movies were nearly three times more likely to start smoking.
Tobacco is featured in three-quarters of G, PG and PG-13
rated movies and 90 percent of R-rated movies, the studies
showed.
The independent Weinstein Co. already is using PSAs produced
by American Legacy ahead of its films that depict smoking,
Healton said. |
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Hong
Kong Disneyland Plans To Build New Hotel
China Hospitality News - Executive Vice President and Managing
Director of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort Bill Ernest says that
based on the satisfactory room occupancy of its existing two
hotels, Hong Kong Disneyland plans to build a third hotel to
meet growing demand.
The new hotel is reported to be located between Hong Kong
Disneyland Hotel and Disney's Hollywood Hotel. Hong Kong
Disneyland says they will fix a schedule for the construction of
this hotel based on the demand and will discuss details with the
government later.
However, Bill Ernest says as this hotel won't be completed
for a few more years, the land proposed for the site will
continue to be used for sporting activities. |
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WDW News - Tickets for the 2007 Children's Miracle
Network Classic presented by Wal-mart are on sale now --
including the return of an offering that provides a feast for
the palate as well as the golf appetite, and a badge that
provides economical week-long admission.
 The
tournament will be played Nov. 1-4 on Disney's Magnolia and Palm
courses, with practice rounds Oct. 29-31 on the same Walt Disney
World Resort layouts.
After a successful debut last year, the Ruth's Chris Fairway
Club returns this year, offering patrons unlimited food and
beverage from a special Ruth's Chris menu. There will be three
Ruth's Chris Fairway Club locations on the Magnolia course
during all four tournament days and a location on the Palm
course Thursday and Friday. A pass good any one day is $75, and
a pass good for two days is $150.
Also back is the money-saving weekly badge which provides
admission to the general grounds during all four tournament days
and during practice rounds. The cost is $50. A single-day ticket
for a tournament round costs $30, while a single-day ticket on
practice days costs $10.
All tickets can be purchased online at
childrensmiraclenetworkclassic.com. Guests can call the
Children's Miracle Network Classic hotline at 407/824-2250 for
more information.
The 2007 Children's Miracle Network Classic marks a
continuation of the longest-running PGA TOUR event in Central
Florida. It is part of the new PGA TOUR Fall Series and is the
last event on the 2007 PGA TOUR schedule. The tournament's
outcome will determine the final standings on the PGA TOUR
official money list. Joe Durant won the 2006 Classic, which
offered an event record purse of $4.6 million.
The Children's Miracle Network Classic is part of Disney's
Wide World of Sports, which includes championship golf courses,
bass fishing, the Richard Petty Driving Experience and a host of
other sports and recreational activities. The centerpiece is
Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex, a 220-acre campus that is
the leading venue for amateur and professional sports in the
world with more than 180 events annually involving more than 30
different sports.
For more information about Disney's Wide World of Sports,
please visit
disneysports.com. |
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To
Avert a Fare Hike, Let Disney Pay the Freight
New York Times - Could Mickey Mouse rescue straphangers from a
fare hike?The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s board
met today to discuss a proposed increase in fares and tolls and
amid a blizzard of numbers came at least one innovative
suggestion. Why not raise money, asked board member Norman
Seabrook, by selling Disney the right to blanket the Times
Square subway station with advertising?
It was not enough to merely talk about a fare increase, Mr.
Seabrook said, and he continued:
What I am asking is at the same time we take the opportunity
to look at different areas of raising funds to help support, if
there is going to be an increase, to lessen the burden on the
public. Example: I would rather try to sell 42nd Street’s subway
system underground to Disney for $60 million a year and have
them paint it any way that they want to paint it. They spend
$100 million for one minute to be on the Super Bowl on a Sunday.
I think that they would spend X amount of dollars in rent for
that terminal. I think 34th Street would do it. I think other
businesses around the state and the city would do it. That would
lessen the burden on the public.
Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck aside, the authority might have
an easier time making a sales pitch to Disney than it will
selling a fare hike to the public and to the state and city
politicians they need to support their plan.
The authority’s executive director, Elliot G. Sander, who
released a preliminary financial plan today, said that it was
too early to say exactly how much subway and bus fares, commuter
rail tickets and bridge and tunnel tolls would rise. He said the
authority wants to increase its revenues from those sources by
6.5 percent. Hearings will be held this fall and the board will
then decide whether to go ahead with the fare hike, which could
go into effect early next year.
It is not yet clear, Mr. Sander said, how an overall 6.5
percent increase would be distributed among the different types
of fares, such as the base $2 fare for buses and subway, or
seven-day and 30-day unlimited-ride MetroCards.
Mr. Sander said the fare hike is needed because the
authority’s debt payments are about to go sky high, prompting
forecasts of dire financial times in coming years. That may be a
hard sell because the authority continues to enjoy hefty budget
surpluses, largely generated by windfall income from real estate
and mortgage taxes that are dedicated to mass transit.
In calling for a fare and toll hike, Mr. Sander is taking a
long-term approach, warning that unless fiscal care is taken
today, disaster may loom in the form of service cuts and a
whopping 15 percent fare hike a year from now.
To sweeten the pill, however, he offered some enticements for
riders. He said that the authority may hire about 200 additional
cleaners to spruce up subway cars and stations. |
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Billy Ray
Cyrus Sees Stars
Disney Insider -
If there's a Renaissance man in
these opening years of the 21st century, Billy Ray Cyrus has got
to be it. In addition to his award-winning career as a country
music artist, he costars with his daughter, Miley, on Disney
Channel's series "Hannah Montana" -- and now he's shown America
his dancing chops as well, with a stint on ABC TV's "Dancing
with the Stars."
Billy Ray's "Dancing" run is over, but there's still plenty in
his life to keep him on his toes. He and Miley are in the midst
of shooting a new season of "Hannah," and they both have new
albums hitting the store shelves. Billy Ray's latest endeavor is
entitled "Home at Last" -- it's a savory mix of original songs
and favorite standards like the lovely "Brown-Eyed Girl."
One track particularly close to Billy Ray's heart is "Ready,
Set, Don't Go," a paean to his daughter. He explains that it's
"a song that I wrote about Miley and the family as they drove
out of our Tennessee home, moving to California to begin the
series 'Hannah Montana.'" He continues, "It was that moment
every daddy goes through when they realize their little girl's
growing up and it's time for her to spread her wings. She might
be leaving for college or getting married, but as much as you
want to keep her protected, you know you've got to let her take
that chance. It doesn't matter if you're mama and daddy or mamaw
and papaw [grandparents] -- that moment's heart-wrenching and
beautiful all at the same time."
On top of the new album, the upcoming tour, and the television
show, Billy Ray is making time to do just a little more dancing
-- with some lucky fan. The winner will travel to Los Angeles,
attend a "Dancing with the Stars" taping and the "Hannah
Montana" set, have lunch with Billy Ray, and -- as the grand
finale -- the winner will have the opportunity to dance with
Billy Ray. If you've got an itch to cut the rug (or just to meet
the guy) this is quite literally a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity!
With so many irons in the fire, however, Billy Ray never loses
sight of what he truly loves -- music and his family. One of the
great advantages of working with Disney, he says, is the chance
to combine the two -- as he will be doing to support "Home at
Last."
"I'm gonna be doing some touring. As a matter of fact, I love
going out with the band, I love seeing the fans and meeting the
kids and the family. That's one thing about our concerts now --
the entire family is there, which seems like what Disney's
always represented. Whether it's a movie or a TV show, it seems
like it's always meant for the whole family and that's what our
concerts are now. I see the kids, I see the mom and dad, I see
the mama and papa, and it's a lot of fun to look out there and
see 'em all singing along and loving each other and dancing
together and just having a good time."
"It will always be my passion, making music. It's also very
therapeutic for me to make music. I've always loved to sing and
perform in front of people and entertain. I always wanted to be
known as an entertainer, a singer, and a songwriter. Being an
actor never was in the equation, but somehow I kind of get to do
it all now," he says. "I feel very fortunate and lucky. I love
being who I am and doing what I do, and I love the music that
I'm making and I love the show that I'm acting in and getting to
work with Miley, it's ... to borrow a line of hers, it's the
best of both worlds. And I love doing what I'm doing now, which
is really best reflected in the title of this album. People have
asked 'why is the album called "Home at Last,"' and it's because
that's what this feels like in this time period of my life. I'm
home at last." |
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Did Disney World pledge all "green" hotels by next Earth Day?
Orlando Sentinel - Walt Disney World has pledged to seek "green"
certification of all its hotels by next Earth Day, an
environmental group is reporting, but Disney officials say they
have not had any conversations committing to such a date.
A green hotel is one certified as such by the Florida Green
Lodging Association because the hotel's use of non-toxic
cleaners, efforts toward water and energy conservation and other
environmentally-friendly factors. Disney World already is
considered the state's leader for having won such a designation
for six of its hotels.
The Florida Alliance for Healthy Indoor Environment and other
environmental groups have been after Disney to pick up the pace
in converting other hotels, and the alliance is reporting that
it got a pledge for that. Disney recently gave the alliance an
oral pledge that it would seek green hotel designations for all
its hotels by next Earth Day, stated Heather Walker, program
coordinator for the Florida Alliance.
Disney officials already have said they intended to get green
certification for all 18 company-owned hotels at Disney World.
But spokeswoman Jacquee Polak said they are unfamiliar with the
alliance and have not committed to an Earth Day 2008 target with
them. |
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Epcot tries new
recipe for success
Orlando Sentinel - With Soarin', Turtle Talk and Nemo and
Friends attractions successfully lining up visitors at Epcot,
Walt Disney World planners are turning attention to the park's
other lineup of attractions -- involving sushi, tequila and
pasta.
Numerous culinary changes are under way at Epcot, which might be
the only theme park in the world where food and drink compete
with shows and rides. The Walt Disney World theme park has its
share of attractions, but it also features a dozen full-service
restaurants where average checks run $20 to $40 a person or
more.
From 1998 through last year, the dining lineup at Epcot's World
Showcase went almost unchanged. Now, three new restaurants are
on the way, several others are being expanded or renovated, and
menus are being rewritten throughout the park to encourage more
healthful cooking styles.
The more extensive renovations are bringing some of the
restaurants in line with the latest concept in the theme-park
business -- creating "immersive experiences." Epcot Vice
President Jim MacPhee said the park is seeking more "interactive
dining" experiences that can provide more show-style cooking in
the dining room, such as the Japanese teppanyaki style, or more
interaction with Epcot's other attractions."I think this is what
guests expect now, with more of the interactive experiences in
our restaurants," MacPhee said.
Among the changes are new restaurants in Italy and Japan, and
changes at the eatery in China. Mexico's restaurant has already
been expanded with a new menu. Next, Mexico will get a tequila
bar and outdoor waterfront seating so visitors can see the
nighttime Illuminations show on the lagoon, MacPhee said.
The United Kingdom restaurants also could one day get more
outdoor waterfront.At Epcot, for many, the restaurants are an
attraction. While most theme parks have at least a couple of
restaurants that serve fine food to go along with numerous
casual-dining restaurants, Epcot reverses the mix. Visitors can
find Angus beef steaks in the Canada pavilion, Peking duck in
China, lobster bisque at the Coral Reef, le coq au vin in France
or roast lamb in Morocco.
Epcot attracts 10 million visitors a year -- an average of more
than 25,000 a day -- so there is a large captive audience for
the park's two dozen restaurants and numerous food carts to
split up.
But unlike rides and shows, visitors normally can only sample
meals at one or two theme park restaurants a day. And the cover
charge starts at $67 the price of a theme park ticket plus
parking.
Even at that, some people are attracted to Epcot for the meals,
said Christopher Muller, director of the Center for Multi-Unit
Restaurant Management at the University of Central Florida. It's
one reason the park attracts an older crowd.
He said for some tourists and local residents, particularly
those who come without children, Epcot can have the same kind of
appeal as parts of Nantucket, Mass., New Orleans or San
Francisco, because there is such a variety of restaurants within
easy walking distance of one another. Many people with season
tickets go back just for the wining and dining, he said.
"If you have an annual pass there's no real cost, other than
parking, and it's an enjoyable experience. Plus, you get the
light show. If you're paying the fare to get in, then it's not
an outrageous expense," Muller said.
Other, less obvious changes are taking place in other
restaurants throughout Epcot, said the park's Executive Chef,
Christine Weissman.
"Eating patterns change. We're changing how we're cooking," she
said.
That means fewer transfats, more foods that meet special dietary
needs, smaller portions with lower fat content, and, throughout
the park, more fruits and vegetables. Menus have been revised
both in high-end restaurants such as the Canada pavilion's Le
Cellier Steakhouse and in more moderate eateries, such as the
China pavilion's Lotus Blossom Cafe.
Both Weissman and MacPhee said the trends toward interactive
dining and more healthful cooking are driving changes
simultaneously. It might look as if Epcot is shaking up its
dining line, but the large number of changes are mostly
coincidental, they said.
"I don't know if it is anything but fortuitous timing," MacPhee
said. |
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ESPN Races Back
Into NASCAR Coverage
AP - The promotions started weeks ago and special
programming soon followed. Just in case there were any regular
viewers who weren't aware ESPN is going NASCAR racing, the
network made it impossible to ignore.
ESPN kicks off its return to Nextel Cup coverage this weekend
with Sunday's race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and is
leading into it with its usual hyped-up blitz. In addition to
reminders, scrolls and commercials, ESPN is airing 66 hours of
NASCAR-related programs this week to market its upcoming
coverage of the final 17 races of the season.
"So excited about ESPN," NASCAR chairman Brian France
recently gushed.
And he should be.
As ratings continue to slump -- the most recent race, the
July 15 event at Chicago aired on TNT was down 8 percent from
last season -- France is hoping ESPN and its hype-machine can
end the slide.
The network was launched in 1979 and began covering NASCAR
that same year, but after airing 262 Cup races, ESPN was locked
out of a 2001 television contract that split the season between
Fox, NBC and TNT. An ensuing spat with NASCAR over which ESPN
programs could use footage gathered inside the track then led
the network to scale back its coverage entirely.
