The website will be showcasing
work from the artists listed below: 
The
15-year-old Gomez stars in the Disney Channel hit
Wizards of Waverly Place.Orlando
Sentinel - The new Prince Caspian version of the Chronicles
of Narnia attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios should
open to the public intermittently this week in preparation
of a full opening late next week.
The attraction, called Journey Into Narnia, closed last
fall, in part to make room for construction of the Toy Story
Midway Mania ride built next door, and also so that Walt
Disney Imagineering could update and enhance it from the
original 2005 concept, which reflected the first Narnia
movie, The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe. The new version
will reflect the second Narnia movie, Prince Caspian, which
is currently in international theatrical release.
A Walt Disney World spokesman confirmed the official opening
is set for June 27 but was not ready last week to discuss
soft opening details. The new Prince Caspian version is
structured similarly to the original attraction, featuring a
message from movie director Andrew Adamson, a set built to
look like a movie scene (within the stone temple around the
stone table), a brief live performance involving an actor
re-creating a few lines from the movie, and a few props and
costumes from the movie. The new version reportedly will
include some new high-tech visual effects, but Disney would
not elaborate.
Last month, an actor playing Prince Caspian was added to the
cast of characters at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
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 June 15 - 21, 2008 |
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Saturday June 21, 2008 |
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ESPN, NFL
Network in partnership talks Christie DLP Cinema Projectors to Be Used at the Star-Studded World Premiere of Disney-Pixar's "WALL-E," June 21 Disney finds park space for Pixar McAleavey's childhood love of Disney leads to career Disney-Pixar's WALL-E Limited Edition Concept Artwork Fewer airplane seats may mean decrease in theme park visitors Shy genius behind Disney hits Former Insurance Salesman Turns 'Lost' Obsession Into Online Career |
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ESPN, NFL Network in partnership talks Forbes - Walt Disney Co.-owned ESPN, the cable sports network, and the National Football League's NFL Network are in partnership talks, The Wall Street Journal reported on its Web site late Friday. The NFL Network's chief executive, Steven Bornstein, who was previously chairman of ESPN and president of Disney (nyse: DIS)'s ABC network, has conducted high-level talks with executives at Disney in recent weeks, the Journal said, citing people familiar with the situation. The NFL and cable providers including ESPN have clashed over TV licensing packages for football games, with some major providers refusing to offer certain games to subscribers. Disney shares closed the regular session down 95 cents at $31.94. |
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Christie DLP Cinema Projectors to Be Used at the Star-Studded
World Premiere of Disney-Pixar's "WALL-E," June 21 AP - Christie, a global leader in visual solutions for entertainment, business and industry, is proud to announce that a pair of Christie CP2000-XB DLP Cinema projectors will be used at the World Premiere of Disney/Pixar's WALL-E. The World Premiere will take place outside under the stars at the Greek Theatre and Griffith Observatory on Saturday, June 21st. The event marks the latest collaboration between Christie and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Special Events. Christie's projectors were most recently used at the World Premiere events for "Cars" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." The Christie CP2000-XB is the most powerful in its class, and the projector features the revolutionary split-body design that allows flexible placement in almost any venue. WALL•E, which opens in theatres everywhere on June 27th, follows the animated adventure of a determined and lovable robot. WALL•E (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) discovers a new purpose in life when he meets a sleek search robot named Eve, and together they take an exciting journey across the galaxy. "We are proud to be using Christie's state-of-the-art projectors at the World Premiere of WALL•E," said Lylle Breier, Senior Vice President , Worldwide Special Events for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. "Our guests will be able to enjoy all of the film's impressive computer animation in razor sharp clarity, and see a faithful reproduction of the filmmaker's vision." "Disney and Pixar continue to raise the bar for animation, bringing to the big screen some of the most memorable and most entertaining characters in the world," said Craig Sholder, vice president of Entertainment Solutions, Christie. "We are pleased to be working with Disney on the World Premiere of the latest Disney and Pixar adventure. We believe Christie DLP Cinema projectors are the best choice to bring this highly entertaining film to audiences everywhere." |
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Disney finds park space for Pixar Variety - They were once a contented couple, then they threatened a divorce. Now they’re back together, happier than ever, and the union is producing offspring. Theme park offspring. Disney has reaped hundreds of millions of dollars of benefit out of Pixar, but theme parks were the one area the Mouse House had yet to fully exploit. But the Pixar-ization of Disney’s parks in Anaheim, Orlando, Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong is under way, with the Mouse set to spend hundreds of millions to turn the company’s characters into new rides, shows and other attractions. It’s about time. One of Hollywood’s most bankable partnerships, Disney distribbed Pixar’s seven consecutive blockbusters, which earned on average $528 million worldwide, before buying the toon shop outright for $7.4 billion in 2006. Despite the repeat successes at the multiplex, Pixar’s properties haven’t received the high-profile treatment at Disney’s theme parks one might expect; even licensed merchandise is hard to find in the many retail outlets that dot the parks, except for the random Buzz Lightyear doll or “Finding Nemo” and “Cars” plush toys. “Toy Story” and its sequel, and “Nemo” have proven the most park-friendly titles, with multiple attractions set up at various parks. (“The Incredibles” and “Ratatouille” have none yet.) This week, Toy Story Mania! opened at California Adventure in Anaheim, in which guests, wearing 3-D glasses, are whisked through various midway games where they shoot virtual projectiles to rack up points. The $80 million ride’s already up and running at the Disney Hollywood Studios park in Orlando. Disneyland recently revamped its long-running submarine ride, giving it a “Finding Nemo” makeover. The undersea pic, Pixar’s biggest hit to date, also has a musical performing daily inside a new permanent venue at Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World. There are also Turtle Talk With Crush in Anaheim and Orlando, and the Seas With Nemo & Friends aquarium ride at Disney World’s Epcot in 2006, in addition to Crush’s Coaster that opened last summer in Paris. A “Toy Story” musical just bowed on the Disney Cruise Line. Disney World’s Magic Kingdom raised the curtain on “Monsters, Inc.” Laugh Floor comedy showcased last year, featuring the pic’s Mike and Sulley. The California Adventure park,
next to Disneyland in Anaheim, is getting a massive Pixar-themed
overhaul, with hundreds of millions of dollars being spent to
build a 12-acre “Cars Land” alone, set to open by 2012, which
will consist of three separate attractions. Overall, Disney is
pumping $1 billion to revamp the park, which has been struggling
since opening in 2001. The first was Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, which opened in 1998 at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, and has since been added to other parks over the years. It’s Tough to Be a Bug! bowed with the opening of Animal Kingdom, also in 1998, seven months before “A Bug’s Life” even crawled into theaters. The “Monsters, Inc.” Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! ride took off at California Adventure in 2006. Pixar’s involvement with the earlier rides had been limited, however, execs say. It didn’t even create the animation for It’s Tough to Be a Bug — Rhythm & Hues did. After the buyout, Pixar’s staffers became fully involved with the design of each new attraction. Most of the newer attractions have opened only in the past year or are just being constructed. And Pixar’s presence is expected to increase across the parks, as the company plans to release six new Pixar toons through 2012. These include a second installment of “Cars” and a third “Toy Story,” as well as originals “Wall-E,” “Up,” “Newt” and “The Bear and the Bow.” The Mouse will release 3-D versions of the first two “Toy Story” pics next year. “We love bringing their stories to life,” says says Tom Fitzgerald, senior creative executive for Walt Disney Imagineering, the unit that creates Disney’s theme park attractions. “They have wonderful characters, worlds, humor and great adventures you want to live.” While Imagineering says there’s creative goodwill with Pixar, corporate-wise, the toon shop and the Mouse weren’t always a happy family — which partly explains the relative dearth of Pixar fare at the parks. Few attractions were created while Disney merely distribbed Pixar’s pics. And none were going to be created during the 2004-2006 period when Pixar topper Steve Jobs was considering ankling to another studio. After Michael Eisner left the studio, Robert Iger aggressively wooed Pixar, with eventual success. Disney declined to comment on such discussions. Both companies have since given the greenlight to numerous new attractions, which should enable Disney’s nearly $11 billion-a-year parks and resorts biz to keep things humming along. Disney stresses that Pixar isn’t taking over Disney’s parks. “Disneyland was inspired by the types of shows that Walt was creating at the time,” Fitzgerald says. “And today we get to draw on Walt Disney Studios and the Disney Channel and Pixar Animation Studios, and we create our own stories as well, like Soarin’ and Expedition Everest. It’s a blend in the parks of timeless stories and stories we invent.” Still, spending millions on new rides, and millions more to promote those attractions, can attract guests to a park. With Pixar’s pics already crowdpleasers at the B.O., it’s likely that a related attraction will get moviegoers to buy a theme park ticket, as well. At least that’s what Disney hopes will happen. The new attractions couldn’t come at a better time, as Disney will be competing with Universal and other rivals for business during a recessionary period, with high gas prices that may force tourists to stay home. Disney’s theme parks generated a surprising 33% boost in profits in the first quarter despite the depressed economy. The concepts for new attractions — which typically take three to four years to develop — are first created by Imagineering, then travel up the exec ranks before ultimately being given the greenlight by Walt Disney Co. prexy and CEO Bob Iger. Says Fitzgerald: “We’re always looking at what’s next. What are we missing? What part of our audience are we trying to reach?” To be fair, not every Disney toon has gotten the high-profile theme park treatment. There’s very little to be seen, if anything at all, for “The Emperor’s New Groove” or “Hercules,” not massive hits, but still well-performing pics. But which attractions are built isn’t based on box office, Imagineering execs say. “We tend to watch the movies and ask, ‘What elements of this film or story would translate best to our world?’ Sometimes a story like a ‘Toy Story’ gives you a lot of different ideas. We don’t do book reports of the story. We look for the moment that would be most fun to do in our world.” |
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McAleavey's childhood love of Disney leads to career
 Orlando Business Journal - Shannon McAleavey seemed destined to get a job at Walt Disney World Co. The 37-year-old, now the company's senior vice president of public affairs, got to know Disney World well through frequent visits as a child with her parents. At age 2, she drew a passable likeness of Mickey Mouse following a visit. Her mother kept it, had it framed and gave it to her when she landed her job at Disney three years ago. At age 8, during one trip to the park, she asked her mother if they could stay there forever. |
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Disney-Pixar's WALL-E Limited Edition Concept Artwork PR Web - Sanders Art Studio.com in Ogden, Utah, is pleased to announce seven limited edition concept art pieces from Disney-Pixar's WALL-E Motion Picture. What if Mankind had to leave Earth, and somebody forgot to turn the last robot off? After hundreds of lonely years of doing what he was built for, WALL-E (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) discovers a new purpose in life (besides collecting knick-knacks) when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE. EVE come to realize the WALL-E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet's future, and races back to space to report her findings to the humans (who have been eagerly awaiting word that it is safe to return home). Meanwhile, WALL-E chases EVE across the galaxy and sets into motion one of the most exciting and imaginative comedy adventures ever brought to the big screen. Also introducing The "Pix-cel" a proprietary technology to give a fully rendered continuous tone 3-D image directly from digital production files onto clear acetate and positioned on a giclee background also from a digital production file. In addition, over 500 limited-edition Disney Fine Art Giclee's on canvases are available for purchase on a website and virtual gallery at Sanders Art Studio.com.
Quantities are limited. Limited-Editions vary in size. Disney elements Disney-Pixar *Quantities are limited. Offer valid while supplies last. Subject to restrictions and change without notice. Void where prohibited. |
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Fewer airplane seats may mean decrease in theme park visitors
Orlando Business Journal - The Walt Disney Co.'s Central Florida theme parks could see sharp declines in attendance this fall as airlines eliminate more than 5,700 seats per day on flights to Orlando due to soaring fuel prices. The reason: 35 percent of visitors to Walt Disney World travel to Orlando on domestic flights, says a report by Pali Capital Research Managing Director Richard Greenfield. By October, four airlines that account for about 33 percent of the total passenger traffic to Orlando -- Delta, American, Continental and Northwest -- will have cut 18 percent of their seats to Central Florida compared with seats available in October 2007. Delta, for example, is terminating nonstop routes from midsize cities, such as Nashville and New Orleans, to Orlando. All told, data collected by the Official Airline Guide estimates that by October airlines will provide 50,244 seats per day to Orlando International Airport, a 10.2 percent decline from the 55,950 available in October 2007. That's the 10th largest decline in the country. As the region's -- and the world's -- most popular theme park, Walt Disney World will bear the brunt of the cutbacks. But the effects will reach far beyond Disney. For instance, hotels and restaurants may see a drop in business. In addition, Orange County's tourist development tax collections -- used to fund things such as the new basketball arena and to pay off debt on the county convention center expansion -- may decline. Greenfield also expects rising gas prices -- which up until now have not affected attendance figures -- will mean fewer visitors who drive to Disney from out-of-state locations. Those visitors account for 30 percent of Disney's attendance. In general, Greenfield says, "Travel trends are beginning to deteriorate" for Disney. Disney declines to discuss attendance figures. But in a May conference call with investment analysts, Walt Disney Co. CEO Robert Iger said the company has no plans to offer discounts. "We don't believe there's any reason for us to consider any pricing strategies that are in any way tied to gasoline price increases." One reason Disney may be reluctant to offer discounts is the fact that 75 percent of the hotel rooms at Disney World are moderately priced, compared with just 45 percent during the last significant recession in 1991. Iger told analysts: "We believe we're much better positioned in a difficult economic cycle than we were in the past." |
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Shy genius behind Disney
hits Blackpool Gazette - Everybody young or old, knows the famous spaghetti scene from Disney's Lady and the Tramp. The iconic moment when two love struck pooches suck on the same piece of pasta and end up with their blushing faces inches apart is shown over and over as a symbol of innocent first love.
What many Disney fans probably
don't realize however, is that the animator of that very
scene now lives on the Fylde coast.
