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 March 9 - 15, 2008 |
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Saturday March 15, 2008 |
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Disney
parade, show opens to the public SoCal amusement park attendance stays flat in 2007 Gugino joins 'Witch' cast Epcot flower fest at Disney Disney movie needs extras for filming in Lacombe Sunday High School Musical star saw ghoul on movie set Miley and Mandy Parody Their Disney Pals Win Tickets To Disney In Our Easter Photo Contest |
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Disney parade,
show opens to the public OCRegister - Anaheim Current Disney characters, including Nemo and Handy Manny, starred in two new features today at Disney's California Adventure. The Pixar Play Parade and Playhouse Disney Live on Stage officially debuted, although they began this week as sneak peeks. Unlike the classic princes and princesses prominent at Disneyland, the cousin theme park based its new parade and show on Disney-Pixar movies and new Disney Channel shows aimed at preschoolers. Thousands lined the parade route for today's parade. "We decided we wanted to keep up with the times and do shows that are actually showing on the Disney Channel," said John Addis, the senior show director of Playhouse Disney Live. The parade highlights movies that are no older than 13 years old, from "Toy Story" to "Ratatouille." "I thought there were characters that my kids know and love," said Lisa Meehan of Arizona who saw the parade with her two boys. |
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SoCal amusement park attendance stays flat in 2007 LA Times - Attendance at Southern California amusement and theme parks remained flat for 2007 with Disney’s California Adventure experiencing a significant decline in visitors, according to figures released by Themed Entertainment Assn. and Economics Research Associates. Disneyland in Anaheim continued to rank second worldwide with 14.9 million visitors in 2007, a 1% increase over the previous year. Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida, retained the international crown with 17.1 million visitors, a 2.5% increase. As usual, Disney theme parks claimed the top eight spots worldwide. In Southern California, the major amusement and theme parks saw attendance remain flat or decline — except for Disneyland, which added the Finding Nemo submarine ride last year. Universal Studios Hollywood (4.7 million) and SeaWorld San Diego (4.3 million) saw no change in attendance. Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park (3.6 million) experienced a 1% decline despite adding a family coaster in 2007. Disney’s California Adventure (5.7 million) — which added no attractions in 2007 but announced a major five-year expansion plan — dropped 4.5% in attendance. Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia and Legoland California in Carlsbad did not crack the North American Top 20 in attendance. Raging Waters water park in San Dimas (650,000 visitors) also remained flat. Worldwide, attendance at the Top 25 amusement parks inched up a slight 0.5%. The Top 20 North American and European amusement parks and the Top 15 U.S. water parks experienced modest 2.5% to 3% increases. Disneyland Paris (12 million) and Walt Disney Studios Paris (2.5 million) lead the way in Europe with substantial 13% attendance increases. Attendance at Asian amusement parks proved a mixed bag — with Hong Kong Disneyland (-20%) and South Korea’s Lotte World (-53%) registering major declines and Hong Kong’s Ocean Park (+12%) and China’s Happy Valley (+10%) showing significant increases. Hong Kong Disneyland suffered a massive sophomore slump from its opening year and Lotte World closed for six months for major renovations. Attendance at the Top 10
amusement park chains (in millions): |
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Gugino joins
'Witch' cast The Hollywood Reporter - Carla Gugino will play the lead opposite Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in "Race to Witch Mountain," Disney's reimagining of its 1975 tween thriller "Escape to Witch Mountain." Actor-director Garry Marshall also will star. In Andy Fickman's feature, Gugino will play a discredited astrophysicist and UFO expert who meets up with a Las Vegas cab driver (Johnson). He asks for her extraterrestrial expertise to help a pair of psychic siblings escape the clutches of evil men and save the human race from impending doom. Marshall plays a government and UFO conspiracy theorist/fringe scientist who helps them in their quest. Alexander Ludwig and AnnaSophia Robb play the siblings. Gunn Films' Andrew Gunn is producing, and his shingle's Ann Marie Sanderlin is executive producing from Mark Bomback's recent script. Disney's Brigham Taylor and Casey Wolfe are overseeing the production, set to begin shooting this month in Los Angeles. Gugino recently nabbed the romantic lead opposite Robert De Niro in the upcoming thriller "Righteous Kill" and will play Sally Jupiter/Silk Spectre in the Zack Snyder superhero flick "Watchmen." Marshall has showcased his menschy appeal in numerous supporting roles for decades. Gugino is repped by CAA and Untitled. Marshall is repped by CAA. |
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Epcot
flower fest at Disney The Canadian Press - An oldies concert series is part of the annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival at Walt Disney World Resort, March 19-June 1. The Flower Power concert series includes performances by the Guess Who, Petula Clark, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Jay Black, Herman's Hermits, Arlo Guthrie, Davy Jones, Jose Feliciano and Tony Orlando. Also on the schedule for the festival are a March 23 Easter Brunch and a May 11 Mother's Day Brunch. Exhibits include Disney Topiary, millions of blooms and Garden Town, where you can get gardening tips and take part in demonstrations led by horticulturalists. |
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Disney movie needs extras for filming in Lacombe Sunday Slidell Sentry News - Extras are needed in a Disney TV pilot called “Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!” being filmed in St. Tammany Parish this weekend. Extras Casting Director Pepper Morgan is requesting 500 to 1,000 volunteers attend this Sunday’s filming of a monster truck race at A-1 Raceway at 32063 Louisiana Highway 36 in Lacombe. “Besides getting the chance to participate in a movie, you’re going to see a monster truck race for free,” she said. Morgan also said they are especially looking for children 6 years old and up. Anyone wishing to participate in the event can either email Morgan at PJMorgan1976@yahoo.com or call at 818-613-3475. |
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High
School Musical star saw ghoul on movie set Now - Zac Efron is convinced he had a supernatural experience on the set of his new movie Me And Orson Welles. The 20-year-old actor is currently filming on the Isle of Man with Claire Danes, 28, and the pair are convinced they saw a ghost while shooting scenes in the Gaiety Theatre, which is said to be haunted. Now the High School Musical star has become the butt of jokes among the crew, who keep winding him up about his spooky encounter. |
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Miley and
Mandy Parody Their Disney Pals People Magazine - Miley Cyrus and her pal Mandy Jiroux have some company when it comes to their popular homemade YouTube videos – from another pair of teen actresses. Selena Gomez, who has appeared on Cyrus's Hannah Montana and is in the upcoming High School Musical 3, and her friend, Demi Lovato, who had had guest roles on Prison Break and Just Jordan, posted a video similar to The Miley and Mandy Show, talking directly into the camera, giggling and discussing a variety of subjects from makeup to Power Rangers. Not to be outdone, Cyrus and Jiroux posted a good-natured spoof of Gomez and Lovato's video. Cyrus mocks Gomez's bangs – deftly swept over one eye – while Jiroux has raccoon eyes, thick with black eyeliner in homage to Lovato's comments about fans saying she wears too much makeup lately. While Gomez rocks a Power Ranger T-shirt and wishes she was the "red one" in her online video, Cyrus dons a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shirt, points to her chest and says, "I wanted to be that one." Adds Jiroux as the pair signs off: "All I know is that my makeup looks hot, and I don't care if you all don't like it." |
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Win