The popular nightly magazine-style show "RPM Tonight" folded,
and brief racing highlights were often buried on "SportsCenter."
Lead reporter Mike Massaro, barred from filming interviews
inside the track, spent almost six seasons chasing drivers to
helipads and airports for access.
It dropped NASCAR low on the priority list at ESPN, which
focused on the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball, and
potentially hampered the sport's ability to attract new viewers.
Now that the network is back in the fold -- it signed an
eight-year contract that splits the 36-race season on ABC/ESPN,
Fox and TNT -- ESPN is reaching out to viewers to give NASCAR a
chance.
"If you are a fan of ESPN and have watched any of our
networks in the past eight to 10 days, you've seen a tremendous
amount of advertising," said Rich Feinberg, senior coordinating
producer for ESPN and ABC. "We've wallpapered the networks to
let people know Cup is coming and worked hard to get the word
out as much as we can."
Of the 17 races that ABC/ESPN has, the first six will be on
ESPN. The final 11 will be on ABC as one network will air the
entire Chase for the championship for the first time since its
2004 debut.
All race telecasts will include a pre-race show, be shown in
high definition and include the first use of HD in-car cameras.
In addition, ESPN will utilize 17 different platforms to cover
NASCAR.
One of them is ESPN2, which is home to the Busch Series this
season. Although the network takes over Cup racing this weekend,
it's been broadcasting Busch races since February.
"The Busch races are fantastic, but people keep coming up to
me and asking 'When are you going to start calling NASCAR?'"
said retired driver Rusty Wallace, who will be an analyst in the
three-man booth.
"I say 'We have been calling NASCAR' but they mean Cup. So
now we are going Cup racing, and this is the moment I have been
waiting for."
Wallace will be joined in the booth by play-by-play announcer
Jerry Punch and analyst Andy Petree. Punch and Petree, a former
crew chief and team owner, grew up together in Hickory, and like
Wallace, have long-standing relationships in the garage that
ESPN hopes to utilize in its broadcasts.
"The guys in the garage have a sense of fairness," Petree
said. "The relationships are different now that I am in the
booth, and actually even better, because now I can go down there
and they aren't threatened. I probably can get a little more
information from these guys because they aren't worried about
competing anymore."
Petree and Wallace insist they'll be fair in covering their
old friends, and Wallace argues he's already proven he can do it
this season by critiquing his son, Stephen. Wallace owns a Busch
Series car that Stephen Wallace has driven this season to mixed
results.
"I am kind of a talkative guy and I am going to call it like
I see it," said Wallace, who spent last season calling IndyCar
events for Walt Disney Co.-owned ESPN and ABC as practice.
"Let me roll, let me flow. If you hold my reins back, I don't
think it's going to be as good. I definitely have my own
personality."
Feinberg said the network has worked extensively with Wallace
to train him as a broadcaster, but has been careful not to wash
out the color that comes with Wallace's huge personality.
"Our goal as managers and producers is to allow people to be
themselves because that's how a Charles Barkley, a John Madden,
a Troy Aikman have found their place," Feinberg said. "It would
be insanity for me to try to change Rusty."
The personalities will be joined by gadgets, including a
"Draft Track" that will show air flowing behind cars and drivers
drafting in it. The device was designed with Sportvision Inc.,
the company that helped create the glowing puck in Fox's NHL
coverage.
And ESPN will also use a Tech Center, which Feinberg
describes as a traveling TV studio that will showcase the
technology of NASCAR.
Feinberg expects to package it all into a quality program,
but said ESPN will be careful not to dilute the product.
"Good racing coverage is good racing coverage, it's the
window dressing that changes," he said. "First and foremost, we
are here to document the race. It's going to be entertaining for
our audience, but we're also going to be smart and not let all
the toys get in the way." |
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Epcot's Candlelight Processional narrator list grows
Gee, we're hot for the holidays lately at Theme Park Rangers
World Headquarters. Today I noticed an addition to the lineup
of Candlelight Processional narrators. You can hear Rita
Moreno read the Christmas story at Epcot on Dec. 26-28. She
has been a narrator in the past but missed the 2006 edition.
Her career is fun to talk about too: She won an Oscar for
West Side Story and Emmys for appearances on The
Rockford Files and The Muppet Show. She's had
recent appearances on Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Ugly
Betty and Oz. According to the International
Movie Database, she's currently shooting Cane, a film
about a family-run rum business that also stars Jimmy Smits,
Hector Elizondo and Nestor Carbonell.
Here's the lineup, minus Moreno, that was blogged here
before. Remember, the list is subject to change.
Nov. 23-25: David Robinson, former NBA great.
Nov. 26-28: John O'Hurley (J. Peterman on Seinfeld,
Dancing With the Stars, Family Feud)
Nov. 29-Dec. 1: Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your
Mother, the artist formerly known as Doogie Howser)
Dec. 2-4: Dennis Franz (NYPD Blue)
Dec. 5-7: Phylicia Rashad (Mrs. Huxtable, Tony Award winner
for A Raisin in the Sun)
Dec. 8-10: Steven Curtis Chapman, gospel singer
Dec. 11-13: TBA
Dec. 14-16: TBA
Dec. 17-19: Kirk Cameron (Left Behind movies,
Growing Pains)
Dec. 20-22: Edward James Olmos (Battlestar Gallactica,
Oscar nominee for Stand and Deliver, supporting
actor Emmy winner for Miami Vice)
Dec. 23-25: Gary Sinise (CSI: NY, Oscar nominee
for Forrest Gump, Emmy winner for Truman)
Dec. 26-28: TBA
Dec. 29-30: Marlee Matlin (Oscar winner for Children of
a Lesser God)
Speaking of which, there's conflicting Internet info out there
about the dates of Neil Patrick Harris' appearance. According
to Disney -- and the Disney dinner reservation line -- Harris
is set for Nov. 29-Dec. 1. Again, the lineup is subject to
change, so stay tuned.
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WizKids Announces Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean
PocketModel Game
PR Newswire - WizKids Inc., creator of runaway hit games like
the HeroClix(R) CMG and the Star Wars(TM) PocketModel(TM) TCG,
announced today its agreement with Disney to produce the
Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean PocketModel game. The game
will release in October of 2007.
Under the agreement, WizKids will be able to use content from
all three Pirates of the Caribbean movies. The PocketModel game
platform allows players to construct 3-D pirate ships from
pieces punched out of a styrene card. Players are then able to
use movie characters and action scenes on cards to help control
the strategy of the game.
Since the debut of the Pirates line in 2004, WizKids(R) has
sold over 20 million constructible ships to consumers worldwide.
The PocketModel platform was introduced with the Star Wars
PocketModel TCG, and is being continued with the Disney's
Pirates of the Caribbean PocketModel game.
"We are extremely excited to up the ante on the already
successful PocketModel platform by adding Disney's Pirates of
the Caribbean, one of the world's most successful entertainment
brands," said Lax Chandra, WizKids president. "For under $4,
players will get the full Pirates of the Caribbean experience
through building the models like the Black Pearl and playing the
characters like Captain Jack Sparrow."
Each Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean Game Pack (MSRP $3.99)
will include everything a player needs to play, including two
ships to be assembled by the player, one island/terrain card, a
treasure or crew card, a rulebook and a die. The Disney's
Pirates of the Caribbean PocketModel game will be available at
hobby retailers nationwide, as well as Target and Wal-Mart.
A wholly owned subsidiary of the Topps Company (TOPP),
WizKids is a Seattle-based game developer and publisher
dedicated to creating tabletop games driven by imagination. Its
HeroClix and Pirates brands are among the most successful games
on the market today, with over 100 million miniature game pieces
sold worldwide. For additional information, visit
http://www.wizkidsgames.com/ . |
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Disney Gets Children’s Miracle Network
Bunkershot
- After Funai Electronics pulled out as the title sponsor for
the PGA Tour event held at Walt Disney World in Orlando there
have been serious discussions with a number of potential
candidates to fill the void. Yesterday Disney announced the new
sponsor is the Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) will step in for
the event scheduled Oct. 29 to Nov. 4.
CMN, a not-for-profit corporation, is a nationwide
organization specializing in raising money for hospitals and
this is the first professional sports event with which they
have become associated. The Disney tournament is the third on
the PGA Tour to have a hospital charity tie-in.
The charity is the fourth title sponsor for the well regarded
long running tournament. The first 13 years, 1971 through
1984, there was no title sponsor and then for 12 years it was
the Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic followed by the
National Car Rental Golf Classic from 1998 through 2001. In
2002 the event had no sponsor. Funai's 2003 four year
agreement ended in 2006.
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The Beacon Journal - It may not be readily apparent to anyone
over, say, age 12, but Aug. 17 looms large on the calendar in
the tween entertainment world. That night the Disney Channel
will premiere High School Musical 2, the
made-for-TV-movie sequel to the 2006 small-screen sensation that
has reached more than 160 million viewers in more than 100
countries in the past 18 months.
Perhaps no one is rooting harder for a repeat performance
than executives in the music business.
The soundtrack to the original HSM was the top-selling
album of last year, landing nine tracks on the Billboard Hot 100
without having a mainstream hit single on radio or MTV. More
than 3.9 million units have been sold, according to Nielsen
SoundScan, since its release in January 2006. And the HSM 2
soundtrack, which hits stores Aug. 14, appears to be as
close as it gets to a sure thing for the sales-starved recording
industry in 2007.
Between branding initiatives and spinoffs, the HSM
franchise is expected to account for $100 million in revenue in
the fiscal year that ends in September.
In addition to the soundtrack, the original movie spawned
2006's top-selling TV movie on DVD, a best-selling series of
junior novels, a themed show at Disneyland Parks and Resorts, a
42-date North American concert tour, a concert trek across five
Latin American countries, a stage adaptation touring the world,
and solo recording careers for three of the cast's stars --
Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale and Corbin Bleu -- who
collectively have sold nearly 800,000 albums in the United
States.
Disney Records GM Jim Weatherson hopes that all this momentum
points to another blockbuster with HSM 2.
``This is one of those situations where if it's not broke,
don't fix it,'' he said. ``And I certainly think that's where we
are with this record.''
Disney is riding a hot hand with soundtracks from movies and
TV shows.
Volume 2 of the Hannah Montana soundtrack debuted at
No. 1 on The Billboard 200 at the beginning of July and has sold
642,000 copies. The first volume has sold more than 2.7 million
units. Those two albums, along with soundtracks to the original
HSM, Cheetah Girls 2 and Jump In!, have racked up
sales of more than 8 million in the United States since January
2006, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and more than 13 million
worldwide.
Credit that to Disney's knack for promoting its TV shows,
movies and related soundtracks to young consumers and their
parents watching Disney-produced films and programs, listening
to Disney-controlled radio and surfing Disney-operated Web
sites.
The made-for-TV-movies in particular have seen steadily
rising debut numbers thanks to the strategy. HSM claimed
7.7 million viewers for its premiere in January 2006 (at the
time it was the highest ratings for the premiere of a Disney
Channel movie); Cheetah Girls 2 drew 7.8 million viewers
for its bow in August 2006; and Jump In! snared 8.1
million viewers in January 2007.
With HSM 2, the Disney promotion machine promises to
be in overdrive.
``Our greatest marketing arm is our audience and our
word-of-mouth,'' said Gary Marsh, president of entertainment for
Disney Channel worldwide. ``And once they see the music videos
(from HSM 2) premiering on Disney channel, that really
lights the fuse.''
Disney executives say, though, that the setup for what is now
an established franchise will be different from the methods used
for the original.
Last time out, Disney ran free music-download promotions,
showed extended video clips on the Disney Channel and spun
multiple tracks at Radio Disney months ahead of the movie. This
time, only one single and video, What Time Is It, is in
rotation. Disney will preview two more tracks closer to the
premiere, but the bulk of the hype is driven by a series of
five-minute clips called The Road to High School Musical 2
on the Disney Channel.
Aiding the buildup will be a bonanza of marketing tie-ins
with the sequel, a touring ice show premiering in late 2007, and
a big-screen movie for 2008. |
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ABC's
'Nightline' escapes Ted Koppel's shadow
MarketWatch - When he retired in 2005, ABC revamped the
late-night news show. It installed three co-anchors -- Martin
Bashir, Cynthia McFadden and Terry Moran -- after Koppel left
in 2005. "The show was synonymous with this brilliant
journalist," Bashir said. "That's why we had to do something
different."
At the outset, unfortunately, the retooled "Nightline" was
synonymous with scathing reviews -- including the one I wrote,
titled "Sadly, the new 'Nightline' is a failure."
In the first few months, the three-headed "Nightline" was
hard to watch. The producers crammed too much stuff into
each segment. The pacing reminded viewers of a frenetic MTV
video; none of the anchors looked especially comfortable or
confident.
But the show got better. By showing grit and stressing smart
storytelling, the reworked "Nightline" has proven capable of
establishing a legacy of its own -- that is, if ABC and
parent Walt Disney Co. will keep it on the late-night
schedule.
The ratings are up, yet staffers still fret that the fickle
"suits" may decide to take the 11:35 p.m. slot in a
potentially more lucrative direction and introduce a talk or
comedy show. Privately, they worry that ABC may one day woo a
Jon Stewart or a Stephen Colbert to rival NBC's Jay Leno and
David Letterman of CBS to the time slot.
These folks aren't merely paranoid, either. Don't forget that
ABC hoped to recruit Letterman only a few years back, during
the "good old days" when the highly respected Koppel was still
going strong.
Storytelling
"Nightline" has made some changes in the new incarnation, such
as offering a multiple-subject show most nights and putting an
emphasis on reporting from the field.
"In the old days," said Chris Bury, who has been a terrific
reporter on both versions of the show, "when you had a
presidential news conference, Ted would interview three
people."