 John Wilson, 85 has travelled all over the globe with his
work, but put down roots in St Annes 10 years ago. John has lived a kind of fairytale existence similar to something Walt Disney might have dreamed up. Born in Wimbledon, his talent with a pencil and sketch pad soon earned him recognition and he had his first cartoon published at the tender age of 17. After the war, he landed a job in the art department of London's Pinewood studios before upping sticks to the United States in 1950 to take up a much-coveted role as an animator with Disney. Throughout his long career, he has built up an astonishing portfolio. From putting the sparkle into the wings of Tinker bell in Peter Pan and somehow turning spaghetti into a canine aphrodisiac in Lady and the Tramp, his work has thrilled families for decades. He worked on many of the Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Donald Duck cartoons as well as Mr. Magoo and The Flintstones. One of his biggest claims to fame is that he drew the cartoon opening sequence for smash hit musical film Grease and in 1960, he also created Journey to the Stars for the NASA Space Pavilion at the Seattle World's Fair. The film was seen by over seven million visitors and is still being shown today. You may think he had achieved enough in his life to want to retire, but in fact he is still working from the comfort of his own studio on Riley Avenue in St Annes where he lives with his second wife, Fylde councilor Fabian Wilson. He recently made a phone call to the HMV store in Blackpool and asked if they would be interested in stocking some of his DVDs. On hearing Mr. Wilson's film credentials, the Bank Hey Street store jumped at the chance. The staff were amazed at how modest Mr. Wilson was about his career The animator said: "I've been really lucky with my life. My parents were always very supportive of me and let me make my own choices about what I wanted to do. "I suppose it's funny to think the spaghetti scene in Lady and The Tramp has become so famous. I don't really think about it. "I've enjoyed every film I've ever worked on they are all so different. As long as I'm satisfied with my work and feel I have represented the characters properly, I am happy. "I've put three of my films in HMV and it's nice to think people might appreciate the local angle and buy one. "I have never really been into self-promotion, it isn't really my way." HMV manager Neil Carpenter remembers the day when he first took Mr. Wilson's phone call. He said: "To be perfectly honest when I spoke to John and he told me about his work, I assumed it was a joke. "We get all sorts of people ringing claiming different things up so you never know what or who to believe. "You know the films and of course you know the famous scenes but you never really think about the animators. They are films' unsung heroes really. "I was so impressed when he came in and I saw his work. He gave me a DVD of Stanley The Ugly Duckling which is one of his films. My two-year-old Kieran watches it constantly. "I rang head office and asked them about the possibility of stocking John's films and they said yes straightaway when I told them about his past. He has got some incredible stories to tell about his life." HMV is stocking Stanley The ugly Duckling, Shinbone Alley, which is based on the hit Broadway musical of the 1950s and an animated version of Igor Stravinsky's ballet Petroushka. The copies are nestled away in a corner upstairs in the store but Neil is confident more people would take a second look if they knew the story behind their creator. John already has more projects in the pipeline. He is currently working on a storyboard for Norwegian folklore tale Peer Gynt which is keeping him busy. He said: "It really varies with how long making a picture can take. When the team of writers and animators all get together and the excitement starts, it is just magic." John's brand of magic will doubtless be keeping generations of children spellbound for years to come. You can see his work at www.fineartsfilms.com |
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Former Insurance Salesman Turns 'Lost' Obsession Into Online
Career
Investors Business Daily - Cliff Ravenscraft worked for 11 years as an insurance agent in Hebron, Ky., before leaving to become a full-time Internet podcaster in September. Ravenscraft, 35, gave
himself a timeline of three months to get his podcast
business going. But as the year-end deadline approached, he
began to have second thoughts. Ravenscraft is one of a growing number of ordinary folks who have jumped on the podcasting bandwagon. The term podcasting draws its name from Apple's (NasdaqGS) iPod, a popular vehicle for the downloadable audio broadcasts. Amateur podcasters produce "shows" ranging from 20 minutes to 2 hours long. Many of the programs feature one podcaster offering commentary on topics running the gamut from politics to TV shows and sports. Most of the podcasts are audio programs, though a growing number include video. Going Mainstream Podcasting has become the new version of blogging, where amateur writers publish largely unedited commentary about hot topics, says analyst Phil Leigh of Inside Digital Media, a research firm. "Podcasting is now at the stage where blogging was three years ago," Leigh said. "People do it as a hobby because they like creating audio or video, or they do it as a way to establish themselves as an expert in a field." Armed with little more than a microphone and some recording equipment, a virtual nobody can become an Internet celebrity. Ravenscraft started podcasting as a hobby in December 2005. His first podcast was about ABC's "Lost," a prime-time serial drama. Ravenscraft got the idea after finding only one other podcast about the show. "It wasn't too long after that that I said I could probably do one of these, so I spent some time learning how to do it and I started it," he said. Ravenscraft bought a microphone and a small sound mixer and set up a Web site. In his "Lost" podcast, Ravenscraft discusses things from plot twists to props. No nuance goes unnoticed. A coffee cup held by a character in one episode was purchased at a Target store, he says. Fans admired his dedication. "Within a few weeks I had several thousand listeners," he said. Ravenscraft eventually added his wife, Stephanie, another fan of the show, to the podcast. But that wasn't enough. Soon after, Ravenscraft launched a second "Lost" podcast, another to discuss faith and family issues, and then another about his life. "I wanted to start sharing things that were on my mind," he said. The latter show, "My Crazy Life," has become popular, he says."It has become everything you ever wanted to know about Cliff Ravenscraft and then some," he said. From Hobby To Career Ravenscraft added more shows. It was then that he realized he wanted out of the insurance business. "I enjoyed and loved my job until I started podcasting as a hobby," he said. Today, Ravenscraft's company, the Generally Speaking Production Network (GSPN.tv) produces 27 podcast shows. In one, he and his 8-year-old daughter, Meagan, discuss episodes of the Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) show "Hannah Montana." Most of the shows are audio programs that run once a week. Many are for other podcasters. The audience numbers about 35,000 worldwide. In late December, Ravenscraft decided to keep working rather than worry about finances. Slowly, the money began to trickle in. Early on, some loyal listeners sent donations to keep him on the "air." Ravenscraft found other ways to make the business pay. For $95 an hour, he rents himself out as a consultant to others looking to become podcasters. For $3,500, he'll set up a Web site with all the necessities for podcasting. Ravenscraft also sells podcast equipment online. Limited Ads So far, only two of Ravenscraft's self-produced shows have ads. But Ravenscraft blames his strict requirements about ads rather than the fledgling podcast ad market. Ravenscraft will allow only one prerecorded ad of up to 8 seconds to run before a show. He and his wife will also talk about an advertiser in the middle of a show. But those spots are completely informal, says Ravenscraft. "It's unscripted -- the advertiser has no control over what we say," he said. Listeners come first, even before sponsors. "Our listeners connect with us, so we have a certain approach on how we cover things," he said. Ravenscraft is hoping to attract advertisers for his "Lost" and "Montana" shows. But his ad restrictions have hampered the effort. To make up for the lack of ad revenue, Ravenscraft launched his first subscription service in late March. For $10 a month, subscribers can get additional podcast material with no ads and also read a daily blog. Paid members can also comment on individual shows. More than 80 fans signed up in the first two weeks. Ravenscraft's piecemeal revenue approach isn't surprising, says Inside Digital Media's Leigh. "I compare (Ravenscraft) to Tom Clancy, who became a popular novelist," Leigh said. "But most podcasters are going to be like bloggers -- they are not going to make a lot of money by relying (solely) on advertising." For Ravenscraft, who has three young children, things are looking far less bleak than in December. "March was the first month I kind of broke even with what I was making in the insurance business," he said. |
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Friday June 20, 2008 |
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Disneyland's new monorail remains sidetracked International Indulgence NASA and Disney Invite Kids to Explore Space With Wall-E Walt Disney Internet to set sites on Australian market Late Summer Passholder Discounts Announced Disney Channel Goes 3D With ‘Hannah’ Concert Film Kanter Promoted to Playhouse Disney Worldwide Rock 'n' roll Cinderella story filmed in Ont. stars Jonas Brothers Chernin, Iger may resume SAG roles N.Y. mayor, Barbara Bush to speak on improving education at Disney |
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Disneyland's new monorail remains sidetracked LATimes - Every once in a while, visitors to the Magic Kingdom might catch sight of the new, candy-red colored monorail cars gliding overhead. But don't try and get on board. Several months after they were to go into service, the custom-made Mark VII monorail cars are still being tested to eliminate numerous problems, reports the Daily Travel & Deal blog. One issue, notable during our current heat wave, is that the windows in the new trains do not allow for enough air circulation, creating uncomfortably warm conditions inside. The new trains, like their predecessors, are NOT air conditioned for the most part. Does this explain why Snow White will be adding two new dwarfs: Sweaty and Stinky. |
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International Indulgence Disney News - Savory samplings from around the world will be on the menu during the 13th annual Epcot International Food and Wine Festival Sept. 26 - Nov. 9, 2008 at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The popular six-week-long culinary extravaganza showcases celebrated chefs and vintners, cooking demonstrations, wine pairings and live entertainment. |
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NASA and Disney Invite Kids to Explore Space With Wall-E
SpaceRef - An animated robot and his space faring companion are leading a campaign by NASA and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures to promote interest among schoolchildren in science and technology. NASA and Disney have signed a Space Act Agreement for a series of educational and public outreach activities related to Disney-Pixar's new movie, WALL-E, opening in theaters nationwide on June 27, 2008. This collaboration highlights the similarities between the movie's storyline and NASA's real-life work in robot technology, propulsion systems and astrophysics. Disney-Pixar's WALL-E is set 700 years in the future. The film's main character is the only rover-robot left on Earth. He meets a new robot named Eve, and together they take a journey through the universe. "Great ideas for future exploration of the universe start with the imagination," said Robert Hopkins, chief of strategic communications at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "We hope that with the help of our new robot friend WALL-E, NASA can encourage young people to learn about science and technology and become the explorers of tomorrow." Disney has designed a 30-second public service announcement featuring WALL-E for NASA's television channels and Web site. The video is designed to draw students to NASA's Web site to explore the agency's missions. The WALL-E character also will be featured on NASA's Kids' Club page. In addition, Disney has designed a "movie surfer vignette" about WALL-E that touches on science and technology that drives NASA's programs, which began airing on the Disney Channel in June. For the World Premiere of WALL-E, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., will be showcasing some of the latest in rover and lander technology, highlighting the recent Phoenix mission, as well as the upcoming Mars Science Laboratory mission, which is currently scheduled for launch in the fall of 2009. Starting June 27 and running through August 27, the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood will host a special NASA space exploration display, including imagery from the Hubble Space Telescope, which can be enjoyed by all guests coming to see WALL-E there. Commenting on the collaboration, Mark Zoradi, president, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Group, said, "All of us at Disney are delighted to be working with NASA in their educational and public outreach efforts to teach schoolchildren about space exploration, robot technology, and the universe they live in. WALL-E is one of the most lovable and entertaining characters that Pixar ever has created, and he is the perfect spokes-robot for this program. Disney-Pixar's WALL-E takes moviegoers on a thrilling and imaginative journey into outer space, and now the film's title character will be able to stimulate imaginations further through these efforts." To view the new WALL-E public service announcement and learn more about NASA and agency programs, visit: www.nasa.gov For more information about Disney-Pixar's WALL-E, visit: www.wall-e.com |
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Walt
Disney Internet to set sites on Australian market Sydney Morning Herald - The Walt Disney Internet Group has unveiled ambitious plans to blitz the online market in Australia using gaming and "virtual worlds" to increase its base of 1 million users and challenge assumptions that people will not pay for online content. Disney attracts about 5 million users each month across the Asia-Pacific region but has aggressive growth plans, particularly for the Australian market. The group's Asia-Pacific head, Duncan Orrell-Jones, said at least one-third of Disney's online revenues here could be derived from premium subscriptions to children and parents, once it unveiled a string of new content services later this year. Mr Orrell-Jones said Australia was one of the top three markets in the world for the Disney brand behind North America and Japan, providing massive potential to expand its presence to children and adults. In the United States, Disney is having success online attracting mothers via its family.com website and Australia will ultimately follow suit. Already 50 per cent of Disney Internet users here are aged over 17. "We have a brand here in Australia that plans to have a very broad audience," Mr Orrell-Jones said. "Over time we've got the ability to continue to broaden the types of content and entertainment that will break into families. We're puting entertainment front and centre of everything and we're very aggressive about moving onto these new platforms." Since relaunching its Disney.com.au website last December with new casual games and other entertainment options, unique browsers have doubled. Mr Orrell-Jones said the content alliance Disney struck with Yahoo!7 this year has generated a quarter of its overall audience growth. He said the priority for the Australian operation was to expand its "virtual worlds" program using Disney franchises such as Cars, Pirates of the Caribbean and Pixie Hollow as entertainment and "edutainment" destinations. He said Club Penguin, a premium subscription service for children, which Disney has acquired in the US, would begin in Australia this year. "We are enormously encouraged by what we've seen with Club Penguin already. There isn't a local version but people are already on the US version and paying for it in very significant numbers from Australia. If you get the content right, parents are willing to pay for that online." Premium subscription services start at about $US5 ($5.30) a month for Club Penguin in North America. Mr Orrell-Jones said Disney was experimenting with various online revenue models across the region, ranging from advertising supported content to online micro-payments for merchandise and subscription services. When asked if subscriptions could generate a third of Disney's online revenues in Australia, he said: "It could represent more than that but it's too early. We're very focused on delivering fantastic products that people are willing to pay for but there will probably be other business models that come along." |
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Late Summer Passholder Discounts Announced Disney News - Disney has released room-only discounts, at select resorts, for Annual Passholders vacationing between August 3 - September 27, 2008. Discounts include select Value Resorts for $64+, Moderate Resorts at $99+ and $144+ for Deluxe Resorts per night. The number of rooms offered at these rates is limited. Ask for code FKH. |
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Disney Channel Goes 3D With ‘Hannah’ Concert Film To support the film’s TV July 26 at 8 p.m. (ET/PT), Disney Channel will run a six-hour Hanna Montana marathon leading into the movie that night. That week, Disney Channel, beginning July 20, with a fresh Hannah Montana episode, entitled “Hannah in the Street with Diamonds,” will run a rock-themed show every night at 9 p.m. Starting July 5, Wal-Mart will be giving complimentary 3-D glasses in the “back to school” displays at its outlets nationwide. Cyrus, who raised eyebrows when she appeared semi-nude in a Vanity Fair photo session, completed a 70-dare concert tour, which is commemorated in Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: the Best of Both Worlds Concert. The Walt Disney Pictures film grossed over $65 million in the U.S. during its limited theatrical run. Meanwhile, the cast of the series is currently filming the feature Hannah Montana: The Movie in Nashville. It's due for release in summer 2009. |
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Kanter
Promoted to Playhouse Disney Worldwide Animation Insider - As the Big Three children's cable networks gear up for the official launch of the summer season, those in the area of preschool television programming within this sector are particularly to turn the corner. Disney's preschool kids programming effort Playhouse Disney Worldwide similarly has undergone the necessary preparations to absorb the massive increase in viewership that traditionally accompanies the summer months. Most recently, however, Playhouse Disney Worldwide has taken in network veteran Nancy Kanter as its new Senior Vice President, where she will provide creative guidance for the Playhouse Disney effort on a global scale. Kanter has been in charge of developing Playhouse Disney programming with Playhouse Disney U.S. over the past few years. Her experience with the brands grants her insight into the greater, perhaps global perspective of what organizational needs should be met. With the early education animation market becoming increasingly important to parents and/or caretakers of children, Kanter's duty to supervise the development of key programs such as Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, My Friends Tigger & Pooh and Handy Manny are now only a fraction of responsibilities in her new position. "Nancy's dedication to learning-focused stories for preschoolers helped drive unprecedented success for our Playhouse Disney programming," Gary Marsh, President of Entertainment for Disney Channels Worldwide, stated. "As we increase our programming development around the world, this promotion recognizes her valued contribution to creative excellence and will ensure a consistent vision for all Playhouse Disney content." Previously the svp of programming for Playhouse Disney U.S. Nancy Kanter will now have a much farther reaching job by overseeing the development and production of all long-form and short-form programming initiatives, which includes both live-action endeavors and animated series.' Kanter's main obligation as new Senior Vice President of Playhouse Disney Worldwide will be to "ensur[e] cohesiveness between programming and promotion and all extensions of the brand." As Marsh previously stated, she will additionally work towards unifying the creative vision of Playhouse Disney's programming, marketing and brand management teams. In other roles with Disney, she was a key player in acquiring children's programming such as The Wiggles, The Doodlebops and charming animated series from Tiger Aspect Prods. Charlie and Lola. Kanter joined Disney Channel in February 2001 as Vice President, Original Programming and was promoted to Senior Vice President, Original Programming, Playhouse Disney U.S., in October 2004. Prior to joining Disney Channel, she was President, Bluecow.com, an internet site for children's entertainment. She was previously an executive producer for Sesame Workshop (formerly Children’s Television Workshop) where she supervised the development and production of over 30 Sesame Street broadcast specials and direct-to-video projects, including the Emmy Award-winning "Elmo Saves Christmas." on Disney Channels Worldwide: Disney Channels Worldwide represents the most successful portfolio of kids' channels in the world. It comprises 27 Disney Channels, ten Playhouse Disney Channels, ten Toon Disney Channels and Walt Disney Television Animation, the industry leader in the production of quality animated properties for television. Disney Channel properties continue to rapidly expand into new markets across the world, playing a key role in introducing the Disney brand to new consumers. |
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Rock 'n' roll Cinderella story filmed in Ont. stars Jonas
Brothers
The Canadian Press - If you thought the hype for the "High School Musical" movies was huge, get set for "Camp Rock." The song-and-dance-filled Disney Channel original movie premieres Friday in Canada on Family Channel. "High School Musical 2" drew the kind of audience rarely found these days on broadcast television, with 17.3 million American viewers tuning in to the premiere - at the time, the highest-rated basic-cable broadcast in U.S. history. Disney also raked in millions from the sale of T-shirts, posters, CDs and other related goodies. So expectations are high for "Camp Rock," a made-in-Canada feature starring a school bus full of Disney Channel series stars as well as the hottest act in preteen pop rock, the Jonas Brothers. All made the trek to camps Wanakita and Kilcoo in Ontario's Haliburton cottage country region last fall to shoot the musical. "It was amazing," says Joe Jonas, who stars in "Camp Rock" as a teen idol with ego problems forced back to the summer resort by his fed-up bandmates (played by brothers Kevin and Nick). "I loved shooting up there," Jonas, 18, said last month at the annual Disney Channel Games in Walt Disney World (airing on Family in August). "I fell in love with Toronto, you know, and then Haliburton of course." The Jonas Brothers return to Toronto next month to kick off their "Burning Up" tour, playing at the Molson Amphitheatre on July 4. "It's an American holiday but we're going to be rockin' in Toronto," says oldest sibling Kevin Jonas, 20. "Camp Rock," a rock 'n' roll Cinderella story, finds aspiring singer Mitchie Torres (Disney up-and-comer Demi Lovato, touted as their next Miley Cyrus) getting to attend the prestigious music camp when her working class mom lands a job there as a cook. To save face, Mitchie tells the camp cool girls her mom is a big noise in the music biz. The lie catches up with her, just as romance blooms between Mitchie and Jonas's too-cool-for-camp music dude, Shane. Naturally, much singing and dancing ensues. The musical numbers have an '80s feel, very "Thriller"-era Michael Jackson. Some of the dialogue is pretty corny ("That is rich but apparently you're not," says one of the cool girls upon learning of Mitchie's deception), but it is hard not to get caught up in the exuberance and good spirits of the production. Among the talented cast is Jasmine Richards who hails from Oakville, Ont., and who plays the lead in Disney Channel's "Naturally Sadie." "It was a bonding experience, I didn't know anybody," says Richards of shooting in the relative isolation of Haliburton. The 17-year-old, who plays Peggy, one of the camp cool girls, got her start several years ago when she auditioned for the Toronto stage production of "The Lion King." She won the part of young Nala and has worked in television ever since. She insists there was no star-tripping in cottage country from the red hot Jonas Brothers. "They are awesome guys, such gentlemen," she says. The cast bonded after suffering through every teen's worst nightmare at the summer camp locale - a pronounced lack of cellphone coverage. "We built a lot more chemistry than we ever thought we would because we didn't have our cellphones to rely on," says Lovato, a Texas native who began her career as a youngster on "Barney & Friends." "We had a couple of run-ins with raccoons and skunks but it was extremely beautiful. I know people were taking pictures just for the heck of it, it was so green." Not everyone was charmed. "It was horrible," says self-described city kid Roshon Fegan. The L.A.-native plays one of the camp's best dancers. "It was just trees and raccoons and mosquitoes and chipmunks, a really new experience for me." It got so bad, says Fegan, "I was walking around the whole camp trying to find one little bar." That is, a cellphone power bar. This is, after all, a Disney movie. The lack of cellphone use didn't seem to bother the one group you'd think it would affect the most - the Jonas Brothers. "We played a lot of golf and kept the phones off, actually," says Joe. Bill Brioux is a freelance TV columnist based in Brampton, Ont. He was a guest of Family Channel while reporting from the Disney Channel Games in Walt Disney World. |
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Chernin, Iger may resume SAG roles Variety - With SAG contract talks going nowhere fast, speculation's rising that Peter Chernin and Robert Iger will resume their diplomatic mission with the guild following a two-month hiatus. No meetings have been set yet, but hope's emerged that informal powwows between the studio toppers and SAG brass could serve to break the logjam that's been the dominant feature of the last three weeks of negotiations -- even with the approach of the June 30 expiration of the SAG feature-primetime deal. Lack of resolution of SAG's contract has led the congloms to put the brakes on production starts for features and TV pilots. Talks hit their 33rd day Wednesday at the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers' Sherman Oaks HQ, and they are expected to resume tomorrow morning. With frustration mounting on the company side over the lack of movement in recent days, the notion of Iger and Cherin attempting to salvage the stalemate has been gaining traction. But with SAG leaders apparently fixated on spending the next three weeks trying to defeat the ratification of the AFTRA deal, there's no guarantee the moguls will step forward. As they had done earlier with the directors and writers, News Corp. prexy Chernin and Disney CEO Iger met with SAG prexy Alan Rosenberg and national exec director Doug Allen in early April in an effort to come to an agreement on the agenda for the formal bargaining seshes. That session was cordial but not particularly substantive, with Chernin and Iger making it clear to guild leaders that the AMPTP has no plans to deviate significantly from the template established in the DGA and WGA contracts reached earlier this year. At that point, the moguls opted to back away and let the formal negotiations processs play out (Daily Variety, April 10).