Tickets To Disney In Our Easter Photo Contest Tampa Tribune - Easter Sunday is March 23 and the Suncoast News is having a photo contest to celebrate the season! One lucky winner will receive four (4), single-day park-hopper tickets to Walt Disney World in Orlando. Do you have Easter photos you'd like to share? Are there photos of you coloring eggs with the kids or grandkids? How about kids gathering eggs at the annual egg hunt or visiting the Easter bunny? Share your Easter photos with The Suncoast News online users by uploading photos here Easter Gallery Please include the following: Name, address, community, daytime phone numbers and e-mail addresses for the photographer. You can also email photos to jwade@tbo.com or send them by mail to 6214 U.S. 19 N., New Port Richey, 34652. No photo manipulations, please. Up to five photos per household. Some photos will be published in upcoming editions of The Suncoast News print edition. Questions? Contact Community Producer Judy Wade at (727) 815-1073 or email jwade@tbo.com. Contest ends midnight March 31, 2008. |
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Friday March 14, 2008 |
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Off-duty Disney security guard charged with exposing himself to
boy Hong Kong Disneyland announces new entertainment experiences in 2008 Walt Disney To Redeem 2.125% Convertible Senior Notes Various reports say Disney World planning 5th theme park Disney's 'Enchanted' Easter at L.A.'s Grove Disney does a monster bash! Theme park attendance continues to Grow Wolfgang Puck Express to reopen |
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Off-duty Disney security guard charged with exposing himself to
boy Orlando Sentinel - An off-duty Disney security guard is free on bond after being charged with exposing himself, child abuse and battery. On Wednesday evening, a woman flagged down a Groveland police officer and told him that a neighbor had just hit her 11-year-old son in the face. According to an arrest affidavit, the boy told the officer that he was collecting money for his school's "Jump Rope for Heart" campaign when he rang the doorbell of John Briegel, 43, four or five times. The boy said that Briegel answer the door completely naked, berated the boy for ringing the doorbell, then struck the boy on the side of the head with a closed fist. The boy ran home and called his mother, according to the affidavit. Officers then went to Briegel's home, and the boy identified Briegel as his attacker. Briegel, who was wearing a pair of shorts when he opened the door to the officers, said that he had been napping with his wife when someone rang his door bell 10 times. He admitted to answering the door in the nude and yelling at the boy, but he said that he kept his body hidden behind the door, and denied hitting the boy, according to the affidavit. Briegel was transported to Lake County Jail were he posted $6,000 bond later Wednesday night. Zoraya Suarez, a spokeswoman for Disney, confirmed that Briegel worked for Disney's security department and said that he had been placed on unpaid leave pending the outcome of his case. |
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Hong Kong Disneyland announces new entertainment experiences in
2008 Disney News - From mid 2008 four exciting new entertainment initiatives will be unveiled to Guests at Hong Kong Disneyland. The new attractions will include; Muppet Mobile Lab, High School Musical Celebration, Nemo Submarine "Turtle Talk" and The Art of Animation. "As part of our continuing strategy to enhance our Guests' experience, we are excited to add new attractions and entertainment offerings in 2008 that truly showcase the magic of Disney's cutting-edge technology, its timeless stories and beloved characters, who will appeal to Guests of all ages," said Bill Ernest, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Hong Kong Disneyland. "After entertaining millions of Guests in our first two years of operation, Hong Kong Disneyland will continue to find new, immersive ways to delight families from Hong Kong and all over Asia for many years to come." The four new experiences are in addition to the already-announced classic Disney attraction it's a small world – which will include entertainment features unique to Hong Kong Disneyland and will also launch in 2008. Muppet Mobile Lab With the help of Disney Imagineering's Research and Development department, world-renowned scientist and founder of the Muppet Labs, Dr.Bunsen Honeydew, and his trusty assistant, Beaker, take to the streets of Hong Kong Disneyland in their Muppet Mobile Lab. These beloved Muppets characters travel through the park in their free-roaming, two-wheeled, eggshaped laboratory. Along their way, they will have personal, spontaneous interactions with Guests of all ages, who will be able to ask questions and engage in two-way conversations. Guests can also participate in one of Dr.Honeydew's infamous scientific experiments, which usually go astray, much to the dismay of his unwitting, but dependable test subject, Beaker. The Muppet Mobile Lab features two free-roaming Audio-Animatronics characters who travel around the Park, interacting with each other and withGuests. New technology developed by Disney Imagineers allows Guests toexperience some of the onboard special effects, such as water sprayers,smoke and confetti cannons, plus a few unexpected surprises. High School Musical Based on the blockbuster Disney Channel movie, High School Musical Celebration has been uniquely created for Hong Kong Disneyland as a high energy,highly-immersive entertainment offering. The spread of "Wildcatfever" will have Guests literally dancing in the streets when the new "HighSchool Musical!" premieres at Hong Kong Disneyland. The mobile stage,featuring a troupe of singers and dancers, will travel the HKDL parade route, encouraging Guests to take part in a singing and dancing extravaganza along the way. The show, filled with classic, universal lessons about courage, teamwork, loyalty and respect, make the celebration an event not to be missed. Nemo Submarine "Turtle Talk" Turtle Talk With Crush gives Guests a chance to have unscripted, real-time conversations with Crush, the beloved laid-back sea turtle from the popular Disney/Pixar animated film "Finding Nemo." From his digital world under the sea, Crush chats, plays and jokes with Guests in a unique, personalized way. The 152-year-old turtle recognizes Guests and asks them questions about themselves and the human world in this live, real-time animated show. Guests are seated in a colorful, nautically-themed theatre and children are encouraged to talk directly with Crush. Using digital projection and sophisticated, voice-activated animation, Disney Imagineers have created a new way for Guests to talk with this personality-rich character. The Art of Animation Disney and Pixar Animation represent a heritage that extends over 75 years and includes some of the most beloved and well know characters and stories the world has ever known. The Art of Animation is both a celebration and a tribute to that legacy. In this experience, Guests will see artwork, sketches, drawings and maquettes, taking them from the earliest years of Mickey Mouse, through Disney and Pixar's classic animated features to the stories and characters being created today. The highlight of the experience is the fully dimensional Pixar Zoetrope, which creates the illusion of movement by presenting a rapidly changing sequence of images – actual three-dimensional models – of characters from the Pixar animated classic "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2." LAUNCH LATE APRIL 2008 At the end of April 2008, Hong Kong Disneyland will also unveil a Disney classic attraction, it's a small world. For the first time ever, more than 30 popular Disney characters,including Peter Pan, Aladdin and Mulan, will join the existing dolls from aroundthe world and be seamlessly blended into the countries where their storiestake place. Enhanced with an expanded Asia section that will include famousregional landmarks such as the Great Wall, the Temple of Heaven and the distinctive Hong Kong skyline, the attraction will also include a Middle Easternscene and a new scene for North America – a new twist on the classicattraction that other Disney Parks in North America's don't enjoy! The grand finale features children coming together from all the corners of the globe for a spectacular "curtain call" with new colorful lighting effects. Another exceptional aspect of Hong Kong's own it's a small world is its classic façade, inspired by the versions in the U.S., Tokyo and Paris, featuring a unique color scheme and has been specially designed to take advantage of the different quality of light in Hong Kong. "Walt Disney once said that Disneyland will never be complete as long as there is imagination left in the world," added Ernest. "This is certainly true here in Hong Kong – and we look forward to an exciting 2008 as we continue to enhance the experience of the park in new and exciting ways for our Guests." |