Now the segments highlight reporting. Anchors Bashir, McFadden
and Moran use interview subjects to tell a larger story. The
reporting team is solid, featuring Bury as well as John Donvan
and Vicki Mabrey.
"Nightline" has long raised an interesting question: Will
American viewers turn to the show to learn more about the
day's news, or do they tune in to lighter fare to escape it?
Goldston's view
British-born executive producer James Goldston holds the show
together.
His vision is to air a "character-driven" show, featuring
strong reporting from its anchors and correspondents. When I
saw Mabrey's riveting interview in January with Myrlie
Evers-Williams, the widow of civil-rights leader Medgar Evers,
it prompted me to take "Nightline" more seriously.
Goldston believes that the program's performance in the wake
of the Virginia Tech campus shootings a few months ago was a
clear indication that "Nightline" had hit its stride.
Naturally, every major American news show immediately
dispatched teams of reporters and technicians to the site, but
"Nightline" distinguished itself with its brand of" people"
stories.
Spirit
John Donvan exemplifies the spirit of "Nightline" today.
A star during Koppel's tenure, he wasn't sure what to expect
in a new regime and was justifiably skeptical. "I was a total
Ted fan," Donvan told me. "I actually held off signing my
contract for three months."
He said that he's happy. "The new show is much more of a
reporting show. I didn't think I'd like it so much. I had the
best job in the business -- and it got better."
Things are going well enough for the crew to joke about the
dark days of 2005.
"Charlie Gibson told me he always wanted to be the guy who
followed the guy who followed Ted Koppel," McFadden said,
referring to the anchor of ABC's evening-news broadcast.
By now, McFadden and her colleagues don't have to lose any
sleep about succeeding Koppel. They just have to worry whether
ABC and Walt Disney will keep the faith.
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Tuesday
July, 24 2007 |
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Disney's 'High School' hype
CNNMoney - Walt Disney has a lot riding on the sequel to the
wildly successful "High School Musical" movie. "High School
Musical 2" premieres on the Disney Channel on Aug. 17.
The first movie - about a bunch
of teens putting on an annual show - was watched by 7.7 million
people during its first showing on Jan. 20, 2006. That was a
record for the Disney Channel at the time, with another 6.1
million people watching a night later.
The movie spawned a cottage
industry of "High School Musical" DVDs, soundtracks, books,
video games and even a concert tour and ice show. Wal-Mart will
be launching an exclusive line of merchandise for the second
movie in time for the crucial back-to-school shopping season.
Disney has already green-lit a
third "High School Musical" movie for 2008 and Disney is said to
be considering making the movie for a theatrical release, a huge
sign of confidence in the franchise.
"'High School Musical' has
helped Disney across the entire company," said Alan Gould, an
analyst with Natexis Bleichroeder, referring to the fact that
the company has been able to use the movie to promote its theme
parks and sell so many consumer products. "This is yet another
example of the company being reinvigorated under Bob Iger."
Shares of Disney have gained
more than 20 percent in the past twelve months and are up nearly
50 percent since Iger succeeded Michael Eisner as CEO in
September 2005.
The success of "High School
Musical" is a big reason why Disney's business is booming. Sales
from many "High School Musical" products, such as DVDs, actually
get lumped into Disney's cable networks division, which accounts
for about 40 percent of total sales and more than half of the
House of Mouse's operating profit.
The Disney Channel is not a
channel that is advertising dependent, however. So the strong
ratings for the movie have not led to a big boost in ad sales at
the channel, analysts said.
But the company said that in its
fiscal first quarter, which ended in January, DVD sales of the
original "High School Musical" movie helped fuel a double-digit
percentage increase in operating income at the cable division.
Laura Martin, an analyst with
Soleil - Media Metrics, estimates that "High School Musical" has
generated $1 billion in operating profits to Disney over the
past two fiscal years.
"This is an extraordinarily
important franchise for Disney. It's much lower risk and lower
cost than something like 'Pirates of the Caribbean' or other
movies," she said. "Disney doesn't have to spend as much on
marketing or distribution since the movie is on cable and there
are no big special effects."
The movie has also helped lift
Disney's licensing sales. The company announced in June that
overall licensing revenue would increase 13 percent this fiscal
year, which ends in September.
And a big part of that is due to
the fact that Disney expects retail sales related to franchises
catering to tweens - kids between the age of 9 and 14 - to hit
$400 million worldwide this fiscal year.
In addition to the "High School
Musical" franchise, Disney also has tween hits with its "Hannah
Montana" and "That's So Raven" programs.
Disney will report its fiscal
third-quarter results on Aug. 1. "High School Musical 2"
shouldn't have an impact on the company's results this quarter
since the new movie will be airing in the fiscal fourth quarter.
Analysts expect Disney to report
a profit of 54 cents for the latest quarter and sales of $9.05
billion, led primarily by strong advertising sales at the ABC
broadcast network and a deferral of ad revenue at the ESPN cable
network.
Expenses related to the release
of Disney's blockbusters "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's
End" and "Ratatouille" could eat into profit at the film studio
business, though.
Nonetheless, it will be
interesting to see what company executives say about the "High
School Musical" franchise during the conference call. Michael
Kupinski, an analyst with Noble Financial Group, said Disney
should see some better consumer product revenue in the next few
quarters.
And Martin Pyykkonen, an analyst
with Global Crown Capital, said that in the quarters and years
ahead, Disney could also benefit by expanding the "High School
Musical" franchise to international markets such as India and
China with locally produced versions of the movie.
"The key with 'High School
Musical' is that it is low cost to produce and has high profit
margins, and can be replicated worldwide," said Pyykkonen. |
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Disney
ships may drift away from Brevard port
Orlando Sentinel - Nearly a decade after first setting sail,
Disney Cruise Line executives are considering moving some of
their operations away from Port Canaveral.
The company's inaugural contract with the Canaveral Port
Authority is set to expire next summer, meaning its two ships,
the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder, could become free
agents.
Representatives on both sides say they have begun negotiating a
possible extension.
We are having some discussions about the longer term," said Stan
Payne, Port Canaveral's chief executive officer.
Disney officials say they have been pleased with their tenure at
the Brevard County port, which sits just 60 miles from Walt
Disney World and where the company waded into the industry by
packaging three- and four-night Caribbean cruises with stays at
its mega-resort.
But with fuel prices surging and the company planning to double
the size of its fleet to four ships by 2012, they say Canaveral
is no longer the only port that makes sense for their growing
cruise line.
Tom Wolber, Disney Cruise Line's senior vice president of
operations, said competing ports in Miami and Fort Lauderdale
"are obviously other alternatives to be considered."
"As we are in negotiations, we look at all the potential
opportunities that are out there. And our business model has
changed over time," Wolber said. "There are pros and cons to
each one."
Disney's flexibility
Disney's original deal with Port Canaveral included a number of
perks.
Agreed to in May 1995, the terms required Port Canaveral to
build a $26.2 million terminal to Disney's exact specifications
-- Disney representatives had the right to inspect and order
changes to blueprints at multiple points throughout the design
stage.
Disney paid about $7.5 million last year to the port in dockage,
parking and other fees. Port officials also say Disney and other
big cruise lines bring millions in related spending, creating
everything from concession sales to jobs.
What's more, the contract also gives Disney exclusive access to
the terminal provided its ships make at least 150 calls a year,
an obligation it has so far met. That prevents rival cruise
ships that call on Canaveral from using Disney's terminal. It's
the only time Port Canaveral has made such made an arrangement
with a multiday cruise line.
Disney is likely to seek similar concessions as it discusses new
terms with the port.
Payne said preliminary talks have focused on what improvements
Canaveral must make to accommodate the company's two new ships
-- 122,000-ton liners that will each be two decks taller and
about 45 percent larger than the Magic and the Wonder.
The work will almost certainly entail millions of dollars' worth
of upgrades around Disney's terminal, Payne said, from widening
gangways to expanding parking lots.
"It's just a matter of planning both shoreside for a larger ship
and landside for more passengers," Payne said.
Payne also expects Disney to seek a lower number of minimum
visits its ships must make in order to maintain its exclusive
terminal access and give the company more flexibility.
Disney appears in no rush to announce its plans. Its current
deal with Port Canaveral includes options -- at Disney's sole
discretion -- to extend by one year for each of the next 40
years. And the company has tacitly signaled its plans to extend
at least once by accepting bookings for cruises out of Canaveral
throughout 2008.
Maintaining ties
Analysts say there is almost no chance Disney would move
completely out of Port Canaveral. It is, after all, the closest
port to Walt Disney World.
But they do say there is a possibility the company could choose
to move at least one of the ships and that it is unlikely, when
the two new vessels arrive in 2011 and 2012, that they would
position three at Port Canaveral.
Sailing out of Brevard County has its drawbacks. At about 200
miles north of Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades and even
farther from the Port of Miami, Port Canaveral is much farther
from the Caribbean, where Disney owns an island dubbed Castaway
Cay.
"With fuel prices what they are, it's a significant cost to sail
that extra couple hundred miles on every cruise," said Robert
LaFleur, a tourism-industry analyst with the Susquehanna
Financial Group. "You're probably talking thousands and
thousands of dollars on every cruise."
Others say that as Disney has become more established in the
cruise industry, it is catering more to sophisticated cruisers
and less to customers who want to couple short cruise trips with
visits to Disney World.
Indeed, Disney Cruise Line has already experimented with
itineraries on the West Coast -- near Disneyland in Anaheim,
Calif. -- and in Europe. The Magic is spending this summer
sailing 10- and 11-day Mediterranean cruises out of Barcelona,
Spain.
"The Disney brand and franchise is clearly international in
scope, and, as they have become more experienced in their
operating of a cruise line and a fleet, this would translate
very nicely to Europe and, at a point down the road, Asia," said
David Leibowitz, an analyst with Burnham Securities.
Top officials at both the Port of Miami and Port Everglades say
they have not seriously discussed hosting a ship with Disney.
Marilyn Green, the former cruise editor at Travel Trade
magazine, said many industry watchers expect Disney to initially
station its new, larger ships at Port Canaveral -- at least
until a widening of the Panama Canal is completed -- while the
two older ships are deployed to the West Coast and Europe.
Rena Langley, a spokeswoman for Disney Cruise Line, said Port
Canaveral will remain an important base for the company.
"We think it's one of the best terminals in the world," she
said, though she added, "We're always in discussions with Port
Canaveral on how to raise the bar." |
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Disney
mum on makeover of Canada film at Epcot
Canada.com - The year was
1982. Pierre Trudeau was prime minister, the Blue Jays played at
Exhibition Stadium, Vancouver's False Creek was an industrial
wasteland, and a film called O Canada! was the star attraction
of the Canada Pavilion at the newly opened Epcot Center at Walt
Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
A quarter of a century later,
the 18-minute, 360-degree film is still packing 'em in at Epcot,
but its dated and often hokey portrayal of the country has
become a painful embarrassment for Canadian tourism officials
and for many of the tens of thousands of Canadians who visit the
massive theme park each year.
Ancient footage of the RCMP
Musical Ride, flannel-wearing fishermen, fleeting and outdated
aerial shots of Canadian cities, and voice-overs by actors
affecting bad Newfoundland and Quebec accents are all cited in
the steady stream of complaints about the film fielded each year
by the Canadian Tourism Commission.
Soon, however, Canadian visitors
to Epcot may no longer be blushing as bright at Mickey Mouse's
red lederhosen. Seven years after former Canadian Tourism
Commission president Jim Watson launched a campaign to have the
Disney-made film updated, it seems a new version of O Canada!
will debut August 25th -- with help from some high-profile
Canadians: Gatineau's Canadian Idol winner Eva Avila and, Disney
buffs say, comedian Martin Short.
The folks at Disney won't
confirm or deny rumours that the film is being relaunched next
month. Walt Disney Canada spokeswoman Angela Saclamacis will
only say "we are expecting some good things over at Epcot ...
but we're not prepared to announce anything officially at this
time." However, an official Disney website notes that the O
Canada! film exhibit at the Canada Pavilion -- a circular room
with nine large screens surrounding an audience pit -- will be
shut down from August 20 to 24 for "refurbishment." Ms. Avila's
manager Jim Campbell, and a spokeswoman for her record company,
Sony BMG Canada, say the singer has recorded a theme song for
the pavilion to be launched next month.
Mr. Short, rumoured to be the
new film's onscreen narrator, could not be reached for comment.
The original film, apparently
inspired by an enormously popular circular movie created by
Canadian director Robert Barclay for the Bell Canada Pavilion at
Expo '67, was largely shot in 1979. The Disney film has been
described by Mr. Barclay as "a superficial, glib look at the
country." "It could have been a Wal-Mart commercial," Mr.
Barclay told a reporter in 2000. Mr. Watson, now Ontario's
minister of health promotion, has said the film represents an
American's stereotypical view of Canada.
O Canada! features snippets of
Canadian folk music (including Stan Rogers' Bluenose) and an
overweening 1980s-style pop song called Canada, You're a
Lifetime Journey. Footage shows cars and clothes a generation
out of date, and cityscapes that have changed tremendously since
1982. The Toronto footage, for instance, features the CN Tower
but not the Rogers Centre (formerly known as the SkyDome), which
has stood prominently beside the tower for 18 years.
About half of the footage is new
in the restyled movie, according to contributors to Disney fan
websites and to an unofficial online Disney tour guide. It is
not clear who paid for the changes, which Mr. Watson once
estimated would cost several million dollars.
Over the years, there have been
several attempts to bring Disney together with private Canadian
investors with an interest in tourism to fund an update. The
federal government has previously declined to become involved in
the venture.
Epcot Center is one of four
theme parks at Walt Disney World, and the Canada exhibit --
which includes the Victoria Gardens (inspired by Victoria's
Butchart Gardens), the Hotel du Canada (based on the Chateau
Laurier), some totem poles and an ersatz canyon as well at the O
Canada! film -- is one of 11 countries showcased at the park. |
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Anaheim, not
Disney, should run the city
Los Angeles Times - Anaheim is no Orlando. For one thing, no
palmetto bugs.