More than
one option
Reps for the AMPTP declined comment Wednesday. Meanwhile, the SAG-AFTRA brawl heated up thanks to the battle of the dueling robo-calls. A week after AFTRA members began receiving automated phone calls from James Cromwell in support of ratifying AFTRA's primetime deal, SAG struck back with calls from Sandra Oh urging the 44,000 dual cardholders to vote down the AFTRA pact. Allen said that the SAG counteroffensive has been cooked up in response to AFTRA's recent "fear campaign" to convince dual-card members that a no vote is a vote for strike. "This is wrong and is fear-mongering," Allen said in a statement Wednesday. "A no vote simply sends AFTRA back to the table with SAG to get a better deal. The AMPTP will then be unable to pit one union against the other, and actors can only benefit from that." Allen didn't explain his apparent assumption that AFTRA and SAG would go back to the table together if the AFTRA deal's voted down. It's a questionable scenario in the light of the toxic relations between the two unions. Allen also blasted AFTRA's message as "extraordinarily deceptive and divisive" and added, "We cannot allow their disinformation to go unchecked." SAG notified board members Wednesday morning of the Oh messages that would be going out to members later in the day and told them that similar calls would be placed to members over the next week or so. Oh delivered a fiery speech in support of striking writers at the conclusion of the WGA's march on Hollywood Boulevard last November. SAG was the closest union ally of the WGA during the work stoppage. The AMPTP accused SAG last week of lying and wasting the congloms' time by stalling the talks until around July 8, when ratification ballots are due back and results of voting are expected to be announced. SAG's insisted that AFTRA's deal falls short in a wide array of key areas, including salary minimums, online clip consent, DVD residuals, new-media pay rates and jurisdiction, force majeure and product integration protections. Its leaders have asserted a no vote will force AFTRA and the companies to make a better deal. AFTRA continued to blast away at SAG Wednesday, defending its deal and insisting a no vote will lead to a strike instead. "The no vote SAG Hollywood is trying to foment on the Exhibit A contract is a strike vote for the kind of industry chaos that has already shut down the movie industry and would paralyze television," the union said. "Don't underestimate what's at stake here. If your agreement is not ratified, the employers can and probably will take back many of the gains you've already won." AFTRA, which reached its deal on May 28 after splitting off from SAG in March, also accused SAG of incompetence and cluelessness in the realities of negotiating a deal. "It's easy for the Screen Actors Guild to claim that our deal isn't good enough and that it can do better," AFTRA said. "But does anyone --including SAG's Hollywood leadership -- have any idea of exactly how SAG intends to get more from the studios than the Writers Guild, the Directors Guild and AFTRA have all already achieved? The fact is that actions speak louder than words. Don't be fooled by the spin." SAG hasn't yet set a strike authorization vote, which would take about three weeks to complete and require a 75% approval among those voting. Besides the Cromwell calls, the AFTRA pro-ratification campaign has included multiple emails, video testimonials on the AFTRA website, set visits by staff, local meetings and house parties hosted by negotiating committee members, member-to-member phone calls, traditional mailings and a pair of upcoming informational meetings in Los Angeles. AFTRA also announced Wednesday a statement of support from Maria Elena Durazo, exec secretary-treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. "Your success at the bargaining table is a testament to the leadership and hard work of the men and women -- all working performers -- who negotiated the new agreement," she said. "AFTRA members have won the fight to ensure that jobs in the entertainment and media industry remain good jobs with fair pay, good benefits and safe working conditions. These are challenging times for working people that require a strong voice to speak up and act to support workers and their families." DGA president Michael Apted, IATSE topper Tom Shot and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa had previously issued statements congratulating AFTRA. The AFTRA shows covered by the deal include "Rules of Engagement," "Cashmere Mafia," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Flight of the Conchords," "Dante's Cove," " 'Til Death," "Reaper," the new CBS programs "Project Gary" and "Harper's Island" and the ABC comedy "Roman's Empire." The current AFTRA contract also expires June 30. |
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N.Y. mayor, Barbara Bush to speak on improving education at
Disney Orlando Sentinel - New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Barbara Bush will share their views on how to improve schools at an education summit at Walt Disney World hosted by one of the former first lady's sons. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has invited his mother, a longtime literacy activist, and Bloomberg to speak Friday at the first of what's planned as an annual event. New York has made dramatic improvements in student achievement since Bloomberg persuaded his state's legislature to give him control of the nation's largest school district. He made changes that included adopting a letter grading system for schools similar to one Bush instituted in Florida. |
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Thursday June 19, 2008 |
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Disney Hotel Manager Accused Of Stealing From Guest Disney banking on a hit with "Camp Rock" Disney Interactive Announces "Bolt" Games for PS3, Xbox 360 Hallmark Cards launches first ever Disney song cards Walt Disney at Comic-Con 2008 The World According to Disney |
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Disney Hotel Manager Accused Of Stealing From Guest
Local 6 - A manager at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge hotel was arrested Wednesday for charging $1,200 on a guests’ credit card. Orange County Sheriff’s deputies said 44 year old Patrick Noze stole a credit card out of a guest’s wallet and charged the card for auto repairs. The owner of the Orlando mechanic shop Noze went to said he told them he had permission to use the credit card. Noze was charged with credit card forgery, grand theft by hotel employee, fraudulent use of a credit card, and dealing in stolen property. A Disney Spokesperson said he has been placed on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of the charges. Police are still investigating at this time. |
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Disney banking
on a hit with "Camp Rock" Reuters - It's a felony to print money, but Disney, for all practical purposes, has found a way around that law. By adhering closely to its "High School Musical" formula and stretching the results over even more of its divisions, Disney has devised a way to generate coin more efficiently than the U.S. Mint. Whether "Camp Rock" actually outperforms "High School Musical" remains to be seen. But if it doesn't, it won't be for lack of corporate strategizing. With "Camp Rock," Disney plucks another fresh face off its deep bench of young talent. Demi Lovato, a cast member on the Disney interstitial program "As the Bell Rings," plays Mitchie Torres, an aspiring singer and timid songwriter. All that stands between Mitchie and a fabulously successful career is attendance at fabulously expensive Camp Rock, which her parents can't afford. Then Mitchie's mom, a caterer, gets hired to do the cooking, which allows Mitchie to attend at a discount (cue the family hug). At the camp, we find a mean, rich, snooty blonde (Meaghan Jette Martin steps in for Ashley Tisdale), a smattering of minimorality lessons and a song-filled happy ending. Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers is at camp, too, serving as an instructor and a "really like" interest for Mitchie. The whole enterprise is so precisely formulated, you expect to see a final credit for quality control inspector. Director Matthew Diamond gets a solid enough performance and lots of toothy smiles from Lovato, who should remain a bankable Disney property for as long as she stays clothed on the Internet. Maybe even after that. It takes nothing away from this genuinely talented group of kids to express even greater admiration for the promotion and marketing. Following Friday's premiere (with an audio simulcast on Radio Disney and a video simulcast on mobile devices), "Camp Rock" will be broadcast on ABC on Saturday, on ABC Family on Sunday and on Disney.com on Monday. From there, the ripple effect will carry merchandise and more replays to shores near and far. |
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Disney Interactive Announces "Bolt" Games for PS3, Xbox 360 DailyGame - The next Disney animated film (the one after WALL*E), will have a next-gen video game tie-in as well, Disney Interactive Studios announced today. This November, the company will release Bolt for the PS3 (PlayStation 3), Xbox 360, Wii, DS, PS2 and Windows-based PC. The movie "Bolt" tells the story of a TV-star dog that's inadvertently shipped from Hollywood to New York City, where he begins a cross-country adventure home. The Bolt video game, however, won't follow the movie's plot, but will instead take place in the fictional world of the in-movie TV show, thus letting players travel worldwide. |
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Hallmark Cards launches first ever Disney song cards Talking Retail - Hallmark Cards and Disney have joined forces to launch the first ever range of real song cards featuring music and sound bites from Disney's most popular characters and films. The new range of cards will bring characters to life with songs and sounds from some of the most popular Disney films including Hannah Montana, High School Musical 2, Power Rangers, Toy Story, Cars, Winnie the Pooh, Disney Princesses, Pirates of the Caribbean and more. The range consists of 31 cards for all birthday occasions, including daughter, son, granddaughter, grandson, sister and general Happy Birthday. Cards will retail at around £4.99 each and will be available from all good greeting card retailers throughout the UK from July 2008. To support the launch of the cards in August, Hallmark is offering consumers the chance to win a family holiday to Florida and two runner up breaks to Paris with a special in-store competition. Customers will get the chance to take part in the competition by buying a card and picking up an entry form in a Hallmark shop or other participating retailer during August. For further information please visit www.hallmark.co.uk |
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Walt Disney at Comic-Con
2008 Narnia Web - Comic-Con released a list of exhibitors for their 2008 convention and Walt Disney Studios is on the list. No word yet on whether or not anything from Prince Caspian or The Voyage of the Dawn Treader will be shown, but it's probably a safe bet we'll see something Narnian. Comic-Con 2008 takes place on July 23 – 27 at the San Diego Convention Center. If you plan on attending this year, please let us know! |
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The World According to
Disney BusinessWeek - This morning a New York Times profile of Michelle Obama contained something that truly shocked me. When she entered Princeton University in 1981—a mere 27 years ago—as one of 94 black freshmen in a class of 1,100, the mother of her white roommate spent months pleading with college officials to give her daughter a white roommate instead. “Mom just blew a gasket when I described Michelle,” Catherine Donnelly, the roommate, says today. “It was my secret shame.” It’s hard for me to imagine that happening today. I realize I live a somewhat sheltered life when it comes to racism, given that my daughter attends a diverse public school in Brooklyn. She would be mystified by raced-based objections to any of her friends. But I think she’s not unusual. Survey after survey has found that most members of the under-30 generation are virtually color-blind these days, no matter where they live. And I have a feeling a lot of the credit for this racial progress goes to Disney. I know, I know, you’d rather not give any credit to the saccharine-sweet world of Disney. But the fact is, the Disney network is a racial nirvana, where children and adults of all races, creeds and colors play, date, and work together, without an eyebrow raised. Take the wildly popular High School Musical : the romantic leads, Troy and Gabriela, are a white jock and a Latina brain. Their best friends are both black and the villain is a rich white girl adored by a black basketball player who also loves to bake. Or how about Corey in the House, a spin-off of the hit That’s So Raven. African-American Corey moves into the White House when his dad is named the head chef by a Hispanic president. His best friends are a white surfer dude and a Middle East girl, who he secretly has a crush on. This color blind casting is no
accident. Disney Channel president of entertainment Rich Ross
told MultiChannel News four years ago that when he took over in
1996 he was determined to change the complexion of the network.
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Wednesday June 18, 2008 |
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Disney worker charged in child porn now free on bond Walt Disney World employee arrested on child porn charges Disney names VP for planned Hawaii resort Let's celebrate -- new July 4th fireworks Walt Disney World Water Parks Go ‘Mobile’ With Singer/Actor Corbin Bleu and Artist Jesse LeDoux Toy Story Mania: How I beat Pixar's John Lasseter Disney Inaugurates “Path to Pura Vida” Tours to Costa Rica Test Your Wonderful World of Disney Knowledge The worst Disneyland ride of all time Fun and games serious business at Disney's Wide World of Sports Selena Gomez: No Feuding With Miley Cyrus Walt Disney Internet to set sites on Australian market Disney Artist Stores zeros down on LS Retail to sustain international quality standards |
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Disney worker charged in child porn now free on bond Orlando Sentinel - A Walt Disney World employee who was arrested yesterday for three counts of possessing child pornography is now free on bond. Charles Hurrey, 29, posted $15,000 bond at 7:48 p.m. last night, according to the Lake County Jail.  Yesterday
morning, investigators served a search warrant at Hurrey's home
in Clermont and found three videos depicting children engaging
in sex acts with adults and each other on an external hard
drive, according to an arrest affidavit.Hurrey admitted to downloading the videos and told investigators that he is interested in child pornography because he is curious why people would make them, according to the affidavit. Hurrey denied ever sexually abusing a child, according to the affidavit. Kim Prunty, a spokeswoman for Walt Disney World, confirmed that Hurrey was employed at Disney's Hollywood Studios, where he issued and repaired photography equipment and deployed photographers to locations around the park.
"Obviously, we take these things very seriously," Prunty said.
"He has been placed on unpaid administrative leave pending the
outcome of these charges." |
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Walt Disney World employee arrested on child porn charges
Orlando Sentinel - A Walt Disney World employee was arrested this morning on three counts of possessing child pornography.