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Walt Disney To Redeem 2.125% Convertible Senior Notes RTT News - Walt Disney Co. (DIS) said that it will redeem all of its outstanding 2.125% Convertible Senior Notes due 2023, on April 15, 2008 at 100% of the principal amount of the Notes plus accrued interest to the Redemption Date. Wells Fargo Bank shall act as the Paying Agent. In lieu of surrendering the Notes for redemption, holders may elect to convert the Notes or any portion thereof that is $1,000 or an integral multiple of $1,000, into shares of Disney Common Stock. In order to exercise the conversion right, Notes must be surrendered for conversion to the Conversion Agent prior to the close of business on April 11, 2008. After that time, holders will be entitled only to the redemption price for the Notes. |
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Various reports say Disney World planning 5th theme park Bizjournals - There has been growing buzz that Walt Disney World may be planning a new theme park that would be aimed at adults, according to Orlando Business Journal broadcast partner Central Florida News 13. Disney neither confirmed, nor denied, reports on Internet blogs concerning a new park that would hold just 2,000 people at a time and be built near Pleasure Island, the station says. One report stated that Disney would open its new park, called Disney's Night Kingdom, in the fall of 2011 and it would cost $520 million. The park reportedly would only be open 4 p.m. to midnight and not offer traditional rides, but instead have attractions like rock-climbing, zip-lining and a safari tour that would require night-vision goggles, News 13 reports. Rick Foglesong, author of the critical book Married to the Mouse, told Central Florida News 13 an adult park would be a savvy way to convince more adults to spend their money at Disney. "In essence, what it does is to bring back people who came as kids, but to bring them back as young adults, but to bring them back with adult experiences" Fogleson told the station. The Internet blogs claimed the new park would not come cheap. Reports put cost of admission around $300. A Disney spokeswoman told Central Florida News 13 many ideas they explore never become a reality, but if and when Disney planned to make an announcement, it would be done in grand Disney fashion. |
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Disney's
'Enchanted' Easter at L.A.'s Grove Monsters and Critics - A classic Disney animated fairy tale meets with the modern, live-action romantic comedy in Walt Disney Pictures’ ENCHANTED. Featuring an all-star cast, the film follows the beautiful princess Giselle (AMY ADAMS) as she is banished by an evil queen (SUSAN SARANDON) from her magical, musical animated land and finds herself in the gritty reality of the streets of modern-day Manhattan. Shocked by this strange new environment that doesn’t operate on Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment is celebrating the debut of "Enchanted" in stunning Blu-ray High Definition and DVD on March 18, 2008. Los Angeles area residents and
tourists planning on visiting this weekend and next take note:
Disney is celebrating the "Enchanted" DVD release with: Disney will provide arts and
crafts, games and other ’Enchanted’ activities to give
children an enjoyable visit to the outdoor mall that features
the finest shops and restaurants in the area. Both the Blu-ray Disc and DVD contain entertaining bonus features, including the trivia based BD-Java feature “The D-Files” available only on Blu-ray Disc. |
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Disney does
a monster bash! Orlando Sentinel - I didn't spot the kitchen sink, but I bet it's there somewhere during the new Block Party Bash at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Everything else is tossed into this parade -- scooters, gigantic orange traffic cones, bouncy stilts, trampolines, hydraulic lifts, extensive choreography, crowd participation, Green Army Men barking orders, blowing banners, jump ropes, tambourines, vibrant costuming and characters from three Pixar movies. It's set to a party-mix soundtrack with (gasp!) only one Disney song. The Bash officially debuts today after running since 2005 at Disney's California Adventure park in Anaheim, Calif. I was exhausted after watching it, and I was merely on sink patrol. It begins at the front of the park, sets up shop along the length of Hollywood Boulevard, performs the routine, then packs up its things, makes a sharp left, sets up shop again and repeats. The parts are three large, blocky floats -- with themes fashioned after Monsters, Inc., A Bug's Life and the Toy Story films -- interspersed with smaller floats, cones and trampolines. The lineup includes 20 costumed characters, 12 acrobats, six Green Army Men and 48 dancers (Disney calls the dancers "Pixar Pals," but you don't have to). The Green Army Men instruct the crowd about a three-part mission: jump, scream and dance. Part 1 brings out bounding stilt walkers and bouncing trampoline artists, who unfold a large cube to reveal four trampolines with a common landing area. "The main challenge is unison," Block Party Bash producer Thomas Tryon says of the stunts. "Normally, as a trampoline performer, I'm just doing my thing on my own." The scream portion provides brief relief from the physical activity. Each side of the street tries to outshout the other ("Not bad for Barbie dolls!" yells a Green Army Man). This breaks into "Shout!" repurposed here as "Scream!", very Monsters-ish, right? Actually, these Pixar flicks had little music usable for an upbeat parade. "The idea was to use Pixar as the inspiration and the whole idea of play -- and that this was a big party," Tryon says. "People are here to see the characters, and they know they're not in the context of the movie. It was really putting them in their own context with this Party Bash idea." The dance section mashes a dozen uptempo, slightly tweaked songs. I didn't expect Disney to encourage me to shake my booty, as the song goes, but there you have it. There's a crowd participation segment, so if you're shy and don't want to do the Macarena in front of others, start seeking shelter during "Footloose." What follows: "Staying Alive," "Y.M.C.A.," "U Can't Touch This" and others. This builds to the late arrival of Incredibles characters, lifted 30 feet into the air as the ensemble breaks into "R.O.C.K. in the USA" More bouncing! Rev the scooters! Rattle the tambourines! Launch little balls! It's unbelievably perky, even by Disney World standards. Finally, it winds down with "You've Got a Friend in Me" from Toy Story as the group packs up. There's a lot to see, and because the units are stationary, you might need to move to see it all. The parade starts daily at 3 p.m., the slot previously held by the now-gone Disney Stars and Motorcars parade. (The High School Musical 2: School's Out! production still rolls several times daily.) Isn't 3 p.m. the heat of the day? Will cast members wilt in these conditions? There have been discussions about what to do once the Florida weather becomes ungodly hot, Tryon says. That may mean fewer stops or shortening the songs. "Luckily, we started in the spring where the kids are really building up their energy," Tryon says. "We'll see what happens when May comes around, and we see what works best for the park's operation, too, in terms of guests." In the meantime, costume modifications have been made since the move from California. The Green Army Men have enlisted breathable mesh, and some multilayered costumes now are sewn to appear multilayered. Now we know why "Gonna Make You Sweat" is in the dance medley. |
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Theme park
attendance continues to Grow Orlando Sentinel - Central Florida's theme parks saw modest-to-strong growth in attendance last year, displaying resilience within an otherwise softening local tourism market, according to a new report. The report, produced by a research company and theme-park trade association, concludes that 2007 was a particularly good year for Walt Disney World, a decent year for Universal Orlando and a year of modest growth for SeaWorld Orlando. The study, to be published today, says that Disney's Magic Kingdom topped 17 million visitors, retaining its title as the busiest theme park in the world. The report also includes seven Orlando-area theme parks among its ranking of the 10 busiest parks in the U.S. The attendance estimates, produced by Economic Research Associates and the Themed Entertainment Association, are completely unauthorized and unofficial. Disney, Universal and Busch Entertainment do not release attendance numbers for their individual parks, nor do many other companies. But in the absence of any standardized, authorized figures, the annual ERA/TEA attendance study provides the industry's most widely cited gate estimates. The report has its critics, particularly Busch Entertainment Corp., which owns SeaWorld, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and eight other parks. Busch spokesman Fred Jacobs said Thursday the 2006 ERA/TEA estimates were almost all significantly lower than Busch's own attendance counts, and that he had complained strongly to ERA about that. Another knowledgeable Busch source provided the Orlando Sentinel with internal 2007 gate counts for two Busch parks that were both higher than