But I sometimes wonder whether the Walt Disney Co. would gladly
introduce the legendary insects in Southern California if it
could somehow turn Anaheim into Orlando.
How vexing our Orange County city must be to the Disney people,
who look at Disneyland and California Adventure and wonder what
in the world they have to do to convince Anaheim who butters its
bread.
No such problem at Walt Disney World in Orlando, where the
company quietly bought up 42 square miles of groves, pastures
and swamps in the 1960s and came to control everything on it.
The end result was a world-class resort area that turns a
billion-dollar profit on its original investment of a few
million dollars.
No messy problems down there with city council members
who support housing developments where Disney doesn't want them,
or with some businessmen and residents who want to vote on
Disney expansion plans.
Disney must be wondering what happened to the notion that it
owned Anaheim.
At the moment, we have the prospect of dueling ballot
initiatives in Anaheim. Disney wants voters to have a say on any
zoning changes within the Resort District around Disneyland,
such as the one approved by the City Council in April that would
allow a large housing project.
To counter Disney's initiative, a coalition of business owners
and residents said earlier this month it would collect
signatures for an initiative that would give voters control over
Disney's planned third theme park.
Disney already has succeeded on another front. It got enough
signatures to force a referendum on the council's specific
decision to allow a housing project.
If you're keeping score, that's two initiatives and one
referendum on the docket.
Is that any way to run a city?
Nobody asked me, but my answer would be no.
We ask voters to elect city councils, but not to make planning
decisions. Maybe we should, this being a democracy and all, but
if we ask voters to put in as much time as council members do on
big-ticket items like this, why have councils at all?
That's a subject for another day.
The way it should work is for the council members to clearly
state their positions — which they have — and then let voters
have their say on election day. Anaheim doesn't let voters
determine the terms of contracts or business licenses or capital
improvements, so why zoning?
What makes this issue so juicy, however, is the range of opinion
among the five council members. And I've now painted myself into
a corner where I must be honest: All the arguments have some
persuasiveness to them.
In general, members Curt Pringle and Harry Sidhu side with
Disney, arguing that the entertainment giant is indispensable to
Anaheim's well-being. Lorri Galloway is the staunch defender of
adding low cost housing to the city and has championed that
around the Resort District. And, if I hear them correctly,
members Bob Hernandez and Lucille Kring cast their lot with
property owners, saying that they should be given the benefit of
the doubt unless a particular project is injurious to the city.
And neither one thinks the housing project would harm the Resort
District.
Hernandez put the argument as well as can be when, in talking to
Times reporter Dave McKibben recently, he said, "If Disney would
just call off this whole thing and let the City Council run
things instead of them trying to call the shots…."
I would say "Amen" to that in this sense: Galloway, Kring and
Hernandez all understand the Disney argument. They are not
anti-Disney. They just don't think the housing project that has
stirred the controversy is a bad one.
That's what council members are elected to decide.
Hernandez went on to tell McKibben that the housing project made
more sense than a resort hotel-condo mix, which Disney would
have supported. "We don't have developers clamoring to build
hotels on those sites," Hernandez said, adding that it was
unreasonable to force a property owner to bank on a
resort-oriented business that may never materialize. "That is so
arrogant," Hernandez said. "It just goes beyond logic."
The Pringle-Sidhu argument is that Anaheim has no better friend
than Disney, and why irritate your friends? They have said they
are not anti-housing; just that it doesn't have to be in that
specific neighborhood. They say the resort area is the city's
economic engine, a vital component in providing local services.
As has been the case with this issue all along, it operates on
two tracks: the specific details of a project and the broader
philosophical question of who calls the shots.
Disney would love to make the decisions itself. It can't.
Palmetto bugs and all, Anaheim isn't Orlando.
Anaheim is what it is: a city with five council members elected
to make the tough decisions. |
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'Fantasmic!'
dinner package at Disney-MGM
Orlando Sentinel - I joined up with assorted family members
Sunday night for the "Fantasmic!" dinner package at Disney-MGM
Studios. It's a pretty decent program -- unless you're fanatical
about where you sit to watch the show.
I mention that only because I
have a friend who is insistent on sitting dead center at every
staged show he sees, and that's not an option with the "Fantasmic!"
dinner package. But more on that in a moment.
My family chose to eat at Mama
Melrose's, which is the Italian restaurant back by the
Muppetvision 3-D exit and the Studios' Christmas shop. The
food was tasty -- especially the desserts we tried (a
cheesecake with hazelnut filling and a tangy orange flavor;
and a chocolate cake with raspberry-chocolate ganache-like
filling.)
Other dining options are The
Brown Derby and Hollywood & Vine. Prices vary, depending on
where you eat, and they really aren't any more expensive than
the normal cost of eating dinner at a Disney sit-down
restaurant.
Now onto "Fantasmic!" You have
to arrive at an entrance gate near Oscar's Service Station
(right by the main entrance) by 8:30. You are let in the gate,
which winds around backstage behind the Beauty & the Beast
show theater. (This path is used to help crowds exit "Fantasmic!")
As for the seating, if you are
my center-obsessed friend, you will be disappointed.
Dinner-guest patrons sit in the first two sections, far right.
Actually, though, the view was better than I thought. The only
notable drawbacks were some of the effect of the black-lit
jungle animals was missed because of the angle we saw them;
and after the showboat passes you by at the finale it seems
like a long time until it completes its circuit.
The biggest benefit: We
waltzed in half an hour before Showtime and had seats waiting.
The rest of the amphitheater was already just about full. And
who knows how long those poor folks had been killing time
there. Within 5 minutes of us sitting down, guests were being
directed to the standing-room only.
If you are on limited time and
don't want to spend an hour or 90 minutes just sitting and
waiting, the dinner package might be a good way to buy
yourself some extra time.
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Disney-ABC Television Group Celebrates 85 Primetime Emmy
Nominations
Web Wire - Disney-ABC Television Group captured 85 Primetime
Emmy nominations, it was announced by the Academy of
Television Arts and Sciences. This total reflects nominations
for ABC, ABC Studios and Disney Channel programming.
The ABC Television Network
received an astonishing 70 nominations for the 59th Annual
Primetime Emmy Awards, more than any other broadcast network.
The network scored nominations in four of the five series
categories – Comedy, Drama, Reality and Reality-Competition.
Golden Globe Award winner "Ugly Betty" earned 11 nominations,
including its first for Outstanding Comedy Series, a first-time
nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for
America Ferrera, and a Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series nod
for Vanessa Williams. "Ugly Betty" executive producer Salma
Hayek and Judith Light received nominations for Outstanding
Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.
"Ugly Betty" was also recognized
in the following categories: Art Direction, Casting, Costumes,
Directing, Hairstyling and Main Title Design.
Golden Globe winning drama
series "Grey's Anatomy" received a total of ten nominations. The
series received its second straight nomination for Outstanding
Drama Series. Outstanding Supporting Actress nominations went to
Katherine Heigl, Chandra Wilson and Sandra Oh. T. R. Knight was
honored with an Outstanding Supporting Actor nomination. Kate
Burton and Elizabeth Reaser received nominations for Guest
Actress in a Drama Series.
Additional nominations for
"Grey's Anatomy" include Prosthetic Makeup and Special Visual
Effects.
"Boston Legal" received a
nomination for Outstanding Drama Series. Additionally, previous
Emmy winner James Spader was recognized for Outstanding Lead
Actor in a Drama Series. Emmy winner William Shatner received a
nomination for Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, and Christian
Clemenson for Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
Additional nominations for
"Boston Legal," include Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
and Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series.
"Brothers & Sisters" received
nominations for Sally Field for Outstanding Lead Actress in a
Drama Series and Rachel Griffiths for Supporting Actress in a
Drama Series, and was recognized for Outstanding Casting for a
Drama Series.
"Desperate Housewives" garnered
six nominations, including previous Emmy winner Felicity Huffman
for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and Guest
Actress recognitions for Dixie Carter and Laurie Metcalf. The
additional nominations are for Casting, Costumes and
Hairstyling.
"Lost" found itself with six
nominations, including two for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a
Drama Series for Michael Emerson and Terry O'Quinn. Other
nominated categories were in Directing for a Drama Series,
Single-Camera Picture Editing, Sound Editing and Writing for a
Drama Series for the season finale episode, "Through the Looking
Glass."
"Dancing with the Stars"
received a repeat nomination for Outstanding Reality-Competition
Program, as well as nods for Outstanding Choreography,
Multi-Camera Picture Editing, Hairstyling, Lighting Direction,
Makeup for a Series (Non-Prosthetic), Music Direction and
Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video for a Series.
"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"
received two nominations, Outstanding Reality Program and
Picture Editing for Reality Programming.
"The 79 th Annual Academy
Awards" received nine nominations, including Outstanding Art
Direction, Picture Editing, Hairstyling, Lighting Direction,
Music Direction, Individual Performance in a Variety or Music
Program, Special Class Program, Sound Mixing and Technical
Direction, Camerawork, Video for a Miniseries, Movie or a
Special.
"The Path to 9/11" received a
total of seven nominations, including Outstanding Casting for a
Miniseries, Movie or Special, Cinematography, Single-Camera
Picture Editing, Main Title Design, Music Composition, Sound
Editing and Special Visual Effects.
"According to Jim" received a
nomination for Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera
Series. The series won in this category last year.
ABC variety series "Jimmy Kimmel
Live" received a nomination for Outstanding Technical Direction,
Camerawork, Video for a Series. The series is produced by
Jackhole Industries in association with ABC Studios.
Disney Channel received four
nominations, three of them are in the Outstanding Children's
Program category – "Hannah Montana," "The Suite Life of Zack &
Cody" and "That's So Raven." The additional nomination is for
"Return to Halloween" in the Outstanding Art Direction for a
Miniseries or Movie category.
ABC Studios received 56
nominations, the most ever for the studio, including series
acknowledgements for Outstanding Drama Series for "Grey's
Anatomy," Outstanding Comedy Series for "Ugly Betty" and
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program for "The Amazing Race."
ABC Studios-produced series
"Scrubs" received five nominations for Outstanding Directing for
a Comedy Series, Music Direction, Original Music and Lyrics and
Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series.
"Ghost Whisperer," produced by
Sander/Moses Production in association with ABC Studios and CBS
Paramount Network Television, received a nomination for
Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic
Score).
The Disney-ABC Television Group
is home to all of The Walt Disney Company's worldwide
entertainment and news television properties. The Group includes
the ABC Television Network, Disney Channel's worldwide portfolio
of kids channels, ABC Family and SOAPnet; as well as television
production and syndication divisions ABC Studios, Walt Disney
Television Animation, Disney-ABC Domestic Television and
Disney-ABC International Television. Disney-ABC Television Group
also manages the Radio Disney Network in addition to the
Company's equity interest in Lifetime Entertainment Services and
A&E Television Networks.
The Primetime Emmy ceremony will
be telecast on Sunday, September 16, 2007. |
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Disney brass adds to arena, arts center and Citrus Bowl lobbying
Orlando Sentinel - Walt Disney World execs Meg Crofton and Al
Weiss this morning add to the lobbying campaign for a new arena,
performing arts center and remodeled Citrus Bowl, with a guest
editorial calling on Orange County commissioners to approve the
$1.1 billion construction package.
"Simply put, the time has come
to move forward," Crofton, the president of Walt Disney World,
and Weiss, president of worldwide operations for Walt Disney
Parks and Resorts, write in their joint missive. "This is the
defining moment for our community's future and we must take
advantage of this unique time when the best interests of our
community and the public and private resources are aligned."
The commission is scheduled to
vote on the projects Thursday. |
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All lanes
open on I-4 near Walt Disney World
Orlando Sentinel - The open road of Interstate 4 became a
reality after 2:30 p.m. today, nearly 10 hours after both
directions of the highway at Osceola Parkway were closed because
of an unstable 40-ton sign and truss.
Crews opened westbound lanes by 2 p.m., then the eastbound lanes
of traffic near Walt Disney World within the hour, said
Department of Transportation spokesman Jim Martin.
 "There
are still some slow parts, because it was such a big delay, but
it's open," Martin said just before 3 pm. "It's moving as it
should."
The delays backed up traffic in both directions, despite
detours, frustrating crews and motorists alike.
At 2 p.m., Ken Kottke, a tech consultant from St. Petersburg,
said he had been stuck in traffic for three hours.
"I've lived in New York. I've lived in California. But I've
never seen anything like this." he said. "This is unbelievable."
Kottke, who commutes from St. Petersburg to Orlando every day,
said it was particularly frustrating because there was no one
directing the traffic mess.
"There are no signs, no police officers," he said. "This is
gross incompetence."
The chaos began overnight, when crews working on the new U.S.
Highway 192 interchange first tried using a single crane to take
down the sign, which crosses over all six lanes of the
interstate, but could not get the structure to release from its
posts.
The work was part of improvements to the U.S. Highway 192
interchange. New signs are up, but the current sign had to be
removed because it was in the wrong location.
Crews initially decided to bolt the sign back up and try again
overnight tonight, but Martin said they noticed the structure
appeared unsteady.
"They were not comfortable with how the beam was setting and
decided to take it down again," Martin said.
However, the one crane still had trouble getting the posts to
release the structure, and the effort made the crane unstable.
Crews then shut the road down just after 4 a.m.
The first delay came while workers waited for two more cranes,
to hold the truss up while the first crane could be
repositioned.
Then, workers decided the soggy median couldn't support the
cranes, so there was another wait while the machines were moved
on top of plywood.
Because of the delays to an important area of the interstate --
just miles from the main entrance to Walt Disney World --
workers opted against the original plan to lay the truss across
all six lanes of the interstate, Martin said.
Instead, the crew put the sign down in the grassy median - and
opened the westbound lanes within about 45 minutes.
The cranes finally brought the structure down just after 1 p.m.
But before cars could again drive on the highway, heavy
machinery and other equipment have to be removed from the road.
Martin said that the truss will remain in the median for a few
more days.