Hurrey admitted to downloading the videos and told investigators that he is interested in child pornography because he is curious why people would make them, according to the affidavit. Hurrey denied ever sexually abusing a child, according to the affidavit. Kim Prunty, a spokeswoman for Walt Disney World, confirmed that Hurrey was employed at Disney's Hollywood Studios, where he issued and repaired photography equipment and deployed photographers to locations around the park. "Obviously, we take these things very seriously," Prunty said. "He has been placed on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of these charges." Investigators zeroed in on Hurrey during an ongoing undercover investigation with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, according to Det. Chris Loyko of the Lake County Sheriff's Office. Hurrey is being held at the Lake County Jail in lieu of $15,000 bond. |
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Disney names
VP for planned Hawaii resort
Pacific Business News - Walt Disney Parks and Resorts has brought in a 20-year veteran to serve as vice president of the club and resort to be built in Hawaii. Djuan Rivers has been named vice president of Disney Vacation Club and Resort, Hawaii. Rivers, who has relocated to Hawaii, will work with the community and business and government leaders as the 21-acre oceanfront property is built at Ko Olina Resort. Rivers has helped open nine resorts in Florida and Paris. He has held various other leadership positions and most recently served as vice president of new business development for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. |
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Let's
celebrate -- new July 4th fireworks Theme
Park Rangers - It's official from the folks at Disney -- there
will be a new fireworks show in the Magic Kingdom for
July 4th. "Disney's Celebrate America!-A Fourth of July Concert
in the Sky" is scheduled for 9 p.m.Other parks will offer: |
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Walt Disney World Water Parks Go ‘Mobile’ With Singer/Actor
Corbin Bleu and Artist Jesse LeDoux Disney News - Thanks to a new Disney WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) site, adults and their kids this summer can immerse themselves in the magic of Disney's Typhoon Lagoon and Disney's Blizzard Beach water parks before, during and after they actually visit -- and all it takes is their cell phones. Thanks to a new Web site customized for the mobile phone, users can download any of four exclusive wallpapers from Toyko-based, avant-garde artist Jesse LeDoux. Also featured: insider tips, an interactive personality quiz and more. Another highlight stars actor-singer Corbin Bleu, famous for his role in the Disney Channel's hit "High School Musical" films. How to get the fun rolling? Guests have several options: In their Disney Resort hotel room, guests can view a video and text H20 to SPLASH (775274). Then their cell phone rings with a message from Corbin Bleu, plus a link to the WAP. Before arriving, guests can text H2O to SPLASH on their cell and get a call from Corbin. Guests familiar with texting on their cell phones can send a picture of their favorite attraction at the water parks to disney@splash.com to receive a special mobile wallpaper. Guests can access a number of interactive features including tips to "surf" Disney's Typhoon Lagoon or "ski" at Disney's Blizzard Beach. Other great tips for park-goers can be downloaded onto guests' cell phones. |
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Toy
Story Mania: How I beat Pixar's John Lasseter LATimes - I was resigned to a crushing and humiliating defeat when I climbed aboard Toy Story Mania with Pixar chief John Lasseter. Lasseter had quite literally invented the new dark ride at Disney’s California Adventure — shepherding the interactive 3-D attraction from concept to reality. Played the game hundreds of times. Held a top score in the 300,000-plus range. I’d heard tales of Lasseter’s legendary competitive streak. Walt Disney Imagineers had forced the pugnacious Pixar pooh-bah to sit on his hands during the ride to get his feedback on the atmospheric theming, lest he feel compelled to blast off a few shots. The game is that addictive. You can’t not play. It’s just not possible. But to learn, you must. And I did. Before my showdown with Lasseter, my best score was 165,000
and change. So I sought guidance. And sat on my hands. What I didn’t know also surprised me: triggering the many hidden “Easter Eggs” that unlock the big bonus-point targets requires teamwork and precision timing. I was shown the secret to unleashing a shower of 2,000-point balloons in the Bo Peep dart-toss game. The trick: shoot four of the five balloons in each of the hovering clouds before popping the fifth and final balloons at the same time as your partner. Teamwork triggers similar bonus-point deluges in the Green Army Men game and the Saloon scene. Kind and wise Imagineer Estefania Pickens taught me my most valuable lesson: the proper shooting position. The keys: Arm raised at a right angle to shoulder level, elbow literally in your opponent’s face, drawstring bob squeezed between your index and middle fingers, a delicate, almost imperceptible trigger motion like the flutter of a butterfly’s wings. By the time I met Lasseter, I was prepared but not delusional. My two-fold goal was simple: learn from Obi-Wan and take my punishment like a man. Like any chief honcho of a creative company, Lasseter was kind and gracious as well as goal- and results-oriented. His game-playing advice throughout the ride wavered somewhere between benevolence and expectation. So as not to bore you with all the play-by-play details (he took a Lakers-like early lead, I battled back a la the Celtics), I’ll cut to the chase: When the final scores flashed up on the big board, I was shocked to have outscored the legendary John Lasseter 205,400 to 200,100. Upon further reflection, I’ve come to realize that he probably let me win. That he is so good as to be able to lose at will by a few thousand points. To boost my ego. Inflate my self-worth. And provide my happily ever after ending. But I have no shame. A win is a win. I’ll take the W any way I can get it. And proudly proclaim: I beat the master. |
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Disney Inaugurates “Path to Pura Vida” Tours to Costa Rica Costa Rica Travel News - The magical world of Disney has now expanded it’s Magic Kingdom beyond U.S. boundaries. Disney now offers all-inclusive vacations to Costa Rica. The new guided vacation tour packages have been designed for families to take the hassle out of planning a vacation that every member of the family will enjoy. Adventure’s by Disney offers vacations all over the world to countries such as China, Australia, England, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Peru, Costa Rica and more. With Costa Rica tourism sky rocketing it’s no wonder that the little Latin American gem was Disney’s next choice in guided vacations. Disney decided to expand to Costa Rica after watching the tourist industry rise in the United States with special interest in the Latin America region, in part thanks to its close proximity and eco-friendly reputation. The region has gained around $63 million in tourism and travel related revenues in the past year. The World Travel and Tourism Council reports that a 7.9% growth in the Latin American tourism industry in 2006 alone. About 6% of that growth is thanks to Costa Rica travel, making it the entertainment giant’s clear choice as its newest preferred destination. About 5 to 10 families will visit Costa Rica at a time with Disney and each tour will last 7 days 6 nights and 224 tours will run over the course of the year. Only four and five star hotels will be used and as of May 31st of this year the “Path to Pura Vida” tours are open for business. The detailed itinerary will begin at the San Jose airport where each family is greeted by their adventure guide and taken to the Real Intercontinental Hotel located in the upscale capital city neighborhood of Escazu. This is one of the only nights the family will have free time to eat in the restaurant of their choice and explore the city on their own should they choose to. Early the next morning families will meet for a large breakfast on the outdoor terrace and have the opportunity to meet the other families who will be traveling together throughout the adventure. Breakfast is followed by a guided tour of the La Paz Waterfall Gardens, a picnic lunch at the waterfalls, and a private festive dinner and show in the luxury Arenal Resort, Arenal Kioro. Day three is even more action packed as breakfast is quickly followed by an invigorating zip line tour in the jungle canopy, a filling lunch, a local arts and crafts session and a private hot spring visit and dinner at the base of the active Arenal Volcano. Day four begins with an action packed river rafting tour down the Sarapiqui River, followed by a picnic lunch on the river bank. An informative pineapple plantation tour is followed by a delicious dinner. Day four begins with a scenic flight along the Pacific coastline to Manuel Antonio where guests will enjoy a catered picnic lunch in the sand. Later that evening parents and children will branch off to enjoy their own private meals where the junior adventurers can cut loose with their favorite foods and mom and dad can toast to a stress free vacation followed by a Disney Movie Night. After breakfast on day six families will explore the Costa Rican rain forest of Manuel Antonio National Park followed by an afternoon of activities of their choice. A nice farewell dinner wraps up the last night in paradise. The last day will begin with a tropical breakfast before boarding the domestic flight to San Jose and catching the international flight back home. The perfectly planned itinerary might not be for all. In fact some people cringe at the idea of Disney presenting gold stars for participation and Disney created passports that are stamped at every National Park or museum. However, many people enjoy the idea that there are activities for all generations included in the vacation. Children, teens, parents, and grandparents alike can enjoy the carefree itinerary carefully created for each day and all group members. Children can enjoy the Disney movie night while parents enjoy a glass of wine by the pool. All the details are taken care of by Disney including luggage, hotel check in, and transportation. Worries such as tipping, waiting for drivers or guides, or debates on when and where to eat are all eliminated from the equation, but perhaps the most reassuring aspect of the Disney Adventure Tour is its dedication to safety. Senior Vice President of Adventures by Disney, Ed Baklor says that Disney performs ”detailed site inspections of all towns in all countries to be visited, as well as in-depth, first-hand research into the activities, dining venues, museums, parks, etc.” You can rest assured that every guide, every driver, and every zip line harness has been checked and double checked. Disney would never risk ruining a family fun reputation that is over 85 years in the making and don’t worry Mickey Mouse is NOT one of the many members of the animal kingdom found in the Costa Rican rain forest. |
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Test
Your Wonderful World of Disney Knowledge Disney Insider - Summer is here and with it, so is the return of the beloved show, "The Wonderful World of Disney." Remember those days of grabbing the entire family, with popcorn in hand, and settling around the ol' TV, as Walt Disney himself welcomed you to a night of Disney magic? Well, Disney.com is taking things to a new level this year, offering you a chance to watch each movie of the week after it airs on Saturday night on ABC, all week, in full-screen. With news as good as this, we at the Insider felt a Wonderful World of Disney trivia challenge was in order. So, go on, impress us with your Disney nostalgia knowledge. Just because school might be out for a few of you, that doesn't mean you can't take a little pop quiz, right? Once you've finished, scroll to the bottom of the Whole Page story and see where you rank. Ready, set, go. 1. "The Wonderful World of Disney" has had many theme songs along the way, the first of which was "When You Wish Upon a Star." What Disney movie is this song from? a. Sleeping Beauty b. Cinderella c. Bambi d. Pinocchio 2. What year did the show that would become "The Wonderful World of Disney" premiere? a. 1954 b. 1962 c. 1960 d. 1953 3. What was "The Wonderful World of Disney" called when it debuted? a. Walt's Disney World b. Disneyland c. Disneymania d. Walt's Disney World 4. "The Wonderful World of Disney" has had many names -- which of the following is not one of them? a. Disney's Wonderful World b. The Magical World of Disney c. Disneyland d. Disneyworld 5. What bumbling professor (and Donald Duck's uncle) presented "An Adventure in Color," the first show of the series entitled "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color"? a. Ludwig Von Drake b. Don Donald c. Scrooge McDuck d. Dewey Duck 6. Who composed the theme song for the "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color"? a. George Bruns b. Frank Churchill c. Alan Menken d. Richard and Robert Sherman 7. What frontier hero's saga debuted as a 3-part mini-series during the first season? a. Davy Crockett b. Alamo Days c. The Adventures of Kit Carson d. Tom Sawyer 8. What beloved Disney character was used in the openings of all of the early shows? a. Jiminy Cricket b. Mickey Mouse c. Tinker Bell d. Cinderella 9. On which network did "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color" air? a. ABC b. NBC c. CBS 10. Who introduced the shows each week for its first decade? a. Mickey Mouse b. Annette Funicello c. Walt Disney d. Michael Eisner Answers for Multiple Choice Trivia 1. d 2. a 3. b 4. d 5. a 6. d 7. a 8. c 9. b 10. c Rankings 0 - 3: Ooh, it looks like you're a World washout! 4 - 7: Getting close there, but it's not quite wonderful yet. 8 - 10: Good job! You've clearly got the whole World in your hands. |
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The worst Disneyland ride of all time
SF Gate - Our best Disneyland ride post got a nice response, along with a gratuitous dissertation-quality analysis of guys with moustaches who wear white tank tops and jeans shorts. Have to say, that was a nice little detour ... Today, let's talk about the worst Disneyland rides. For my list, I'm not going to factor in the age of the ride, the potential danger or the annoying souvenir stands at the end. I'm also not going to penalize attractions that are fun for kids but boring for adults. (Of course Sleeping Beauty's Castle is going to be a drag for me -- I'm not a 6-year-old girl.) The attractions on my list were despised by my child self just as much as the adult. Argue my picks or add your selections in the comments. All Disneyland rides past and present are eligible. You can also include anything at other parks including Epcot Center, although that's kind of like putting Jessica Alba and Denise Richards on your worst actress of all time list. It's a little too easy. 3. Hall of Presidents: I used to think this attraction was just boring, not horrible. Mostly it seemed like a small waste of time, when you could be in the park riding real rides. But then I saw this. Imagine being the kid, sitting with your mom or dad in the front row, and seeing Lincoln go into a gibberish-speaking seizure. You would spend the rest of your life afraid of $5 bills. I'm sure they've fixed Lincoln, but best to not take the chance. 2. Country Bear Jamboree: I'm sorry, but these bears (especially this one) always creeped me out, even when I was 7 years old. I hate the way they sing. I hate the way they move. I hate that they have no pants. They made a horrible film based on this ride, which thankfully I didn't have to review. Even Christopher Walken couldn't make the Country Bear Jamboree look cool. 1. It's a Small World: This is less of a ride and more of an interrogation device. (How cool would it be if Jack Bauer got the terrorist to reveal the location of the hidden nuke by taking the bad guy for an endless loop on It's a Small World?) I rode it for the first and only time 30 years ago, and I still wake up in the middle of the night screaming. Forget about Bush. I think the guys who wrote this song need to be tried for war crimes. No justice no peace! |
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Fun and games serious business at Disney's Wide World of Sports
Orlando Sentinel - Ken Potrock, 49, senior vice president of global sports enterprises for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, which includes oversight of Disney's Wide World of Sports complex, which will soon incorporate the ESPN brand name. He spoke recently with Sentinel Staff Writer Scott Powers. Question: Wide World of Sports hosts everything from cheerleaders' events to X Games to paint-ball meets to enormous softball and basketball tournaments. What sports do you enjoy watching? Answer: My favorite sport overall is wrestling, only because that's what I did both in high school and college, and what I've got both of my young sons involved in right now. That being said, a couple weeks ago I went to the Special Olympics and found that to be just fascinating, both with the passion of the athletes but also the incredible time that was given by the volunteers and the expertise they delivered. Q: The newly announced bowling stadium for the United States Bowling Congress brings you into a whole new sport. What will this stadium, and the addition of bowling, do for Walt Disney World? A: It'll be our 54th sport, which is very exciting, because diversity of sports is part of our growth strategy. Bowling, when you talk about the most popular sports in America, bowling typically is No..1 from a participants' perspective. The ability to host the USBC's bowling tournaments here drives enormous value to the community, and to Disney. My understanding is the men's tournament will have in excess of 80,000 actual participants in the tournament. Not just spectators, but participants, and it'll take five months for us to actually hold that tournament. Q: Will the bowling lanes be open to the public for recreational bowling when there aren't tournaments? A: That's our plan, yes. Q: What's the status of the Jostens Center [a new, 70,000-square-foot gymnasium]? A: It's going to open officially on July 5. Q: When it opens, it will about double your indoor sports space. Does this help you most with attracting additional events, or give you flexibility with events you have, or allow you to go after events that you don't have enough space for now? A: All of the above, plus it allows us to take events we already have and expand them. The first event we have is an AAU Girls 15-and-under national championship. Whether it's field hockey, whether it's gymnastics, whether it's wrestling, whether it's marshal arts, whether it's archery -- having that kind of space gives us the luxury of great variety and the ability to attract really substantial kinds of events to the complex. Q: Who's getting these events now -- where's your competition? A: The competition is scattered all over the country. What's most exciting for me is we have a lot of competitive advantages that other sites don't' have. No..1, we've got location. We're located in the heart of Disney World. Not a bad place to come, if you're an amateur athlete. No..2, with the rebranding of the complex, and the leveraging of the ESPN brand, we're going to be able to create an experience for our athletes and the spectators that come along with them that literally is unparalleled. Imagine the athletes, when they come to our complex to compete, feel they really have made it to the big-time, that they really have made it because now they are competing at the complex and feeling like they've made it onto ESPN. That's a pretty heady competitive advantage for any young athlete. Q: What can we expect out of the ESPN rebranding? Are we going to see name changes throughout? A: You're going to see a name change. What you're also going to see, which I think is more important, is we're going to create what we call an immersive experience. We're going to create an experience where when the athlete comes in to compete, they're going to feel like they've made it to the big-time. That there is no place they are able to compete that is sort of more high-end, better facilities, makes them feel more special, and really envelops them in the world-wide leader in sports, that leader being ESPN. Q: Is the "Wide World of Sports" identity lost on younger generations who never saw the ABC television show, and is that name going to disappear? A: I think the question on the table is: Does anybody [among] young athletes know the Wide World of Sports brand from the ABC days? I think the answer is: limited. Do they know the Wide World of Sports brand because we've been in business for 11 years as a sports facility? Yes, they do. So we're debating: Should we keep the name? Should we incorporate parts of that name? Q: Any possibility that the Tampa Bay Rays' schedule might be expanded at Champion Stadium? A: We love having the Tampa Bay Rays play here. I would love to have them make a longer-term commitment to play here, and to play as many games here as they would like to play. Q: But? A: No buts. It's not necessarily my decision. Q: You were very active with the Year of a Million Dreams Campaigns. As we see the ESPN brand come in, are we going to see that kind promotion applied to the newly named sports complex here? A: I think that's part of the power of the ESPN Brand. We're looking at ways to create exposure both for the complex itself but also for the athletes competing there. So we're looking at how we can create exposure in ESPN media like print, online, television, radio. The ESPN platform offers us a lot of exposure, and ESPN is very interested in reaching out to amateur athletes, especially youth amateur athletes. Q: Is the youth/amateur athlete business almost too seasonal to be able to sustain full facilities throughout the year? A: No, I don't think it's too seasonal. I think there are some things, however, that we need to do a better job of, which is understanding state by state and quite honestly zip code by zip code when kids are out of school and when they're not out of school. We need to be able to counter-program other kinds of events that aren't reliant on kids being out on summer break or vacations or weekends -- things like salsa competitions, things like Disney Channel games, things like the concert business. These are all opportunities for us at the complex, and opportunities we're aggressively looking at. |
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Selena
Gomez: No Feuding With Miley Cyrus E! Online - Selena Gomez wants everyone to know she's not feuding with Miley Cyrus. For about the past six weeks, Gomez has been dubbed "the next Miley Cyrus," with Disney execs hoping to fast-track Gomez into even bigger stardom because they were getting nervous about some of the controversies surrounding the Hannah Montana star.