what ERA/TEA is reporting today. John Robinett, senior vice president of ERA, a Los Angeles-based company, defended the report's accuracy and said Busch Entertainment's complaint is a minority view. The study's overall assessment of 2007: a year of steady business in the United States, where the theme-park industry is mature and stable, but one with widely varied results elsewhere in the world. "I think it was business as usual," Robinett said. "Orlando did quite well this year. Southern California was a little slow. The Midwest was modest. You add it up, and it was a year of modest and healthy growth, which is to be expected at this point in our industry." Disney's Animal Kingdom continued to ride Expedition Everest -- its big roller coaster that opened in early 2006 -- to new heights of popularity, according to the report. In 2006, that coaster was credited for driving an 8.6 percent gain in attendance for Animal Kingdom. Last year, the ride and the new Finding Nemo show pushed the park's gate up another 6.5 percent -- the best growth rate in Florida for a second year in a row. Robinett said that, based on published visitor counts for the Orlando area, its theme parks appear to have had a better year than the local tourism scene overall and showed few ill effects from the weakening economy or high gas prices. "I think it shows in some ways the parks can control their own destiny," he said of the report, which is being published today in two trade publications, InPark Magazine and Park World Magazine. Outside the U.S., Robinett said, Europe's theme parks had strong growth, Asia's were weighed down by bad years at a couple of parks, and Latin America's had mixed results. Tokyo Disneyland was the busiest park outside the U.S., with 13.9 million visitors. Disneyland Paris was Europe's busiest, with attendance totaling 12 million. ERA's sources include statistics furnished directly by some theme-park companies, historical numbers, financial reports, the investment-banking community and local tourism organizations, among others. Robinett said some companies cooperate with the ERA/TEA effort and express confidence in the estimates. Busch is not one of them. A Busch Entertainment source, who spoke only on condition of anonymity for breaking with the company's usual policy, said that SeaWorld Orlando's 2007 internal gate count was in the range of 6.2 million, while Busch Gardens Tampa Bay's attendance was in the range of 4.5 million. The ERA/TEA estimates released today report 5.8 million for SeaWorld and 4.4 million for Busch Gardens. Speaking for those and other Busch parks, Jacobs did not confirm those numbers, but he said the ERA/TEA combined estimate released last year for all nine Busch parks open in 2006 -- 21.7 million -- was more than 1 million visitors less than the company's internal count. "As far as other companies are concerned, they might be accurate numbers, but I can tell you they are not accurate numbers for our parks," he said. Robinett acknowledged Busch's complaints but said the easy way to avoid such discrepancies would be for Busch and other theme-park companies to officially release their attendance figures. "You know how our numbers can get more accurate? If the operators give us a little help," he said. "And many of them do." |
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Wolfgang Puck Express to reopen
Disney News - Wolfgang Puck's Express at Downtown Disney readies for tomorrow's reopening. The popular dining venue had been closed for renovations since January. Ron Biskin, company president stated "After more than a decade of success in Downtown Disney Marketplace, we are very excited to have renewed our lease and remodeled the restaurant to provide our guests with a freshly updated Wolfgang Puck Express." The expanded dining area will now have seating for 173 guests. There will be two family sized tables as well as leather booths and banquettes. The patio will have awnings and brick columns with views of the interior space. Featured at the signature open kitchen will be a rotisserie oven and a frozen yogurt bar. The menu will feature new items including Pizza with Meatball and Parmesan, Chicken Tortilla Melt, Four Cheese Macaroni Al Forno, Rigatoni with Chicken Bolognese and Spaghetti with Meatballs. Wolfgang's Eat, Love and Live (WELL) philosophy focuses on using fresh and organic ingredients and using local vendors. Shaneena Trembley, general manager commented "Our goal is provide our guests freshly prepared quality meals at affordable prices, served with Wolfgang Puck's genuine hospitality. We are thrilled to reopen and once again welcome guests to our restaurant." |
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Thursday March 13, 2008 |
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Baby Zebra, Giraffe Born At Disney's Animal Kingdom Warners and Disney To Co-Finance Bird's 1906 Disney Segway Lawsuit is back on! Eurostar increases services to Disney Paris for summer Riley Tapped As Radio Disney SVP/GM St. Patrick's Day Fun at Downtown Disney ESPN Tour Raises Questions Iron Chef Cat Cora coming to Disney Travel on Demand Trailer for Disney Pixar's WALL-E |
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Baby Zebra, Giraffe Born At Disney's Animal Kingdom Local6 - Visitors to Disney's Animal Kingdom in Florida will soon be able to see the park's newest additions -- a rare baby zebra and giraffe. The first Hartmann's Mountain zebra ever born at the Walt Disney World resort is named Kidani, according to Disney officials. Kidani currently weighs about 65 pounds and stands just over 3 feet tall. The zebra could reach 800 pounds when it becomes an adult. Kidani was bred through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Population Management Plan, which is a consortium of zoos and wildlife parks working together to conserve and breed animals. The baby was named for the new expansion of Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas, which will be named Kidani Village.Also, a female baby giraffe named Makena was born at Animal Kingdom. At birth, Makena, which means "Happy One," weighed 118 pounds and stood just under 6 feet tall.Makena is the first calf for her mother, who was also born at Disney's Animal Kingdom. When Makena grows up, she could be as tall as 15 feet, officials said."I'm really excited about the new additions coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge and I can't wait for us to be able to share them with the guests as we get them out into the Savannah," Disney Animal Kingdom Curator Greg Peccie said. Both mothers and babies are doing well and are expected to rejoin their herds on the savannah at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge in the coming weeks. |
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Warners
and Disney To Co-Finance Bird's 1906 VFXWorld - Brad Bird, recent Oscar winner for Disney/Pixar's RATATOUILLE, will make his live-action feature directorial debut with the financial backing of both Warner Bros. and Disney/Pixar, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. The story is about a college student investigating his father's murder who discovers corruption that will prove devastating for the city of San Francisco when the Great Earthquake and subsequent fire hit in 1906 -- the title of the movie. Bird is rewriting the script, originally written by John Logan. Bird worked with Warners on the 1999 2D animated THE IRON GIANT, which was a critical success but failed to make much money. Bird has since become a well-regarded filmmaker, especially in the world of CG animation, snapping up Oscars for his past two films: RATATOUILLE and THE INCREDIBLES. Paula Weinstein is producing 1906, John Walker (Bird's producing partner) will executive produce, and Courtenay Valenti will oversee for Warners. Bird's last time directing live action was in 1987, with an episode of AMAZING STORIES. |
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Disney Segway
Lawsuit is back on! KUWJ - The fight is back on. And after the underdog recovered from an early knock-out blow it's shaping up to be a long drawn out fight? Or is it? Keeping Up With Jonas has the latest news on the lawsuit to allow Segway use by the disabled inside Disney's theme parks. The plaintiffs have amended their original complaint and it looks like the judge will allow the lawsuit to proceed. Now the ball is in Disney's court as they're likely to file another motion to dismiss hoping to avoid even the discovery phase. My personal feeling is that this case should be tried on its merits so we know the limits of ADA when it comes to public accommodation and assistive devices like the Segway. There has been a lot of case law on office accommodations. Both sides have good points. However, I tend to agree with Jonas that based on the way courts have been ruling, I predict Disney will get this case dismissed. |