Likewise, it will be days before crews return to the
construction area. There are other signs and trusses to be taken
down, and put up, as part of the improvement project.
"There will be a few days break after this," Martin said. "We
all need it." |
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Doing Disney
BusinessWeek - Warren Spector is a man who needs little
introduction in industry circles. His work on classic series
like Ultima Underworld and System Shock is well known, as is his
design of the award-winning Deus Ex series. With the Thief
series of game, Spector is even considered one of the fathers of
the stealth genre.
But it’s that very legacy that
made the purchase of his development house by Disney Interactive
raise so many eyebrows when it was announced at E3. While
Junction Point Studios doesn’t have a game to its name as of
yet, one would assume that a publisher best known for fluffy
child-oriented fare like Hannah Montana and Spectrobes would shy
away from a designer known for his gritty, violent and sometimes
terrifying visions.
Spector however thinks the deal
makes a lot of sense for a lot of reasons. We sat down with him
to hear his side of the deal as well as what it means for his
future, including how Disney will and will not effect his
position an a leader in the development community.
Why did you decide to
throw your lot in with a big company like Disney?
There are some professional ones
and there are certainly some personal ones as well. On the
professional side, the Disney organization has given Junction
Point and me the opportunity to work on an incredibly cool
project that I really can’t say anything about. The company’s
always been at the forefront of technological innovation and
storytelling, and the more I talked to people about Disney
Interactive, the more I got the sense that they really embrace
the whole Disney heritage. So when you put that together with
the kinds of games I like to make—I mean obviously I’m an
interactive storytelling sort of guy, to the point where I think
I probably annoy people about it, you know? So the professional
fit was perfect as near as I could tell. And then on the
personal side I’ve just been a Disney geek all my life. I try to
keep that hidden so I keep this dark, edgy sort of reputation
but I’m a cartoon fanatic and I have been all my life. I worked
on a bunch of cartoon games when I was in the tabletop game
business: Toon, Steve Jackson Games, and the Bullwinkle and
Rocky game at TSR. I wrote my masters thesis on Warner Brothers
Cartoons. You know I applied for a job as an Imagineer [an
Imagineer is an employee of Walt Disney Imagineering, the
creator of many Disney theme park rides. –ed.] before I got into
video gaming so from a personal standpoint it’s a great fit
there too.
So you’re going to be
working on your original IP and also some Disney IP as well.
What can you tell us about that?
Well I think over the years
we’ll be working with some Disney brands. Again, I love those
brands that Disney has, the IP that they’ve created over the
last, I mean my gosh, eighty plus years. We’re definitely going
to be working on some original stuff at some point too but again
it’s really not the time to be talking about the specific
projects yet.
You seem to be somebody
who’s very much your own man. Are you going to be able to work
within the confines of a large organization? Do you feel
comfortable with that?
Yeah, you know, the funny thing
is I’ve done the…I’ve worked for big publishers, I’ve worked as
an independent, I know the ups and downs of both and at this
point I think this is a really good time for us to become part
of Disney. It’s kind of a crazy time to be an independent if you
really look at all the increased costs of next-gen. I’ve got a
track record and certainly I’ve got a team of people here who’ve
worked on some amazing projects but we were still a start up and
it was kind of a dicey sort of time, and so again the
opportunity to work specifically with Disney, it was just too
good to pass up.
Are you still going to
set up at GDC and places like that and give us your no holds
barred opinions on the game industry and creativity?
I’d love to see anybody try and
stop me. Yeah, you bet. I mean, the industry does a lot of
things right but it does a lot of things wrong.
There’s so much potential in
gaming that I don’t think we’re even beginning to scratch the
surface. I’m kind of compelled to run my mouth off, so yeah I
think you can count on me up on the stage talking at GDC for the
foreseeable future.
Do you think this is
something that Disney Interactive wanted from you as well was
your overall vision?
You know, I’d suspect that’s
part of it. I get the sense that they are hugely supportive of
me speaking at the Games Developers Conference and continuing to
make the kinds of games that I’ve always enjoyed making. They’re
putting a lot of muscle, a lot of money, and a lot of love into
really taking games to a new level, and if you put together the
Disney brands and the Disney cross-media cloud and the kind of
games that I make, I think it could be a pretty unstoppable
force.
You’ve been critical
about the fact that the games industry makes a lot of ‘me-too’
projects and a lot of stuff that, as you say, is about as
interactive as a rollercoaster. Do you feel that hardware like
the Nintendo Wii is changing that? Do you feel that people are
getting the message that we have to start doing things
differently or are we still churning this stuff out?
I think it’s a little of both. I
think the Wii offers some opportunities for creativity—it kind
of demands creativity in a way, which is cool. As soon as you
have a new controller or a new way of interfacing with the
machine, it forces designers to get creative. Beyond that there
are little pockets of wonderfulness but I’m still seeing a lot
of me-too stuff out there, no doubt about it.
Reading your blog just
recently, you were talking about your creativity’s being born of
frustration and trying to improve things that drive you nuts, as
opposed to a lot of creativity that’s out there that you
describe as ‘clean slate’. Can you expand on that?
Yeah, I was playing a game and I
had fun playing it, and I realized I would never make a game
like it. So I started to think about, “Where did that game come
from?” and how did it make me feel—not as a player, because as a
player I had a fair amount of fun playing it—but as a creator,
what did it make me feel? And it made me feel this intense
frustration, like “Oh my gosh, if they’d just done this and this
and this or if they just brought this element from this game and
combined it with these elements from these other games it would
be so much better.”
And I realized that that
approach, that playing a game, getting frustrated, wanting to
throw my controller at the screen, is really what I personally
need to get the creative juices flowing. And I looked back on
the games I made, and it was an epiphany. I realized that Thief
directly caused Deus Ex, you know? I was just so frustrated as
much as I loved the game, that I wasn’t a good enough sneaker
and my only option was to stop playing. I had to make a game
that allowed you to sneak and fight and talk your way past
problems. That is directly where that game came from. Everything
I’ve done has been a result of frustration with a particular
kind of game that I think could just be so much better. And so
again, about the project we’re not going to talk about, I am
personally feeling frustrated with a particular category of game
right now. Disney offered the opportunity to do some work in
that area and to sort of exercise my frustration.
Let’s look back slightly
to Deus Ex. I was reading about Eidos bringing out a new game in
this franchise, Deus Ex 3. How do you feel about this thing that
you put your heart and soul into going off in its own direction?
Of course I’m going to play it,
but… I’m a strangely emotional guy in some ways. In some ways
I’m just not, in other ways it’s just like I’m sitting here
thinking, “Oh my gosh, these are characters and situations and a
world that I was so intimately involved with for so much of my
life and now someone else is going to play with my baby!” It’s
hard, but I’ve talked to a bunch of guys at Eidos and they seem
committed to the property, so I’m sure they’ll do a great job.
It is hard to sit on the sidelines, but again, I’ve got other
irons in the fire now and new worlds to create and conquer, so
its all for the best.
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Disney: Give back to
community
Orlando Sentinel - As the top tourist destination in the world,
Central Florida makes dreams come true for visitors every day.
We both believe it's time to make the dreams of the residents of
Central Florida come true by moving forward with plans for a new
performing-arts center, a new events center and a renovated
Citrus Bowl -- three visionary projects that will forever change
the fabric of our community.
As longtime Central Florida residents, we are proud of the
strides our community already has made. Today, we enjoy many of
the attributes of the world's greatest cities -- a top-notch
airport, thriving colleges and universities and an increasingly
diverse mix of industries. But if we are to leave a rich legacy
for the next generation of Central Floridians, we must not only
have a vision for the future, but also be willing to act on it
now.
One year ago, Walt Disney World Resort united with a nearly
unanimous group of tourism leaders in supporting an increase in
the tourist-development tax to help fund the three venues.
Disney signed the original agreement with Universal, Sea World
and the entire leadership of the Central Florida Hotel and
Lodging Association. Our support was further strengthened with
the announcement of a $12.5 million commitment -- our largest
single donation ever -- to the Dr. P. Phillips Orlando
Performing Arts Center.
With the creation of these three first-rate facilities, we have
an unprecedented opportunity to strengthen our local economy,
while committing to a quality of life that will make our
community an even better place to live, work and play -- not
just for ourselves, but for generations to come.
We know the three venues will have a positive impact on our
community -- they will create and support jobs, attract major
events and help us to further diversify our economy beyond our
strong tourism base. Although the numbers alone are compelling,
this isn't just about money.
This is really about giving back to the residents of Central
Florida and bringing the world to our front door. Most of all,
it's about giving Central Floridians an opportunity to
experience the very things that are already a hallmark of the
world's greatest cities -- we deserve nothing less.
Simply put, the time has come to move forward. This is the
defining moment for our community's future and we must take
advantage of this unique time when the best interests of our
community and the public and private resources are aligned.
We respectfully urge our elected officials to vote to approve
all three of the proposed venues. The time is now. The dreams of
our community depend on it. |
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Disney is rolling out Pirates of
the Caribbean- and Buzz Lightyear-branded fragrances targeting
boys ages 4-11 in Latin communities.
The products, which will
retail between $9.95 and $19.95, will reach retail shelves by
September in time for the holiday season.
"Our strategy is to go after
the Hispanic population in the U.S," said Johanna Mooney,
director of food, health and beauty at Disney Consumer
Products, Burbank, Calif. "The market is driven by
gift-giving, so we will target moms and grandmothers—the
primary gift-givers."
The new fragrance products
will be available in Wal-Mart, Kmart, Target, Duane Reade,
Fred Meyer and Longs Drugs stores in areas with large Hispanic
populations.
Rochelle Bloom, president of
the Fragrance Foundation, New York, said it is a smart move by
Disney to introduce fragrances for boys, as well as to target
Hispanic consumers with the products. "I think it's a fabulous
idea by Disney," she said. "The products will sell well. U.S.
males are slower to get into the men's fragrance arena than
European, Latin and South American men. There is an untapped
market with huge potential here."
Sales of children's cologne
and gift sets to Hispanic consumers grew 7.3% to $352,433 in
the food, drug and mass channels for the 52 weeks ending June
16, per ACNielsen. Miami is far and away the largest market
for these products, accounting for more than half of the
sales.
While Disney, through its
partnership with licensee Air Vale International, Barcelona,
Spain, has had juvenile (and boy-focused) fragrances in
Europe, South America and Latin America for the last 15 years,
the concept is new to the U.S. retail market and U.S. culture.
"Baby colognes [for boys and girls] are part of European and
Hispanic grooming habits," said Mooney. "The general U.S.
population does not have that habit. Fragrances are typically
for girls and adults."
Disney tested a boys Cars
fragrance line in 2006. Mooney said the results were positive,
noting that both Disney and Air Vale were surprised at how
strong the acceptance has been and how fast retailers have
taken the products.
Much of the merchandise will
not have placement on store shelves; instead it will be
featured in displays.
Disney has no plans for a
widespread advertising campaign. Instead, POP and co-op ads
are available for chains.
"If the products are
positioned correctly in stores with high percentages of
Hispanic consumers, they should do well," said David Perez,
CEO of consultancy Latin Force, New York. "But
Spanish-language signage would be helpful in the marketing."
While fragrance as part of a
daily regimen for younger males is new, it is a growing trend
even among older consumers in mainstream markets, said John
Bauersfeld, vp-sales for fragrances at Camrose Trading, Miami,
the U.S. distributor for the new products. "Look at the
success of Axe [body spray]. It targets [males] 18-24 years,
but ages 12-and-up are buying it like it's going out of style.
The age of [male] fragrance wearers is moving down."
Despite this shift, Axe has no
plans to target younger males, said Sam Chadha, director of
antiperspirant/deodorant at Unilever Home and Personal Care,
Englewood Cliffs, N.J. "While we realize some younger guys
might use our products, and we're flattered by that, we've had
great success focusing on the college-aged guy, and they will
continue to be our focus."
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Disney
Tops CW, Univision in Weekly Ratings
Multichannel News - Disney Channel enjoyed gangbusters ratings
last week, not only ranking No. 1 in cable, but also
outperforming broadcast’s The CW and Univision in primetime
viewership, according to Nielsen Media Research data released
Tuesday.Disney was the
top-ranked cable network in primetime household ratings, with
a 2.8, and in total viewers, 3.5 million, for the week of July
16, according to a Disney-ABC Cable Networks analysis of
Nielsen data.
In fact, the network delivered
1.1 million viewers more than second-place USA Network, which
posted a 1.9 rating and 2.4 million viewers.
For the week, Disney even out
delivered The CW and Univision in terms of total viewers in
primetime. The CW averaged 1.9 million and Univision averaged
3.2 million.
Disney had 16 of basic cable’s
top 25 telecasts, with several episodes of Hannah Montana
and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody doing well, as
did encores of High School Musical and Return to
Halloweentown.
The No. 1-rated program for
the week was the July 16 telecast of TNT’s The Closer,
which posted a 5.5 rating.
For the week, TNT ranked third
in primetime, a hair behind USA with a 1.8 rating. Six
networks placed fourth in the ratings, each with a 1.2: TBS,
Cartoon Network, Lifetime Television, Fox News Channel, Nick
at Nite and Hallmark Channel.
AMC, Spike TV, Discovery
Channel and Court TV each garnered 1.1 ratings.
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Disneyland Paris tops holiday search results
Just the Flight - More Britons searched for information on
Disneyland Paris in the last month than on any other
destination, according to new research.
Figures from online research
provider Hit wise show that the resort topped a list of the
most used travel search terms in the four weeks to July 14th.
Other destinations that
featured in the list included Tenerife, Cyprus, Spain and
Majorca, as rising numbers of travelers turned to the web to
book a late summer holiday deal, reports TravelMole.
Locations that saw a
significant rise in internet searches compared with last year
included Turkey, with a 50 per cent increase, and Las Vegas,
which saw a 39 per cent jump.
An estimated two million
holidaymakers passed through British airports over the weekend
after the school year came to an end, according to the
Association of British Travel Agents.