"It's a little overwhelming, but I think really, it's a compliment," Gomez told me of the Cyrus comparisons. "She's obviously extremely successful, and I think she's a wonderful performer...So being compared to her, I was very, very flattered." I caught up with Gomez on Saturday over some Crumbs cupcakes at a press day promoting her upcoming fall movie, Another Cinderella Story. (I'll have more on the flick closer to its September release.) Gomez and Cyrus have even had a good laugh about their so-called feuding. "We’re literally like, It's fine. It's all good," Gomez recalled. "She's Miley and I'm Selena." No doubt the comparisons will fire up again when Gomez's first album debuts. However, if it's up to Gomez, you won't find her doing it alone. "I'm not going to be a solo artist," the Texas native insisted. "I want to be in a band with four other guys." Gomez is keeping mum on a release date because her record deal isn't official yet. "Soon, soon, soon," she said with a laugh. "I can say that for sure." Gomez's rise in Hollywood isn't the only thing she's celebrating these days. She's got a party planned for her Sweet 16 in July. "I'd like to have a huge, fun and crazy cake," Gomez said. "I kind of want a Mad Hatter style cake like Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz's [wedding] cake. I want to have karaoke, and I'm going to have a photo booth. It's going to be really just strictly family and friends." |
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Walt Disney Internet to set sites on Australian market Sydney Morning Herald - The Walt Disney Internet Group has unveiled ambitious plans to blitz the online market in Australia using gaming and "virtual worlds" to increase its base of 1 million users and challenge assumptions that people will not pay for online content. Disney attracts about 5 million users each month across the Asia-Pacific region but has aggressive growth plans, particularly for the Australian market. The group's Asia-Pacific head, Duncan Orrell-Jones, said at least one-third of Disney's online revenues here could be derived from premium subscriptions to children and parents, once it unveiled a string of new content services later this year. Mr Orrell-Jones said Australia was one of the top three markets in the world for the Disney brand behind North America and Japan, providing massive potential to expand its presence to children and adults. In the United States, Disney is having success online attracting mothers via its family.com website and Australia will ultimately follow suit. Already 50 per cent of Disney Internet users here are aged over 17. "We have a brand here in Australia that plans to have a very broad audience," Mr Orrell-Jones said. "Over time we've got the ability to continue to broaden the types of content and entertainment that will break into families. We're puting entertainment front and centre of everything and we're very aggressive about moving onto these new platforms." Since relaunching its Disney.com.au website last December with new casual games and other entertainment options, unique browsers have doubled. Mr Orrell-Jones said the content alliance Disney struck with Yahoo!7 this year has generated a quarter of its overall audience growth. He said the priority for the Australian operation was to expand its "virtual worlds" program using Disney franchises such as Cars, Pirates of the Caribbean and Pixie Hollow as entertainment and "edutainment" destinations. He said Club Penguin, a premium subscription service for children, which Disney has acquired in the US, would begin in Australia this year. "We are enormously encouraged by what we've seen with Club Penguin already. There isn't a local version but people are already on the US version and paying for it in very significant numbers from Australia. If you get the content right, parents are willing to pay for that online." Premium subscription services start at about $US5 ($5.30) a month for Club Penguin in North America. Mr Orrell-Jones said Disney was experimenting with various online revenue models across the region, ranging from advertising supported content to online micro-payments for merchandise and subscription services. When asked if subscriptions could generate a third of Disney's online revenues in Australia, he said: "It could represent more than that but it's too early. We're very focused on delivering fantastic products that people are willing to pay for but there will probably be other business models that come along." |
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Disney Artist Stores zeros down on LS Retail to sustain
international quality standards India PRwire - Disney Artist that has been launched in India in collaboration with Devyani International Limited. (DIL). DIL today announced the successful implementation of LS Retail. DIL’s prime requirement was to sustain quality and maintaining international standards for Disney that Disney is renowned world over for and to implement and roll-out an internationally recognized POS Solution to capture their Sales Process. LS Retail is a full blown; end-to- end integrated retail solution built on top of Microsoft Dynamics NAV. This helps the customer to have online integration of data between the stores and the head office. DVS is the exclusive distributor of LS Retail Suite of Solutions in India. LS Retail along with Dynamics was implemented by Trident. DIL currently operates 1200 SKU's under “Disney Artist” brand, which are increasing with the company’s rapid expansion across India. The immediate need of the hour was to use an internationally proven end to end solution that met their requirement of quick and successful implementation. Moreover, the solution used should prove itself to be flexible and reliable as and when the organization scales its operations. LS Retail is a fully blown integrated end-to- end solution built on top of Microsoft Dynamics NAV for the retail industry and this helps the customer to have online integration of data between the stores and the head office. For DIL, LS Retail was favored as it would help the organization manage their new business professionally and seamlessly and at the same time help them adopt best retail practices that will make them the industry leader The immediate benefits accrued to DIL through the implementation of LS Retail, were: Comprehensive Business Intelligence - LS Retail NAV helped DIL, in tracking Sales related operations across all stores and other MIS crucial for Business Intelligence. Scalable in Size and Business- LS Retail was a vital tool for DIL at the head office, it helped them control and maintain data common to all stores. This includes, for example, item, customer and vendor management as well as the management of special offers and loyalty programs. Single Application Architecture- LS Retail's single application architecture for DIL meant that most functions are available at store level, head office level, or both. This flexibility helped DIL to configure the application according to their demands and build on their competitive advantage without needing expensive custom-made solutions. The LS Data Director- For DIL, Data Director
takes care of high-speed data exchange between different
Microsoft Dynamics NAV databases, and other databases that are
not based on Microsoft Dynamics NAV. The Data Director was
specifically designed to increase the speed of replication over
Wide Area Networks (WAN). It uses shorter time to send data and
requires less bandwidth than previous generations. Emphasizing on the alliance, Mr. Arjun Verma (Executive Director & CFO), Devyani International Limited (DIL) stated, “We at DIL believe that technology is not a sunk cost but rather an investment to reduce huge long term costs. With LS Retail, we now have an internationally proven IT platform that supports further development of our business. LS Retail hence was an investment to maintain competitive advantage for DIL’s long term growth in India.” Commenting on the success of the LS Retail Suite, Rakhee Nagpal, Managing Director- Dynamic Vertical Solutions said, “Disney is an admired brand world over and it was our prime responsibility in ensuring the quality standards are maintained to their satisfaction. As an organization we identify focus areas based on thorough research and a deep understanding of the needs and requirements of our client. This was well manifested in the case of Disney as well. The fruitful partnership between Trident and DVS has yet again yielded benefits and we look forward at many such projects.” |
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Tuesday June 17, 2008 |
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Disney opens Toy Story Midway Mania Greetings from Space Orange Stinger at California Adventure to get new Disney theme Prince Caspian Attraction at Disney Hollywood Disney Family.com Gearing Up For Parent-Focused Social Net Launch The Sword in the Stone 45th Anniversary Special Edition on DVD The Jungle Book 2 Special Edition on DVD The Suite Life of Zack and Cody: Lip Synchin' in the Rain on DVD Guest Room Refurb project for several Disney World Resorts begins this Summer Disney Already Planning Sequel To Camp Rock ReelTime Inks Disney-ABC Pact Game 5 ratings up 11 percent from '06 NBA finals |
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Disney opens
Toy Story Midway Mania LATimes - What do you get when you combine a shoot-'em-up video game with an amusement park ride?  Disney
hopes you get a way to lure jaded gamers off the couch and to
one of its theme parks.Walt Disney Imagineering melded the interactive elements of a video game with the kind of immersive 3-D experience of an amusement park to create Toy Story Midway Mania, a ride opening today at Disney's California Adventure park in Anaheim. Riders don 3-D glasses, board a vehicle and travel through carnival games hosted by familiar characters from the "Toy Story" movies. They move in rapid-fire fashion past giant screens displaying classic games of skill, reinterpreted through Pixar Animation Studios' stylized palette. There's Buzz Lightyear's ring toss, Woody's Rootin' Tootin' Shootin' Gallery and Bo Peep's dart throw. The 3-D characters coax players through each game, offering tips and encouragement. Toy Story Midway Mania is the first installment in a $1.1-billion, five-year effort to upgrade Disney's California Adventure, which has remained in the shadow of neighboring Disneyland. Opened in 2001 under the direction of former Chief Executive Michael Eisner, the park was quickly dubbed by wags as "Eisner's misadventure" for its poor performance. Roy Disney, Walt Disney's nephew, blasted the company for building it "on the cheap." As part of the sweeping renovations, California Adventure's entry plaza will be redesigned to evoke the 1920s, when Walt Disney arrived in California to begin his animation career. Future attractions will include Cars Land, featuring a Radiator Springs Racers ride, inspired by the Disney/Pixar blockbuster "Cars" movie. "The strategy in all our parks, and Disney's California Adventure is no exception, is to continue to invest and broaden the experience that we offer our guests," said Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. An infusion of capital and ideas isn't coming a moment too soon. According to entertainment and leisure consulting firm Economics Research Associates, attendance at California Adventure was 5.7 million in 2007, a drop of 4.5% from the previous year. That's a fraction of the nearly 14.9 million people who went to Disneyland in 2007. "California Adventure has had to reinvent itself a bit from its initial concept, which struggled," said John Robinett, senior vice president at ERA. "This sort of ride appeals more to the broader family market, whereas the initial concept was meant to be somewhat more adult-oriented. That didn't really perform at the level that they expected it to." Toy Story Midway Mania illustrates the extent to which theme park operators are employing technology to pry a generation of media-saturated kids and adults loose from their computer screens and through the turnstiles. Universal Studios has its Men in Black Alien Attack in Florida, in which guests zap space aliens as they chase them through the streets of New York. Disneyland also has its earlier "Toy Story"-inspired space ride, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, in which players team up to battle the evil Emperor Zurg. Park operators are walking a tightrope, however, in trying to develop rides that provide the kind of individualized experience that gamers covet -- in which they're competing against each other and influencing the action -- while also appealing to non-gamers who want a more traditional, non-interactive experience. "There are an awful lot of people who will come to an attraction and say, 'You are responsible for my entertainment,' " said Bill Coan, president of Itec Entertainment, a theme park designer in Orlando, Fla. "The gamers come in and say, 'I want to have an effect on my entertainment.' Therein lies the balance that all theme parks are trying to deal with." Ben Worley, 22, is just the type of person Disney is targeting. During a preview ride this month, the game enthusiast from Riverside said he realized he was in for something novel when a life-sized depiction of Woody coaxed him to take target practice with the "spring-action shooter" mounted on the front of the tram. Worley said he popped Woody in the head with a virtual pie -- and the character reacted by shaking off the glob. "The idea of the ride being aware is absolutely mind-blowing," Worley said. "It's not an experience that I typically have [at an amusement park]. Things are typically passive." But some analysts say that building theme park attractions with an eye to gamers may be too narrow a strategy. Gary Goddard, a former designer at Walt Disney Imagineering who now runs his own firm, said he was not convinced that theme park patrons were eager to repeat their video gaming experience. "I don't know that there's a trend in that," he said. Instead, Goddard believes, seen-it-all audiences are looking for spectacle. Attractions that employ the creative arsenal that only a theme park can marshal -- such as live-action stunts, special effects and 3-D film to make the audience believe it's part of the action -- have broad appeal. Toy Story Midway Mania's designers employed super-sized versions of iconic toys -- cans of Play-Doh, interlocking chains of plastic primates from a Barrel of Monkeys and the Candyland game board -- to create the illusion that guests have been shrunk to the size of a toy. In this way they feel as though they've entered the room of "Toy Story" kid protagonist Andy. Animators studied the "Toy Story" movies to capture the subtle movements and gestures that made Buzz, Woody and the other familiar characters come to life, then re-created them in 3-D for the ride. These are not linear animation sequences but a library of actions and responses that allow the characters to react with participants in real time. "It's like they're alive in front of you," said Roger Gould, theme park creative director for Pixar. Walt Disney Imagineering borrowed the familiarity and simplicity of classic carnival games to make its interactive experience comfortable for a variety of players. "Although we knew this was going to appeal to kids who play the Wii or the Xbox or online games, we have a family audience," said Susan M. Bryan, a show producer for Imagineering. "I really wanted every single person who got on that ride to not only have fun but feel like they're being successful." The ride's complexity is hidden from view. Toy Story Midway Mania employs more than 150 computers communicating over multiple networks to synchronize the myriad moving parts. It keeps track of the location of every vehicle, cues the right music and lighting, and causes the on-screen characters and targets to respond every time a rider pulls the spring-action shooter. Although Worley confessed that California Adventure initially held little interest for him, he had such a good time on the preview ride that it changed his mind. "I honestly went and told all my friends that have annual passes that this ride will be the reason you will renew," he said. |
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Greetings from Space Disney
News -
In this 72-dpi screengrab from NASA video, a 12-inch-tall Buzz
Lightyear toy action figure gives a greeting from aboard the
International Space Station. Disney Parks worked with NASA to
include the toy on Space Shuttle mission STS-124 to celebrate
the opening of a new attraction -- called "Toy Story Mania!" --
that features Buzz Lightyear. The toy on the spacecraft was
transferred to the International Space Station, where it is
currently residing. A series of educational programs for school
children also is planned for the toy's time in space. The
screengrab was released by NASA to celebrate the June 17, 2008
opening date of the Toy Story Mania! attraction at Disneyland
Resort in California. Toy Story Mania! at Walt Disney World in
Florida officially opened on May 31, 2008 — the date that
mission STS-124 launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. |
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Orange Stinger at California Adventure to get new Disney theme LATimes - The Orange Stinger swing ride will get a new Disney theme and back story as part of the planned $1.1-billion Disney's California Adventure makeover, Walt Disney Imagineering officials confirmed. Gone will be the 40-foot-tall orange peel that surrounds the 48-seat spinning swing set and the Disney-free buzzing bumble bee theme, Imagineering officials said. In its place: a Victorian architectural style more akin to the remade Paradise Pier section of the Anaheim theme park represented by the new Toy Story Mania attraction. Imagineering officials declined to elaborate on the new "Disney theme." A Disney fan site reported the Orange Stinger will be redubbed…… "The Silly Symphonies Swings," with a theme based on "The Band Concert" 1935 cartoon short featuring the first colorized Mickey Mouse. The made-over 1 1/2-minute ride would feature a twirling tornado mast with smoke-spewing special effects, an orchestral score and a "Conductor Mickey" on top. |
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Prince
Caspian Attraction at Disney Hollywood |
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Disney Family.com Gearing Up For Parent-Focused Social Net
Launch Uniqueness among user profiles: Aside from choosing their own background images and colors on their profiles, Community users can create and customize their own avatars?not only to represent themselves, but to represent their whole families, from children to pets. Users can also create their own "stickers," thumbnail-type images that can be shared among the rest of the Community or kept to oneself. For example, a mother can create her own "Proud to be a C-section mom" sticker and opt-in to share with the other Community users. Other C-section mothers can then adopt these stickers to their profiles and see the profiles of and connect with other members who snagged the same sticker. Other features in the works include Twitter-type updates where users can type in a blurb to be shown in a thought bubble next to their avatars and soon after Community launches, Disney will introduce quizzes modeled after ones typically found in women's magazines. Interesting to see Disney finally make its move into parents' social nets after over a year of heavy funding activity and some acquisitions in the sector. Though the company says it has experts such as licensed practitioners and psychiatrists to vouch for the quality of its information, not to mention the fact that it's, well, Disney, Disney Family.com Community could still get lost in the already-crowded space. Just because a brand is widely known doesn't mean it is guaranteed to tap into success. Remember Anheuser-Busch's Bud.tv? After numerous attempts to improve the content, the site has yet to secure a steady fan base. |
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The Sword in the Stone 45th Anniversary Special Edition on DVD Buena Vista Home Entertainment - Modern animation wizardry meets medieval magic in the legendary classic The Sword in the Stone 45th Anniversary Special Edition, coming to DVD on June 17, 2008 from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. Filled with adventures, music, magic and a wondrous mixture of bonus features including an all-new game; perfect for the whole family.
Humor, spectacle and magic rule in Walt Disney's legendary classic tale The Sword In The Stone—now celebrating its 45th Anniversary with exciting new bonus features! Embark on an adventure-filled quest for an unlikely hero! According to legend, only someone with honor, decency and inner strength can claim the throne of England—by pulling out the enchanted sword that lies locked in a massive stone. Many brave knights have tried, so it seems impossible that a young apprentice known as Wart could succeed. But with the guidance of the wizard Merlin, help from some hilarious friends and true strength of character, Wart just might become England's greatest king. There's even more wizardry fun with marvelous new bonus features including the all-new Merlin's Magical Academy game, animated shorts, Disney's song selection and much more! The Sword In The Stone 45th Anniversary Edition DVD is a magical experience your whole family will want to share again and again! The Sword in the Stone 45th Anniversary Special Edition DVD is priced at $29.99 SRP in the US and $36.99 SRP in Canada. |
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The Jungle
Book 2 Special Edition on DVD Buena Vista Home Entertainment - It's 2 times the laughs, 2 times the thrills and 2 times the swingin' fun when The Jungle Book 2 Special Edition comes to DVD on June 17, 2008 from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. Available for a limited time only,The Jungle Book 2 Special Edition includes an all-new adventure game, plus enough deleted scenes, music videos, behind the scenes featurettes and games to entertain the entire family.