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Eurostar increases services to Disney Paris for summer Easier - Eurostar, the high-speed passenger train service linking the UK with mainland Europe, will introduce for the summer extra new services between St Pancras International/Ashford International and Disneyland Resort Paris, starting on Thursday 18 July 2008. These extra trains will provide an additional 33,000 seats to and from the resort and tickets go on sale on 18 March 2008. The daily direct services to Disneyland Resort Paris have always been popular and the demand has increased further with the opening of St Pancras International and the launch of High Speed 1, the UK’s first 186 mph line, last November. The extra direct trains will run on Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday from London St Pancras International/Ashford International and on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from Disneyland Resort Paris. To celebrate the introduction of the extra services Eurostar is hosting a Disney extravaganza at its Bluewater store over the Easter weekend. The Disney jazz band will be on hand to entertain shoppers and there will be competitions and giveaways for children. Eurostar’s Director of Communications, Simon Montague, commented: “These extra services will make it even easier for families and friends to visit Europe’s leading tourist attraction during the summer holidays. The midday departure times are ideal for travellers living in towns and cities beyond London, who can buy through fares and use domestic rail to St Pancras International, King’s Cross and Euston to connect with Eurostar high-speed trains”. Disneyland Resort Paris is 2 hours and a half away from London and two hours from Ashford International. The station Marne la Vallée Chessy is only a few steps away from the gates of the two theme parks Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios. Fares on the direct services start from £59 return and children under the age of 4 travel for free. Tickets are available from Eurostar.com. |
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Riley Tapped As
Radio Disney SVP/GM Streaming Magazine - Michael Riley is joining Radio Disney as SVP/GM, effective April 1. He's spent the last 10 years with Turner Broadcasting System, where he was most recently SVP/GM for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. "Michael is a strong, creative, and well regarded professional with a solid background in business management, strategic brand marketing, and advertising across international enterprises," said Disney Channels Worldwide President Rich Ross. "His appointment makes an important step in our long-term commitment to further build Radio Disney in the marketplace." The Radio Disney children's format has more than 50 affiliates, and is also available at RadioDisney.com, on both XM and Sirius, on XM/DirecTV, and through the iTunes tuner. Riley replaces Jill Casagrande, who exited last month to return to her hometown of Cincinnati. Ross said, "We are indebted to Jill, who brought her expertise and leadership to the network at a time of integration into our global TV business, and we wish nothing but the best for her future." |
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St. Patrick's
Day Fun at Downtown Disney Disney News - Sham Rock 'n' Roll at Pleasure Island celebrates St. Patrick's Day, March 14, 15 and 17, beginning at 7 p.m. each day. The Island will "turn green" with live music, videos by Irish artists, leprechauns, stilt walkers and more. Meanwhile, for everyone interested in celebrating St. Patrick's Day "the Irish way," the Irish owners of Raglan Road Irish Restaurant & Pub at Downtown Disney have lined up a non-stop program of Irish music, song and dance across Friday, Saturday and Sunday, March 16 & 17, to match anything found in their native Dublin, Ireland. |
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ESPN Tour Raises Questions AP - Connecticut has responded to NCAA concerns that its women's basketball office helped arrange a private tour of Bristol-based ESPN for then-top recruit Maya Moore. The tour, which might have
violated NCAA rules because it may be considered a benefit not
available to all UConn students, took place in October 2005 and
included Moore and her mother, Kathryn. "The institution has worked with the NCAA on the matter and the association has taken no action," the school said. Stacey Osburn, a spokeswoman for the NCAA said the organization does not comment on current, pending or potential investigations. Osburn said the NCAA has two categories for violations -- major and secondary. A secondary violation is one that is inadvertent in nature or doesn't represent a "significant competitive advantage." Penalties for a secondary violation are those that usually match the value of the violation, Osburn said. She cited the example of someone buying a student-athlete a meal, which would be considered an extra benefit. The athlete would have to repay the value of the meal, she said. ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz confirmed that the network, which is owned by The Walt Disney Co., set up the tour for Moore and her mother after being contacted by a member of the UConn women's basketball office. The Storrs campus is about an hour drive from the Bristol studios. Because of the questions raised over the tour, ESPN has changed its policy on how tours are arranged, Krulewitz said. "To avoid any concern in the future, our tour policy will prohibit high school athletes from receiving tours at the request of a college or university athletic officials," Krulewitz said. At the time of the tour Moore, the two-time national high school player of the year from Georgia, was courted by several high-profile programs, including UConn rival Tennessee. She eventually signed with UConn and starred this season as a freshman, leading the top-ranked Huskies to their 14th Big East tournament title and was selected the conference player of the year -- a first for a freshman. The 6-foot forward scored in double figures in all 30 of UConn's regular-season games. Citing unidentified sources, ESPN reported Wednesday the NCAA began looking into the tour after fielding a complaint from the Southeastern Conference over concerns raised by Tennessee. SEC spokeswoman Tammy Wilson and Lady Vols spokeswoman Debby Jennings declined to comment Wednesday. Tennessee last summer canceled the long-standing series with UConn that began in 1995. Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt has said other rivalries will have a chance to develop in the women's game. "I haven't had the feeling that the whole nation's going to miss it," Summitt told The Associated Press a few weeks after canceling the series. "I think Tennessee fans and Connecticut fans and a lot of basketball fans look forward to that game because of the rivalry and the length of it and the type of competitive games we've had over the years." The games against the Huskies have always drawn national television exposure and featured some of the nation's best players, such as Rebecca Lobo, Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi for Connecticut and Chamique Holdsclaw, Tamika Catchings and Nikki McCray for Tennessee. |
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Iron Chef Cat Cora coming to Disney Travel on Demand AP - As part of its Disney Travel on Demand cable offerings The Walt Disney Company is adding a new cooking show starring Chef Cat Cora. Cat Cora is most popularly known as the female Iron Chef on the Food Network. She maintains her own website with recipes and a blog and she has her own charity with Chefs for Humanity. Walt Disney World's parks and resorts really do host some of the best dining options in the region. I hope that Chef Cat Cora truly explores the dining choices and helps Disney broaden some of the menus that are currently somewhat limited to do the efficiencies of the Disney Dining Plan and tourist sensibilities. Disney's What's Cooking with Cat Cora will be available on Disney Travel on Demand Channel beginning the week of March 9th to viewers with Cablevision and Time Warner Cable as their provider. Hopefully this will soon be available wider or on the internet. |
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Trailer for Disney
Pixar's WALL-E Apple - Trailer for Wall-E introduces other characters in the upcoming film. Click this LINK to view the latest trailer. |
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Wednesday March 12, 2008 |
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Disney CEO: Won't Bid
for AOL Is Google a Threat to Disney? Base Camp Studios Teams Up with Toon Disney to Launch "Power Rangers Jungle Fury" Disney's new Web site has lots of tips Disney: $123 Million From iTunes Since 2006 Journey into Narnia: Prince Caspian opening summer 2008 Disney Officially Announces Narnia |
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Disney CEO: Won't Bid for
AOL AP - Walt Disney Co. CEO Robert Iger detailed several ways on Wednesday that Disney hopes to benefit from high-tech -- but one of them isn't buying AOL, which many expect to be for sale soon. Iger said the company was still looking for new ways to adapt as people make greater use of technology to get entertainment, such as using searches on Google Inc. or downloading movies and TV shows from Apple Inc.'s iTunes service. Speaking to a media conference in New York hosted by The McGraw-Hill Cos., which owns BusinessWeek magazine and Standard & Poor's, he left open the possibility of making acquisitions. But he ruled out Time Warner Inc.'s AOL as a purchase target. Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes has said AOL will separate its rapidly declining dial-up Internet service from its online portal and advertising platform, setting the stage for a sale of some or all of AOL, something investors have been clamoring for. Iger steered clear of the other hot merger topic in the technology world, Microsoft Corp.'s unsolicited overture of lagging Internet pioneer Yahoo Inc. "We watch these things from afar," he said. Iger said Disney had done fairly well in DVD sales despite the market "flattening," and he expects some lift from the emergence of Sony's Blu-ray format as the winner in a contest for next-generation DVDs formats, beating out a rival called HD-DVD. Iger said the company has sold some 4 million movies and 40 to 50 million TV shows from its ABC network over iTunes in the arrangement's first 18 months -- without eating into the viewership of those programs on other channels. |
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Is Google
a Threat to Disney? ClickZ News - Robert A. Iger, chief executive of The Walt Disney Company, said he doesn't see Google as a threat to the media and entertainment company. "They typically need our stuff in some form. They want an association [with us]," Iger said, responding to a question posed to him today at the McGraw-Hill Media Summit. He said Google delivers value to Disney. "When they provide consumers with great search, search gives consumer access to Disney," he said. That includes access to buying a Disney vacation package or learning more about Hannah Montana. "The [Google] platform being strong is good for us. Not bad," he said, while speaking in a one-on-one interview with John Byrne, BusinessWeek executive editor. Byrne asked Iger whether Disney has considered acquiring AOL. "No," Iger said. "We don’t want to comment on specific acquisitions, even though I just did." Disney expects its revenue from digital media to reach $1 billion in 2008, up from $750 million last year. While he declined to disclose growth projections, Iger anticipates the increase will come from two places: "cannibalization" from other Disney businesses as well as new business, especially on the international front. The company is rolling out Disney.com in the U.K. and Japan, and has plans for China, Australia, Germany, France, and Italy. Iger anticipates computers connected to high-speed Internet access will become youth's primary source of entertainment in coming years. Disney expects revenue will come from multiple sources: subscription services, direct sales, video on demand, and advertising. |
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Base Camp Studios Teams Up with Toon Disney to Launch "Power
Rangers Jungle Fury"
DMN Newswire - Base Camp Studios recently teamed up with Toon Disney to create the season campaign and launch of Power Rangers Jungle Fury. The effort included a series of TV spots including a sneak peak of the show, character profiles and even a spot highlighting some of the Ranger's cool gear. All of this was fortified with footage shot for the campaign of a Bengal Tiger, a Cheetah, a Timber Wolf and an African Leopard. Base Camp's role was to write and produce the campaign from beginning to end. "Base Camp is unique," says Creative Director, Steve Kuhn, "We write the spots and we handle all production and post as well". Steve, who also directed the Big Cat Shoot, says, "We are comfortable developing advertising that speaks to their affiliates, their advertisers, as well as their viewers." One of the highlights of the project was a green screen shoot with some rather large and dangerous animals. Of the tiger, Steve said, "He was just HUGE. Imagine if your couch just got up and started walking around". But the scariest by far was the African Leopard. "He was really well trained and did everything he was told but you could tell that if left to his own devices he would snack on someone's arm. Since I was only about 4 feet from him, I was afraid that would be me." Base Camp Studios then went to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens and took high-resolution pictures of every jungle plant they could find. Then, they created the 3D jungle that was used extensively throughout the campaign. "In that jungle you would find the bad guys but also the good guys who happen to be pretty dangerous themselves" said Steve. In addition to Power Rangers Jungle Fury launch and campaign for Toon Disney, Base Camp Studios also created a ninety second trailer for the new show Aaron Stone, also on Toon Disney. Base Camp also recently completed several DVD launch spots for Cartoon Network, including Ben 10 and Sweet Sweet Fear, a collection of Halloween Cartoons. Base Camp Studios is an award-winning creative services firm and visual motion studio for television. Blending innovative techniques in live-action with 2D and 3D graphics Base Camp is able to create compelling advertising, network spots and music videos. All of Base Camp's projects are designed to be entertaining while providing a compelling and focused message. From concept to completion, Base Camp Studios provides extensive national and international experience in television production, post and design. Clients include Toon Disney, Jetix!, ABC Family, Cartoon Network, CNN and more. |
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Disney's new Web site has lots of tips Orlando Sentinel - What's a family with young children to do in Las Vegas? The Walt Disney Co. would love to tell people. "When it comes to the Las Vegas Strip, Adventuredome is family central," according to declares one of the Las Vegas "tips" offered on Disney's new Internet venture, called Disney Family Travel. Disney also has some thoughts it wants to share with people about Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure, and SeaWorld Orlando's Discovery Cove -- and, or, for that matter, about the Upper Haight district in San Francisco and Lucy the Elephant on the New Jersey shore. Mostly positive thoughts, by the way. Disney's online division hopes DisneyFamilyTravel.com establishes the company as a go-to source of family-oriented travel -and - tourism information on the Internet, independent of whatever opinions Disney may have about its own theme parks and those of its competitors. The new Web site, which links from Disney's family.go.com domain, was launched a few weeks ago. "It's our expertise. We know families," spokeswoman Brandy Phillips said. Disney Family Travel was designed to be disinterested in terms of how Disney's vacation spots might compare with others, according to editorial director Julie Hogenboom. The travel information is provided mostly by freelance travel writers -- all parents themselves -- and compiled and edited by a Disney staff. An interactive, five-star rating system of attractions is featured on the site, based on to compile ratings provided by visitors to the site visitors. It also links to the travel-business site Expedia.com if someone wants to check prices or book a trip. The site is distinct from most established travel resources because the reviews segregate information by childrens' children's ages, Hogenboom said. Ratings, suggested itineraries and tips are given separately for families with babies, those with toddlers and pre-kindergarten children, those with school-age children and those with pre-teens and teens. Some things still need to be worked out, Hogenboom said. For example, the site now lists 54 "best" family vacation destinations in numerical order, leading some readers to assume they are ranked by popularity. Yellowstone National Park takes the top spot, followed by the city of San Diego. Disney World is listed third, and Disneyland in California is listed 14th. But those numbers are not rankings, Hogenboom insisted. It's just a numbered list. The Web site does not overtly favor Disney destinations. On the Orlando page, the suggested vacation itineraries all send visitors to Universal, SeaWorld, Kennedy Space Center, Gatorland and other non-Disney attractions first. Among the reviews, SeaWorld gets more stars than Disney's Animal Kingdom for three of the four age groups. People who click on the SeaWorld listing can watch a Disney-supplied slide show of happy SeaWorld visitors, Shamu and dolphins, presented on a Web page with the Disney Family Travel logo across the top. "Nothing compares to the total delight and amazement of seeing massive killer whales dive through the air and splash into performance pools at a trainer's command," the Disney site says of SeaWorld. SeaWorld spokeswoman Becca Bides said the review sounds about right, because it echoes what the park hears from others. "We appreciate positive reviews from all reporters and Web sites," she said. Hogenboom said no one at Disney is nervous about the site promoting Disney World's competitors. Other divisions in the Disney corporation are charged with promoting Disney's theme parks. This one promotes the Disney's brand as a family-information resource, she said, adding, "We have to help people understand that this site is from Disney, but it is an agnostic site" about Disney. |
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Disney:
$123 Million From iTunes Since 2006 Silicon Alley Insider - Disney CEO Bob Iger tells the audience at the Digital Hollywood Media Summit that he's sold 4 million movies and "40 to 50" million videos through iTunes since he launched the service in 2006. What does that mean in terms of dollars? Not much. Pali Research Rich Greenfield estimates that Disney (DIS) is getting about $14.50 for each movie sold through Apple (AAPL). 4 million x $14.50 = $58 million. We estimate that Disney gets about $1.44 for each video it sells. 45 million x $1.44 = $64.8 million Grand total:
$122.8 million: In other words, a little less than 10% of the $1
billion digital revenue goal Iger has laid out for his company
this year -- and a rounding error for a company that generated
$35 billion in sales last year. |
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Journey into Narnia: Prince Caspian opening summer 2008 Disney News - Journey into Narnia: Prince Caspian – Guests can experience an exclusive opportunity to see behind-the-scenes footage, original concept art, storyboards, props and costumes from the latest installment of “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.” They can explore Aslan’s stone table chamber set recreated directly from the original molds, see blueprints used for the motion picture, and meet Prince Caspian. The new exhibit is tentatively set to open around May 24 2008. |
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Disney Officially
Announces Narnia Blu-ray.com - Buena Vista Home Entertainment has announced that they will release 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe' for Blu-ray on May 13th, just in time for the theatrical release of 'The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian'. The film will be presented, utilizing a 2.35:1 1080p AVC video encode accompanied by a 5.1 24-bit audio track, in its theatrical form, and not in the 147 minute extended form as offered on the 4-disc DVD release. Extras on this two disc release are ported from the 2-disc special edition DVD, which includes two audio commentary tracks, a seven-part "Creating Narnia" documentary, a three-part "Creatures, Lands, and Legends" featurette, and a "Bloopers of Narnia" gag-reel. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release will be a BD-J game entitled "Battle for Narnia". Previously Disney mentioned that they would include a PIP track for this release, but this announcement makes no mention of that feature. |
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Tuesday March 11, 2008 |
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Iger: Disney
to Reap $1 Billion Online Comcast to carry Disney Travel on Demand Disney announces Night of Joy 2008 lineup Disney travel site picks Disney World as a top vacation spot New Downtown Disney Stroller and Wheelchair rental policies How to do Walt Disney World like a grown up No Country For Old Men on DVD and Blu-ray Disney Baby Einstein Introduces Discoveries For Little Ears DVD Dan In Real Life on DVD and Blu-ray New Happy Meal Pirate and Princess Toys Disney Parks' VOD Gets Catty Deal Clears Way for More 3-D Screens |
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Iger: Disney to
Reap $1 Billion Online AP - The Walt Disney Co. expects to collect $1 billion in revenue from online content this fiscal year, a significant rise from estimates for fiscal 2007, CEO Robert Iger said Monday. Iger told analysts the company has been "fairly aggressive" in expanding onto the Internet to extend consumer contact with its most popular franchises and create new revenue streams. "If we're not there, (people) will just access someone else's content," he said in comments Webcast from Bear Stearns' 21st Annual Media Conference in Palm Beach, Fla. Disney's online revenue came from advertising during its ABC network hits such as "Lost" and "Grey's Anatomy" that are rerun on ABC.com; ads on sites such as ESPN.com; subscriptions to online games; downloads of movies and music; and e-commerce that is not related to its theme parks. Online sources account for less than 3 percent of company revenue. Disney posted total net income of $4.7 billion on $35.5 billion in revenue last year. The last time the company estimated digital revenue was in June 2007, when chief financial officer Tom Staggs said he expected the company to post more than $700 million for fiscal 2007, which ended in September. The company does not break out online revenue in its quarterly earnings releases. Last month, Disney announced it had created a special studio to develop short-form dramatic and comedy series exclusively for broadcast on ABC.com and Google Inc.'s YouTube. |
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Comcast to
carry Disney Travel on Demand Reuters - The Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) more than doubled the number of households carrying its cable travel channel by bringing Comcast Cable Communications Inc (DCMC1.BA) on board for the second year of operations, Disney said on Tuesday. Disney launched its Travel on Demand channel, which lets viewers contact Disney vacation planners via their TV remote controls, on 9 million Cablevision (CVC.N) and Time Warner Cable (TWC.N) households in May of 2007. Disney said 23 percent of viewers who used the "Talk to Agent" feature ended up buying Disney vacations. The company plans to add four new shows in the coming season, including "Disney's What's Cooking with Cat Cora," and programming featuring Disney Channel stars from "Hannah Montana", "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" and "High School Musical." As they watch, viewers can click their remote control to request an immediate telephone call from a Disney travel planner during extended business hours. |
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Disney
announces Night of Joy 2008 lineup Theme Park Rangers - Disney has announced the lineup for its 2008 Night of Joy concerts, which will take place Sept. 5-6, for the first time at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Tickets go on sale Fri., March 14.Read on for the lineup and more....Walt Disney World Night of Joy 2008 will take place Sept. 5 and Sept. 6.With this year's event, we are beginning our second quarter century of bringing top contemporary Christian music to Central Florida. For the first time, the event will take place at Disney's Hollywood Studios -- featuring new concert venues and thrill attractions. More than one million guests experienced Night of Joy from 1983 through 2007, a 25-year period during which the event was held in the Magic Kingdom. A 16-act lineup (eight acts perform each night) is headed by 2007 Artist of the Year Chris Tomlin, 2007 Group of the Year Casting Crowns and 2007 New Artist of the Year Aaron Shust. Add 2004 Artist of the Year MercyMe, enduringly popular tobyMac and Rebecca St. James and 10 more national recording artists … and Night of Joy 2008 adds up to a “must-do” for fans of Christian music (my shameless little sales pitch). Here’s the complete talent lineups for each evening: Sept. 5 – Chris Tomlin, MercyMe, Rebecca St. James, BarlowGirl, Matthew West, Rush of Fools, Brandon Heath and Britt Nichole. Sept. 6 – Casting Crowns, tobyMac, Fred Hammond, Marcos Witt, Mandisa, Aaron Shust, RED and Pure NRG. The lineup represents a continuation of Night of Joy’s historic blend of musical talents – from Christian pop and rock to contemporary Gospel, Urban and hip-hop to Praise and Worship. Fully half of this year’s acts have won Dove Awards, Christian music’s highest honor.Tickets go on sale March 14. One-night tickets purchased in advance are $44.95 (a $5 per ticket savings compared to tickets purchased on event days – if available). A money-saving two-night ticket is available in advance for $75.95. Individual tickets can be purchased by calling 407-W-DISNEY or by visiting www.disneyworld.com/nightofjoy. Youth groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets by visiting www.nightofjoy.com/2008. |
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Disney travel site picks Disney World as a top vacation spot Orlando Sentinel - A new Walt Disney Co. website dedicated to family travel is declaring its presence by announcing its own list of the "50 best family vacations." Not surprisingly, Walt Disney World and Disneyland make the list, but neither looks as if it is ranked No. 1.
The site, Disney Family Travel, run
by Disney on-line, was recently launched off the Disney's
Family.go.com platform, creating an obvious information resource
for that site. It collaborates with the established Internet
travel site, Expedia, which provides much of the site's content
and apparently its pricing and purchasing portal. Disney Family
Travel calls itself a unique guide to the top 50 fun and
accessible destinations in America compiled by parents, travel
experts and the sites' editors. It includes age-oriented
recommendations. Also not surprisingly, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld Orlando (or for that matter any Universal Parks and Resorts or Busch Entertainment Corp. theme park) do not make the top 50 sites -- at least not as independent destinations a la Disney World and Disneyland. However, the cities of Orlando, San Antonio, Los Angeles and San Diego all make the list as destination cities, and readers will find the Disney Family Travel pages on those cities pay direct and respectful homage to their Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, SeaWorlds, Wet 'n Wild, Discovery Cove and other competing properties. What's more, the "featured deals" feature on the Disney site, while including plenty of deals for Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line and other Disney properties, also include prominently-displayed deals for competitors such as Royal Caribbean cruise line, downtown Orlando's Grand Bohemian hotel and -- who'd have bet on this? -- the city of Las Vegas. |
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New Downtown Disney Stroller and Wheelchair rental policies Disney News - Beginning March 10th, Downtown Disney Stroller and Wheelchair rental locations and deposits have changed. Strollers and Wheelchairs are now available at Downtown Disney at Disney's Wonderful World of Memories in the Marketplace and at DisneyQuest Emporium on the West Side. The cost remains $10.00 per unit. Additionally, there is a $100.00 deposit charged to the Guest's credit card per unit rented. ECV rentals will remain at Marketplace Guest Relations. The $35.00 cost remains the same. The Guest will now be charged a $100.00 deposit to their credit card. The Guest must return a rented ECV / stroller / wheelchair back to the original rental location to receive their deposit back. |
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How to do
Walt Disney World like a grown up LA Times - OK, boys and girls, including all you chiffon-wearing princesses -- it's time to go to your rooms and close your eyes and dream of whatever it is little darlings dream about these days. They gone? Good. Fellow adults, we're going to
spend some time talking about There are people, and you know who you are, who only come to Disney World hauling kids with them. Nothing wrong with that. I've done Disney with kids and lived. So has Larry Mayer. Mayer is a Chicago businessman
with the look of a guy who might remember the words to "The
Ballad of "The first time I went to Disneyland," Mayer said, "I told people it's better for grownups than it is for kids. Disneyland and, more, Disney World are just wonderful. We marvel at what went into this ..." Then he and his companion, Donna Broder, watched a magnificent tiger splash playfully in the moat of an absolutely convincing but totally fake Indian temple ruin. They were entranced, and they were right to be. Now, kids might recognize the tiger as "a tiger," even if it didn't bounce like Tigger. The temple part and its astonishing degree of spot-on detail -- that, folks, is for us. So are the margaritas at Epcot's Mexican pavilion, the songs at Pleasure Island's Irish pub and Rod Serling's remarkable (especially for a dead guy) guest shot at Disney Hollywood's Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. And so is the pan-roasted foie gras with mostarda di Cremona at Victoria & Albert's -- a restaurant where small children, who wouldn't know foie gras from mashed bananas, are no longer allowed, period. Before we begin, though, we must address an obvious problem: What, for the purposes of this article, is a grownup? For that definition, we quote Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, who was, of course, referring to something else: "I know it when I see it." Here we go. Epcot Everyone knows about the country pavilions. If you squint a little, you can almost talk yourself into thinking you actually are in Marrakech -- unless of course you've actually been there, in which case you know it's way too orderly. And so it is with almost all the international stops in Epcot. Exceptions to the unrealism: The market space that's part of the China Pavilion is an absolute ringer for some of the country's traditional tourist-centric "friendship" stores; the same pavilion's exhibit of the Terra Cotta Army, though scaled down, is astonishingly accurate; the same pavilion's acrobats are just like (and, of course, probably are) Shanghai's; and the pub part of the Rose & Crown in the United Kingdom Pavilion is perfect. All of which, except maybe the acrobats, will bore children, also perfect. And the Paris and Venice mockups aren't bad. If you squint. Back to our theme. Kids won't go for this -- too many strange foods -- but it's possible for grownups to eat and/or drink their way around the world without leaving the World Showcase or waiting for a table. (This probably qualifies, by the way, as a Stupid Grownup Trick.) Within a couple of hours, I sampled and mostly enjoyed, in order: guacamole (Mexico; $2.95), lefse (Norway; $1.99), pot stickers (China; $4.99), a fat pretzel ($3.29) and a Beck's beer ($7; both at Germany), a cannoli (Italy; $3.99), miso soup (Japan; $2.29), mint tea (Morocco, $2) and a Boddington ale (England; $3.95). Skipped noshing in France (the lines for wine and crepes were too long) and Canada (there are limits). All the above, by the way, kept me from sampling the full-service, probably too-cher-for-kids Bistro de Paris in the France Pavilion. C'est la ... something. A couple of good rides (and,
yes, there are rides at Epcot), including one adults absolutely
should not miss: Mission: SPACE puts you at the controls, sort
of, of a space vehicle under the leadership of Soarin' -- the unmissable -- is absolutely wonderful. It's all euphoria. It's also low impact, for the ride wary and bad-of-back. People who have problems with heights might hesitate to do this, but they should just grab somebody's hand and hang on. That's all I'm going to tell you. Trust me. Disney's Hollywood Studios This was formerly Disney-MGM
Studios, which in fact looked (and looks) like a Grownups will be attracted to
the mock Grauman's/Mann's Chinese Theatre, where they can walk
in the real footsteps of There are two major thrill rides: the Rockin' Roller Coaster and, at the end of mock Sunset Boulevard, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Didn't ride this roller coaster, but Jeff Hoover, 46, a coaster buff from Minneapolis, did. "Once is enough," he said as, wobbly of leg, he exited the area. "It's harder and harder ... " Your call. But don't miss the Tower of Terror. If you've ever wondered how it would feel to be the ice in a martini shaker (and who hasn't?), you'll get your answer here. "Indiana Jones' Epic Stunt Spectacular" isn't quite epic but is a fun little show and a good excuse to get off your feet for a bit and watch things explode. If you have any problems at all with motion sickness, avoid the Star Wars flight simulator. But here's the sleeper:
The cool thing, though, is in
the interactive area, where you -- yes, you -- can lend your
voice to some of your favorite cartoon moments. Suddenly,
instead of Downtown Disney and Boardwalk Boardwalk, a Disney resort complex, is linked with Downtown Disney here because 1) it has a couple of grownup magnets: an ESPN Club sports bar (what you'd expect) and the recommendable Flying Fish Cafe (mostly seafood, as you'd e |