Heathrow and Gatwick airports
were expected to see up to 700,000 people depart from its
terminals, the organization said.
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Cinema Blend - So far we’ve
had “American Idol” actors trying their hand at a movie (the
hated From Justin to Kelly) and real actors trying
their hands at an “American Idol” type story (American
Dreamz). Now the “American Idol” phenomenon is reaching
cinema in a new way: “American Idol” in jail.
That’s the premise behind Jailhouse Rock, Disney’s next
picture for director Brian Robbins, who will team with
Nacho Libre producer David Klawans for the project.
Robbins was previously behind Disney’s Shaggy Dog
remake and just finished Starship Dave with Eddie
Murphy, so you know his career is on the fast track.
According to Variety, the movie will be about the real life
“American Idol” type contest held in an Arizona jail, as told
in an L.A. Weekly article by Joshuah Bearman. The story will
focus on Bret Kaiser, a detention officer with a heavy metal
past. He created the “Inmate Idol Singing Con-Test” which put
prison hostilities aside for a music contest. Kudos to him for
working both “inmate” and “con” into his title. Apparently the
finale for the contest even had Alice Cooper as a judge, so
expect him to probably put in an appearance in the movie.
The movie will focus more on the healing power of music than
prison life according to Robbins, similarly to what they did
with Coach Carter, which Robbins produced. It’s a shame
he didn’t have more to do with that movie than producing, I’d
have a little more confidence in Jailhouse Rock to be a
decent flick instead of another Disney generated piece of
fluff it looks like it’s going to be. At least it’ll provide
an excuse for the next generation of Disney entertainers to
rip-off Elvis’s song for the title track. I know we’ve all
been waiting for that to happen for quite a while.
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Disney gives trio an encore on TV
The Wall Street Journal - Last year, a teen pop act known as
the Jonas Brothers nearly washed out of the music industry.
The group's 2006 debut album on Columbia Records sold poorly
and is now out of print. Today, just a handful of the band's
songs are available for download on Apple's iTunes Store.
But less than a year after its
near-flameout, the group is a candidate to conquer the
lucrative kids' music market. Now signed to Walt Disney Co.'s
Hollywood Records, the teen trio will release a second album
next month. Based on early retail orders and fan interest,
people in the music industry say it is likely to debut in the
top 10 of the Billboard 200 album chart. Disney is also
grooming the Jonas boys -- 14-year-old Nick, 19-year-old Kevin
and 17-year-old Joe -- as television stars.
Disney has made a cottage
industry of cross-pollinating stars between its
cable-television Disney Channel and its record labels and
Radio Disney network. It has generated millions of album sales
for performers such as Miley Cyrus in its TV show Hannah
Montana, about a high school student who's also a pop
singer, and various cast members from the made-for-TV High
School Musical.
In fact, the Jonas Brothers
recently shot an episode of Hannah Montana in which
they sing a song with Cyrus, as well as a pilot for a possible
Disney Channel series of their own. Their version of Kim
Wilde's 1981 hit Kids in America -- reworked as
Kids of the Future -- was on the soundtrack of this
year's Walt Disney Studio movie Meet the Robinsons.
The trio is on the covers of
both Bop and Tiger Beat magazines' August
editions -- and will appear there again in the September
issues. Leesa Coble, editor in chief of both magazines, says
that recently 75 percent of the reader comments on the Web
site shared by the magazines pertain to the Jonas Brothers.
Columbia executives signed
Nick Jonas more than two years ago, when he was a child actor
and an aspiring Christian-pop singer. After learning Nick's
two older brothers also sang and played guitar, keyboards and
drums, Columbia's then-president, Steve Greenberg, offered the
trio a package deal and helped shape their sound into
something more mainstream, encouraging them to listen to
seminal punk-pop acts like the Ramones, Sham 69 and Generation
X. The label suggested songs to record in their new
incarnation as a secular pop-rock act.
The group's first album,
It's About Time, sounded like a family-friendly version
of Green Day, and before its release it garnered some airplay
on MTV and Radio Disney. But then Greenberg, the group's
champion at the label, left after a corporate power struggle
and Columbia cooled off on the project. After several delays,
a small batch of CDs was released with little marketing or
promotion; just 62,000 copies sold.
The label "did an incredible
job of identifying the talent," says Phil McIntyre, one of the
group's managers. "And they believed in the project and gave
us room to develop as performers."
But merely spotting talent is
no longer enough to guarantee success. After Columbia released
the Jonas Brothers from their contract, Disney's Hollywood
quickly snapped up the group.
On June 25, the band kicked
off a three-month tour around the U.S., headlining theaters,
clubs and fairgrounds, playing to crowds of 1,000 or more.
They ride in a tour bus with their parents and 6-year-old
brother Frankie, whom fans call "Bonus Jonas." They are
home-schooled with a curriculum from Accelerated Christian
Education (Kevin has received his diploma from the program).
The Jonas Brothers also have
signed on as commercial spokesmen for Baby Bottle Pops, a
candy brand made by Topps Co. Hollywood and Topps recently
struck a deal with Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to put displays
highlighting candy and the CD side by side in nearly half of
Wal-Mart's 4,082 U.S. stores in early August, when the album
goes on sale.
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Mainstream radio won't touch Disney hit makers
AP - The week Miley Cyrus debuted on top of the album charts
with "Hannah Montana 2/Meet Miley Cyrus," she appeared on
national morning television shows, the cover of People
magazine, newspaper front pages and other media outlets. The
only spot she couldn't be found was the one sure place you
would expect a best-selling artist: Top 40 radio.
And she's not alone. A league
of tween-leaning acts, including the Cheetah Girls and Aly &
AJ, all of whom are current or former stars of the Disney
Channel, are routinely mining gold, platinum and multiplatinum
CD sales while being virtually locked out at Top 40. That
includes songs from the chart-topping soundtrack to "High
School Musical," which was the best-selling album in 2006 and
has passed the 4-million mark. (The soundtrack to the TV
sequel is due in stores Aug. 14.)
"We had the No. 1 album of the
year and nobody seemed to pay attention in the mainstream
radio world, they didn't care," says Gary Marsh, Disney
Channel Worldwide's president of entertainment.
But radio might be the only
entity that doesn't.
"Disney has turned itself into
something of a machine in terms of promoting these acts in a
very integrated way in the marketplace," says Brian Lucas,
Best Buy spokesman. "They have TV exposure, ads, [placement]
in stores. It's almost like the lack of mainstream radio is
the one area where the consumers aren't getting touched."
That's because mainstream
radio, which targets a coveted 18- to 34-year-old demographic,
doesn't want to risk alienating its older listeners.
"Radio has a stigma about
playing these acts, considering them teen and preteen in their
appeal," says Guy Zapoleon, a radio consultant and former Top
40 programmer.
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Renaissance on DVD
Buena Vista Home Entertainment - The groundbreaking digitally
animated sci-fi crime thriller Renaissance will breathe new
life into your DVD collection July 24th from Miramax Home
Entertainment.
 A
"Visually Wondrous Experience…a dark joy" according to the Los
Angeles Times, Renaissance was crowned Best Picture at the
2006 Annecy International Film Festival, the world's
preeminent animated film festival, and was an Official
Selection at last year's Toronto Film Festival.
Set in the labyrinthine
underworld of 2054 Paris, the black-and-white thriller in the
vein of "Blade Runner" and "Minority Report" paints a bold
vision of a stark, not-so-distant future where all life is
monitored, recorded and regulated thanks to the city's largest
corporation, Avalon. Detective Barthelemy Karas, voiced by
Daniel Craig ("Casino Royale") has a reputation for finding
anyone at any cost, but while tracking down a kidnapped
scientist, he ultimately finds himself buried beneath
Renaissance's illicit world of corporate malfeasance and
soulless genetic research. Critically celebrated actor Ian
Holm ("Lord of the Rings"), "Braveheart" actress Catherine
McCormack and Tony Award®-winner Jonathan Pryce ("Pirates of
the Caribbean") also voice roles.
Bonus features include "The
Making of Renaissance", an exclusive look at the making of the
cinematic wonder. Renaissance is priced at $29.99 (suggested
retail price).
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Disney's yacht wins
Transpac Race
KHON 2 - The Transpacific Yacht Race, from California to
Hawaii, began in 1906 and is held every other year.
Pyewacket was the first to
cross the finish today.
This was the first long
journey for the redesigned Pyewacket.
The 94-foot sailboat is owned
by Roy E. Disney, the nephew of Walt Disney.
At 11:11 AM, Pyewacket sailed
into history as the winner of the 44th Transpacific Yacht
Race, crossing the finish off Diamond Head.
"It's a wonderful moment,"
said one spectator.
"I'm glad to see they're
finished, ha ha," said another spectator.
Dozens of people gathered at
the Aloha Tower Marketplace, to greet Pyewacket...
"Oh I see it."
...including 3-1/2 year old
Aidan, who couldn't wait to see his dad.
"Yeah, alright!"
The 2,225 nautical mile
journey is finally over for Pyewacket, seven days after she
set sail from San Pedro, California.
"There's daddy, Aidan, daddy's
driving the boat, look!"
"Daddy! Daddy! Awe."
"Danny! Hey, hey Bob. Aloha.
What's going on brah. Good to see you. Kisses."
"Buddy, thank you, ha ha."
Aidan's father is Roy Pat
Disney, the son of Roy E. Disney -- Pyewacket's owner.
77-year old Roy senior stepped
out of the race last minute, and let his son take over as
co-skipper.
"He should of been with us and
it's pretty sad he wasn't. So we did as much as we could for
him," said co-skipper Roy Pat Disney.
"It's ok. What's ok? To lei
him. To lei me. Ha ha ha. You gotta give me a kiss with that."
There's no monetary prize for
winning.
"It's a big pat on the back,"
said Disney.
But they do get bragging
rights, a koa trophy called the Barn Door, and memories.
"I got really lucky. Got to
get on a professional boat, and they really taught me a lot,"
said Steven Manson, the youngest crew member at age 22.
"We had a great finish, a
great team, and I missed my son, he he he," said Disney.
Pyewacket fell nine hours
short of a record set two years ago by Morning Glory.
Disney says the weather,
especially the light winds in the beginning, was their biggest
challenge out at sea.
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Monday
July, 23 2007 |
Director
Fickman to conjure "Witch" redo
RCN and Disney-ABC Television Group and ESPN Sign Multi-Year
Agreement
Walt
Disney Company unveils new CD format; CDVU+
Disney Dual-Screen
Mobile DVD
Eternal golden boy knows how to draw an audience
Q&A: Stan
Liu, Walt Disney Internet Group
Disney Hosts
Parent-Child Championship
Greeley Police Department employee brings Disney love to the
office
Disney-ABC appoints Shetty as director India
Tracy Titans head to
Disneyland
Disney attempts
to make DS Enchanted
Disney's Aladdin
A flying
finish but no record for Pyewacket |
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Director
Fickman to conjure "Witch" redo
Reuters - Andy Fickman is coming on board to direct "Witch
Mountain," Walt Disney Pictures' modern reimagining of its 1975
adventure movie "Escape to Witch Mountain."
The first film was based on a
science fiction novel by Alexander Key. It followed a pair of
siblings, endowed with paranormal powers, who go on the run from
a diabolical group of men who wish to exploit their abilities.
The brother and sister turn out to be extraterrestrials.
The movie hatched a 1978 sequel,
"Return from Witch Mountain," best remembered for featuring
Bette Davis and Christopher Lee in the cast, as well as a TV
movie, "Beyond Witch Mountain" (1982), that was to have been a
pilot for a series.
Matt Lopez wrote the current
draft of the script. Lopez also penned the studio's "Bedtime
Stories," which is due to go before cameras in January with Adam
Shankman directing Adam Sandler.
Fickman directed Disney's
upcoming family comedy "The Game Plan," starring Dwayne "The
Rock" Johnson. |
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RCN and Disney-ABC Television Group and ESPN Sign Multi-Year
Agreement
Business Wire - RCN Corporation (NASDAQ: RCNI), a leading
provider of video, data, and voice services to residential and
business customers, announced today a comprehensive, multi-year
programming agreement with ESPN and the Disney-ABC Television
Group for access to a wide range of programming, networks and
services.
“At
RCN, we pride ourselves on connecting our customers with
something more,” said RCN President &
CEO Peter Aquino. “With this
agreement, we continue to do just that. We are pleased to offer
our subscribers the high-quality, sports, news and entertainment
cable programs, broadband services and Video on Demand (VOD)
choices that Disney and ESPN Networks provide.”
Under this agreement, RCN will
carry major Disney-ABC Television Group and ESPN programming and
broadband services, including:
-
A wide range of video-on-demand
programming from Disney Channel, ABC Family Channel, ESPN, ABC
News broadcasts and an ABC News Now broadband portal will be
available to those customers with VOD-enabled service, and RCN
high-speed data service, respectively.
-
ABC News Now, a 24-hour news and
information network featuring live breaking news, headlines,
original shows and interactive programming will be available
to RCN customers in all markets.
-
ESPN360.com, ESPN’s
signature broadband service, which will deliver thousands of
live events--including an expanded NCAA Football schedule—this
fall, will be distributed to high speed data subscribers in
all RCN markets.
-
ESPN2 HD, a high definition
simulcast of ESPN2, is now available as part of RCN’s
basic HD package. ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD will combine to deliver
more than 9,000 hours of HD programming in 2007
“We
are thrilled to offer these exceptional Walt Disney Company
video and broadband services to RCN subscribers,”
said David Preschlack, Executive Vice President, Disney & ESPN
Networks Affiliate Sales and Marketing. “With
more live content than ever on ESPN360.com, and ABC News Now’s
continuing coverage of the 2008 Presidential elections, this
agreement gives RCN consumers timely, relevant information on
television, on demand and online.”