Walt Disney's jumpin' jungle adventure continues in this special edition of The Jungle Book 2—with all your favorite characters from the original, toe-tappin' classic and more swingin' songs! Mowgli has been living in the man-village with his little stepbrother Ranjan and his best friend Shanti. But the man-cub still has that jungle rhythm in his heart, and he misses his old buddies Baloo and Bagheera. When Mowgli wanders back to the wild for some swingin' fun, he soon finds Baloo isn't the only one waiting for him—the man-eating tiger Shere Khan is lurking in the shadows and planning his revenge. If he is to defeat his nemesis, Mowgli will need the help of both his old friends and his new family. With an all-new Mowgli's Story Time Adventure Game, music videos and more, The Jungle Book 2 Special Edition will have the whole family roaring for more! |
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The Suite Life of Zack and Cody: Lip Synchin' in the Rain on DVD
Buena Vista Home Entertainment - Check into Boston's posh Tipton Hotel and check out the latest, greatest adventures of television's funniest family duo! Identical twins Zack and Cody Martin are once again up to their necks in mischief when The Suite Life of Zack & Cody: Lip Synchin' in the Rain comes to DVD on June 17 from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody is one of Disney Channel's most popular cable programs. The Suite Life of Zack & Cody: Lip Synchin' in the Rain is priced at $19.99 US SRP. |
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Guest Room Refurb project for several Disney World Resorts
begins this Summer Disney News - Disney is about to begin a large refurbishment project covering many of the resorts at Walt Disney World. Set to begin this summer are the Caribbean Beach Resort and Boardwalk Resort, followed later in the Year with Beach Club, Yacht Club, Coronado Springs, and Wilderness Lodge Villas. The projects are total refurbishment of the guests rooms, including new carpet, wallpaper, paint and furniture. |
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Disney
Already Planning Sequel To Camp Rock ChattahBox - Orlando (ChattahBox) - According to the latest reports, Disney is already planning a sequel to the hit Camp Rock. The president for entertainment at Disney Channel Worldwide, Gary Marsh, has confirmed to New York Daily News that they are already working on Camp Rock 2. Apparently, a script is already in the world for a sequel to the hit release for Disney. They are already in talks with the types of story plotso they want to go with, and how they want it all to evolve. Camp Rock reveals the story of the pop group The Jonas Brothers, made up of brothers Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas. When the band’s leader Shane (Joe Jonas) has problems, the band cancels their tour and sends him to summer camp to teach rock and roll classes. The film evolves from here in typical Disney fashion. |
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ReelTime
Inks Disney-ABC Pact Among the titles ReelTime will get access to: The Curse of the Black Pearl, National Treasure and No Country for Old Men. ReelTime CEO Barry Henthorn said in a statement that he expected the addition of the Disney-ABC content to provide an immediate bump to the service. ReelTime streams video online over a broadband connection directly to the TV set. |
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Game 5
ratings up 11 percent from '06 NBA finals AP - Television ratings for the NBA finals Sunday were up from the last time the series went five games. The Los Angeles Lakers' 103-98 win over the Boston Celtics to avoid elimination averaged a 10.1 fast national rating on ABC, the network said Monday. That's an 11 percent increase over the 9.1 for Game 5 of the Dallas-Miami series in 2006. The rating is the percentage watching a program among homes with televisions. ABC is a division of The Walt Disney Co. |
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Monday June 16, 2008 |
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It's
Your Dream Home Software Notebook: This Dream Home comes with a Mouse Life|ware Added to Disney Exhibit Disney takes 'Science Fair' prize Musician who sued Walt Disney World gets support from national Sikh group Parents fret as even toddlers love 'High School' Disney working on panda picture in China Vintage high-rise had role in Disney history Smith wins Danskin Triathlon at Disneyland Original Disney Fine Art Paintings, Free Disney Gift with Purchase & Free Shipping Destination Disney - Balancing Fun and Food Allergies Nancy Kanter is Playhouse Disney Worldwide senior VP |
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It's Your Dream Home Disney
News - Imagine a home so perfectly attuned to the needs of a
family that it can anticipate and fulfill them, virtually
without anyone lifting a finger. Now imagine that the home
offers family members high-tech connectivity, not just with one
another but with people, entertainment and information in the
world at large.Guests at Disneyland can soon do more than imagine it. Beginning June 17, the Innoventions Dream Home in Tomorrowland is bringing that world to life as a limited number of guests have the opportunity to preview the home. The Innoventions Dream Home is both a show and a showcase, offering guests of all ages a hands-on experience with new in-home technologies, some that are practical and some that are astounding. Microsoft, HP, Life|ware and homebuilder Taylor Morrison have joined with Disneyland Resort to demonstrate how a connected digital lifestyle can simplify and enhance many aspects of daily family life. "We're thrilled to open the Innoventions Dream Home with the help of our partners," said Ed Grier, president of the Disneyland Resort. "We are confident our guests will find new ways to connect to their world in this immersive, entertaining experience." The experience includes guest interaction with the residents of the Dream Home - the fictional Elias family – who will be excited to welcome all guests into their new home at the end of June. Members of the family move from room to room, utilizing the technology as they prepare for a big celebration. Guests who enter the Dream Home can observe and play with all its comforts, including: Innovations from Microsoft that enable today’s digital lifestyle, seamlessly connecting family members to live and recorded entertainment and memories Connected entertainment devices and PCs from HP that help the family members stay connected and simplify their daily activities Wireless technology adapted by Life|ware that allows the Dream Home’s devices to recognize individual family members as they enter a room and tailor the room to their individual preferences Design elements from homebuilder Taylor Morrison on the
façade, the patio and party tent areas. |
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Software Notebook: This Dream Home comes with a Mouse
He hasn't realized that particular ambition, but he has come pretty close as the director of Microsoft's strategic prototyping team, including oversight of the futuristic Microsoft Home on the company's Redmond campus. And in an extension of that role, Cluts, 47, is one of the key people behind the new Innoventions Dream Home attraction at Disneyland. The project, scheduled to open Monday, is a partnership of Microsoft and other companies. The Dream Home is a modern-day sequel to the Monsanto House of the Future, a Disneyland attraction from 1957 to 1967. The new Dream Home project, in Disneyland's Tomorrowland, includes some futuristic technology concepts, like its predecessor. But the companies made a conscious decision to focus more on technological capabilities that are possible today, though not widely used. "It's real. This isn't science fiction, and it's not pure extrapolation," Cluts said last week. "You can integrate much of what you see here now." The problem with going purely futuristic is that people get home and say, "Wow that's cool, but it's never going to happen," Cluts explained. By focusing on current scenarios, the Dream Home also doubles as a subtle promotional vehicle for Microsoft. For example, the dining room table is a collection of Microsoft Surface tabletop computers that display photos and videos when members of the home's fictional family place their mobile phones on the top. Microsoft Surface computers are currently being deployed in commercial settings, so that scenario is already possible, but versions for consumers aren't expected to be available for a few years. The Dream Home also includes concepts from the Microsoft Home. For example, a bag of flour placed on the kitchen counter prompts a computer voice to read recipes and instructions for meals that include flour as an ingredient. One bedroom also includes a smart mirror that projects, on a person's reflection, virtual images of clothes from a nearby closet, reducing the need to actually put them on. The Microsoft Home has a similar magic mirror in its bedroom. Cluts, whose father was an electrical engineer, was introduced to the concept of Disney Imagineering as a kid, when he saw a "Wonderful World of Disney" TV episode that went behind the scenes at Disneyland. He remembers being wowed by the animatronics and other technological tricks. A pianist and former professional musician, Cluts studied music and audio engineering in college, and worked in the recording industry. He joined Microsoft in 1990, after his wife, Nancy, was hired by the company, and he has held a variety of positions. One highlight of the Dream Home experience for Cluts was participating in an early brainstorming session that included Kim Irvine, a legendary Disney Imagineer. Although the Microsoft Home in Redmond has existed for years, it isn't open to the public, so the Dream Home at Disneyland will be the first exposure to the concepts for many people who visit it. The 5,000-square-foot Dream Home grew out of a series of visits that Disney representatives made to the Microsoft Home in past years. The companies started talking about creating a similar Disneyland attraction. Computer maker HP also contributed to the project. The Dream Home includes software called Life|ware, homeautomation technology that works with Microsoft's Windows Media Center software. Disney brought in homebuilder Taylor Morrison to work on the project, as well. The companies have a five-year agreement for the Dream Home. Cluts and his Microsoft team have been heavily involved in the creation of the home, which is expected to be updated at various points to keep it technologically fresh. |
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Life|ware Added to
Disney Exhibit Electronic House - It may be a small world, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be automated. Life|ware just announced its participation in Disneyland’s Innoventions Dream Home. The exhibit shows rollercoaster-dazed theme park visitors how to get their geek on via the wonderful world of Disney. The display showcases the fictional Elias family and their ability to have personalized entertainment anywhere. Life|ware uses Windows Media Center to make control happen. Other parts of the exhibit shows Life|ware products triggering Lutron lighting, temperature controls, Panasonic security cameras, a MediaMatrix NION distributed audio system, and more. Currently, the company has a variety of its products on display in the Disney exhibit. “Life|ware is best understood when experienced and Dream Home is the perfect showcase for millions of Disneyland guests each year to experience our products first-hand and show how Life|ware can change their lives,” says Bret Fitzgerald, Life|ware’s VP of marketing. “Dream Home lets consumers experience just how Life|ware makes a home fun, interactive and entertaining.” Aside from the products mentioned, the Innoventions Dream Home currently houses technology by Microsoft and HP. |
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Disney takes 'Science
Fair' prize Hollywood Reporter - Writer John Sullivan has sold his family adventure spec "Science Fair" to Disney for $275,000 against $575,000. With echoes of "Night at the Museum," the screenplay centers on a science fair where all of the kids' projects -- think papier-mache volcano's and fungus -- come to life. A mild bidding war broke out last week between Walden Media and Disney until Buena Vista Pictures president Oren Aviv and executive vp production and development Brigham Taylor pocketed first prize. Energy Entertainment is partnering with Broken Road Prods.' Todd Garner and Sean Robins, who helped develop the script. Broken Road and Energy recently teamed on the sale of "Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty," written by Adam Sachs, to Lionsgate. Producing deals on "Science Fair" still are being negotiated. Sullivan, who is repped by ICM and Energy, hatched the idea with manager Jake Wagner last year during a late-night Hollywood brainstorming/drinking session. "I grew up on stuff like 'Explorers' and 'Goonies' and 'Weird Science,' " said Sullivan, whose mother teaches sixth grade. "I really wanted to explore something that was more family-friendly and something that I would actually like to go see myself if I was 12-16. There's a lot of wish fulfillment in that. Movies like this are just fun to write." Energy also has "Galahad," by Ryan Condal, set up at the Film Department and "The Low Dweller," by Brad Ingelsby, at Relativity Media, with Leonardo DiCaprio attached to star. |
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Musician who sued Walt Disney World gets support from national
Sikh group Orlando Sentinel - A Broward County musician who sued Walt Disney World last week claiming the "Disney Look" of grooming is a form of religious discrimination is getting backing from the national Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund today. Sukhbir Channa, 24, sued Disney last week in Hillsborough County claiming that the theme park company refused to rehire him in 2006 because his beard, long hair and his turban -- which he contends are religiously-mandated -- did not conform with Disney's grooming and dress requirements known as "The Disney Look." Walt Disney World officials insist no discrimination occurred. They contend that Channa was not rehired in 2006 because he did not reapply, and that the arrangement had nothing to do with his look. His claim, said Disney World spokeswoman Jacquee Polak, "is denied, and is without merit." His attorney Matthew Sarelson disputed Disney's claim, noting he has filed affidavits from Channa and a witness stating that he had reapplied. Sarelson is seeking class-action status for the suit. The suit was filed last Thursday in circuit court in Tampa, because that is where Channa said he was hired in 2005 and turned down in 2006, when Disney sent an official to the University of South Florida's music school to hire musicians. This morning the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund backed Channa, contending that Disney's hiring practice discriminates. Sikhs are followers of the 15th century Indian guru Nanak, and his successor gurus. They believe in one God, and advocate the practice of holistic life experiences, work, worship and service. The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund states there are an estimated 24 million Sikhs worldwide. Their religion is not associated with Islam, though many westerners confuse followers of the two religions. As an article of faith, Sikh men do not cut their hair, and cover it with a turban. Disney spokeswoman Polak insisted that Disney does not discriminate, but that the company makes accommodations to allow Sikhs to work there. "We value and respect diversity in our cast members and treat each request (for accommodations) individually," Polak said. "The type of accommodations varies with the type of request, job and location." Channa, a trumpet player who now lives in Davie, performed at Disney World in late 2005 and early 2006 while he was a student at the University of South Florida. He performed in Christmas-seasonal parades at Magic Kingdom as a toy soldier. The costume hid his beard and hair. After the parade's season ended, he sought another job as a street musician and was turned down, his suit states. His suit contends he was terminated in early 2006 "for not having the appropriate look." The following fall he tried to get rehired to the toy soldier role but was turned down. "But for 'the look' problem, plaintiff would have been rehired by Disney in October, 2006," Channa's complaint states. His suit seeks damages "in excess of $1 million" and to enjoin Disney from further discrimination against other Sikhs. |
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Parents
fret as even toddlers love 'High School' AP - Talya Appelbaum recently had a "High School Musical" birthday party. She got special balloons and a slice of cake decorated with the spoiled Sharpay, her favorite character because "she's with Ryan." Jemma Fox has an HSM karaoke microphone and trading cards of the East High gang. Talya and Jemma are 3 years old. They have tot-sized insights but large obsessions with the wildly popular Disney franchise that has jumped from TV show to hit song factory to merchandising mania since 2006, when the Wildcats first took kid culture by storm. But it's high school, and now senior year at that. Do Talya and Jemma need to "bop to the top" or demand "all things fabulous?" And what about the kissing, the backbiting and the big-kid fashions? With the October release of the third HSM movie — this one in theaters rather than on the Disney Channel — parents of extra young aficionados are debating whether the phenom is innocent dance-'til-you-drop fun or not quite appropriate. "It really is insipid and Disney starts early and has some clever ways to get to the kids who don't even watch movies, listen to the radio or read," said Jemma's mom, Jennifer Hawkins of New York. Appelbaum has three older kids, including a 4-year-old daughter. All are HSM fans. Appelbaum isn't sure she could shield her youngest, even if she wanted to. But HSM's popularity among young children, along with similar adolescent fare like Hannah Montana — the other Disney mega-franchise — isn't limited to those exposed through older siblings. Jemma, who has a 2-year-old brother, stumbled on HSM at a Target store, where Hawkins bought "what I thought was an innocent toy." She didn't know the microphone was preprogrammed with two HSM songs and admits: "I didn't really look at the packaging." Five-year-old Valencia White got hooked after dad bought tickets to "High School Musical: The Ice Tour" last year. "She went straight from Disney princess to 'High School Musical,'" said her mother, Virginia Duplessis of El Cerrito, Calif. "The child has never seen the movies, yet she knew the songs immediately. It just got to a point where it's everywhere and the more we were trying to make it this forbidden fruit, the more interested she was getting." Therein lies the parenting challenge, said Jean Twenge, a social psychologist and associate professor at San Diego State University who studied young people and pop culture for her book, "Generation Me." The pressure to succeed, materialism, an emphasis on outer beauty, narcissism, romance trouble and other issues faced by high schoolers may not be what draw young children in, but the issues are there nonetheless, Twenge said. "How do you even talk to a 3-year-old about this stuff? Think before you leap. If you've leapt, then cut her off. There are things you have to take a stand on," she counsels parents. Any hint of parody or sarcastic nuance is most likely lost on the very young, Twenge said. Consider Sharpay, the brash and popular HSM schemer who wants heartthrob Troy to herself and makes dark-haired, brainy Gabriella miserable in the process. While Sharpay may learn some life lessons on the way, her journey might be difficult for the very young to process. Like 3-year-old Talya, Duplessis' daughter Valencia is a Sharpay fan. "I say she seems kind of mean, and she says, `Oh but she's so pretty and I really like that song "Fabulous."'" Duplessis said. "It's the focus on clothes, appearance. That's what bothers me the most. It's good clean fun with Jimmy Choo flip flops, perfect hair and makeup. I would just rather her focus on being a kid and having fun and getting dirty." Before "High School Musical" entered their lives, Duplessis and her husband, David White, restricted their kindergartner's TV-watching mostly to PBS in their crunchy liberal area just outside Berkeley. Now Valencia's grandparents, aunts and uncles have bought her HSM notepads, a backpack, cups and a T-shirt. Disney spokeswoman Patti McTeague said children younger than six have other programming geared more for them, including a daily eight-hour dose of Playhouse Disney on the Disney Channel. "We recognize that younger siblings most often watch Disney Channel with their older brother or sister and that some aspects of our programming, including the music of `High School Musical' and `Hannah Montana,' can strike a responsive chord with younger kids," she says, but she adds that their block for younger children "reflect themes more relevant to kids age 6-14." Talya's mom, Melanie Appelbaum of Harrison, N.Y., doesn't worry about the teen themes. "They don't really kiss until the end of the second movie," she says. "So much of what people are worried about is going over their heads. I think you can overanalyze anything." Selling products to the very young is perhaps the bigger danger, said Juliet Schor, a psychology professor at Boston College who explored the effects of marketing on children in her book "Born to Buy: The Commercialized Child and the New Consumer Culture." Hawkins agrees. The microphone Jemma has is bright pink, "looks like a baby toy" and was placed on a low store shelf in a section for young children, she said. And this year's big-screen movie release "High School Musical: Senior Year" includes three new sophomore Wildcats aimed at keeping the franchise fresh. "They're trying to appeal to a much younger child in order to prepare them for being hooked in," Hawkins said. "One piece of the scenario leads to the next." While social psychology has much to say on the extension of adolescence through one's 20s, Twenge said, there's an extension down the age ladder as well. "Pretty soon adolescence is going to last from age 5 to age 35," she said. |
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Disney
working on panda picture in China UPI - The Walt Disney Studios and Chinese filmmakers Castle Hero Pictures and Ying Dong Media say they are teaming up on the new movie "Touch of the Panda." The project was announced Sunday at the Shanghai International Film Festival. To be shot in Sichuan, China, the film is to feature giant pandas bred and nurtured at the Wolong Giant Panda Nature Reserve. The movie is to be made with the facility's official cooperation and supervision. The live-action movie is about a panda cub separated from his mother and eventually rescued by a young orphaned boy, who realizes the best thing he can do for the cub is to help him find his way home. Daichi Harashima plays the boy in the film, which is being directed by Chinese director Yu Zhong. "We're thrilled to be working with a team of talented filmmakers on this exciting film for Chinese moviegoers of all ages, as well as for audiences around the world," Jason Reed, executive vice president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture production, said in a statement. "'Touch of the Panda' follows in the tradition of Disney's most memorable family films, and takes audiences on a spectacular adventure with some of the rarest and most fascinating animals on the planet." |
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Vintage
high-rise had role in Disney history Orlando Sentinel - Not too long ago, reader Jason DiDonato inquired by e-mail whether Flashback had any background information about the old Cherry Plaza hotel, now known as Post Parkside apartments at Lake Eola.
You can see the Egyptian decorations for the room, at left, in one of the state archives photos of the shindig that accompanied the announcement. Disney's announcement has been called the transforming moment in Central Florida's history. But the hotel where it was made had already heralded the start of the new era. It brought a touch of modern glamour to 1950s Orlando.
For folks growing up in Orange
County in the 1950s and '60s, the urban settings of movies,
television and popular books were sometimes elusive. On the
big screen, Doris Day and Rock Hudson rode shiny elevators
to chic New York apartments with high-rise views. Even the
children's book heroine Eloise lived in New York's Plaza
Hotel.
There, at least, was something we could relate to: We, too, had a Plaza hotel, a nine-story, elevator-adorned piece of Moderne elegance right in the middle of Orlando, at the southeast corner of Lake Eola Park. For more than a half-century, through changes of ownership and name - Eola Plaza, Cherry Plaza, Park Plaza - the high-rise building remained a touch of urbanity in the midst of Spanish moss and be-columned Southern houses. Now, the building that premiered as the Eola Plaza in the fall of 1950 is the Tower at the Post Parkside apartments, a retail-residential complex on Central Boulevard and Osceola Street developed by Post Properties of Atlanta. Unfortunately, the big almond-shaped restaurant space overlooking Lake Eola that last housed Lee's Lakeside remains vacant. It's a graceful room where many Central Floridians have celebrated graduations, birthdays, anniversaries and prom nights over the decades. Like its present Post Parkside incarnation, the building originally was home to a variety of shops and businesses. The Eola Pharmacy opened in 1951. Also in the building were Plaza Petites, the Eola Plaza Flower Shop, Jeanne Elkins Dress Shop, Markham's Restaurant, the Mary Bradshaw Beauty Salon, and a real live night club: The Eola Plaza Bamboo Room, the site perhaps of swing dancing and martini-imbibing during Saturday nights on the town. Through the years, the hotel was home to some big-name guests and events, including an October 1964 visit by President Lyndon B. Johnson, reportedly the first U.S. president to spend the night in Orlando. When it opened, the Eola Plaza was one of the tallest buildings from Jacksonville to Tampa. With so many taller buildings near it now, it's hard to imagine how much it transformed the skyline around Lake Eola at a time when most nearby buildings were two-story residences. |
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Smith
wins Danskin Triathlon at Disneyland
AP - Alexis Smith had her dreams come true at the Disneyland Resort after she won the Danskin Women's Triathlon on Sunday. Smith, of Monterey, Calif., finished the race in 48:04, more than three minutes better than runner-up Jennifer Chalmers of Dana Point, Calif. Christina Venturacci of Aliso Viejo, Calif., came in third place. The race consisted of a .35-mile swim, a 10-mile bike ride and a 2.5-mile run/walk. Sunday's race at Disneyland is the third of eight in the Danskin Series. San Diego's Angie Bagnas won the Team Survivor division that is devoted to woman in all stages of cancer treatment. |
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Original Disney Fine Art Paintings, Free Disney Gift with
Purchase & Free Shipping PR Web - SandersArtStudio.com in Ogden, Utah, is pleased to announce two exclusive gifts with the purchase of Disney Fine Art. Guests who purchase any Disney Fine Art Giclee or Original Painting from SandersArtStudio.com will receive one (1) free Disney Fine Art Pin with each purchase. Each pin will be individually marked with a limited edition
number (example 1 of 50) and comes in its own bag. Gift with Purchase - Disney Fine Art - "Teasing Tink" Artist: Trevor Carlton Edition Size: 100 Size: 3 inches Artist: Dick Duerrstein Edition Size: 50 Size: 3 inches In addition to the exhibit, over 500 limited-edition Disney Fine Art Giclee's and Disney Fine Art Originals are available for purchase on a website and virtual gallery at SandersArtStudio.com. The website will be showcasing work from the artists listed
below: Quantities are limited. Limited-Editions vary in size. About
DisneyPins.com |
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Destination Disney - Balancing Fun and Food Allergies Go Dairy Free - Disney has a well-earned reputation for accommodating special dietary needs. But there is still a little extra leg work needed on the part of Disney and the guests themselves. So we asked Joel Schaefer, Disney's Special Dietary Needs Manager, how to plan to dine safely at Walt Disney world. Here's what Joel shared with us this month ... When planning a Disney vacation with a food allergic child, how far in advance do I need to contact Walt Disney World? If your child has multiple allergies, it is best to contact us three months ahead of time or before you book your trip. We will supply you with the most current information for you to make an informed decision. If your child has a single food allergy, when you make your dining reservations, indicate their allergy. Most restaurants and counter service locations can accommodate single allergy requests. Simply ask to speak to a chef or manager upon arrival. Do you still have a form for guests with special dietary needs? Yes. We can send the form to the Guest by email so the Guest can fill it out and return to us. This form contains information on specific allergies, food that can be eaten or not eaten, and reservations. The form is then sent to the chefs in the indicated dinning locations. I'd like to get a feel for what types of meals and snacks are available at the different parks. How can I do this? We have a variety of specialty snacks that are available at most locations. Please contact us ahead of time for the most updated list of products and where they are located. Menus, vendors and products may change. I'm uncomfortable with buffets but I don't want my son to miss some of the fun character breakfasts. Could we make special arrangements so that my child's meal is prepared separately? Depending on your child's allergies, buffets may not be the best options for you. Foods are prepared in a central kitchen and we cannot guarantee that the chef's will be able to prepare food separately. [See below for tips on dining at table service locations.] My child has celiac's disease. Are there kid-friendly options for her? I would love for my child to be able to experience Mickey Mouse waffles and a safe cookie or brownie. We have a variety of options for Guests with celiac disease and most locations have gluten-free pancake and waffle mix. You will need to contact us ahead of time to see what locations can accommodate your request. Do you use peanut oil in the parks? Our current fryer oil is made from High oleic canola oil. Do you offer Kosher meals? Yes! Kosher Meals are available at the following Walt Disney World® Resort quick service locations with no advance notice needed: World Premiere Food Court at Disney's All- Star Movies Resort
What is the procedure for making a special dietary request at table service locations? 1. Call the Dining Reservation Center at 407-WDW-DINE or (407) 939-3463. 2. Indicate to the Cast Member your special dietary requests. 3. Your special dietary request will be noted by the Cast Member on your reservation. 4. Write down the dining location phone number that the Cast Member provides you, as well as your reservation number and the day and time of your reservation. 5. Contact your dining location at least 72 hours in advance to discuss your special dietary request with the chef, manager or food and beverage representative. 6. Please feel welcome to speak to the chef or manager on duty when you arrive at your dining location.
Yes, for counter service at Disney's Animal Kingdom Park, you might try: Restaurantosaurus (located in DinoLand U.S.A. Flame Tree Barbecue (located between Asia and DinoLand U.S.A. Harambe Fruit Market For additional information, contact Disney's Animal Kingdom® Special Diet line at 407-938-3288 or by e- mail at wdwakspecialdiets@email.disney.com This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . For counter service at Disney's Hollywood Studios, you might try: Sunset Ranch Market Backlot Express Studio Catering Company ABC Commissary Toy Story Pizza Planet For additional information contact the Disney's Hollywood Studios Special Diet line at 407-560- 3551 or by e-mail at wdwstspecialdiets@email.disney.com This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . For counter service Epcot, you might try: Liberty Inn (located at The American Adventure in World Showcase) Sunshine Seasons (located in The Land Presented by Nestle) For additional information, contact Epcot Special Diet line at 407-560-6395 or by e-mail at wdwecspecialdiets@email.disney.com This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . For counter service at the Magic Kingdom, you might try: Cosmic Ray's Starlight Café (located in Tomorrowland) Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Café (located in Frontierland) Main Street Bakery Toontown Farmer's Market Liberty Square Market Pinocchio's Village House For additional information, contact Magic Kingdom Park Special Diet Line at 407-824-5967 or by e- mail at wdwmkspecialdiets@email.disney.com This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . The DISNEY CRUISE LINE special dietary request information is located at www.disneycruise.com or phone Disney Cruise Vacations at 1-800-951- 3532 For more information, see Disney's Special Dietary Requests, Disney Dining FAQ's, and Disney Magic. |
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Nancy Kanter is Playhouse Disney Worldwide senior VP IndianTelevision - US kids broadcaster Disney has announced that Nancy Kanter has been promoted to Playhouse Disney Worldwide senior VP and will have responsibility for the Playhouse Disney creative content on a global basis.
Kanter has been
with Disney since 2001, most recently as Playhouse Disney US
senior VP, programming. The announcement was made by
Disney Channels Worldwide president, entertainment Gary Marsh to
whom Kanter reports. Marsh said, "Nancy's dedication to learning-focused stories for preschoolers helped drive unprecedented success for our Playhouse Disney programming. As we increase our programming development around the world, this promotion recognizes her valued contribution to creative excellence and will ensure a consistent vision for all Playhouse Disney content." Kanter is responsible for supervising the development of Playhouse Disney's most successful original series thus far, including Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, My Friends Tigger and Pooh and Handy Manny; the new series Bunnytown and upcoming Imagination Movers. |
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Sunday
June 15, 2008 |
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Walt Disney’s inspiration is a Copenhagen amusement Disney whirl: 4 theme parks in just 1 day 2008 Candlelight Processional narrators and packages Disney-isms drive glossy 'Camp Rock' Eating Smartly at Disney and Beyond Dated cartoon classics being reimagined for the Internet generation Anaheim's GardenWalk is open for business at last |
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Walt Disney’s inspiration is a Copenhagen amusement Kansas City Star - Denmark | The 165-year-old amusement park that inspired Walt Disney and Danish fairy tale writer Hans Christian Andersen offers style and charm of a kind often imitated. Tivoli, Copenhagen’s downtown landmark, blends tradition and modernity with old-style Ferris wheels and gravity-defying rides, family restaurants and gourmet eateries. Neon lights are banned here and plastic materials are avoided — beer cups aside — to preserve the feel of an old-style amusement park. “We want to maintain tradition and quality,” said Lars Liebst, Tivoli manager. In 1841 Georg Carstensen sought royal permission to create an amusement park on the ramparts that once surrounded medieval Copenhagen. The son of a diplomat, he wanted to give Danes samples of the wonders he had seen during childhood trips abroad. Tivoli opened two years later. The Danish capital has since grown around the green oasis where families and friends stroll, and lovers cuddle up on benches amid oaks, birches and Japanese cherry trees. “It’s so beautiful, it’s cozy,” said Elin Peitersen, a 74-year-old retired secretary. “You can take your family along or sit on a bench, like I do, and enjoy others having a good time.” The park is charming, but it’s the thrill rides Tivoli is famous for, especially among the throngs of young visitors. The youngest children prefer the slow-moving vintage car ride, while exhilarated teenagers zoom past in the adrenaline-pumping roller coaster. Meanwhile Tivoli’s Boys Guards march behind children dressed up as royals, riding a horse-drawn carriage through the garden. The scent of popcorn and cotton candy fills the air while Vienna waltzes, big-band tunes and rock music play in the background through the evening. A stone’s throw away is the Chinese-style Pantomime Theater from 1874 with its peacock curtain. When the bird lowers its tail, the curtain rises for one of Europe’s last stages keeping Commedia dell’Arte traditions alive. “I heard it was a famous amusement park so I wanted to see for myself,” said Sung Young-Jae, a 36-year-old visitor from Seoul, South Korea. “It is very beautiful but I am a little bit disappointed, it is so small.” The park covers about 880,000 square feet (82,000 square meters), elbowed between the City Hall and the capital’s main train station. Disney visited Tivoli several times in the 1950s and 1960s to seek inspiration for his theme parks in the United States, Liebst said. Nearly a century earlier, Andersen, the legendary children’s author, wrote “The Nightingale” after watching the illuminated Chinese Tower, one of the park’s landmarks. Today the park is lit by tens of thousands of colored lights after nightfall. Before each summer season, which runs from mid-April to mid-September, gardeners plant 100,000 bulbs alongside 50,000 other flowers. Posters announce that Israeli conductor Daniel Barenboim, K.D. Lang and the New York City Ballet, among others, will perform this season, either at Tivoli’s concert hall or on an outdoor stage where strong men and bearded ladies once performed. For 2008 Tivoli reopened a Moorish-style building from 1909, which has been through a major renovation. The white edifice, now decorated with 3,600 colored light bulbs, was originally covered with papier-mache and chicken wire. The park hired Italian workers to re-create the front using a mixture of concrete and marble. The building now houses a high-end restaurant, a dairy, a deli and a luxury hotel with 13 suites. Tivoli has extended its opening times in recent years. The park twinkled in the Nordic winter darkness for the first time in 1994 and now stays open for four weeks over Christmas and New Year’s. A fall season was introduced in 2005 and focuses on Halloween’s universe of witches, pumpkin lanterns and autumn crops. In previous years the number of visitors during the summer season has hovered just above 3 million. Visitors are chiefly Danes and Scandinavians. Fewer than 10 percent come from outside the region. |
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Disney
whirl: 4 theme parks in just 1 day Philadelphia Inquirer - Four theme parks. Three kids. Two adults. And one seemingly impossible assignment: to visit every Disney World resort on the same day. I'm not talking about an amusement park toe-touch, either. I mean quality time, taking no fewer than three marquee family rides at each place and not skipping meals - in other words, real visits. At a resort that's sprawled across 25,000 acres of flat central Florida, is a quadruple play even possible? "It's not something we really recommend," Disney spokesman Charles Stovall warned. As if that's not enough of a challenge, let me introduce you to my family. Kari and I have three kids: two boys - Aren, 5, and Iden, 3 - and a 1-year-old girl, Erysse. Since we live in Orlando, they're no strangers to theme parks. But they're still young kids, with abbreviated attention spans, inflexible nap schedules and an occasional diaper to change. Disney may not endorse our adventure, but that doesn't exactly stop people like us from trying. Since it opened Animal Kingdom a decade ago, it has all but invited its guests to squeeze a fourth park visit into a day. And that's all the encouragement that time-starved families with only a day to spend in Orlando needed. (Besides, if Disney didn't want us zipping around its resorts like Boy Scouts on a scavenger hunt, why would it sell a "Park Hopper" pass that allows us to do it?) Magic Kingdom - 9:02 a.m.We valet-parked our car at Disney's Contemporary Resort and ordered breakfast at the hotel's Concourse Steakhouse. Why spend $10 to valet park? Because it's $1 cheaper than using the main lot and saves you a bundle of time. (Technically, this was a no-no to park at the hotel, I was told later by a Disney official.) It's just a short monorail ride to the entrance of Disney's signature park, versus a half-hour odyssey on a tram, followed by a connection to a boat or monorail when you park the conventional way.There was no time for a leisurely stroll down Main Street USA - we walked briskly toward Cinderella Castle and then circled around to Fantasyland. High on our list of rides was The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, one of the most popular attractions at the park. I've seen wait times of more than an hour, but this morning, it was less than 10 minutes. From there, we darted over to Peter Pan's Flight, where the line was even shorter. So far, so good. We debated the third ride. The boys wanted Pirates of the Caribbean, because, well, it's a boy thing to do. The girls preferred It's a Small World. Small World won because it's closer. But it came at a steep price: The song is still in my head. As we rolled back to the park entrance, our confidence started to build. As long as we picked three rides, had backups for each one, and avoided diversions, we might be able to conquer four parks. The kids were ready for more rides. We boarded a monorail for Epcot. Epcot - 10:45 a.m.The line for The Seas With Nemo & Friends was about average, which is to say, it lasted a patience-testing 20 minutes. Worse, the baby's diaper needed to be changed. As we edged closer to Nemo's undersea world in a slow-moving line, we had no choice but to change Erysse without the benefit of a bathroom. Thanks to the low light, no one noticed.But once the ride ended, the kids started to get fussy. They wanted lunch. We had a schedule to keep, so we decided to see one more attraction before taking a break. Journey Into Imagination With Figment is one of the most underrated Epcot attractions. It's fast-moving and fun, but there's never a line. Before any of the kids could protest, we were face-to-face with Figment in his laboratory. Then we were off to lunch. Although we've tried almost every restaurant in Epcot's World Showcase, we're partial to China's Lotus Blossom Cafe because it's fast - and today, fast matters. Within a few minutes, we were wolfing down vegetable stir-fry and pot stickers. Before catching the Gran Fiesta Tour at the Mexico Pavilion, we grabbed a pretzel from the nearby Norwegian bakery. The kids needed sugar. The adults needed sugar, too. It's a 20-minute bus ride to our next park. Animal Kingdom - 2:05 p.m.The signs in front of It's Tough to be a Bug! warn that the 3-D attraction may frighten young children, but we ignored them. After six rides, we concluded that our children had become desensitized to loud noises and special effects. And besides, the wait was a manageable 10 minutes. Only Iden appeared shaken by the experience, asking whether insects grow to be as big as the seven-foot animatronic grasshopper on stage.It's a hike to the Festival of the Lion King, and in the afternoon heat, only the promise of ice cream kept the kids moving. Erysse had already fallen asleep. Fortunately, it was cool inside the theater, and the show, which features songs from The Lion King, is a real pick-me-up. When the performance ended, we needed to move quickly to avoid being trapped on the wrong side of an afternoon parade. The TriceraTop Spin offered a convenient third-ride option on the way out. We escaped Animal Kingdom and boarded a bus just as the parade started. The baby woke up in a cranky mood. Come to think of it, we were all beginning to feel a little cranky. One park to go. Hollywood Studios - 4:15 p.m.We made a beeline to the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, but the attraction was closed for a special event. So we found our way to Muppet Vision 3-D. While we waited for the show to begin, Aren and Iden curled up on the floor and tried to sleep. Not a good sign."Come on, boys," I said. "Only two rides to go. You can do it!" "Dad, I'm never going to a theme park again," Aren replied. "Come on. You don't mean that." "Whatever." Ride number two was the combination live-action and puppet show Voyage of The Little Mermaid. By now, we were depending on the loud noises and special effects to keep the kids awake. The final attraction of the day - Playhouse Disney - was wall-to-wall with dancing preschoolers and featured frenetic puppets and elaborate props. Our preschoolers sat in the darkened theater in a semi-catatonic state, waiting for the end. We left the park after 7 p.m., feeling exhausted and a little giddy. "We won!" Iden said. "What did we win?" his brother asked. "I don't know. But we won!" Iden replied. The children fell asleep in the car and didn't wake up until the next morning. All told, we spent more than 10 hours at Disney World, averaging slightly more than one ride per hour. I learned that hitting four parks in a single day can be done, as long as you know which attractions you want to visit, schedule plenty of time for meals, and bring a limitless supply of patience. Who knows, we might try another four-bagger again soon. Maybe I'll wait until the blisters on my feet have healed. |