About RCN Corporation
RCN Corporation,
http://www.rcn.com, is one of
the largest facilities-based competitive providers of bundled
cable, high-speed internet and phone services delivered over its
own fiber-optic local network to residential customers in the
most densely populated markets in the U.S. RCN Business
Solutions is a growing business that also provides bulk video,
high-capacity data and voice services to business customers. RCN
provides service in the Boston, New York, Eastern Pennsylvania,
Chicago and Washington, D.C metropolitan markets. (RCNI-G)
About Disney and ESPN Media
Networks
Disney and ESPN Media Networks'
diverse portfolio contains the most compelling entertainment,
sports and news content available to consumers today, including
ABC Family, ABC News Now, Disney Channel, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN HD,
ESPN2 HD, ESPN Classic, ESPN Deportes, ESPNEWS, ESPNU , SOAPnet
and Toon Disney. Delivering the most popular media brands with
their passionate audiences, Disney and ESPN Media Networks
brings content distributors exclusive opportunities across
multiple platforms including broadband products such as ABC News
Now, Disney Online’s Disney
Connection and ESPN360.com, as well as video on demand services,
including Disney Channel on Demand and ESPN on Demand.
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Walt
Disney Company unveils new CD format; CDVU+
Netcot - The Walt Disney Company has released their new CD
format named CDVU+ which they hope to encourage people to
purchase CDs and turn around the declining CD sales. The CDVU+,
known as CD View Plus, has additional features on the CD such as
digital magazine extras, song lyrics, band photos and other
things to boost purchases. The new format also reduces waste by
using recyclable packaging and no traditional CD booklet and
plastic jewel case. The Jonas Brothers will be Disney’s first
act to use the new format when released on August 7th. Content
on a CDVU+ formatted CD can also be downloaded and accessed
online. The new material has been produced exclusively for it,
and not using outtakes or other left over material.
“We really believe if you’re going
to give consumers what they want, we should do it in a way
they’re used to,” said Ken Bunt, Hollywood Records’ senior
vice-president of marketing.
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Disney Dual-Screen
Mobile DVD
San Jose Mercury News - Watching movies in the minivan is never
easy with three kids. We used to prop up a combo TV-VCR in the
middle. Inevitably, one of the kids would have to crane a neck
to get a proper view.
But the Disney Dual-Screen
Mobile DVD system enables all the kids to watch more easily. It
comes with two separate DVD screens with 7-inch liquid crystal
display screens. The white players come with a carrying handle
and a Bungee cord that wraps around seat head rests. You can
also strap them down with a Velcro strap to make sure they stay
in place. The screens come with customizable sleeves with
Pirates of the Caribbean or Tinker Bell images.
You plug one of the displays
into the car cigarette lighter. Then you connect the display via
a 7-foot cord to the other display in the back seat. We had no
complaints from the kids about being able to see the screens,
but the movies made our 7-year-old lose her lunch during a long
car ride. Still, it's a great way to avoid the "are we there
yet?" questions. |
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Eternal golden boy knows how to draw an audience
The Austrailian - John Lasseter and Pixar have revolutionized
the way everyone -- from kids to adults -- sees big-screen
animation. Lasseter is now the chief creative officer of Pixar,
which was bought last year by Disney for $9 billion. And now
there's an exhibition of the work that has made animation such
a financial success.
And so John Lasseter has turned
imagination and computer technology into box office gold,
making him one of Hollywood's most formidable players as Pixar,
his animation powerhouse, scores hit after hit.
A recent world-wide box office
tally of the studio's seven features stood at almost $4
billion, its biggest earner being 2003's Australian-influenced
fishy tale, Finding Nemo, with returns of more than $1
billion.
And you can probably double
that again by adding on the extras -- the tie-in DVDs, toys
and collectables that can be found in any home with kids.
From his office in Hollywood
-- he now divides his time between running the creative sides
of both Pixar and its parent company, Disney -- Lasseter
explains it all by saying he simply loves what he does.
He doesn't even see it as
work.
"If you do something with your
life that you really, really love then you'll never work a day
in your life. Like me," he says.
To wage slaves out there, that
might sound like a glib Hollywood remark and Lasseter is often
portrayed as some sort of eternal golden child, a jeans and
Hawaiian shirt-wearing dreamer who never quite grew up.
But his real genius is that he
knows how to entertain mums and dads as well as millions of
kids.
Somehow, his features add up
to more than mere whiz-bang cartoons driven by the latest
computer technology. Even curmudgeonly parents leave the
theatre smiling.
"Being a student of our art
form helps you do new things with it," he explains.
"And I've been in love with
the technology of computer animation since its inception in
the early eighties. But I've always viewed technology as no
more than a tool. Audiences will never be entertained by new
technology alone.
"It's what you do with it that
counts. And that comes from my love and knowledge of animation
and its history, especially Walt Disney.
"There were so many great
technological advances at his studio but they were all used in
the service of the story. And that's very much what I try to
do. You must make sure you're not so seduced by the technology
that you lose sight of what's most important for the audience.
You've got to engage them with story and character. I make the
kind of movies I want to watch, I want to be entertained by. I
want to be taken away somewhere and entertained. That's what
the best movies do to you."
In case you haven't gathered,
Lasseter is an enthusiastic guy. He recalls how as a
20-year-old animation trainee he first watched George Lucas's
Star Wars way back on its opening weekend in 1977.
It was a life-defining moment
for him. He marveled at how its combination of live action and
computer-driven effects entranced the audience.
"It blew my mind, not only how
it entertained me, but how it did the same for a sold out
audience to levels I'd never seen before. I don't think
another movie had ever entertained to that level with people
wanting to see it again and again. It became a big thing for
me. I knew that I wanted to be an animator, but it also made
me think 'this is what I want to do, entertain audiences like
this, but with animation'."
For Lasseter, this is the
perfect point to segue his train of thought towards Pixar: 20
Years of Animation, an exhibition that features some of his
studio's most striking work. It opened at the Australian
Centre for the Moving Image in Melbourne in June and runs
until October 14.
Having been at New York's
Museum of Modern Art and London's Science Museum, it's
certainly more than just kid's stuff and features 500
drawings, painting and sculptures from various Pixar movies.
As well, there's a zoetrope --
a cinematic device that creates an illusion of Pixar images in
motion -- and an audio-visual installation that immerses
viewers in some of the works on display.
And Lasseter turns out to be
quite a salesman. "We've had a lot of requests for our
material to be parts of exhibitions, but I kept resisting
because I wanted to be able to mount a major exhibit. I've
always viewed the work we do as some of the highest art forms
there are. And when you see this pre-production work that no
one otherwise gets to see, well, it's stunning.
"People might think 'OK, we'll
go and see some cartoon stuff' but they end up being blown
away by the level they see in this -- from pencil drawings to
pastels, from paintings to sculpture and then the installation
pieces we've created especially for it. That's what's exciting
to me and why they ended up with lines around the block at the
Museum of Modern Art."
Lasseter was born and raised
in Los Angeles, not far from the venerable Disney animation
studios that have become inexorably linked to his creative
vision.
His father was a spare parts
manager at a Chevrolet dealership and his mother was a high
school art teacher who encouraged his drawing skills.
After high school, he was
accepted into the Californian Institute for the Arts'
character animation course taught by some of Disney's finest
artists.
On graduation, he worked at
the Disneyland theme park as a boat captain on the Jungle
Cruise ride before being taken on as an animator. It was here
in the early eighties, while honing his skills on conventional
two dimensional features, that he was awakened to the emerging
world of computer-driven animation and its three dimensional
sense of depth and realism.
This led to him working on
well-received experimental short films that explored the new
form, but he was ultimately disappointed by the lack of
interest in taking up the concept by Disney's then management.
So it was a natural
progression for him to cross over to the computer animation
division of George Lucas's Industrial Light and Magic, the
techno wonderland that drove the special effects of the Star
Wars hits, and which had already proved such an inspiration.
In 1986, Apple's Steve Jobs
bought the computer animation side of the business, giving it
the name of Pixar. Lasseter was named creative director.
He won an Academy Award for
1988's Tin Toy, a five-minute short that hinted at what was to
come. That turned out to be Pixar's ground-breaking first
feature Toy Story, which won an honorary Oscar in 1995 -- back
then, there was no award for full-length animation -- and,
importantly, showed Hollywood that megabucks could be made
from this fast-developing form.
The wisdom of hindsight now
has it that if Toy Story had failed, computer-driven animation
would have been banished to the geeky wilderness, at least as
far as mainstream film-makers were concerned.
But Toy Story had more going
for it than just wonderful images. The quality of strong
narrative with characters to match that Lasseter has inherited
from Disney came to the fore in Toy Story with a little boy's
toys, Woody, the cowboy, and Buzz Lightyear, the space ranger,
overcoming their petty differences to fight for the common
good and survive against the odds.
Coupled with Lasseter's ear
for smart, often cheeky dialogue, it also proved to be a huge
hit with adults and so the foundation on which an empire would
rise had been laid.
Toy Story took $439 million in
world-wide box office -- and the Pixar brand has only grown. A
Bug's Life (1998) took $440 million; Toy Story 2 (1999) $588
million; Monsters, Inc (2001) $637 million; Finding Nemo
(2003) $1049 million; The Incredibles (2004) $765 million; and
Cars (2006) $560 million.
Total box office, to the start
of this year, added up to a whopping $4.48 billion.
Pixar's latest, Ratatouille,
about a rat that loves to cook and its adventures with a young
Paris chef who can't, is said to be the studio's most deeply
plotted offering yet. It's due in Australia in August.
As the juggernaut roles on, an
irony is that Disney, animation's grand pioneer that was tardy
in having its own studio embrace the new computer form, has
been along for the very lucrative ride that Lasseter, its
former employee, has created.
It was canny enough to be
involved in the initial Pixar successes, as a bankroller and
distributor, this leading to a sometimes fractious
relationship as it more than once tried to impose its creative
will as well. Under considerable and sometimes very public
pressure from Disney, Lasseter stood by his creative vision --
and, of course, was proved right as the hits kept on coming.
Finally, in January last year,
a deal was struck and Disney, with new, more conciliatory
management, bought Pixar for $9 billion.
Lasseter was named chief
creative officer of both studios and so now splits his time
between them, rebuilding the Disney brand while ensuring Pixar
stays on course.
The kid who had loved drawing
and Mickey Mouse has certainly confirmed his place.
Pixar: 20 Years of Animation
is on at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image,
Federation Square, Melbourne, until October 14.
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Q&A:
Stan Liu, Walt Disney Internet Group
Games On Deck - As vice president of mobile content
development for the Walt Disney Internet Group’s domestic
mobile content division, Stan Liu oversees creation and
development of games, ringtones, graphics and applications for
the mobile platform under the mDisney and Starwave Mobile
publishing labels. Games On Deck talks to him about Disney in
the mobile space in this latest Q&A.
Games On Deck: Tell us about Disney's choice to get into the
mobile games space. Why such a "hands on" approach?
Stan Liu: Disney's mobile
content distribution strategy is part of our company's overall
mass market multi-platform approach. We were an early entrant
in the space and have had great success on a global basis.
GOD: You have mDisney, but
also Starwave working in the mobile space. How do the two
entities relate?
SL: The labels provide scale
by leveraging the same highly competitive infrastructure and
resources. A broader portfolio strengthens carrier
relationships and allows us to cater to all of the key
domestic mobile audiences.
mDisney features
Disney-branded content based on our popular and beloved
characters, stories and worlds.
Starwave Mobile publishes
content based on licensed third-party brands spanning a
variety of genres (including casual gaming, and lifestyle) for
the mobile platform.
GOD: You've worked with
developers such as Gamevil and Capybara. Do you maintain an
internal development studio? Otherwise, how do you work with
external developers?
SL: While we do work with
outside developers, we also have a team that develops content
internally. When working with external developers, the goal is
to create a fun, authentic experience and this requires close
collaboration with the entire creative team.
GOD: Movie and TV licenses
can often be seen as "cash-in" titles. How do you work to
ensure that you translate the movie/tv experience to mobile?
SL: mDisney is about
delivering a quality family-friendly entertainment experience
to mobile phones with the same high standards that attract
fans to any Disney property - whether it's a movie, TV series,
mobile game, music artist or animated character.
With the Pirates of the
Caribbean titles for example, we created a gaming
experience that captures the characters, battles, pirate
ships, swashbuckling, dialogue and locales featured in the
movie franchise. Whether the initial engagement starts with
the movie, television show, music album or theme park ride,
the mobile experience must be true to the qualities that
originally attracted and excited the individual.
GOD: mDisney has had a lot of success with Pirates of the
Caribbean and other titles based on movies. What is the
roadmap?
SL: We will continue to
support key Disney movies, television shows, music artists and
animated characters with relevant mobile content.
We remain focused on
publishing and distributing high-quality content that captures
the fun of the feature film while customizing the experience
for the mobile phone.
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Disney Hosts
Parent-Child Championship
BunkerShot - The Florida State Parent-Child Championship will
return to the Walt Disney World Resort on July 28-29 with more
than 150 teams competing. Since 1997, the Walt Disney World
Resort has hosted the Parent-Child Championship and once
again, the resort’s Palm and Magnolia Courses and the Oak
Trail executive course will be used for the two divisions.
The Parent-Child Championship
has become an annual event for many families and is open to
everyone, including grandparents who want to play with a
grandchild and professionals who want to compete with their
child or grandchild. There is no maximum age limitation for
either parent or child. The event consists of two divisions;
junior (child age between 6 and 12) and regular (child age
13 and older).
The junior division will play
the Oak Trail executive course in 9 holes of modified
alternate shot format using the Stableford scoring each day.
The regular division is split on the Palm and Magnolia and
will play 36 holes of modified alternate shot. The field is
divided based upon the combined handicaps of the teams and
will be flighted after 18 holes.
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Bright yellow, orange, blue and
purple Disney characters watch the daily events from atop
cubicle walls with permanent smiles on their plush faces. They
watch over orders placed for bullet-proof vests, guns,
camoflauge clothing, ammunition, riot gear and tear gas.
More than 41 miniature Disney
dolls line the shelves in the office where senior administration
specialist LeeAnne Unrein sits.
She is an avid collector of
Disney characters. Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Grumpy, Happy,
Sculley, Tigger, Roo, Pluto, Goofy, Mickey and her favorite,
Mary Poppins, greet her and other members of the police
department daily.
The entrance to her office has a
Mickey Mouse greeting and a Tigger sign with TTFN, an acronym
that means "Ta-ta for now," on it when you leave.
They come in all sorts of
costumes for different seasons and symbolize a part of her
childhood that she never wants to forget.
"I remember sitting in front of
the television watching 'The Mickey Mouse Club,' " Unrein said.
"Disney's always been fun."
Unrein said the police
department is such a serious place to work, but those who come
into her office usually relax a little more than usual.
Greeley Police Chief Jerry
Garner said Unrein provides a lot of humor to the department.
"We're not laughing at her," he
said with a grin. "We're laughing with her. No, seriously, the
P.D. needs to be a little lighter, and LeeAnne provides us with
that."
Unrein started her Disney
collection when she found a character dressed for a season like
Thanksgiving. Thinking that it was cute, she added to it her
desk at the old police station in downtown Greeley. After a
while, another season would pass and she'd pick up another
character. And little by little, she's come to be known as the
lady who loves Disney characters.
"I love the Disney Store," she
said, her face lighting up like a child.
Garner, who Unrein calls Donald
Duck, said he's had a dabble or two with Disney characters in
his life.
"I can do a mean Donald Duck
impression," he said smiling. "At least that's what the staff
said I sound like every once in a while."
All characters aside, Unrein
said those in the department usually don't tease her about her
collection because she's the person they have to see for
equipment requests.
But if you walk through the
halls of the police department, you'll hear a few chuckles about
Unrein's collectibles.
"Whenever someone asks if they
could get a keychain or something, I'll ask them, 'Did you check
the Disney store?' " said Gayle Fassler-Huss, a community
service officer.
Captain Mike Savage said Unrein
has taken "character" to a whole new level.
"She's the craziest one of the
bunch," he said with a chuckle. "She's the character."
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Disney-ABC appoints Shetty as director India
Business of Cinema - The Walt Disney Company's international TV
distribution arm Disney-ABC International Television (Asia
Pacific), has appointed Swati Shetty as director India. Shetty,
who was Disney Channel India associate director, advertising
sales, replaces Amit Malhotra.
Malhotra was promoted in June this
year as regional sales director, Pan-Asia, India and Singapore.
The announcement was made by Disney-ABC International Television
vice president of sales for Asia Pacific Greg Johnson.
Shetty will be responsible for Disney-ABC International
Television's TV distribution business across all platforms in
India. She will be based in Mumbai and report to Malhotra in
Hong Kong as well as the Walt Disney Company (India) Pte Ltd
managing director, a position, which is currently overseen by
Walt Disney International president Andy Bird. She joins
Disney-ABC International Television in early August.
Johnson said, "Swati's strong sales experience combined with her
deep understanding of the Indian television market will be
integral to the continued growth of our distribution business in
India, a key strategic market for the Company. We're very
excited to welcome her to the TV sales team." |
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Tracy Titans head to
Disneyland
Tracy Press - The Tracy National Titans 10-and-under softball
team is embarking on a tour of Disneyland to compete in the
Little League softball World Series on Monday.
The Titans have been quietly
ranked as the No. 1 team by the United States Softball
Association in the nation and although in the past they've had
very little attention paid to them, they will be nationally
televised on Disney's Wide World of Sports Network.
"What they have done so well is
play well together as a team," vice president Alicia Honnoll
said. "From my perspective, they have been through so many ups
and downs, and because of all of the things that they have been
through, are playing a very-high level of softball."
Earning the No. 1 ranking after
winning several NorCal tournaments and participating in more
than 50 regular season and tournament games, the Titans will
head to Florida with high expectations.
"They really have a chance to
win the whole thing," Honnoll said. "These girls have been
playing together for so long, and they are actually looking
forward to the challenge and the expectations. They love to
compete, so it makes it easy for them to look forward to going
to these competitions.
"It's been surreal for them. It
has been incredible to reach this type of level, and for them to
get here," she added.
One major aspect Honnoll
attributed to the Titans' success has been the fact that they
have major support. With several parents helping out and
contributing to their cause, it has been described by Honnoll as
more of a family.
"That's what has made an
absolute difference between an average team and a good team at
this age. It is the amount of support that they receive from the
parents. It really makes a difference, and there have been so
many people that have helped out."
The team consists of Kate Bell,
Gabrielle Cox, Justina Farfan, Sylvia Gausch, Jasea Gutierrez,
Taylor Honnoll, Danielle Lallos, Mariah McFadden, Tayler
Misfeldt, Haley Nunes, Samantha Sanders, Llesenia Torres and
Taylor Vernon.
"Everyone is really proud of
these girls and there have been 11 MVPs on this team. That is
why they've had so much success," Honnoll said.
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Disney attempts
to make DS Enchanted
Pocket Gamer - To be honest, the fact Disney is making a game
based on its forthcoming animated/live action film about a
cartoon princess (called Giselle) who's sent by an evil queen to
the real-world city of New York, where upon she falls in love
with an already engaged divorce lawyer, doesn't strike us as
being the starting point for top DS gaming.
But a quick gander at recent video footage of Enchanted
suggests there will at least be plenty of gameplay variety on
offer – the sword-fighting bits you get to play as Prince Edward
seem pretty lively. There are even Sonic-style 2D plat
forming levels with you playing as Giselle's pet chipmunk Pip.
It all appears slightly reminiscent of the recent Shrek the
Third game, which also offered three characters, each
of which had very different attributes. But let's hope
Enchanted does more for its target audience than the big
green ogre did on DS.
Enchanted is due to be released alongside Disney's film this
winter. |
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Disney's Aladdin
TVNZ, New Zealand - This eagerly awaited animated series
captures all the wonders and adventures of the film and brings
them to television.
The show features the brave and resourceful Aladdin, his
spirited fiancé Jasmine, the ever-popular Genie, mischief-maker
Abu and the obnoxious parrot Iago.
From frozen caves to forgotten catacombs in the sand, Aladdin
and his band face a myriad of villains in places they could
never have dreamed existed.
Along the way, these courageous comrades discover the benefits
of sharing and the magic of love and friendship as they embark
upon unforgettable and wondrous travels. |
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A flying
finish but no record for Pyewacket
Sail World - A flying finish almost made the first half of the
44th Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii forgettable as
Pyewacket's bid for the record fell 9 hours 7 minutes 44 seconds
short Sunday.
Roy Disney, co-skipper with Gregg Hedrick, described the race in
brief as 'frustrating and exhilarating . . . and sad.'
Frustrating in the first 600 miles of light wind struggling,
exhilarating in the final days to the finish that saw them
blowing past the landmark finish line off the Diamond Head
volcano at 26 knots, and sad that his dad, Roy E. Disney, wasn't
along for the ride.
The elder Disney stepped off the boat the day it was to sail but
was at the Aloha Tower dock in Honolulu Harbor to greet it,
along with hula girls, leis and friends and family of the 19-man
crew.
Pyewacket missed Morning Glory's record of 6 days 16 hours 4
minutes 11 seconds set in the previous race in 2005.
Chip Megeath's Santa Cruz 52, Kokopelli 2, had a three-day head
start and led until late on the final morning when the 94-foot
Pyewacket swept past to finish first, 1 hour 42 minutes ahead of
its older and smaller rival. That wins no awards in itself, but
Pyewacket's claim to this year's fastest elapsed time of 7 days
1 hour 11 minutes 56 seconds will earn it the third Barn Door
for a Pyewacket boat, following similar successes in 1997 and
'99.
Kokopelli 2 also set the tone for a resurrection of the Santa
Cruz 50s and 52s that turned out in nine boats to form their own
class this year and currently stand third through eighth on
overall corrected handicap time among boats still racing. The
leader is an even smaller boat, the J/125 41-footer Reinrag2,
which has logged mileage (280, 256) second only to Division 1
leaders Pyewacket (391, 345) and Magnitude 80 (291, 317) on
Friday and that pair plus Kokopelli 2 (269) on Saturday.
All of those smaller boats started on Thursday, three days ahead
of the big boats, a point not lost on Pyewacket's noted
navigator, Stan Honey. Asked what he would do differently, Honey
responded, 'Start on Thursday.'
Divisions 3 and 4 and the 50/52s found a window that was closed
for the Monday and Sunday starters who were plagued by a
minefield of light air pockets floating around the eastern
Pacific.
Even so, Kokopelli 2 skipper Chip Megeath of Tiburon, Calif.,
said that he and navigator Jeff Thorpe found success going south
because 'the [Pacific] High was so far south our job was to own
the south . . . make it our south.'
Thorpe added, 'We put a spinnaker up the second day and had one
up the whole race. Every time we went right the wind would drop
four knots.'
Dean Barker, New Zealand's America's Cup helmsman, sailed on
Pyewacket as a change of pace from the intensity of match
racing, although the light-wind part mirrored what he
experienced at Valencia last month.
'It was a good opportunity to do some ocean racing,' he said.
'It's different to sail a canting keel boat.'
Roy Pat Disney said the boat's speed ranged 'from zero to 28.8
[knots] this morning before Molokai.'
But the highlight was the last wild ride to the finish in
following winds of 30 knots gusting to 34.
And if, after Roy E. Disney's efforts to charter his boat back
from the Orange Coast College School of Sailing and Seamanship
and powering it up with massive modifications, it wasn't good
enough for the record, Robbie Haines, the sailing manager, said,
'It just wasn't to be. The boat performed marvelously.'
A record wasn't in the wind.
The race's other remaining drama continued far at sea with the
two Transpac 52s, Morning Light and Samba Pa Ti, still locked
together in a match race on their own little pond. Sunday
morning's roll call reports showed Samba Pa Ti slightly south
and still within sight of Morning Light with a one-mile lead.
Transblogs from the boats
Denali (Bill McKinley): Last evening Team Denali experienced one
of those nights that sailors fear. Slow sailing for 4-plus
hours. At times we were down to less than 2 knots for hours on
end. All of this slow sailing was caused by numerous rain cells
that flushed themselves and shut off the winds. This slow
sailing was interspersed momentarily with high speed sailing as
the winds in front of these cells push us to 15-plus knots. This
madding cycle finally ended this morning as we found our way out
of this rat's nest of cells into clear clean air. As we were
exiting the last of the cells, we were being escorted by a small
pod of dolphins. I had to wonder if it was a message for the
gods or from our fallen fathers (who all sailed) leading us to
better winds. After hearing the sked this morning and still
finding us first in our division, a great sigh of relief went
up. We had survived!
Reinrag2 (Dr. D): Oh OOOhhh.. What a night (oh, what a garden of
delight). If you saw our progress on the standings this morning,
you probably can guess we had a good day yesterday. We did. We
also had a great night last night. Really words can't describe,
but let me try. It was what we came for. The moon was out, we
were headed straight for Diamond Head and we were surfing down
15-foot seas. About 20-25-knot winds and R^2 just dances. The
boat starts off at 12 knots, picks up a wave and suddenly you're
doing 15 . . . then you come up on the wave in front, punch in
with the spray going both ways and over the deck and you just
keep going faster. 17 knots? Sure . . . sometimes 20. Feels like
you've broken the sound barrier and speed no longer matters.
After a while a lull comes or you bounce off a wave a little
hard so you slow down. Then you start all over again. You could
spend millions to get a ride on a rocket, and not get the
experience we had.
Pegasus 101 Philippe Kahn): Bang! I mean big bang. I’m driving
on deck, Richard is sleeping down bellow. The tip of the boom
comes up violently. The vang pad-eye just exploded.
I engage the pilot while watching carefully, trim in the main
sheet and start looking for attachment points. Once I’m ready, I
wake up Richard to see if he agrees with my new rig. We lost two
knots of boat speed. That’s the challenge with being
doublehanded: Now we got to do some boat building and can’t push
the boat as fast. We’ll find a way.
Locomotion: The water shortage situation is tense --- but
manageable. We are trying to use less than the rationed 1/2
gallon per day per man, knowing that need will rise as we near
the Islands (increasing temperature and more physical sailing in
increasing trade winds). A few 'low hydration headaches' have
afflicted the crew, with cotton mouth for all, but better to be
a little uncomfortable now than physiologically incapacitated
the last few days. Your author scrapes the salt flecks off of
his daily ration of twisted pretzels to reduce sodium intake. We
have devised a rain catching regime should any squalls prove
sufficiently wet. It involves fashioning a funnel of sorts out
of our genoa staysail, directed down the companionway into an
empty 6-gallon jerry can with its top cut off. So far no luck
finding wet squalls. |
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Sunday
July, 22 2007 |
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Photo
Update of Spaceship Earth Wand Removal |
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Update of Spaceship Earth Wand Removal
Here are several photo's
from the last few days showing the Spaceship Earth Wand Removal
at Epcot |
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WDW
News - Disney guests can step out in style and comfort with
Disney Crocs, a new style of the wildly popular, lightweight and
slip-resistant shoe that has taken a "bite" out of the footwear
industry -- now with a Mickey-Mouse twist. Disney Crocs are
available at merchandise locations across Walt Disney World
Resort. Disney Crocs come in 10 bright colors and 13 sizes and
feature Mickey's familiar mouse-eared silhouette where the
circular ventilation holes are found on traditional Crocs. For
those who want to customize the shoes even more, 61 varieties of
Disney-themed "Jibbitz" – small, rubber representations of
favorite characters that pop snugly into the top-side holes of
the shoe – also are sold across Walt Disney World Resort.
Disney-themed Jibbitz include Disney Princesses, Pirates of the
Caribbean and classic Disney characters. Seasonal and themed
varieties of both Disney Crocs and Jibbitz also are offered
throughout the year, including an orange and black pair of Crocs
for Halloween and a pack of themed Jibbitz featuring characters
in their holiday best.