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2008 Candlelight Processional narrators and packages Disney News - The Following is a list of the 2008 Candlelight Processional narrators and is Subject to change without notice. Nov 28-30 John O'Hurley Dec 1-3 Patti LaBelle (Tentative) Dec 4-6 Brian Stokes Mitchell Dec 7-9 Virginia Madsen Dec 10-12 Monique Coleman Dec 13-15 TBD Dec 16-18 Chita Rivera Dec 19-21 Abigail Breslin Dec 22-24 Steven Curtis Chapman Dec 25-27 Edward James Olmos Dec 28-30 Marlee Matlin For an extra special treat, ring in the holiday season with a Candlelight Dinner Package, which includes dinner at a select Epcot restaurant and reserved general seating at the American Gardens Theatre during the Candlelight Processional. For more information or to make dinner reservations, please call (407) WDW-DINE (939-3463). Tier 1 Seating 1 - $27.99 plus tax & gratuity / (3-9) $12.99 (Lunch) Seating 2 & 3 -$32.99 plus tax & gratuity / (3-9) $14.99 (Dinner The Garden Grill Restaurant – Land Pavilion Biergarten – German Pavilion Tier 2 Seating 1 - $36.99 plus tax & gratuity / (3-9) $12.99 (Lunch) Seating 2 & 3 - $42.99 plus tax & gratuity / (3-9) $14.99 (Dinner) San Angel Inn – Mexico Pavilion Restaurant Marrakesh – Morocco Pavilion Nine Dragons – China Pavilion Rose & Crown – United Kingdom Pavilion Tier 3 Seating 1 - $41.99 plus tax & gratuity / (3-9) $12.99 (Lunch) Seating 2 & 3 - $47.99 plus tax & gratuity / (3-9) $14.99 (Dinner) Chefs de France – France Pavilion Tutto Italia – Italy Pavilion. Le Cellier Steakhouse – Canada Pavilion Mitsukoshi Teppanyaki Dining Room – Japan Pavilion Coral Reef – The Seas with Nemo & Friends Pavilion |
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Disney-isms drive glossy 'Camp Rock' Orlando Sentinel - Is it the next High School Musical? Probably not, but Camp Rock should please a lot of young girls. The Disney Channel movie follows Mitchie Torres (Demi Lovato), a gifted musician who struggles at the expensive camp. She loses her way by hiding that she is helping her caterer mom in the kitchen and by cozying up to snooty Tess Tyler (Meaghan Jette Martin). Even so, Mitchie attracts the attention of egotistical rock star Shane Gray (Joe Jonas). His Concert 3 bandmates -- played by Kevin and Nick Jonas -- hope the camp will reinvigorate jaded Shane. The movie supplies the familiar Disney Channel themes: celebrating family, following your dreams and being yourself, all set to catchy tunes. The plot concludes in a big variety show that lets the talented cast strut and sing. Lovato supplies the heart, Joe Jonas provides the sex appeal, and Martin inspires the campy humor. One disgruntled pal tells her, "Your lip gloss so isn't glossy anymore." Camp Rock is glossy, all right, and should provide a glow for Walt Disney Co. |
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Eating Smartly at Disney and Beyond The Ledger - The couple at the next table in the upscale restaurant eyed the two little kids in our group with decided distaste. Their mom was upset, but I convinced her we should simply ignore the dirty looks. For one thing, I didn't think the 3-year-old and her 5-year-old brother were misbehaving. True, a glass of milk got spilled and they were (somewhat) noisy and jumped around a bit, picking up crayons that had dropped on the floor. But so were a lot of the other kids at The Flying Fish, the noisy, bustling Orlando restaurant. Besides, we were smack in the middle of Walt Disney World and I figure anyone who is dining at one of the 300-plus eateries here has got to be prepared for kids at the next table (unless they're at the Victoria and Albert, Disney's only adults-only restaurant.) That said, wherever you take your kids out for a meal - at home or while traveling this summer - it's good to be prepared with a pad and paper (I taught 5-year-old Ethan how to play hangman) and even some crackers. I was disappointed that Disney restaurants - so quick with the kids' menus and crayons and awesome kids' desserts (how about a white-chocolate puzzle that came with a brush and different color frostings so they could "create" their own desert?) - didn't immediately offer some Mickey-shaped crackers when we sat down. If you haven't been to Disney World or Disneyland in a while, you'll be surprised by the quality and variety of the food. It's no longer about overpriced burgers and fries (though you certainly can find those). Try an Asian-fusion eatery (Yak & Yeti at Animal Kingdom) or check out The Wave at Contemporary Resort, which promises organic beers and American cooking. Of course, the kids with us preferred the old standards - like eating in '50s-era "cars" at Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater at Disney's Hollywood Studios and watching old cartoons on the giant movie screen, all designed to make us think we were at an old-fashioned drive-in, complete with stars twinkling above us. I thought they'd also love the Coral Reef at Epcot, with its giant aquariums and scuba divers that feed the fish, but the service was disappointingly slow. There are a lot of healthier options, too, if you can get the kids to eat them. Kids' meals now come with fruit or vegetables and juice, water or low-fat milk and there are fruit carts around the park. When I booked reservations, I was asked if anybody had allergies so that the information could be noted. (Don't be shy about dietary requests, either. Walt Disney World gets more than 7,000 such requests a month - just call a few days in advance.) Another tip: Whether you are at Disney World or a favorite city this summer, book reservations. With young kids, earlier is better. You can always change them. But even at Walt Disney World, you may not be able to get a table at the restaurant-of-the-moment. If you have a little princess who wants to dine with Cinderella, book as soon as you book your trip and even then, you won't be guaranteed a spot. Same with dinner at the California Grill atop the Contemporary Resort, with terrific food and a first-rate view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks. (Call 407-939-3463 for reservations.) A tip from Disney VIP guide Maureen Murphy: The Princess Storybook meals at Epcot's castle-like Akerhus Royal Banquet Hall are an easier reservation to get. We opted for Chef Mickey's breakfast at the Contemporary Resort, where the kids were so enthralled by Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and the rest of their pals, getting autographs and hugs and posing for pictures, that it was tough to get them to eat their breakfast, which was surprisingly good. Choose your character meals based on your kids' favorite characters - breakfast with Winnie the Pooh and friends at The Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom or Lilo and Stitch at the Polynesian Resort; lunch with Chip n' Dale in Epcot, or the gang from Playhouse Disney at Hollywood and Vine at Hollywood Studios; dinner with Cinderella at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian Resort. Be prepared with cameras, autograph books (we filled up two!) and pens. Rest assured that the characters will stop at your table. These meals, while pricey, are a great way to get those autographs, hugs and pictures (with mom and dad, too!) without waiting on the inevitable lines in the parks. Another tip: Consider the well-priced meal plans that you can add on to your room/tickets package that even include a daily "snack." Disney officials say you can save as much as 40 percent at more than 100 restaurants and quick-food places throughout the resort. (Book packages by June 22 for certain dates in August and September and you get the Disney Dining Plan free at Disney World. Visit www.disneyworld.com for details.) There's one drawback: If you have any junior foodies under 10 in the group, they'll be limited to the kids' menus. The other drawback: It seems so many people are opting for the dining plan that reservations are needed. Remember, you are really booking a "priority seating" time, which means you may need to wait when you arrive, as we did several times. It's always good to get there a little early, especially with hungry kids in tow. "Birnbaum's Walt Disney World Dining Guide" ($11.95 is a good resource) See you at the Castle. I'll be the one chatting up Cinderella. |
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Dated cartoon classics being reimagined for the Internet
generation Dallas Morning News - Strawberry Shortcake was having an identity crisis. The "it" doll and cartoon star of the 1980s was just not connecting with modern girls. Too candy-obsessed. Too ditzy. Too fond of wearing culottes. So her owner, American Greetings Properties, worked for a year on what it calls a "fruit-forward" makeover. Strawberry Shortcake, part of a line of scented dolls, now prefers fresh fruit to gumdrops, appears to wear just a dab of lipstick (but no rouge), and spends her time chatting on a cellphone instead of brushing her calico cat, Custard. Unveiled last week, the new look is part of a new line of toys from Hasbro. She is not the only aging fictional star to get a face-lift. An unusually large number of classic characters for children are being freshened up and reintroduced – on store shelves, on the Internet and on television screens – as their corporate owners try to cater to parents' nostalgia and children's YouTube-era sensibilities. Warner Brothers hopes to "reinvigorate and reimagine" Bugs Bunny and Scooby-Doo through a new virtual world on the Internet. American Greetings is dusting off the Care Bears, which will return with a fresh look this fall (less belly fat, longer eyelashes). Even Mickey Mouse is getting an update, although the Walt Disney Co. is still mulling what tweaks to make. "I love classic Mickey, but he needs to evolve to be relevant to new generations of kids," Robert A. Iger, Disney's chief executive, said in an interview. New media applications have created opportunities that companies did not have before, said Lisa Gregorian, executive vice president for worldwide marketing at Warner Brothers Television. And done correctly, reinvation can be lucrative: Mickey Mouse produces an estimated $5 billion in merchandise sales every year. There have been some noteworthy misfires. "Earring Magic Ken" is the industry's nightmare. Mattel's 1993 character, who had a purple mesh T-shirt, a pierced ear and a leather vest, drew howls from consumers, who did not see him as a realistic boyfriend for Barbie. |
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Anaheim's GardenWalk is open for business at last LATimes - Marking another step in its long struggle to scrap a kitschy past and conjure up a modern resort city, Anaheim on Saturday officially opened GardenWalk, an upscale multimillion-dollar retail and entertainment center where an abandoned musical theater-turned-Christian church once stood in the shadow of Disneyland. "The last thing we wanted to have happen," developer Bill Stone told about 100 people gathered for the grand opening, was for tourists to say, " 'Yeah, we've got that back in Des Moines too.' " Built in the mold of outdoor shopping malls like nearby Downtown Disney and the Block at Orange, the complex of shops and restaurants is slated to eventually feature nearly 100 outlets with brand names such as Harley-Davidson and Ann Taylor Loft. The development was a long time coming. Just over a decade ago, streets around Disneyland were decidedly Space Age. In 1950s and '60s retro-futuristic style, neon signs cast a bright glow of man-made light, and eateries out of "The Jetsons" dotted the sidewalks. Melodyland, a musical theater converted into a Christian church, stood abandoned with its flying-saucer-like roof. At GardenWalk, the transformation is dramatic. In place of the flying saucer and chrome-inspired decor, GardenWalk is replete with chain stores, some of which have yet to open. A series of new mini-gardens grows throughout the center. And although most of the stores can be found in similar new malls across the country, developers say this project is unique, pointing to, among other things, plans for a mega-theater and bowling alley set amid the gardens. The city embarked on an ambitious resort makeover in the mid-1990s with plans to eradicate the neon signs, themed hotels and Space Age diner architecture around the Disney resort in favor of a sleek urban center of upscale retail, residential and hotel development. GardenWalk is one of the projects that has grown out of that effort. Disney Co. now plans to operate two hotels at GardenWalk. But in the late '90s, when a mall project was first proposed, the entertainment giant did nearly everything it could to block construction. Shortly after an outdoor project, then called Pointe Anaheim, was proposed, Disney lawyers filed hundreds of pages of objections. The company also funded groups that criticized the plans and sponsored public meetings to air its complaints. At the time, Downtown Disney was still in the works. Disney later withdrew its opposition when developers agreed to limit signs, increase parking and change traffic routes. But the project stalled again a few years ago, in part because of an economic downturn after the Sept. 11 attacks, and the demolished site sat as an empty fenced lot. In 2005, a new set of developers took over, paying $30 million for the land and starting construction a short time later. At Saturday's long-awaited grand opening, Karen Eger, 32, and her mother, Pat Eger, 58, visitors from Canada, said they were glad to find a mall right next to their hotel. The family, along with niece Kirsten Popowich, 6, planned to stay eight days in Anaheim, including four days spent at the Disney resort and one day at SeaWorld in San Diego. If the mall weren't there, Karen Eger said, they would probably be "sitting by the pool at the hotel." Nearby, longtime Anaheim residents Kelly White, 26, and her grandmother, Doris Marshall, 76, were like tourists in their own city, snapping pictures in the gardens and in front of the new shops. They struggled to recall what was on the land before. "It's been under construction for so long," White said, "I don't remember." |
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Based
on T.S. White's immortal novel The Once and Future King, The
Sword in the Stone 45th Anniversary Special Edition brings the
legend of King Arthur to spectacular animated life in a dazzling
adventure sure to entertain both adults and children. Arthur, a
young squire known as "Wart," encounters his destiny when he
meets the magical wizard Merlin. This 1963 musical gem from the
Disney vaults features original songs by Richard M. and Robert
B. Sherman (Mary Poppins) making The Sword in the Stone 45th
Anniversary Special Edition a must-own classic. 
The
Jungle Book 2 Special Edition takes fans on another thrilling,
swingin' adventure with the indomitable man-cub, Mowgli. The
popular sequel to one of Disney's most beloved films, this
fun-filled musical safari has the jungle jumping again with a
host of original toe-tappin' tunes and new renditions of old
favorites including "The Bare Necessities." Boasting a stellar
voice cast, including Haley Joel Osment as Mowgli and John
Goodman as Baloo the bear, The Jungle Book 2 Special Edition
provides a playful mix of music, laughs and thrills that will
capture the imagination of both kids and adults for years to
come. 
A
pair of jokers are totally wild in these four laugh-out-loud
escapades from the top rated Disney Channel series. With a
luxury hotel as their playground, the teenaged twins (Dylan and
Cole Sprouse) take their high rise high jinks from the basement
to the penthouse and back again. Co-stars include Ashley Tisdale
("High School Musical 1 & 2") as loveable Tipton employee Maddie
Fitzpatrick and Brenda Song ("Wendy Wu, Homecoming Warrior") as
madcap hotel heiress London Tipton. Fans will sing along with
the title installment of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody: Lip
Synchin' in the Rain, a special musical episode that finds the
gang auditioning for their school production of High School
Musical! When London beats out Maddie for the role of Sharpay,
it looks like London will get all the glory and Maddie will do
all the work—but the boys have a plan to reveal the real star of
the show! 
g
technology that connects families to each other, their home, the
surrounding community and the world. And many of the innovative
things our guests will be playing with are actually available
today.”
Dining
Room 
Teen
Daughter’s Room 
When
a family member takes a seat by the bed and begins to tell the
story of Peter Pan, the story jumps off the pages. Everyone in
the room is immersed in the story with special effects,
including video that appears on the ship’s sail and the
surrounding walls. Tinker Bell may even breeze past some of the
room’s fixtures, causing them to shake and tinkle. The
bed-cannon can shoot holes through the virtual clouds, just like
the cannon on Captain Hook’s ship.
SeattlePI
- Jonathan Cluts is the type of guy who once rewired his dorm
room to control all the lights from a central switchbox. And as
a kid, he thought it would be great to be an "Imagineer," one of
the creative minds behind the Disney theme parks.
Boy,
do we. Among other things, the building has a claim to a place
in Orlando history because Walt Disney made his November 1965
announcement of plans for Walt Disney World from the Egyptian
Room, the ballroom wing of the then-Cherry Plaza. (That ballroom
wing of the building no longer exists; it was about where Spice
restaurant is now).
Pin
Facts: