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MickeyXtreme's
News Archive November 18-24 2007
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Saturday
November 24, 2007 |
Low-income housing
backer in Anaheim won't give up
Disney Deals With
The Devil
Disney stars on
cool - but not too cool - clothes for family parties
Thanksgiving Box Office -- The Disney Version
Disney film
references in 'Enchanted' |
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Low-income housing backer in Anaheim won't give up
Los Angeles Times - Lori Condinus already knows which way
Tuesday night's Anaheim City Council meeting will go, and it
won't be her way. But that doesn't mean she won't be there to
lobby for a doomed housing project in Anaheim's resort district.
"We've been there supporting this project all the way," said
Condinus, 42, a switchboard operator at the Anaheim Hilton.
"We'll have our voice there . . . win, lose or tie."
Condinus' voice has been no louder than others in this fierce,
yearlong debate over whether housing belongs in the city's
tourist district.
But her words at a February council meeting -- "If we are good
enough to work here in the resort, why aren't we good enough to
live here?" -- became a rallying cry for low-wage earners who
pressed the Walt Disney Co., the City Council and other business
leaders to approve the condominium and low-cost apartment plan.
"It just came from the heart," she said. "I didn't know so many
people would pick up on it."
Plans for the housing project near Disneyland unraveled last
month when the deal between SunCal Cos. and the owners of the
26-acre parcel near Disneyland fell through.
That news prompted Councilwoman Lucille Kring earlier this month
to withdraw her support of the proposal. Kring cast the
tiebreaking vote in a 3-2 decision seven months ago that
approved the 1,500-unit project -- sparking three ballot
initiatives, two lawsuits and regular City Hall protests.
There are few details about what might replace the massive
housing project, but Councilman Harry Sidhu said new potential
buyers want to build a hotel on the land, currently occupied by
two mobile home parks.
Condinus said she was still "digesting" the sudden collapse of
the housing plan.
"I'm just hugely disappointed in the whole process the way it
turned out," she said. "We fought the hard fight, but by no
means are we packing up our bags and giving up. Nothing that's
worthwhile is easy."
Even if the council votes as expected to overturn a zoning
decision that had allowed the project, Condinus believes she and
hundreds of other religious and union leaders and community
officials have made their point.
"We have put Disney and other big corporations on notice," she
said. "We want more than a paycheck. We want social
responsibility and accountability. We've told them, 'You're
making a lot of money, so how do you put it back into the
community that's working for you?' "
Over the last year, Disney officials have argued that the lack
of low-income housing is a problem that needs to be solved. But
Disney and many others involved in tourism worried that the more
than $6 billion in public and private funds poured into the
resort district since 1994 would be wasted if new housing began
invading the area.
They feared that the resort district would return to its former
self: an area marked by a prevalence of seedy motels, tacky
shops and neon signs.
"The lack of affordable housing is a national problem and it
needs to be addressed in a thoughtful and meaningful way," said
Rob Doughty, a Disney spokesman. "It's not going to be resolved
by one entity, but in partnership with a lot of entities."
To that end, a Disney executive is leading a 12-member task
force that is working on creative ways to build additional
housing units for families of all income levels.
"We're looking at how to bring more federal and state dollars to
Anaheim for affordable housing," said Todd Ament, president of
the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce and a member of the housing
committee. "We're working with developers to make them aware of
sites in Anaheim that are available for affordable housing."
Though Condinus believes strongly in the SunCal project -- which
proposed building 225 low-cost apartments -- she said she would
have been happy to support a compromise plan.
"Had other options been proposed," she said, "I'm sure there
would have been people to get behind it."
Condinus said she would continue to push for more affordable
housing, but from a different platform.
She has taken a leave of absence from the hotel to work full
time in Garden Grove as vice president for Unite Here, the hotel
and restaurant workers union that represents about 5,000
laborers, many of whom work in the resort district.
Although her job status has changed, Condinus said her plight
and her long commute were unchanged. She still lives in a
one-bedroom apartment in Upland because she can't afford to live
in Anaheim.
"The business owners in the resort district have spoken loudly;
they don't want us there," she said. "But if you don't want us
in the resort district, then where can we live so we don't have
to spend hours on the freeway just to make a living?"
Sidhu, who agreed with Disney and tourist officials that housing
is inappropriate in the 2.2-square-mile resort district, said he
would join Kring and Mayor Curt Pringle on Tuesday in voting to
repeal zoning that allowed the project. But Sidhu said the
demise of SunCal's proposal won't end the housing debate in
Anaheim.
"I sympathize with these housing advocates," he said. "As a free
market guy, if there's another development that comes along
outside of the resort district, I'll support it. We need more
affordable housing in this city. It will continue to be a
problem. And if there's a way we can provide more, we will." |
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Disney
Deals With The Devil
Cinema Blend - I’m a huge fan of Disney’s movies, especially
their animated stories. Although the more recent ones have
decreased in quality, the classic movies and the renaissance of
the ‘90s just can’t be beat. At the same time, a lot of the
reason those movies work is because they follow a rather simple
formulas. Disney tends to get in trouble when it deviates from
those formulas. This means some of the movies are rather similar
(count the movies where the antagonist doesn’t fall to their
doom). That doesn’t detract from enjoying them.
One of Disney’s time-honored formula plots comes from the old
Faust tale frame, where the hero makes a “deal with the devil”
of sorts. Exactly what is traded may change, but it’s always
done in the interest of finding true love. Of course, it
wouldn’t do for Disney’s heroes to lose like Faust does in some
versions of his story, so love always wins, but the framework is
there just the same.
This plot device isn’t as present in the classic tales of Walt’s
era, but it was a heavily used element in the resurgence of
Disney’s success. Two of my favorite modern Disney cartoons come
from both that era and the plot, and make a highly enjoyable,
albeit lighthearted, double feature.
Hercules
A lot of people are quick to disparage Disney’s Hercules,
although I’ve never quite been able to figure out why, other
than Herc coming to theaters towards the end of Disney’s
successful run of animated movies. The story is entertaining,
built on a foundation of Greek myths that it doesn’t quite stay
true to, but has fun with. The music is enjoyable as long as you
ignore the pop version of “Go the Distance” by the no talent ass
clown, Michael Bolton. The cast is probably the most loaded
vocal cast Disney has managed to put together in one flick:
James Woods, Bobcat Golthwaite, Matt Frewer, and Rip Torn, just
to name a few. Of course, it does have one thing going against
it: the protagonist isn’t a princess. For some reason, Disney
movies that feature male heroes aren’t quite as popular as their
princess movies. Still, you have the basic Faust story here.
Hercules trades his immortality to save the woman he loves,
taking him out of Hades’s way so the lord of the underworld can
attempt to take over Mount Olympus. I particularly love the
tongue-in-cheek portrayal of Herc’s ascension into popularity,
making light of Disney’s own penchant for merchandising.
The Little Mermaid
Even if you don’t like Hercules, just about everyone
alive loves The Little Mermaid. Again, I think this has a
lot to do with the story centering around a princess hero.
Mermaid was kind of the start of the Disney renaissance,
paving the way for the more successful movies to come, as well
as a nice transition from what people expected from the
classical Disney movies. Ariel has everything her predecessors
like Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty carry. She has
a daring spirit and a daydreaming nature, along with the desire
to find her prince. Unfortunately for Ariel the mermaid, that
man is a human, leading her to make her deal with the devil (in
her case, the sea witch Ursula). Ariel trades both her voice and
her soul for the chance to walk on land and win the heart of her
prince. As always, the wondrous music speaks volumes to the
audience, creating tunes that have become memorable parts of
Disney’s legacy since the movie’s 1989 debut.
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Disney stars on cool - but not too cool - clothes for family
parties
Eagle Tribune - When
it comes to fashion, teenagers know how to push the limits.
They've got youth and attitude in their favor, and a risky move
may even set a trend.
But what about when they're headed to a family gathering?
Untucked shirttails, micro-minis and shaggy hair may not score
any points around the holiday table.
If a wardrobe adjustment may be in order, consider this wisdom
from the stars of two Disney Channel TV shows, who say it is
possible to maintain personal style while still pleasing your
parents - and grandparents, and great-grandparents.
David Henrie, 'Wizards of Waverly Place'
Put aside your day-to-day look and wear a nice sweater, khakis
and good shoes for those times when you see all your far-flung
relatives, says Henrie, 18.
"I have this huge Italian family. We get together on
Thanksgiving and play cards. It's a little more formal than the
usual pasta dinner at Nona's house," he says. "But we see each
other so often we don't have to dress to impress."
Christmas morning at home with his parents and brother may be
loose and casual. But later in the day, when more family gets
together, he goes for a clean-cut look.
"I call them my church clothes. I go to church often, but I
don't usually dress up. But the only time of year that people
dress up is Christmas or Easter."
When he's not with family, Henrie still chooses his clothes
carefully, likely slim-cut dark jeans and a hoodie, especially
one that mimics the layered look with the sleeves of a T-shirt
peeking out from a sweater-style body. His style is inspired by
skateboarders or fashion-conscious rap stars such as Pharrell
and Kanye West, and a carefree attitude.
His mother, Linda, is happy to see her son establish his own
look.
"There were many times I didn't care for his clothing choices,"
she says. But now it's a different story. "He's really coming
into his own. He's not following fads, and it's a fun, eclectic
look."
Of course, they still have their moments, she says. Sometimes
she has to remind him to wear a collared shirt to a golf club -
or a holiday church service.
Brenda Song, 'The Suite Life of Zack and Cody'
London, the teenage diva Song plays on "Suite Life," has a
tendency to go way too far over the top, the actress says.
"She's a little far-fetched."
Instead of sequins and fur, Song says in real life she's more
likely to spend the holidays draped in red-and-green
novelty-print scarves.
"Christmas is the only time you can wear red and green and get
away with it. I have an awesome red-and-green plaid scarf. You
feel like you're in the spirit when you put it on," Song, 19,
says. "All my red dresses get pulled out at Christmas."
Some family gatherings, though, call for more casual clothes.
"We used to get dressed up, but the last couple of years we've
come to realize you can play and laugh better in jeans. We found
a good medium," she says.
She often wears flat-heel boots and a cute sweater, too, a look
that also pleases her parents.
Not that she hasn't had some extreme moments. There was a Spice
Girls phase, and a period during which she only wanted to wear
clothes that honored the L.A. Lakers.
And a few years ago Song and her co-star Ashley Tisdale dressed
as sexy versions of Mrs. Claus, with very short skirts. She
wanted to be Mrs. Claus again at a family function but, keeping
in mind her 5- and 6-year-old cousins, as well as her two
younger brothers, she wore black jeans instead.
"Most teenage girls tend to go a little overboard. You have to
remember less is more." |
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Thanksgiving Box Office--The Disney Version
Conde Nast Portfolio - By now, the
Friday after Thanksgiving, it's perfectly plain that Disney's
Enchanted is heading for weekend numbers that will have
the headline writers reaching for the thesaurus to check out
synonyms for its title.
A socko
Wednesday of $8.1 million, followed by $6.8 million on Turkey
Day, meant there's a good chance that over the five-day weekend
it should be within hailing distance of $60 million. That
number--or anything over $46 million--would put it as second
only to Toy Story 2 in the all-time rankings of films
performing across the five-day Thanksgiving stretch.
The long
November holiday has historically been very good to Disney;
Enchanted's ascension to the category will give it eight of
the top nine performers in that slot. That kind of running start
will give it a chance to play through to Christmas, and the
dubious honor of running into juggernauts like Sweeney Todd
and Charlie Wilson's War. (Just as Enchanted buffeted
the downward-sliding Warner Bros.' Beowulf and its most
obvious competition, Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium,
from Fox Walden.)
"Enchanted
is one of those wonderful movies," says Disney head of
distribution Chuck Viane, making it clear he's talking about the
fun he had taking his six-year-old granddaughter to it as well
as it obvious commercial punch, "That's going to be a four
quadrant movie and that, as you could tell by the reviews, is
going to play to everybody."
Not quite buried in that 3,600-screen onslaught, but perhaps
getting less attention than it's quietly earned, is Disney's
earlier entrant, the Steve Carrell starrer Dan in Real Life,
which opened October 26 to an $11.8-million weekend, and has
held as few pictures do by dropping by in percentages in the
twenties, rather than the more typical forties and fifties, for
a cumulative take of $37 million as it entered the long weekend.
"I always
felt," says Dan Producer Brad Epstein, who's been
minding the film's fortunes since it came in to Disney while he
worked as a production exec there under Nina Jacobsen, "Like
people would love the movie once they saw it, as the exit polls
have proven. My big concern was that it's a human comedy, not
that gross-out kind of comedy that you can easily market--so it
was always a challenge getting this movie across."
Epstein, who
had converted from in-house exec to a producing deal on the lot
not long after Jacobsen left, signed off on the poster showing
Carrell's head planted on a stack of pancakes out of faith in
the Disney marketers, and in the avidity Jacobsen's replacement,
Oren Aviv, has always shown for the project. (Epstein had been
scouting locations in Rhode Island when the word came his female
boss was out--but got immediate assurance from Aviv that the
project, with Peter Hedges reworking the script fairly tenderly
from Pierce Gardner's original, would stay on track with the
studio. (Hedges, author of the novel and screenplay for 1993's
What's Eating Gilbert Grape, also directed 2003's
Pieces of April.)
Nonetheless,
Epstein didn't know it would find its audience, as it opened in
under 2,000 theaters, until it happened: "Oh I was gonna slit my
wrists on Thursday when [audience forecasting consultants] NRG
had it tracked at 6 to 8 million; it's hard movie to track in a
way-- I think the movie held a bit of a mystery as to what it
was."
Epstein, a
Southern Californian who climbed the ladder from making shakes
for Who's That Girl director Jamie Foley to a lengthy
spell at Robert DeNiro's Tribeca Films, (where he'd employed
Hedges to work on the company's About A Boy) had come
back west via an offer from Jacobsen after the life-changing
events of 9/11 --watching both hijacked jets zoom past his
apartment on North Moore Street just blocks from the twin
towers. (He was on the roof for the second one, which passed
close enough for him to feel the heat. He supervised Ladder
49 as a labor of love after getting to know the firemen he
helped feed as a volunteer in the weeks following the tragedy.)
Epstein's now got a locked script for a
romantic comedy called Ghosts of Girlfriends Past,
scheduled to shoot at the beginning of next year with, with
Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner and a second project
with a filmable script that he'd nonetheless love to improve if
the writers' strike would only end. Other fare on his Panther
Films ("The names I wanted like Mayhem and Bedlam were already
taken, and I was stuck in traffic on the phone with my
accountant, when he told me I had to come up with a name for the
paperwork ---just as a truck with a panther passed by.")
Along with
Viane, he's hoping Dan, which cost $24 million to make,
can ride its exemplary word of mouth past $50 million and with
its stable mate Enchanted, hang around well into December.
Short term,
Viane is watching to see if Dan can use the word of mouth to
march through the weekend with even less than the manageable
drops its been taking:
That is
always the dream of movies over an extended holiday like
this--to try to replicate the weekend before. I think what
making the legs so strong on this movie is you have repeat
viewers--even though it's a movie that's in search of its first
$50 million, there are still people going back for seconds and
thirds.
I think this
is a movie that we could have spoiled it if we just ran out
there with 3,000 theaters think it would have been seen and off
the screen and by allowing some breathing room it has been able
to stand in there and hold its own.
Viane, who
tries his best to keep his exhibitors on Dan's side by reminding
them of its low drops and the slot it might fill in their
"portfolio", says, "We believe we will be able to hang around
till Christmas, but then, unfortunately, all the behemoths come
in and they chew up the space. Even this [Thanksgiving] weekend
is a very difficult one for us, because there are 13,500 screens
needed just for the films that open this Friday; so if you take
a universe of 36,000 first run screens, over a third of all
screens have just changed their product line. So the competition
is tremendous."
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Disney film references in 'Enchanted'
Kansas City Star -
ENCHANTEDHidden Disney
References
REEL ONE
STORY BOOK
DAY 1
1. OVER THE
DISNEY CASTLE: Storybook pops open. Narrator begins
story-
•Books open
in many of the classic Disney films. The pop-up book is a modern
take off on the traditional openings of Snow White, Cinderella
and Sleeping Beauty
•The hall the
book is in is based on Evind Eryle's artwork for Sleeping
Beauty.
3. INT.
GISELLE’S TREE HOUSE: The animals help Giselle finish her
statue. He has no lips. She breaks into song
•Giselle is a
combination of Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel and Belle,
but mostly she approaches life much as Snow White would.
•Animal
friends accompany all of the classic princesses on their
journeys - Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty.
•The song is
written in the style of "I'm Wishing," "A Dream is a Wish Your
Heart Makes," and "Once Upon a Dream."
4A. EXT. TREE
HOUSE: Giselle opens shutters.
•Giselle
calls for help in much the same fashion as Snow White.
5. INT.
TREEHOUSE: Animals help to find a solution
•Animal
friends help Giselle build her dream prince, much as they help
clean the house and do the chores in Snow White, Cinderella and
Sleeping Beauty.
6. EXT.
ANOTHER PART OF FOREST: Edward and Nathaniel hunt trolls. Edward
sings. He hears Giselle’s singing.
• Troll is
wearing remnants of past Animated Disney Princess dresses as a
loincloth: Snow White, Belle, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella.
He also wears Ariel’s shells as earrings.
•Prince
Edward is a combination of Prince Charming, Prince Philip and
the Prince from Cinderella and Prince Eric from The Little
Mermaid.
•Edward
dances with Nathaniel much like Philip dances with his father,
King Hubert in Sleeping Beauty.
10B. INT.
GISELLE’S TREEHOUSE: Pip and Giselle talk. Troll appears and
tries to grab Giselle.
•You can see
the bell jar with the rose in it, from Beauty and the Beast,
clearly on the right as the camera pushes towards Giselle and
Pip sitting on window seat.
15. EXT. TREE
HOUSE: Troll chases Giselle. Pip tries to ward off troll.
Giselle falls into Edward's arms. The two ride off into the
sunset, singing.
•The troll
yells the Goofy scream as he is flung in to the next kingdom.
•Giselle and
Edward ride off into the sunset just as Snow White and Prince
Charming do at the end of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
17. NARISSA'S
SPELL ROOM: Narissa watches the scene in the fountain and
smashes her crystal ball.
•Queen
Narissa transforms into a giant dragon - Maleficent in Sleeping
Beauty.
STORY BOOK
DAY 2
19. EXT. THE
CASTLE: Giselle arrives at and enters the castle. Nathaniel
locks Pip and the animals out.
•Giselle
arrives in a white carriage which is very reminiscent of the
pumpkin coach in Cinderella.
•We imply
that the animals made Giselle's wedding dress - Cinderella.
20. EXT.
CASTLE COURTYARD: Giselle walks to the wedding. Giselle meets
the Old Hag who takes her to the well.
•The Old Hag
is a direct reference to the Old Hag in Snow White.
22. EXT. THE
WELL: The Hag pushes Giselle into the well.
•The magic
wishing well is a direct reference to Snow White.
24. EXT. THE
WELL: The Hag transforms back into Narissa. She tells Nathaniel
she sent Giselle away.
•The Old Hag
is Queen Narissa - Snow White.
27. EXT. CITY
STREET: Giselle lifts herself out of the manhole cover. She gets
stuck. She sees Times Square. 2 CARS CRASH. She runs from the
scene.
•Times Square
is filled with many references to Disney or the individuals in
the film. None of this was done on purpose, it just was there on
the day we shot.
- Tarzan, the
Broadway Musical posters - Disney film and directed by Kevin
Lima.
- Wicked
poster - Stephen Schwartz is the composer/lyricist, Idina Menzel
was the original Elphaba.
RB-30 INT.
CHURCHILL, HARLINE AND SMITH: Robert's office with Banks.
•The last
name of the divorcing couple is Banks, based on the troubled
parents in Mary Poppins.
•The name of
the law firm is an homage to the songwriters of Snow White and
the Seven Dwarves: Frank Churchill, Leigh Harline and Paul J.
Smith.
•Robert's
assistant Sam is named after Philip's trusted stead Samson in
Sleeping Beauty.
•Sam is
played by Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel in The Little Mermaid.
REEL TWO
46. INT.
ROBERT LIVING ROOM: "HAPPY WORKING SONG"
Giselle and
the ANIMALS work.
•This song is
a complete homage to "Whistle While You Work." It contains
references to many other Disney films.
•Birds make
Giselle's dress into an apron - birds put an apron on
Cinderella.
•Bubbles with
Giselle's reflection are an homage to Cinderella.
•Flies twist
a dish cloth that releases water, much as the birds twist a
sponge full of water onto Cinderella.
•Animals do
the dishes like in Snow White.
•The ending
of the song is much like the end of "Under the Sea" from The
Little Mermaid or "Be Our Guest" from Beauty and the Beast.
51. INT.
BATHROOM: Giselle gets out of bath, as Robert comes to door.
BIRDS bring her a towel. She asks where the water comes from.
•Pigeons wrap
a towel around Giselle, much like the birds dress Cinderella.
56. INT.
ROBERT APT: Robert tells Giselle to leave. He sees that
Giselle's new outfit is made from his curtains. He's ANGRY. She
tells him to sing to Nancy.
•Giselle
creates a dress from the curtains, much as the animals created a
ball gown for Cinderella from found household materials.
58. EXT. WEST
47TH ST: Edward and Pip are on the roof of the bus.
•Hairspray
billboard behind Edward on the bus - Jimmy is in the film
version of Hairspray.
59. INT. THE
BUS: Edward pierces the roof and hits the Bag Lady's birdseeds.
The Bus Driver stops. Edward sets the riders free.
•The woman
with the bag of birdseed is an homage to the bird woman in Mary
Poppins. She appears later feeding the pigeons in Central Park.
•The bus
driver's hair is Mickey shaped.
•Times Square
- Beauty and the Beast and Tarzan musical billboards behind the
upside-down Edward.
- Edward
stands against a Superman Returns billboard - Jimmy Marsden
(Prince Edward) plays Lois Lane's fiancée in the film.
REEL THREE
62. INT.
CHURCHILL, HARLINE AND SMITH RECEPTION: SAM tells
Robert the
BANKS are waiting. Robert asks her to help Giselle get home.
Giselle has taken a sip of water from the aquarium and spits out
a fish. Narissa appears in the aquarium.
•Sam sits
across from a fish tank, which is a reference to The Little
Mermaid.
63. INT. KATZ
FAMOUS DELI RESTAURANT KITCHEN: Nathaniel talks with REFLECTED
NARISSA in a pot of boiling chicken broth about her plan to kill
Giselle. Nathaniel takes the apples, Narissa gets scooped, and
sees PIP listening.
•Poison
apples are a direct reference from Snow White.
66. INT.
CHURCHILL, HARLINE AND SMITH RECEPTION: Robert
emerges with
PHOEBE and ETHAN BANKS. SAM can't figure out where Giselle is
from. Giselle congratulates the BANKS on their love. Robert
tells her they are divorcing. Giselle breaks down. PHOEBE leaves
upset. HENRY threatens. Robert runs into CARL.
•"Part of
Your World" muzak plays over the office speakers as Giselle
watches the fish.
71. EXT.
CENTRAL PARK/POND: As they eat hotdogs, Giselle questions Robert
about Nancy.
Nathaniel gives Giselle the first apple. She accidentally tosses
it away.
•The skull
coated candy apple is based on the Snow White freshly poisoned
apple.
72. EXT.
CENTRAL PARK: Giselle asks ROBERT how Nancy
knows he
loves her. SONG "HOW DOES SHE KNOW?" STEEL DRUM BAND, MUSICIANS,
and PARK VISITORS join in the song. Montage of various Central
Park spots.
•In the old
folks section of the dance, the yellow jacketed gentleman danced
as a chimney sweep in the original film version of Mary Poppins.
•Rapunzel is
being performed in the bandshell - an homage to the upcoming
Disney film.
•Square trees
in the Rapunzel performance look like the Eyvind Earle designs
for the Sleeping Beauty trees.
REEL FOUR
SUNSET-2
79. INT.
HOTEL ROOM: Edward flips the remote on the TV. Channels change
showing the News and Soap Opera. Nathaniel wants to watch. Pip
breaks out of the box he has been trapped in. He plays charades
with
Edward.
Nathaniel notices and puts him in the closet.
• “Magic
Mirror” is a reference to the mirror the Queen in Snow White
talks to.
•The soap
opera star is Paige O’Hara, the voice of Belle in Beauty and the
Beast. Her name is Angela after Angela Lansbury, Mrs. Potts in
Beauty and the Beast.
•The male
soap opera star is named Jerry after Jerry Orbach, Lumiere in
Beauty and the Beast.
•Angela's
offscreen affair is with Ogden after David Ogden Stiers,
Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast.
•The music
that underscores the soap opera is the song Beauty and the
Beast.
•The soap
opera set is built to look like the bandaging scene from Beauty
and the Beast. It's even snowing.
80. INT. THE
CLOSET: Nathaniel leaves Pip locked up.
INT. HOTEL
ROOM: Nathaniel says goodbye to Edward and leaves to go outside.
•On the TV
are Edgar Bergan and Mortimer Snerd from the Disney compilation
film, Fun and Fancy Free.
83. INT. JOE
AND TONY'S RESTAURANT/DINING ROOM: MORGAN
helps fold
the napkins. Robert tells Giselle about Morgan's mother. Giselle
feels sympathy. Robert is protective of MORGAN. Nathaniel shows
up with an apple martini. Pip knocks over the drink. The
restaurant is in pandemonium. Pip tells Giselle Edward is
around. Nathaniel tries to get rid of Pip. Pip hides under the
pizza. Nathaniel flings it across the room into the oven. Pip
lands in a wine carafe. Nathaniel gets applause.
•The Bella
Notte Restaurant is named after the song in Lady and the Tramp.
There is a sign in the window at the far end of the restaurant.
•A modern day
twist on the poison apple, a poison apple martini.
86. INT.
HOTEL ROOM: Edward channel surfs. Sees Giselle on TV. Hears
the address:
116th and Broadway.
•Mary Ilene
Caselotti named for the voice talent Mary Costa (Sleeping
Beauty), Ilene Woods (Cinderella) and Adriana Caselotti (Snow
White).
87. INT.
MORGAN'S BEDROOM: Giselle tells Morgan the Red Riding Hood
Story. Robert
listens.
•There is a
Belle doll wearing sunglasses, which can be seen in the chair at
the start of the scene.
90. INT.
ROBERT'S APT FIRST FLOOR: EDWARD tries to find the right
door. Meets
MOTHER, OLD ASIAN MAN, FAT MAN.
•The pregnant
mom is Judy Kuhn, the singing voice of Pocahontas.
REEL FIVE
106A/C/B.
EXT. CALYPSO/TAHARI /PRADA: MORGAN & GISELLE shopping
•This isn't
Hidden Disney - Mona May, our costume designer is the1st shop
clerk.
•This isn't
Hidden Disney either - Barry Josephson, our Producer is the
shopkeep who brings Giselle her forgotten bag.
108. EXT.
TIMES SQUARE: NARISSA arrives.
•Kevin Lima
is in the center back left of the 1st group of people turning
their heads in response to the manhole cover being blown off.
114. INT.
BALLROOM: As NANCY and ROBERT dance, ROBERT notices GISELLE.
Introductions. NANCY is taken by EDWARD. “SO CLOSE” ROBERT and
GISELLE
dance. NANCY interrupts.
•Giselle and
Robert's eyes meet at the ball much as Cinderella did when she
arrived at the ball and locked eyes with Prince Charming.
•The moment
and song "So Close" is based on the moment and song, "Beauty and
the Beast" from Beauty and the Beast. It is also, like that song
sung by an observer of the event, not by any of the
participants.
•During "So
Close" there is a shot here that is reminiscent of a camera move
from the Beauty and the Beast ballroom dancing number.
•Like the
film Cinderella, the world disappears and the lovers dance in a
world all their own. Walt Disney and his artists had
storyboarded a dance in the stars for both Snow White, "Someday
My Prince Will Come" and Cinderella, "Dancing in the Clouds".
This dance in the magical glitter is an homage to that idea that
never made it into those films.
114B. INT.
UPPER LEVEL OF BALLROOM: GISELLES watches NANCY
and ROBERT
KISS. The OLD HAG shows up and offers APPLE to forget all that
has happened. GISELLE bites and falls. LIGHTNING AND THUNDER.
•The Old Hag
appears and convinces Giselle to bite into the last of the
poison apples - Snow White.
•This cutting
mirrors when Snow White bites the apple. View Giselle's lifting
the apple to her mouth and biting the apple through her falling.
119. INT.
BALLROOM: The apple falls from Giselle’s hand and rolls down the
stairs.
•This shot
replicates the apple falling from Snow White's hand.
122A/B/C.
INT. UPPER LBALLROOM: ROBERT rushes to GISELLE.
NANCY calls
911. NATHANIEL rats out NARISSA.
•Giselle is
laid on a bier - Sleeping Beauty and Snow White.
128-138. INT.
UPPER LEVEL OF BALLROOM: CLOCK CHIMES. GISELLE is fading
(NARISSA is thrilled). Edward pleads. NATHANIEL tells them she
needs more to be saved. NARISSA knows he is giving it away.
NATHANIEL silences NARISSA. ROBERT knows she has to have "true
loves kiss." EDWARD kisses GISELLE. Nothing happens. Edward
tries again. The KISS is not working. Edward tells ROBERT he may
be the one. ROBERT protests. NANCY tells him to kiss her. ONE
STROKE LEFT. ROBERT kisses GISELLE -nothing happens- MIDNIGHT:
GISELLE comes to life. She knew it was ROBERT.
•A kiss will
wake Giselle from her sleep - Snow White and Sleeping Beauty.
•The clock
chimes 12 - Cinderella.
•The close-up
of Giselle asleep is set up to look like the sleeping Aurora in
Sleeping Beauty.
140A. INT
MAIN BALLROOM: NARISSA TRANSFORMS into DRAGON.
•Narissa
turns into a dragon - Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty.
REEL SIX
149. INT.
BALLROOM: GISELLE crosses the dance floor towards the window.
She grabs Edward’s sword and looses a shoe.
•Giselle
pulls the sword from the floor heralding that she is the true
prince - The Sword in the Stone.
•Giselle
loses her glass slipper - Cinderella.
152A. EXT.
WOOLWORTH BUILDING BALCONY: NARRISA hangs
ROBERT over
the side. GISELLE sticks NARISSA with the sword.
Narissa heads
higher up and GISELLE follows.
•This climax
is reminiscent of the climax from Snow White, Sleeping Beauty,
The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast.
-
Precariously staged atop a tall building.
- overall
cast in a blue hue.
- Thunder and
Lightning accents the events.
- Prince (in
this case Giselle) fights off the villain transformed with a
sword.
- Villian
about to throw the hero to his death
- Villian,
wrapped up her own power, brings upon her own death.
- Villian
falls to her death.
167. EXT.
WOOLWORTH BLD SPIRE: ROBERT starts to fall. He is caught by
GISELLE. THEY KISS.
•Our couple
shares true love's kiss - every Disney fairytale!
169. INT.
BALLROOM: NANCY holds up the glass slipper to EDWARD who puts it
on her.
•The "glass
slipper" fits Nancy perfectly as in Cinderella.
173. INT.
ANDALASIA FASHIONS: ROBERT, MORGAN, AND
GISELLE all
work together. Pop up book to
•The animals
help May, Giselle's new assistant, design and make a dress - the
sewing animals in Cinderella. They even lift their sewing
supplies up a mannequin by a string and pulley system.
178. EXT.
ROBERT’S APT: They continue dancing. Stars circle.
179. Close
Book
END CREDITS
•The end
credits include quite a few visual references to past Disney
classics. They won't be included in any of the copies you've yet
received of the film, but I can get you a copy if you'd like to
consider including them in your Hidden Disney references.
-Fairies from
Fantasia
-Wishing well
from Snow White
-Frog Prince
and kissing Princess from the upcoming Princess and the Frog
-Cinderella
ball
-Cinderella's
palace
-Cinderella's
coach
-Cinderella's
mice friends
-The Little
Mermaid
-Cinderella's
glass slipper
-The sword in
the stone
-biting the
poison apple
-Malefiecent
the dragon
-Prince and
princess kissing |
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Friday
November 23, 2007 |
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Ready, set, shop!
Hollywood
Studios Target Chinese Site
Cyrus Hopes
Tenn. Can Get `Hannah' Film
Disney adds more
defibrillators
Sparkling Christmas kicks off the festive season
Disney to focus on
gaming, cricket |
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 Disney
News - "May," the 2007 National Thanksgiving Turkey pardoned by
President George W. Bush on Nov. 20, makes his grand entrance
Nov. 22, 2007 in the Walt Disney World Thanksgiving Day Parade
in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. as the Grand Marshal of the Magic
Kingdom parade. "May" is accompanied by Disney's "Mayor of Main
Street, U.S.A" (left), Pilgrim Mickey Mouse (right) and a group
of local children. President Bush pardoned "May" and another
turkey, named "Flower," on Tuesday. The pair of tom turkeys will
reside in the backyard of Mickey Mouse's house in the Magic
Kingdom before moving to their new home at Disney's Animal
Kingdom theme park. Disney Parks brought the Presidential
Turkeys to Walt Disney World as part of Disney's "Year of a
Million Dreams," a celebration where dreams are awarded to
people -- and now turkeys -- throughout the year. |
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Ready, set, shop!
Theme Park Rangers - On the day that shoppers are looking
for bargains everywhere, here is a tip on buying photos at
Disney World. First, having your photo taken by a PhotoPass
shooter is free, so take as many as you can stand to
increase your choices later.
Until recently, I preferred
to look at the professional photos online at home,
rather than at the kiosks in the parks. Sometimes the
wait there can be long, and my preschoolers are
impatient. I'd end up feeling rushed and later
second-guess what I'd bought. By waiting until I got
home, I could also better compare the photos I took and
decide if purchasing additional shots was worth it. The
prices were virtually the same, except for the minimal
shipping charge.
However, on a recent visit to the Magic Kingdom, I
discovered some park-only (at least for now) options
that have changed my mind.
I found myself without a camera on a night we went to
see the princesses, so I had to rely on the Disney
photogs to capture those special moments. And they did,
so I was ready to buy at the Toontown Hall of Fame Tent.
I learned that if you plan to purchase at least three
5x7s, the Family Package is the best deal at $29.99. If
you were to purchase the same photos online, they would
be $12.95 apiece, or $38.85 for three. Also, the kiosk
offered the 4x6 size, which is not yet available online.
The price was somewhere between $10-$13 for two of the
same image, which is a bargain by Disney standards.
DisneyPhotoPass.com does run periodic sales, with the
most common I've seen being 20 percent off a total of
$40-$50. But if all you want is a single 5x7 or 8x10,
the prices are the same in the parks and online.
So, depending on what your photo needs are, buying the
prints in the park may be your best deal. You can still
log on at home afterward and see the images to share
with friends or create cards and even scrapbooks.
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Hollywood
Studios Target Chinese Site
AP - Five Hollywood studios have filed a lawsuit against a
Chinese movie download Web site for allegedly providing illegal
copies of 13 films to an Internet cafe in Shanghai, as the
industry expands its campaign against piracy to cyberspace, a
lawyer representing the studios said Friday.
Hollywood industry group Motion Picture Association, or MPA,
filed the lawsuit for the studios against the operator of
Jeboo.com and a local branch of Internet cafe Shanghai East on
Sept. 28 in Shanghai's No. 2 Intermediate Court and the case is
pending, Motion Picture Association regional counsel Frank
Rittman told The Associated Press in a phone interview.
Jeboo provided Shanghai East with "entertainment bar" software
that maintains a constantly updated library of films that
included illegal copies of 13 Hollywood films including "Pirates
of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," "Hulk," "Alien 3," "Alien
vs. Predator," "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" and "Night at
the Museum," Rittman said.
Jeboo has denied the accusations, saying it has obtained
licenses for every movie in its library.
"Our company has always
practiced the goal of operating based on legitimate copies,"
Jeboo said in a statement.
Contact information for Shanghai East wasn't immediately
available.
The Hollywood studios -- Walt Disney Pictures, 20th Century Fox,
Columbia Pictures, Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures --
are seeking 3.2 million Chinese yuan ($432,500) in damages and
expenses from the defendants.
Foreign studios have won a handful of lawsuits against Chinese
stores that sell pirated movies and the industry is now moving
on to Web sites.
Several studios successfully sued the operator of Chinese Web
site Sohu.com last year in a Chinese court for illegally
providing Hollywood movies as part of a subscription service.
The court awarded nearly 1.1 million yuan ($149,000) in damages
and costs.
The MPA says more than 90 percent of DVDs in China are pirated
and estimates that piracy in the country has cost American
studios $244 million and Chinese studios $2.4 billion in lost
potential box office revenue in China in 2005, the last year for
which the group has released figures.
Beijing has increased penalties for product piracy and stepped
up enforcement under foreign pressure. But the MPA and other
industry groups say piracy is growing faster than enforcement,
driven by China's explosive economic growth. |
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Cyrus Hopes Tenn. Can Get `Hannah' Film
AP - Singer Billy Ray Cyrus wants his daughter's
upcoming "Hannah Montana" film to be shot in
Tennessee, but state officials say they might not be
able to offer the producers enough financial
incentives.
The film based on the
wildly popular Disney TV series is scheduled to
start shooting in April and expected to be released
in late 2008 or early 2009.
In the series, 14-year-old Miley Cyrus plays a high
school student, Miley Stewart, who moves from
Tennessee to Southern California and lives a secret
double life as a pop star. Billy Ray Cyrus also
plays her father on the show.
Cyrus said the movie is centered on the fictional
Stewart family's return to Tennessee and it is only
fitting for it to be shot in Tennessee as well. The
real-life Cyrus family also has a home in Tennessee
and was in town for Thanksgiving during a break on
Miley Cyrus' sold-out tour.
"The thing of it is,
Walt Disney really wants to film this movie in
Tennessee," Billy Ray Cyrus said.
Perry Gibson, executive director of the Tennessee
Film, Entertainment and Music Commission, said the
state could benefit from having the movie shot
locally.
"It would mean a real impact on tourism and it would
be a family friendly film that would come to the
state," she said. But Tennessee is limited in what
incentives it can offer, she said.
Louisiana has had an
aggressive program in recent years to bring film
business to that state.
The Tennessee agency is
still waiting for details from Disney about what
Louisiana is offering, Gibson said. The Tennessee
program offers rebates and sales-tax breaks to
filmmakers based on a percentage of their in-state
spending.
Cyrus said he thinks Tennessee can compete for the
film.
"Quite frankly, I think they are pretty close," he
said.
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Orlando Sentinel -
Declaring that portable heart defibrillator
devices may have saved as many as 40 lives at
Disneyland, Walt Disney World and Disney Cruise
Line ships since the Walt Disney Co. installed
650 of them throughout the properties in 2003,
Disney announced Tuesday it will add 250 more,
including 200 more at Disney World.
The company trained 5,000 employees to use the
automated external defibrillators in heart
emergencies, and many more people, including
visitors, know how to use them, said Disney
spokeswoman Jacquee Polak.
The devices are displayed in obvious, public
places so that visitors or employees might also
be able to find and get at them quickly in
emergencies, she said.
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Sparkling Christmas kicks off the festive season
eTravelBlackboard -Hong Kong Disneyland will
shimmer brilliantly day and night this Christmas
season, as Disney’s Sparkling Christmas brings
about spirited festivities that will make hearts
glow.
From November 23, 2007 to January 2, 2008,
Disney’s Sparkling Christmas will transform Hong
Kong Disneyland into a fairytale Christmas
playground, filled with delightful offerings and
merriment. With Disney’s legendary attention to
detail, guests will be immersed in a festive
experience that will awaken their deepest
emotions.
In a magical and touching
moment, one lucky family helped bring the
season’s first snow fall today, on Main Street
U.S.A., initiating the countless Christmas
stories and dreams that will unfold at Hong Kong
Disneyland this season.
“The innovative
entertainment during Disney’s Sparkling
Christmas will transform the Park into an
authentic Christmas experience,” said Maple Lee,
Vice President, Marketing of Hong Kong
Disneyland Resort. “Guests’ personal festive
tales and fantasies will be fulfilled even
before the holiday season actually arrives.”
“With many alluring
touches such as falling snow on Main Street
U.S.A. each day, this will be a one-of-a-kind
and intimate holiday season for guests and those
they care about,” she added.
Sleeping Beauty Castle in the royal presence of
four Disney Princess ice sculptures, will be
surrounded by an awe-inspiring concerto of
lights, music and color in the Sparkling Castle
Lights and Ice Fantasy. Children and adults
alike can enjoy a sneak peek of Santa and his
Elves hard at work preparing for Christmas in
Santa’s Workshop, and the entire Park will
reverberate with the upbeat and rocking ‘Let It
Snow’ Christmas Parade; Mickey Mouse and the
Gang will dance and groove their way down Main
Street U.S.A. to spunky versions of classic
Christmas tunes.
As the brilliant Christmas
lights are turned on throughout the Park,
special hologram glasses will give guests
extraordinary Christmas vision, and delightful
patterns will appear when guests watch the
Sparkling Castle Lights, the white glittering
Christmas tree and even the Disney in the Stars
fireworks display.
The scent of Christmas
feasts, buffets, baking cookies and popcorn will
pleasantly tingle the senses, throughout the
resort. Children can head to the Christmas Kid
Zone to write down their Christmas wishes to
hang on a special Christmas tree or learn to
draw jolly Christmas versions of Mickey Mouse
and Winnie the Pooh at Animation Academy. For
further festive fun, children and adults alike
can enjoy the holiday recreational activities at
the two Disney themed hotels.
In
addition to Christmas themed entertainment and
attractions, the shops in the Park and the two
Disney themed hotels will overflow with over 150
all-new gift ideas. With two main lines; Mickey
Family in Romantic & Sparkling Christmas and
Winnie The Pooh’s Inviting Gathering, finding
that perfect Christmas gift will be a cinch this
season. Touch that special someone with a
glimmering photo frame, a colorful sweater,
plush toys or signature Hong Kong Disneyland
pins. The choice is endless this Christmas, with
something for everyone!
With the arrival of the
holiday season, the Park’s opening hours will be
extended until 11:00pm from December 21 – 30,
2007. On New Year’s Eve a rocking party will
transform Hong Kong Disneyland into the biggest
and hippest dance floor for guests to groove
their way into 2008. With guest DJs and VJs
spinning the latest tunes and a kaleidoscope of
lighting effects, this will be the hottest club
to be at, on the very last day of the year!
To add to the holiday
cheer, a variety of special promotions will help
guests further immerse themselves into the
festivities. Guests staying at the Hong Kong
Disneyland Hotel and Disney’s Hollywood Hotel
can enjoy the popular ‘Stay and Play for 2 Days’
offer, and delight in the heart warming
Christmas entertainment in the Park for two
days, for the price of one; while exclusive
dining and accommodation benefits will be
available upon purchasing Annual Passes2.
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The mobile content market is
slated to touch $400 million by end of 2008 from the
present $300 million and WDIG is aiming for a fair
share in this pie. The current reach in the content
space is about 94%. WDIG is looking to push cricket
as a genre to enhance its mobile content portfolio
apart from gaming.
According to WDIG sources, stickiness has increased
with the average time consumption in mobile gaming
having gone up from 11 minutes to 18 minutes.
However, targeting kids and family entertainment,
WDIG is not wooing Bollywood audience in a conscious
move to carve its niche.
WDIG
has also noted that after 8 p.m. the remote or the
father’s mobile goes into the hands of the kids, who
thus become the actual consumers of gaming content.
For WDIG, the largest target
segment is for Power Rangers on the gaming front.
Over the past eight months or so, there have been
over two million downloads by those mainly in the
4-14 age group.
If, for the 18-30 age group,
Disney Romances, Mickey’s American journey with
Minnie and Power Rangers are popular, then for the
lower end of the market - less than six years - the
typical product will be Mickey and Friends.
Overall, WDIG is stressing on
creativity, technology and localisation in India,
which is also part of its global approach.
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Thursday
November 22, 2007
~HAPPY THANKSGIVING~ |
Disney filing shows Hong Kong park loan details
Vanessa Anne Hudgens Speaks on High School Musical 3
Being 'uber-focused' made Amy Adams Oscar-nominated Disney
princess
Disney to waive management fees to aid unprofitable Hong Kong
park
Disney Channel
tucks into Sky Picnic
Disney Festival presented by Canal Walk and Vodacom
Shagbark and the
Disney performer |
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Disney
filing shows Hong Kong park loan details
Reuters - The Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) revealed some details on
amended loan terms for its ailing Hong Kong park on Wednesday,
including its waiver of management fees, as well as a previously
announced deferral of royalties for fiscal 2008 and 2009.
The company also said in its 10-K annual filing that it expects
to distribute about 13 feature films in fiscal 2008 under the
Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar and Touchstone Pictures banners and
nine films under the Miramax banner.
It listed $22.8 billion in total contractual commitments for
broadcast rights for sports, feature films and other programming
as of the Sept. 29 end of its fiscal year.
That total includes $1.1 billion for available programming and
about $19.2 billion related to sports programming rights,
primarily NFL, NBA, NASCAR, MLB and College Football.
Disney said earlier this month that two-year-old Hong Kong
Disneyland, in which it holds a minority stake, had to change
the terms of loans whose performance-based covenants it had not
been able to meet.
Disney and the park reached an agreement with its creditors,
effective Nov. 14, to remove the performance measures tied to a
term loan and revolving credit facility.
The new agreement shortened the $284 million term loan maturity
to Sept. 30, 2008 and decreased the available credit in the
revolving facility to $103 million from $129 million.
The loan previously matured in 2015 and the revolving credit
facility had been frozen after the park failed to meet
attendance targets since its September 2005 opening.
In the filing, Disney said it would be paid deferred royalties
"dependent upon the future operating performance of Hong Kong
Disneyland."The company
reiterated it expects to invest more money in the park, which
analysts have described as too small to attract enough visitors
to meet its attendance targets.
Disney shares closed down 16 cents, or less than 1 percent, at
$31.50 on Wednesday on the New York Stock Exchange. |
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Vanessa Anne Hudgens Speaks on High School Musical 3
Chocolate Magazine - Vanessa Anne Hudgens has revealed the whole
cast of High School Musical will be back for the third movie in
the successful series.
Hudgens, who it was reported had been sacked from the Disney
film following her nude photo scandal, and Ashley Tisdale have
already inked contracts for the third movie.
Although the other stars are yet to put pen to paper, Hudgens
says: "We're all definitely on board."
Adding: "I am so very excited.
To do a third one for the big screen, I can't begin to think how
much fun we'll have."
While director Kenny Ortega has said: "We're all verbally
committed, and we're all very hopeful of doing this."
Filming on the new movie, the first in the series to have a
theatrical release, is due to start in January. |
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Being 'uber-focused' made Amy Adams Oscar-nominated Disney
princess
The Canadian Press - When Amy Adams was nominated for an Academy
Award, she still lived in the run-down apartment she rented when
she moved to Los Angeles with movie-star dreams.
"It was a little bit of a slum," she said.
"The carpet in that place hadn't been changed in 16 years."
Fast-forward
to today and Adams, 33, is a Hollywood princess - literally. She
plays an animated Disney princess who comes to life in
"Enchanted," and her charmed career will see her share the
screen with two of her idols: Meryl Streep and Frances McDormand.
Part of what got her this far is luck,
Adams said, her still-wet strawberry blond hair tucked under a
grey knit cap as she settled in for tea at her favourite diner.
But most of her success is due to her unflagging focus - a
quality that's made her an in-demand actress, but at a cost:
She's a "kind of boring" person.
"I need hobbies," she said. "I've been so
focused on my career up to this point that I just read scripts
and I really became a very uninteresting person. . . . I'm going
to spend some time researching what my true interests are
outside of this, because I really do love what I do."
Adams was
still a kid when she decided performing would be her profession.
She honed her dancing skills and eventually moved to Minnesota,
where she worked in musical theatre. Something told her she
could act, but at first Adams didn't believe it.
"As a dancer, you sort of aren't
encouraged to speak," she said. "It took a long time to be brave
enough to say I wanted to be an actress."
About three years, actually. Once she said
it, she moved to Los Angeles and within two weeks she'd booked
her first job. A few years later, Adams was mixing it up with
her idols at Oscar parties and enjoying accolades for her
wide-eyed performance in 2005's "Junebug."
Earning an Oscar nomination so early in
her career didn't diminish her focus, but it did shift her
perspective: "It was like, well, now what?
"Now I can just sort of focus on the
journey . . . what stories do I want to tell, what characters."
The options have
been coming in ample supply. Adams was cast in "Enchanted"
before earning the Oscar nomination, but the film heralds a slew
of projects. She'll next be seen in the Christmas release
"Charlie Wilson's War," starring opposite Tom Hanks, Julia
Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman. After that comes "Miss
Pettigrew Lives for a Day," a film that stars McDormand.
Adams is
also set to appear in "Sunshine Cleaning" with Alan Arkin and
Emily Blunt, and she just started work on "Doubt," with Hoffman
and Streep.
In each of the films, Adams brings the
same sunny optimism that caught critics' eyes in "Junebug." She
seeks out joyous characters and likes playing women struggling
with questions of faith.
Some of that
curiosity comes from her Mormon upbringing. But it also mirrors
Adams' own quest for balance and fulfillment - balancing her
private, personal life with her public, professional one.
"I like to
be uber-focused. I'm not good at the balancing act of working
and then life," she said. "I tend to get a little self-absorbed
when I'm working."
It was that total immersion into character
that made her the right choice for "Enchanted," said producer
Barry Josephson.
"Amy is not the kind of actor that comes
to the set and asks, 'What should I do?' She comes to set and .
. . she is that thing," he said. "She has become a character and
there is no assumption of other."
Adams was the clear choice for the
princess when she read for the part, Josephson said: "She owned
the character . . . so much so that she showed us some things
about (her) that were not on the page."
That comes from Adams' focus, which she has so skilfully applied
to her work and now hopes to direct toward her future.
"In an
ideal world, I'll just be able to achieve balance," she said. "I
don't know if that's possible. We'll see." |
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Disney to waive management fees to aid unprofitable Hong Kong
park
MarketWatch - Walt Disney Co. said it agreed to waive management
fees to support its unprofitable Disneyland park in Hong Kong
for two years, and will also defer charging royalties over the
same period.
Hong Kong Disneyland, in which
the city's government owns 57% and Walt Disney 43%, has
suffered widening losses this year on a fall in attendance
and spending by visitors. The park opened in September 2005.
Disney also said in a filing to
the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Wednesday that
Hong Kong Disneyland's lenders have agreed to remove
performance targets linked to a US$284 million commercial
loan and a US$129 million revolving credit facility.
The park had earlier faced the
threat that the banks would withhold future funding after it
twice missed the semiannual targets set by its lenders.
In return for the removal of
the targets, the lenders have shortened the maturity of the
loans by seven years to Sept. 30, 2008, instead of Oct. 26,
2015, Disney said. It added the revolving credit facility
has also been reduced to US$103 million.
Disney said Hong Kong
Disneyland will likely need additional sources of funding
when the loans mature next year.
The company said it expects to
make additional investments in the park, and is in
discussions with the Hong Kong government regarding
financing arrangements.
The Hong Kong government
earlier this month said it is considering injecting funds
into Hong Kong Disneyland, a reversal of its previous
stance. The government been under intense pressure from
lawmakers who say it has invested too much on a commercial
project that hasn't performed to expectations.
It invested US$417 million to
build the park, on top of the US$1.74 billion it spent on
infrastructure, which included land reclamation. Disney paid
US$314 million for its smaller stake in the venture.
In 2006, the park missed its
first-year target of 5.6 million visitors by a margin of
400,000. The park has declined to provide data for its
second year of operation, though local media reports say the
attendance figures were lower than in the previous year.
Critics have said the Hong Kong park lacks an adequate
number of attractions to draw in visitors.
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Disney
Channel tucks into Sky Picnic
Broadband TV News - Disney Channel has confirmed that it has
been contracted to Sky’s proposed DTT pay service Picnic TV.
The House of Mouse will provide a mix of content from Disney
Channel and Playhouse Disney.
The early morning and afternoon primetime slots will
broadcast Disney Channel shows like Hannah Montana,
while the morning and lunchtime block will cater to the
preschool audience with Playhouse Disney favourites like
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and My Friends Tigger &
Pooh.
The proposed Picnic TV package will also include Sky One,
Sky Sports, Sky Movies and potentially Sky News. A
documentary channel is also due to be announced.
Picnic TV will be operated independently of Sky’s DTH
service and will offer subscribers access to the Sky Talk
telephony and Sky Broadband services. Ofcom’s consultation
into the proposals closes on December 14.
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Disney Festival presented by Canal Walk and Vodacom
ArtslinkNews - Canal Walk brings Disney Festival to Cape
Town this holiday!
December
will bring a delight of Disney fun to Canal Walk Shopping
Centre with a spectacular array of Disney activities,
featuring your favorite Disney Characters, all in Canal
Walk’s magnificent Central Promotions Court.
Opening on Saturday, 1 December, Disney Festival at Canal
Walk will wow kids of all ages each day until Christmas Eve,
Monday, 24 December.
Come and experience the magic of Disney with some of your
favorite Disney Characters including Mickey Mouse, Minnie
Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Winnie the Pooh and Tigger.
Disney characters will make special meet and greet
appearances only at Canal Walk this holiday. Meet Mickey
Mouse and Minnie Mouse on 1st and 2nd December, Winnie the
Pooh and Tigger on the 7th, 8th and 9th December, Donald
Duck and Goofy on the 14th, 15th and 16th December and
Mickey Mouse and Goofy, again on the 21st, 22nd and 23rd
December.
There promises to be loads of fun in the wonderful activity
arena. Kids will enjoy bouncing like Tigger in the 100 Acre
Wood Bouncer or visiting the Mickey Mouse Club House for
puzzles and games.
Love
the spotlight of the High School Musical Sing Star
competition and win great prizes every day. The DVD of HSM 2
releases on 3rd December, so you can practice all the songs
before coming along to join in the fun.
In a high adventure of exploration,
board the real pirate ship and win great prizes in the
amazing treasure hunt and take a bit of the fun home with an
awesome tattoo. Dress up as your favorite Disney Princess,
in the gorgeous Princess Parlour, and have your photo taken
on the beautiful Princess Throne.
In the spirit of the season, and as
has become tradition, Canal Walk will have an awe-inspiring
18-metre Christmas Tree alongside the Disney Festival, with
a magical doorway which opens into Santa’s study. Holidays
are memories in the making and kids can have their
photographs taken with Santa inside the tree from 9am to 9pm
daily, until Sunday, 24 December.
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Shagbark and the Disney performer
Portsmouth Herald News - Wait for the pony reference
Shagbark is a
four-piece rock band that worships at the temple of funk. On
Friday, Nov. 23 at 9 p.m., that temple will be moved
upstairs at the Press Room for a post Turkey Day groove
fest. Shagbark's instrumentation is as stripped down as it
gets; a two piece drum set, a four string electric bass,
electric guitar (light on the effects of course), and a
vocalist. No frills, no hair obsession (well, maybe Mickey),
no goofy stage clothes, no nonsense. The band is fronted by
singer/rapper/poet/actor Mickey Blanchette. Mickey's long
time musical associate (Choosy Moms) Chip Brindamour plays
bass, and Gary Gemmiti plays drums. Shagbark's guitarist is
the enigmatic Spidy, a rhythm guitarist in the tradition of
Jimi Hendrix and Ernie Isley.
And here's the line of their write-up you've been waiting
for folks: "Shagbark is a smart, funky rock band that gives
the audience a pony they can ride all the way home."
Giddy-up.
R&B
singer/Disney performer
I know who
Elmo is, and even Hannah Montana, but Genevieve of "Choo
Choo Soul"? Neither myself nor any of my podmates had a clue
when we received the following tidbit via e-mail:
The star of the Disney Channel's music program "Choo Choo
Soul," Genevieve, will be appearing in Portsmouth on Friday
night (Nov. 23) for a performance at the Wet Bar with
groovemasters The Head. The word is that she will be in the
studio with locally based music producer Scott "Buck"
Ruffner of TVP Records, writing and recording new material
for an upcoming project. They will also be scouting out
local venues for a possible future performance of the live
version of the Choo Choo Soul show that has hit several
cities as well as Disney World.
Sadly, none of us had been down to the Wet Bar since it's
changed ownership, but we did hear they had a couple
sold-out Bob Marley comedy shows on Nov. 17. Check out
Genevieve — we're pretty sure she's not a cartoon. These
links will help you out: www.myspace.com/tvprecords,
www.myspace.com/genevieveakaviva, http://cdbaby.com/cd/headmusic,
http://cdbaby.com/cd/genevieveg, http://www.thepageportsmouth.com
It's hairy
and it's rock 'n' rollin'
Don't forget
that Friday, Nov. 23 also brings the Hairbangers Ball to
Dover Brick House. You'll see five Seacoast bands taking on
the songs and personalities(?) of Motley Crue (Camarojuana),
Bon Jovi (Gazpacho), Van Halen (Tim Therriault Band), AC/DC
(FAMOUS) and Joan Jett and the Heartbreakers (Jett Sett).
Best of all, save $2 on your admission by dressing '80s and
if you look really good you can win a Guitar Hero at the
event. Admission is $7, or $5 if you're dressed the part.
Late and
lively
This just in: Gein and the Graverrobbers, Knucklecocks and
Hotrod Fury romp Shooter's in Exeter on Saturday, Nov. 24 at
8 p.m. There'll be no smoke since you were last there, but
the same scary genres. Gein is "horror surf."
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Wednesday
November 21, 2007 |
Tradition at Disney World
Enchanted's Giselle in Disney-MGM Studios Pre-Parade
Disneyland
plan dusted off in Shanghai
Creditors suspend terms of Hong Kong Disney loan
Disney World employees to participate in yearlong diabetes study
Disney
Opens Mobile Games Studio in Prague
Walt Disney in digital blitz for Pirates DVD launch
Patrick Dempsey Previews His Enchanted New Role
Cage, Morgan,
Buscemi in 'G Force'
Disney stars to
perform in Stillwater
Making
Beautiful Music Together - Again |
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Tradition at Disney World
 For
28 years, celebrants of the traditional Thanksgiving have
gathered at Walt Disney World's Ft. Wilderness Resort and
Campground. More than one dozen tepees dot the grounds again
this year and families bond around such activities as crafts,
storytelling, scavenger hunts and - at suppertime on
Thanksgiving - smoking turkeys over a large open pit. Many of
the campers say their tradition is rooted in childhood memories
of scouting.
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Enchanted's Giselle in Disney-MGM Studios Pre-Parade
 Disney
News - Princess Giselle - the lead character of Enchanted,
which comes to theaters today, makes appearances before the
Hollywood Holly-Day Parade at Disney-MGM Studios. She's played
in the movie by Amy Adams.
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Disneyland plan
dusted off in Shanghai
China Daily - The authorities have confirmed that the previously
suspended plan to build a Disneyland theme park in Shanghai has
been revived and preparations are going ahead full steam.
Qian Weizhong,
director of the economy committee of Nanhui district, said
residents had moved off the land targeted for Shanghai
Disneyland, in suburban Chuansha town.
The planned
theme park will occupy 6 sq km, which is about 4.7 times
the size of Hong Kong's Disneyland, according to the
original plan.
"Local
authorities have received positive feedback from the
central government about the Disneyland project,"
Qian was quoted as saying by the Oriental Outlook.
Representatives of Disney yesterday declined to
comment on the development, saying only: "Our
focus is on the successful operation of our
first theme park in China - Hong Kong
Disneyland."
However, Walt Disney Company (Shanghai) Ltd
said in a statement faxed to China
Daily:"China is a priority for the entire
company, and we have a continuing dialogue
about a variety of Disney initiatives,
including television, motion pictures and
consumer products, of which theme parks are
only a part."
Qian said arrangements had been made to
ease travel to the planned site.
"The Shanghai A20 highway has opened
an exit for Chuansha, near the
planned east gate of the
Disneyland," Qian said.
Foxtown, an outlet mall located
near the site of the planned
theme park, is one beneficiary
of the development.
Lu Qiang, its CEO, said he
was glad to hear the
Disneyland project had been
revived, as Foxtown had won
the right to set up shop
after several rounds of
bidding.
"If the Disney project
was aborted, Foxtown
would face great
difficulties recruiting
tenants," Lu said.
He said he had been
briefed about the
recent developments
by Nanhui
authorities last
week.
The planned
Pudong railway
will stop at the
theme park.
Metro line No 11
will also stop
there.
When
finished,
the
transportation
connecting
the park
will be the
biggest in
the
country's
eastern
region,
bringing
visitors
from more
than 50
cities in
the Yangtze
River Delta.
The plan
to build
a
Disneyland
park in
Shanghai
was
first
floated
in 2005,
but was
soon
suspended.
Disney
signed a
statement
of
intent
to build
a
Disneyland
on the
mainland
in 2002.
Several
suburban
district
authorities
competed
over
the
location
of
the
theme
park.
The
municipality
compromised
by
putting
the
park
in
both
Chuansha
and
Nanhui.
The Lujiazui Group and Walt Disney Company then set up a joint-stock company, but the plan was suspended. Hong Kong media reported there were widespread fears that having a third Disneyland in Asia, especially if it were in Shanghai, would harm Hong Kong's park.
An unidentified official from the Shanghai economy committee said the Shanghai plan had been suspended in part because of concerns the Hong Kong park would suffer.
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Creditors suspend terms of Hong Kong Disney loan
Reuters - The Walt Disney Co. has reached an agreement with creditors of its Hong Kong Disneyland joint venture to remove the debt covenants on a $293 million commercial loan for a year while it tries to boost attendance at the resort, Chief Financial Officer Tom Staggs said on Thursday.
Disney has said it will continue to invest in the park, which has missed its attendance goals for two years running, and Staggs said the company will forgo royalties for "a couple of years" as part of that investment.
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Disney World employees to participate in yearlong diabetes study
Orlando Sentinel - A first-of-its-kind diabetes study launches next month at Walt Disney World, involving as many as 1,000 Disney employees who have diabetes or are at high risk of becoming diabetic.
The company -- thought to be the nation's largest single-site employer -- is announcing the University of Florida-conducted study to employees today through its internal Web site, employee newsletter and team leaders.
Open only to insured employees and strictly voluntary, the yearlong study will invite those currently being treated for diabetes to participate.
It will also look at a smaller group of those at risk of developing diabetes, who will be identified using a brief, standardized risk test developed by the American Diabetes Association. A high-enough score will lead to a more extensive, free screening conducted by University of Florida researchers sometime during the first two weeks of December.
"We'll do up to 2,500 screenings," said Becky Cherney, president of the Florida Health Care Coalition, which represents many of the region's largest employers that offer their workers health insurance. The coalition is partnering with the University of Florida on the study.
Cherney views the participation of those at risk of developing diabetes to be at least as critical as those with the chronic disease, since diabetes, while incurable, can be prevented. With 60,000 employees, Disney likely has about 4,000 diabetics in its work force, Cherney said, and many more than that at risk of becoming diabetic.
While no one knows how many Disney employees will sign up for the program, Cherney expects to get full participation up to the program's 1,000-person limit. That would mean as many as 800 diabetics and at least 200 at-risk workers could take part.
The study will be conducted over 12 months, starting in January. Participants, who will receive a $200 cash incentive, will work with their primary-care physicians in consultation with UF endocrinologists. The idea, Cherney said, is to develop a model of care that will improve employees' health and lower employers' health-insurance costs.
The study is funded by a group of major pharmaceutical manufacturers, Cherney reported. The University of Florida and the Florida Health Care Coalition will issue separate reports once the study ends.
Disney said it will have no involvement in the study itself and is assuring its employees that "all personal information will be rigorously safeguarded and protected in accordance with all state and federal privacy laws."
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Disney Opens Mobile Games Studio in Prague
Game Daily - Today, the Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG) announced that it is expanding its Prague development studio. The facility, now renamed the Disney Mobile Games Studio, will become WDIG's largest European location for the development of mobile games. The studio opens in its new location today.
"Our team specialises in what we call 'end-to-end development' and works on the entire creative process - from conception to the finished game which typically runs on over 400 different handsets. For young programmers, this provides an exciting career development opportunity," said Jiri Rosenkranz, Managing Director of Disney Mobile Games Studio. "In the Czech Republic, there is a wealth of indigenous programming expertise, which combined with our long-standing Czech animation tradition, provides the ideal foundations for developing high-quality mobile games."
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The studio is partnering with Carat Digital and Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions to run the campaign across the Microsoft network including the MSN Homepage, MSN Movies and Windows Live Messenger.
The campaign uses Blue Screen technology and features a sword fight across the MSN Homepage between the film’s characters Captain Jack Sparrow and Davy Jones, as well as a week-long takeover of the MSN Entertainment and Movies channels, display ads and advertising across Messenger.
Trailers and clips from the film will run in the sites’ new video platform, which has video sharing capabilities to enable consumers to share the links with their friends in Windows Live Messenger and Spaces.
Ruth Beman, brand manager at Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment UK and Ireland, says: “Online is now an essential part of the marketing mix. It’s refreshing to see a groundbreaking concept for an online campaign that fits the brief and that will get consumers excited about our DVD launch.”
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Patrick Dempsey Previews His Enchanted New Role
TV Guide - Sure, Patrick Dempsey plays a prince of a doc on Grey's Anatomy, but his latest feature, Disney's part-animated, part-live-action Enchanted, finds him actually winning a fairy-tale princess (Amy Adams).
"It was a great story," explains Dempsey. "I go see a lot of family films because that's all I get a chance to see," explains the father of three. "This was different than most of them. It was an interesting story that was different and fresh."
Dempsey's 4-year-old, Tallulah, was both intrigued and confused by her dad's involvement in the film. "She likes the animation. She loved the chipmunk. And she likes the fact that I know the princess."
Still, it was hard for her to understand why her dad had an on-screen daughter. "She'd ask questions like, 'You're not really her father?' and I'm like, 'No, I'm not, you're my daughter.' 'Well, who's her father?' 'Well, her father is...' 'Oh, OK.... So she's just pretend.' 'Yes, exactly.' But she was younger when we were doing it, so now it's different, you know, she's into other things like, 'Where's the chipmunk during the press junket?' 'There's no chipmunk.' 'Why?' 'Because it's a fake chipmunk. It's computer generated.' 'What do you mean by that?'"
Dempsey laughs, adding, "Every question is followed by another question."
Enchanted was shot in New York, and Dempsey found it exciting to "shoot a musical in Manhattan," right in Central Park, with fans on the sidelines, calling out for McDreamy to glance their way. He also got a kick out of playing the "straight man" to Amy Adams' cartoon princess who's "come to life."
With the WGA strike, TV fans may not see as much of Dempsey as they'd like, but they can always take a trip to the Cineplex for Enchanted, which opens today. "It's such an unusual movie and so epic, and [will be a] big crowd pleaser."
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Cage, Morgan, Buscemi in 'G Force'
Entertainment Weekly - Nicolas Cage, Tracy Morgan, and Steve Buscemi have been tapped to voice characters in the upcoming Disney/Jerry Bruckheimer Films feature G-Force. The trio will join Bill Nighy and Will Arnett in the live-action/CG movie, about a group of extremely intelligent animal commandos working for a government agency trying to stop an evil billionaire from taking over the world. Cage will voice Speckles the mole; Morgan will voice Blaster the guinea pig; Buscemi will portray Bucky the hamster. Nighy will play an industrialist while Arnett will play an FBI agent. The feature marks the directorial debut of special effects guru Hoyt Yeatman, who won an Oscar for visual effects on The Abyss. Bruckheimer said Yeatman, and his son, also came up with the idea for G Force. Filming is currently underway with Bruckheimer producing. Cage was recently cast in Focus Features' The Vanished, which is slated to start production in April. This year, he shot roles in a remake of Bangkok Dangerous, as well as the sequel National Treasure: Book of Secrets, which Disney releases Dec. 21. Buscemi was recently cast in in John Rabe, the Florian Gallenberger-directed feature based on a true story about a German businessman who saved some 200,000 Chinese people during the 1937-38 Nanjing massacre. Morgan recently wrapped First Sunday, which stars Ice Cube and comedian Katt Williams.
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Disney stars to perform in Stillwater
Stillwater Gazette - Stillwater's annual Twinkle Parade will get a sprinkling of stardust from teen performers Drew Seeley and Keke Palmer, who will give a free concert in Lowell Park Saturday afternoon as part of Radio Disney's Jingle Jam 2007 tour. The concert will start at 3 p.m.; the Twinkle Parade will follow at 5 p.m.
St. Croix Events President Dave Eckberg said the concert "just fell into our lap" during a recent meeting with Disney officials to discuss the possibility of again bringing Disney artists to Lumberjack Days in 2008.
"They asked, 'What should we do with this Jingle Jam concert?' And I said, 'Why don't you do it here?' and they just took it and ran with it," he said this morning. "They thought it was a spectacular idea, especially with the Twinkle Parade and the holiday lighting and everything else."
The concert should appeal to the tween crowd that made the Jonas Brothers one of Lumberjack Days' most popular shows last summer.
Seeley, 25, was featured on the "High School Musical" soundtrack and in the following tour of "High School Musical: The Concert." He also sang on "The Cheetah Girls 2" soundtrack.
Palmer, 14, is best known for her starring role in "Akeelah and the Bee," and is touring in support of her debut album, "So Uncool." She also starred in the Disney Channel original movie "Jump In!"
Eckberg said he is glad to be working with Disney again, and he hopes to build on the success of last year's Jonas Brothers concert, which was a conscious attempt to appeal to a younger audience by bringing family-friendly programming to Lumberjack Days.
"The Jonas Brothers was about the coolest thing we've done in a long time," said the 56-year-old. "The joy, happiness and excitement that we saw in these 10- to 12-year-olds was really refreshing, especially compared to people who are my age and take a real cynical look at everything."
Eckberg said the Jonas Brothers will be a hard act to follow, but noted that Palmer is now "about as popular as the Jonas Brothers were a year ago."
He said he hopes to continue the string of teen-oriented performances in coming years.
"It was a wonderful focus for Lumberjack Days last summer, and we're definitely planning on doing something again next year," Eckberg said. "It's going to be real difficult to follow the Jonas Brothers, obviously, because they're so successful, but we're sure going to try."
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The Disney Insider - "Enchanted," opening November 21, is
many things -- a comedy, an adventure, a spoof, a love story ...
and a fairy tale. So perhaps it's appropriate that it brought
about a real-life wish come true for songwriters Alan Menken and
Stephen Schwartz.
The duo have contributed to some of the most memorable Disney
moments of the last few decades. Together they wrote the songs
for Disney's animated classics "Pocahontas" and "The Hunchback
of Notre Dame," and separately they each have a long list of
Disney credits, from the theme song for Disney Channel's "Johnny
and the Sprites" (Stephen) to songs for "The Little Mermaid" on
Broadway (Alan), along with dozens more. The two hadn't
collaborated for more than a decade, since 1996's "The Hunchback
of Notre Dame," when the call came to create songs for a new
Disney comedy, "Enchanted," and all the pieces fell into place.
"Stephen had said to me, at least three or four years ago,
'What I want to do next is for you and I to do a live-action
film musical together.' And I thought 'Oh, wouldn't that be
nice?' But the opportunity to do a live-action film musical
comes along – what? Once every couple of generations?" Alan
says. "Then, coincidentally, 'Enchanted' director Kevin Lima
told me 'I would love you to do this and would you reunite with
Stephen Schwartz for it?'"
Stephen jumps in, "Meanwhile, I was saying to Alan 'If you
need any help with "Enchanted" …' so it all worked out really
well!" He goes on to explain, "We're good friends in real life
and live very close to one another. It's not like Gilbert and
Sullivan, where the songwriters won't speak to each other!"
It's easy to tell that they mean it – the two effortlessly
finish each other's ideas, laughing as they do. As Alan says,
"Stephen makes it so easy, we just have the best time. Maybe
because we both have so much experience and we both write music
and lyrics."
That ease made it possible for the two to meet the rigorous
deadlines of a film like "Enchanted." Alan recalls, "When we
came aboard on this project, they wanted the songs yesterday! I
remember, our first work session was in early December, 2005,
and they wanted the songs by New Year's Eve, practically."
"We just laughed at them," adds Stephen. "But we weren't that
far from it!" Alan chuckles. "Within a couple of months, we had
almost all of them," his writing partner admits.
Smoothing the process was the fact that the film's two leads,
Amy Adamson as Giselle and James Marsden as Edward, were both
accomplished singers. "We were lucky, let's face it!" says
Stephen. "Amy was cast because she was so great – she knew how
to embody this character. And the fact that she sings as well as
she does was sort of luck! I think everyone knew Jimmy Marsden
was a very strong singer. There isn't a note of Amy's singing in
the film that isn't Amy, and not a note of Jimmy's singing that
isn't Jimmy."
Alan agrees, "I shudder to think how much more difficult the
process would have been had we needed to bring in 'voice-alikes'
and that sort of thing."
With great singers and a great team together again to write
the songs, "Enchanted" was well on its way to making musical
magic. The other key ingredients? A committed director, Kevin
Lima, was one – "Kevin was a real boon to us, and to the film,
because he really understands and likes film musicals," Stephen
tells us.
And finally, it was a movie that could only be made by
Disney. It pokes gentle fun at the fairy-tale movie standards
that Disney created (and that Alan and Stephen have had a hand
in creating) – the "Happy Work Song" scene will definitely leave
audiences looking at Disney Princesses and their little animal
helpers in a whole new light, after seeing Giselle summon the
wildlife of Manhattan to lend her a hand. And Disney uses music
in a way unmatched by any other studio.
"People keep asking me 'Why do you keep working with Disney?'
and I don't know what to say, except that I feel like it's a
really good fit," muses Alan. "I happen to love working with
Disney because they're a company that really makes stories, and
allows those stories to be told through song."
Stephen agrees. "Whereas sometimes other organizations seem
to be afraid of songs – they'll try to apologize for them or
sneak them in – Disney has always embraced the idea of songs
advancing stories on film."
And the result? A film that's pure fairy-tale magic, laughter
and tears, a happy ending, and a pair of friends reunited in
song. "Enchanted" truly lives up to its title! |
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Tuesday
November 20, 2007 |
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Disney wants
Epcot lawsuit dismissed
Disney’s tow
truck ride: noise, nausea
Bite me, Barbie! Disney's Hannah Montana takes over as most
wanted toy
Santa Clause 3: The
Escape Clause
Pooh's Super
Sleuth Christmas Movie
Disney
details its CRM upgrade to Siebel 8.0
Disney Reaches to the CribTo Extend Princess Magic
Disney's 'Jungle
Cruise' Takes Shape
DISH Network to carry Disney, ESPN interactive TV
Disneyland Paris by train
Disney World
trip beyond expectations
Walt
Disney to take part in Project Driveway |
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Disney wants
Epcot lawsuit dismissed
Orlando Sentinel - The Walt Disney Co. asked a judge to throw
out a Pennsylvania company's lawsuit about the technology behind
its Mission: Space ride, saying there's no evidence of
wrongdoing.
Environmental Tectonics Corp. sued in 2005 claiming Disney
disclosed confidential information about the ride and falsely
took credit for its development. The company, hired by Disney to
design the ride, hasn't shown any evidence that it has been
harmed, Disney attorney Laurence Shiekman said at a hearing in
U.S. District Court in Philadelphia.
"I think it would be a complete waste of judicial resources and
time to permit this case to go to trial," Shiekman said Monday
during the hearing.
Disney contracted with Environmental Tectonics, based in
Southampton, Pa., in 1998 to design the ride at Epcot at Walt
Disney World. Environmental Tectonics, which makes aircrew
training systems, designed a ride with gondolas on rotating
arms, using its flight-simulator technology. The company claims
Disney disclosed its arm design to others, including
competitors, without permission.
Environmental Tectonics was unable to complete the project on
budget or on time, forcing Disney to take over and negotiate a
new deal in November 2001, Shiekman said. Nothing Disney later
sent to about 20 subcontractors had been identified by
Environmental Tectonics as confidential, Shiekman said.
"After Nov. 15, Disney took over from ETC the responsibility of
finishing the ride. ETC knew that," Shiekman said. "ETC never
did anything to try to stop it. They never did anything that
someone who's being harmed would have done." |
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Disney’s tow
truck ride: noise, nausea
LA Times - Parents will want to break out the Dramamine and
earplugs for Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree, easily the dizziest and
noisiest of the new rides Disney plans to add to California
Adventure as part of its $1.1-billion makeover.
 The
racket begins before you even board the spinning tractor and
cart ride. A play area near the main entrance will feature an
interactive junkyard of bangable hubcaps and honkable horns.
Tow Mater, the rusty good ol’ boy tow truck from the animated
“Cars” movie, serves as the “Hee Haw”-esque disc jockey for the
whipsaw C-ticket. Riders sit in a cart towed by a tractor that
spins through Mater’s junkyard. Imagine Disneyland’s Mad Tea
Party on a track and you get the general brain-blending idea.
According to Disney storyboards, along the route riders will
encounter:
* Magnetized crane
* Junked auto tunnel
* Battery sparker
* Leaning shack
* Tire arch
* Engine steam and smoke
Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree joins Luigi’s Roamin’ Tires levitating
bumper cars and the $200-million Radiator Springs Racers thrill
ride in the 12-acre Cars Land opening in summer 2012. |
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Bite me, Barbie! Disney's Hannah Montana takes over as most
wanted toy
New York Daily News - For the last 48 years, first Barbie and
then the Bratz reigned supreme as doll queens - your only
choice: sugar (Barbie) or spice (the Bratz).
But those babes had better watch their backs, because Disney's
new kid on the block is kicking butt.
"Hannah Montana," the Emmy-nominated tween series about a
teenage girl (played by Billy Ray Cyrus' daughter Miley Cyrus)
who leads a double life as both an average kid and a pop star,
has spawned a brand that's so hot, old-school favorites are
being kicked to the curb.
"It's everything Hannah," says Jim Silver, editor in chief of
Toy Wishes magazine, which features Cyrus' character on its
current cover and includes the singing doll in its coveted "Hot
Dozen" holiday toy list. "She's the hot property, from the doll
to the play sets and everything that goes along with it."
The chirpy singer's dominance over that other blond comes just a
few years after Bratz dolls' bedroom eyes and bare midriffs also
threatened to unseat Barbie from her reign over the toy kingdom.
But the blond doll of your youth is not taking Montana's
popularity lying down. In an attempt to fight back this holiday
season, Mattel is promoting Barbie Girls, an MP3-player/doll
hybrid that accesses an online virtual Barbie world. "Barbie
continues to be a No. 1 fashion doll worldwide, and she's held
that position for almost 50 years," says Rosie O'Neill,
marketing manager for Barbie.
"There will always be competition in the market, and our
challenge is to innovate with a wide range of products. Barbie
Girls is a really good example, and the 'Princess' movies
continue to be No. 1 on kid video charts. We're really covering
a broad range of what girls are looking for, and that's what is
going to continue to keep Barbie competitive."
While no one is willing to write off Barbie's plastic fantastic
appeal just yet, there's no denying Hannah's popularity
continues to skyrocket.
"Hannah Montana" is now in its second season on the Disney
Channel. On top of that, Cyrus, who turns 15 on Friday, has
launched a 54-date world concert tour that sold out within
minutes, resulting in some ticketless groupies threatening to
sue her official fan club for promising easier concert access
exclusively for members.
"It's not all of a sudden," Silver says. "She's on our cover,
and we made arrangements to do this 11 months ago. Look at her
concerts and you see it's the highest-priced [kids] ticket on
the market." Premium seating for the shows can reach as high as
$68.75 a pop.
"If you don't have kids, you didn't realize one year ago that
'Hannah Montana' was the hottest TV show," Silver continues.
"Kids were already crazy, but there was no product available."
Much to Barbie's disgust, that's no longer the case. A bevy of
Hannah-brand toys are hitting shelves as holiday shopping picks
up steam, from DVDs and Nintendo Wii games to fashion and makeup
lines, and even professional guitars for aspiring musicians.
"It was just a matter of time," says Silver. "The audience
kept building, the product hit, and now everyone wants it." |
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Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause
Buena Vista Home Entertainment
- Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause stuffs yuletide comedy and
magic down the chimney with its November 20, 2007 on Disney DVD
and in high definition only on Disney Blu-ray from Walt Disney
Studios Home Entertainment, perfect timing for holiday owning or
giving.
 2006's
holiday box office hit, Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, stars
funnymen Tim Allen—reprising his role as Scott Calvin, a regular
guy turned Kris Kringle—and Martin Short, portraying the icily
calculating and sneaky Jack Frost. This third installment of the
successful Disney holiday family franchise pits Scott and Jack
against one another in a battle for executive control over
Christmas, resulting in a sack full of laughs and some Holiday
magic.
Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause DVD bonus features include the
all-new "Christmas Carol-Oke," a Christmas caroling guide for
the entire family, the "Greatest Time of Year" music video
performed by teen pop singing sisters Aly & A.J., "The Making of
The Santa Clause 3" featurette and a hysterical new blooper
reel. The Blu-ray High-Def bonus features include all of the DVD
bonus features, plus Movie Showcase and the interactive feature
"Deck The Halls: The Virtual Holiday Decorator," which lets you
customize your own virtual living room for the holidays.
Allen won a 1995 Best Performance Golden Globe for his role as
Tim "The Toolman" Taylor on ABC-TV's long running hit "Home
Improvement." The comic's other Disney roles include "Toy
Story," "The Shaggy Dog" and "Wild Hogs." Short is a former
"Saturday Night Live" standout who has lent his voice for
several Disney animated features, including "Treasure Planet"
and "101 Dalmatians II." Short and Allen starred together in the
1997 comedy "Jungle 2 Jungle." Playing Scott's in-laws in Santa
Clause 3: The Escape Clause are 2007 Oscar® winner Alan Arkin
(Best Supporting Actor 2007, "Little Miss Sunshine") and
multiple Golden Globe winner Ann-Margret ("The Break-Up").
Scott's wife is portrayed by Elizabeth Mitchell ("Lost"). |
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Pooh's Super Sleuth Christmas Movie
Buena Vista Home Entertainment - Get ready for a mystery in
the 100 Acre Wood in Pooh's Super Sleuth Christmas Movie
available on DVD November 20, 2007. In the tradition of classic
Disney storytelling comes an all-new holiday adventure. With
your favorite Pooh characters and all-new CGI animation, it's
the perfect gift this holiday season.
 When
Pooh and the gang find one of Santa's reindeer lost in the
woods, they fear Santa won't be able to deliver presents around
the world without all of his reindeer. Hoping to save Christmas,
they set off to deliver him back to the North Pole. But along
the way, they become stranded and have to set up camp. It's not
the ideal Christmas Eve but they learn that the true meaning of
Christmas is about being together!
Based on the Playhouse Disney TV series, My Friends Tigger and
Pooh, Pooh's Super Sleuth Christmas Movie introduces new
characters Darby, a precocious 6-year-old, and her dog Buster,
who live on the outskirts of the 100 Acre Wood. Darby is always
ready to help Tigger and Pooh sleuth around.
Produced with beautiful CGI animation, Pooh's Super Sleuth
Christmas Movie is the first Disney video premiere based on the
all-new series and teaches children the importance of
friendship, determination and sharing. The DVD also includes
fun, interactive games kids will enjoy over and over again.
Pooh's Super Sleuth Christmas Movie is available for U.S. $26.99
(SRP), Canada $29.99 (SRP) from Walt Disney Home Entertainment.
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Disney
details its CRM upgrade to Siebel 8.0
SearchCRM - One year ago, Robert Austin, an IT manager with Walt
Disney Parks and Resorts (WDPR), left Oracle OpenWorld with his
interest piqued by the new task-based user interface in Siebel
8.0.
This year, he returned to OpenWorld in San Francisco as a
representative of one of a handful of companies that have made
the transition to the latest Siebel product. Austin then offered
advice to fellow Siebel users at a session on upgrading to 8.0.
WDPR finished its upgrade to Siebel 8.0 in May.
"I think we were one of the first," said Austin, who estimates
the number of customers on Siebel 8.0 at 10 worldwide.
A need to add users to WDPR's installation of Siebel Call
Center, Sales Enterprise, Marketing Enterprise and Media
Enterprise modules provided the impetus for the latest upgrade.
Disney Parks and Resorts had also recently upgraded to the SQL
Server 2005 platform.
"Last year, I saw the 8.0 application here," Austin said, "and
right away I saw a few things I knew we would benefit from --
one of which is the task-based UI."
Case-sensitive queries constituted another feature that was
"probably long overdue," and it added more robustness in
querying the database in a time-sensitive manner, he said.
Additionally, a Google-like keyword search function used in
conjunction with a FAST search application provided immediate
value for some user communities. Finally, the company had a few
issues with synchronizing Outlook in 7.8 but knew it could
correct that with the upgrade.
This one goes to 8
Austin is no stranger to Siebel upgrades. He's gone from Siebel
6 to Siebel 7, 7.5 to 7.7 and now 7.8 to 8.0.
The WDPR's application environment includes three Wintel SQL
servers, 12 user communities and five instances of Siebel. The
instance that Disney Parks and Resorts first upgraded was on
Siebel 7.8.2 and had the least customization. It had 500 custom
objects (screen views, applets, links) and a little over 100
lines of custom code.
While the upgrade began in Austin's mind last October, the
advance work began in February. That included building the
upgrade team, planning for the hardware and extra space needed,
and conducting a feasibility study.
"We researched and reviewed the bookshelf extensively, as we
knew we were walking through a new paradigm or blazing a trail
for 8.0," Austin said. "We knew we had to scour all the
documentation that was available."
The resource team included Austin acting as project manager, a
front-end UI developer, and a back-end resource charged with a
great deal of work.
"That, I felt, was a critical skill," Austin said. "He ran the
upgrade through the wizards, installed software, ran the
metrics, troubleshot the Web files and did all the things that
made the upgrade what it was. Disney doesn't have a relationship
with professional services. [Siebel] SupportWeb was a reasonable
support structure for us."
Austin also established milestones along the way, including
development, the development upgrade, database prep, the
repository merge, the post-merge utilities, UPGPHYS, and
installing and uninstalling.
"One of the last important milestones was preparing cleaning up
the .srf," Austin said. "Sometimes your compile works, sometimes
it doesn't. I can't emphasize how important backing up is. We
had to restore from a backup maybe two or three times along the
way. It's really beneficial to have that backup just to have
that peace of mind."
Ultimately, the project ran three months, though if Disney Parks
and Resorts had had more customized screens and views, that
would have gone up significantly, Austin said. And there were a
few other issues.
"During hardware setup, the database and application server were
connected over a LAN, and that was not a good idea," Austin
said. "We learned that right away. Given the way our upgrade was
running while it was slow, we didn't want to pull the plug to
co-locate those."
Austin also found that the latest version of Siebel relies on
user properties "buried underneath objects."
"Beware of that, and drill down in tools as far as you can," he
said. "You do the full compile, and right away as you start the
app, you see if it runs. We found right away it didn't run. Any
account or contact applet didn't have a user property for 8.0.
It's some sort of de-dup component. We found out it was a user
property under the applet."
It's also important to move slowly through the process.
"If you find yourself in a rush and you feel things are beyond
your control, you should probably slow down," Austin said. "My
best advice is to plan ahead and give yourself plenty of time.
If you have time at the end, great -- you can do a little
testing."
Other advice:
Track all your timings and your errors.
Analyzing your log files thoroughly is very important, as is
preparing your database for growth.
Spend most of your time in development. Go very slowly and make
sure all your milestones are met.
Co-locate the application and database servers. The scripts you
run for UPGREG and UPGPHYS are very chatty.
Take advantage of the Oracle online community Ospace. A forum
called install/update/manage is helpful.
One potential advantage users can look forward to is increased
performance.
"The app speed is definitely faster than 7.8," Austin said. "It
could be the server. It could be the Siebel application. I've
heard they may have made it faster in its new version." |
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Disney Reaches to the CribTo Extend Princess Magic
Wall Street Journal - At the recently
opened Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Cinderella's castle in Walt
Disney World, hordes of young girls in ball gowns jostle every
day to get their hair coiffed, their nails painted and their
faces plastered with make-up to imitate their favorite princess.
It's an image that's become classic
of the Walt Disney Co. Princess revolution. What started out in
2001 as a few princess outfits became an overnight sensation as
Disney enchanted 3- to 6-year-old girls throughout America with
everything from princess comforters and princess backpacks to
princess-emblazoned sneakers. Smartly-packaged releases of
classic princess movies have helped bring girls back for more
each year.
But while Disney appears to have
exploited every corner of princess mania, it is also under
pressure to keep its $4 billion princess franchise growing. So
Disney's princess minders are hoping to hook even younger girls
and their moms on the craze with a new range of princess
products aimed at newborns. The princess clan will feature on
cribs, diaper-changing mats and other infant products next year.
Also on tap: adding new princesses to
the core lineup that includes Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping
Beauty, Ariel, Belle and Jasmine (more-recent characters, Mulan
and Pocahontas, are largely on the sidelines). Disney plans to
introduce a new African-American princess called Tiana in an
animated film, "The Princess and the Frog," a response to
demands for more diversity among princesses. Two other animated
princess-based movies -- one starring Rapunzel and another
starring a Scottish princess in a new Pixar production -- will
be rolled out after that.
Meanwhile, Disney's first live-action
princess movie, "Enchanted," will hit screens this week and is
being tapped to sell more princess products. The movie -- in
which an animated girl betrothed to a prince is propelled into
modern-day, live-action New York City -- was originally
conceived as a chance to introduce a new princess, Giselle, to
the lineup, according to people familiar with the matter. But
Disney abandoned that plan when it realized securing the
life-long rights to the image of Amy Adams, who plays Giselle,
was harder than an ugly step-sister squeezing into Cinderella's
glass shoe.
Andy Mooney, Disney's head of
consumer products who launched the Princess brand, concedes that
the heady growth of recent years is likely to slow at home and
that the company is looking to push the brand more aggressively
overseas. That initially means Europe, then Asia. Disney has
been trying to introduce the brand in countries like India,
where it launched a search for an Indian princess.
One challenge in the more mature home
market: a brewing backlash against what Disney Princess
represents. Tomi-Ann Roberts, a professor of psychology at
Colorado College, complains that the princesses have become more
sexualized, with more skin showing and bigger heads, eyes and
breasts. "The ever increasing marketing to younger and younger
girls of an adult sexualized version of the princesses is
concerning," says Ms. Roberts, who co-authored a report on the
sexualization of girls.
Other critics worry that encouraging
young girls to obsess about being a princess sends the wrong
message, with too much focus on being beautiful and not more
substantive achievements.
Disney doesn't see that as a problem,
and says most parents understand that Disney Princess is simply
a role-play phase that kids go through. "For every mother that
sees an issue, there are a million that don't," says Mr. Mooney,
who adds that even beyond the target age group of 3 to 6, "girls
do princess in private."
Still, many parents of
princess-obsessed daughters notice they abruptly drop the brand
at about age 6. In an attempt to keep girls enchanted longer,
the company launched Disney Fairies, a slightly edgier group of
characters (including Tinker Bell) aimed at 7- and 8-year olds.
Mr. Mooney estimates the Fairies franchise will generate $750
million in retail sales this year.
The ultimate aim is to waltz girls
from one franchise to another well into their teens. After
fairies, Disney is attempting to hook them on "Kim Possible,"
"That's So Raven" and "Hannah Montana," all playing on the
Disney Channel, and then serve up "High School Musical" for
older kids.
"Then they come back to us as brides
and mothers," says Mr. Mooney. Earlier this year, his group
launched a range of princess-themed wedding gowns. Unlike the
kitschy outfits made for kids, the wedding gowns are high-end,
selling for $1,100 to $4,000. Walt Disney World also offers
Cinderella-style weddings.
A gaping hole was babies. Mr. Mooney
says mothers are highly gender aware these days (he estimates at
least 80% elect to know the sex of their baby before it is
born). Disney had historically sold gender-neutral characters
like Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh in the infant market, but
mothers surveyed have shown more interest in gender specific
products, selecting princesses for a girl and "Finding Nemo" for
a boy. Disney has both in the works.
The key for the princess infant line
was to make sure it didn't damage the core business -- something
they tried to get around by making it a more subtle, less
character-driven design. Mr. Mooney says, "We don't want to turn
off the older kids."
Indeed, one issue for Disney is that
many of its franchises are skewing younger each year. In the
beginning, the princess franchise appealed to a slightly older
audience. Also, competition has been growing. Toymakers like
Mattel Inc. have pushed hard into the fantasy market for young
girls. And many of the traditional characters like Cinderella
exist in the public domain. In fact, MGA Entertainment has
introduced a line of edgy, more modern dolls called Bratz
Princess.
Independent toy analyst Chris Byrne
says Disney Princess is one of the most "strategically sound
properties and branding initiatives in many years." He adds that
"princess fans really are fans."
Disney does have the huge advantage
of a powerful movie studio to fuel the brand. All of Disney's
princesses originated in the movie world and the studio is core
to introducing new characters. But Disney's new head of
animation, John Lasseter, put a stop to direct-to-DVD sequels
that had included "Cinderella" out of concern they were
cheapening the brand. The studio will continue to make
direct-to-DVDs in the princess world, just ones with original
stories and bigger budgets. Disney, meanwhile, has contemplated
extending the brand to the Disney Channel, but has so far
concluded it could damage the channel by skewing it too female.
Another question is whether the brand
could suffer from overkill. But Mr. Byrne, the analyst, says,
"We're talking about 3- to 6-year-olds -- there's no such thing
as overkill." |
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Disney's 'Jungle Cruise' Takes Shape
Gear Live - In the same vein as Disney's transformation of the
Disneyland attraction "Pirates of the Caribbean" from ride to
movie, Walt Disney Pictures is currently developing the script
for a "Jungle Cruise" movie. Box Office Mojo recently talked to
WDP Chairman Dick Cook, and he had this to say about the
project:
"There will be a family involved. The skipper will play a very
important role. He'll be more of an Indiana Jones kind of guy,
with a little Jack Sparrow in him, who's going to be able to
take this family on an adventure that they never dreamed they
were going to be on when they first got on board. In true Disney
fashion, it will definitely have the adventure and the
intensity—but also the heart and the fun. We hope we have a good
outline of where we want to go and what we want to do with it in
the next year."
I can only hope that by having a "family involved," they don't
mean that it will be anything like the absolutely
cringe-inducing The Haunted Mansion film. Not Eddie Murphy's
finest hour.
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DISH
Network to carry Disney, ESPN interactive TV
Reuters.uk - EchoStar Communications Corp's (DISH.O ) DISH
Network on Monday launched two interactive television
applications for the Walt Disney Co's (DIS.N) ESPN and Disney
Channel cable channels.
The interactive TV applications will be available to more than
12 million DISH subscribers who already receive iTV services.
Available content includes scores, headlines, TV listings and
interactive advertising for ESPN and games, show information and
listings, and a digital video recorder for Disney Channel.
In
a statement, Disney touted the applications as a way for
advertisers to reach a more targeted audience with "intensive,
targeted interactive ad campaigns."
The addition of the two Disney applications, called ESPN
Interactive Zone and Disney Channel Interactive TV, brings to 40
the number of iTV offerings on DISH Network. |
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Disneyland
Paris by train
Times Online - A lot has been written about the opening of St
Pancras International and new Eurostar services. But not much to
interest my six-year-old daughter Peggy.
All she wanted to know was how quickly it would get us to
Disneyland Resort Paris. She was marginally interested in the
train breakfast ("not bad"), the loos ("no paper, mummy") and
the family opposite ("Nathan is really funny"), but the
architecture and engineering passed her by.
As I'm sure it will most passengers on the new daily Eurostar
service from St Pancras to Disney. Most on our train were under
ten. And not one mentioned the £5.8 billion project to speed up
train travel between London and France and Belgium.
Pirates and princesses were very much higher on the agenda. It
made me wonder how Peggy, who despises pink and has never worn a
flouncy dress in her life, would get on.
Fortunately, the Disney magic kicked in as soon as we arrived.
Peggy remained smiling through the discovery that we would be
staying on the second floor of Hotel New York rather than a
turret at the top of Sleeping Beauty's castle. And I found
myself queuing for scary ride after scary ride despite swearing
we would stick to the Flying Carpets and Dumbo the Flying
Elephant ride.
The scariest by far was the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring
Aerosmith, which we stumbled across after a hasty exit from a
freezing open-air performance of car and motorcycle stunts in
Walt Disney Studios Park. I thought it would be nice to do
something indoors, out of the cold.
So in we went, the deserted entrance giving nothing away about
what was to come. In fact, it wasn't until we actually got on
the ride and found harnesses instead of seatbelts that I began
to worry. But by then it was too late.
We were propelled forwards and upside down at 100 kilometres per
hour on the fastest roller coaster ever built for Disney which,
I later read, features three inversions: a double roll over and
corkscrew, each more terrifying than the last and made all the
worse by the unrelenting beat of Aerosmith blasting out of 120
speakers.
I was amazed that terrifying people that much is legal. Peggy,
on the other hand, would have gone again straight away had I not
put my shaking foot down and agreed to buy her as a sop the
"hilarious" in-ride photo of me gibbering wildly.
I got her back by beating her at Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast. A
newish ride where you use a hand-held laser gun to shoot at an
evil army of invading robots, your score of "hits" displayed on
the dashboard of your space cruiser. It was brilliant fun and we
braved the queue three times for more goes until Peggy was too
hungry to continue.
Sadly the Disney magic did not extend to lunch. Our burger and
fries in Café Hyperion were the worst we have ever tasted (worse
even than Russia). And the coldest. And soggiest. Poor Peggy,
who would normally sell her soul for a chip, was bitterly
disappointed and I was amazed that the French guests didn't
start a revolution.
But it was the same everywhere we tried. Dinner at Steakhouse in
the Disney Village was institutional and slow and breakfast at
our hotel (for which we had to queue almost as long as the rides
in the park) virtually inedible. I noticed a lot of people
smoking and wondered if they trying to stave off hunger pangs.
We survived on boiled sweets and hot chocolate. A bit like the
war.
At this time of the year, before Christmas proper, we didn't
find queuing for the rides too troubling. Much harder to bear
was the cold, despite having come prepared with ski gear. We
coped by interspersing the scary rides with indoor attractions
such as CinéMagique – a fun film of old films and the Art of
Disney Animation – a screen based history of Disney characters.
Still, by the end of the trip we were both exhausted and looking
forward to getting back. So much for getting you to Disneyland
faster. What Peggy and I really, really liked about the new
Eurostar service from St Pancras was how quickly it got us home.
NEED TO KNOW
In November, Disneyland Paris prices for a two-night, three-day
package with return Eurostar travel starts at £248 per adult,
£159 per child aged 7 to 11 years or £83 per child aged 4 to 6
years. The price includes B&B accommodation and three-day hopper
tickets for the Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park.
Park life
* It takes approximately two and a half hours to get from St
Pancras to Disneyland Resort Paris. You can speed up entrance to
the park by prebooking the Disney Express luggage service with
your operator. When you arrive, you leave your luggage at the
Disney train station Marne La Vallée and it will be taken to
your hotel while you head to the parks. On your final day, you
leave it with your hotel concierge and it will be transferred to
the station where you can pick it up at the end of the day
without having to return to your hotel.
*When it's cold, check out indoor attractions such as
CinéMagique. Avoid the Moteurs…Action! Stunt Show Spectacular.
It is outdoors and long and freezing.
*The food is terrible. Fill your pockets with snacks from home.
*On the way home, there is usually a long queue for check in for
Eurostar at Marne La Vallée station. Leave plenty of time.
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Disney World trip beyond expectations
Winnipeg Sun - When I learned I was
going to Walt Disney World for the third time, I was beyond
excited. I never dreamed the trip would include a brief concert
by Eva Avila -- Canadian Idol winner 2006 --and a chance for me
to meet her and chat with her afterward
But that's exactly what happened when I attended the October
grand re-opening of the Canada Pavilion in Disney's Epcot theme
park. In Epcot one of the main attractions is the World
Showcase, which is Disney's version of Folklorama, except about
a million times bigger.
During the grand re-opening ceremonies Eva Avila performed her
song My Canada, which was featured in the new Canada video.
Part way through the song she was joined on stage by Minnie and
Mickey Mouse. She later told me she was so surprised when they
joined her, that she almost stopped singing! It just goes to
show the power of Disney, when someone who has been through
every round of Canadian Idol can get flustered by the presence
of Mickey Mouse.
Later that night, while attending an
invitation-only dinner party in Epcot, I spotted Eva among the
other guests, chatting and proudly sporting a new Mickey Mouse
T-shirt. Angela Saclamacis, a.k.a. amazingly nice Canadian
Disney rep, asked if I would like to meet Eva. Trying to look
calm, but failing miserably, I said I would love to. And so,
that is how I came to find myself chatting with Eva, showing her
the pictures I had taken that day and having my picture taken
with her. Eva didn't have a lot of time, but she gave it happily
to meet me. There were no cameras rolling, and no audience.
There was no reason for her to be nice to me other than that she
is a truly sweet individual.
While meeting Eva Avila is an amazing memory, an even better
memory is what a wonderful person she turned out to be.
Beverley Lunney is a student at Ecole Seven Oaks Middle School
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Walt
Disney to take part in Project Driveway
Fuel Cell Today -
Walt Disney Company and Chevrolet have announced a partnership
which will see the entertainment firm take control of ten
Chevrolet Equinox fuel cell vehicles as part of Chevrolet
producer General Motors' Project Driveway.
The vehicles will be used by Disney to transport employees and
celebrities around its facilities in southern California.
Meanwhile, the door has been opened for future collaboration
between Disney and General Motors.
"We are excited to be working with Chevrolet in this important
and historic effort to introduce zero-emission vehicles,"
commented Lawrence Aldridge, senior vice president for corporate
alliances at the Walt Disney Company.
"For the last 25 years, General Motors has been an important
corporate alliance partner of the Walt Disney Company, and this
is a natural extension for us given Disney's own emphasis on
cutting-edge technology and environmental conservation."
Project Driveway will see 100 fuel cell vehicles leased to
consumers in the areas of Los Angeles, New York City and
Washington, DC. |
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Monday
November 19, 2007 |
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No News Update Today |
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Sunday
November 18, 2007 |
Fantasy mixes with reality at premiere of Disney film
'Enchanted'
Can Disney save
Broadway talks?
Hooking the kids
with the internet
Tips for
Planning a Disney World Vacation
Disney deals |
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Fantasy mixes with reality at premiere of Disney film
'Enchanted'
International Herald Tribune - It was
a fairy-tale beginning for "Enchanted," as Disney princesses
joined Hollywood stars on the red carpet for the new
romantic-comedy's world premiere.
Trumpets heralded Patrick Dempsey, Helen Mirren, Teri Hatcher
and other celebrities along with costumed characters such as
Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Mickey and Minnie Mouse outside
the El Capitan Theatre Saturday night.
A
contemporary twist on Disney's fairy-tale classics, "Enchanted"
begins in the animated world with an evil queen (voiced by Susan
Sarandon) banishing a princess (Amy Adams) to live-action
modern-day New York City. There, Adams meets a divorce attorney
(Dempsey) and becomes disenchanted with her old life and simple
dream of marrying a prince and living happily ever after.
"The movie is, in essence, about true love's kiss and true
love," Dempsey told The Associated Press. "And it's everything
Disney in a way, in that it's very funny and honors (the
studio's animated classics), and it's an old-fashioned musical."
Adams
and Dempsey, working their way down the red carpet, voiced
opinions on everything from the Hollywood writers strike to
Dempsey's recent No. 2 ranking (behind Matt Damon) on People
magazine's list of sexiest men.
"He
was robbed!" said Adams, wearing a white J. Mendel gown. "He was
robbed! That's what I think about that."
"That's funny," injected Dempsey with a laugh. "Always a
bridesmaid, never a bride."
Dempsey — also known as "McDreamy" for his role on the ABC
network's "Grey's Anatomy" — and his fellow cast members from
the top-rated TV medical drama finished filming Friday and won't
be returning to the set until the Writers Guild of America and
the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers settle
their contract dispute.
"I
know they're going into talks on the 26th," said Dempsey. "So,
hopefully, rational minds will sit down and work something out."
Dempsey was joined by a number of his "Grey's" co-stars,
including Justin Chambers ("Dr. Alex Karev") and Chandra Wilson
("Dr. Miranda Bailey"), both of whom had the strike on their
minds.
"It's
unfortunate it had to happen around the holidays," Chambers
said. "Hopefully they'll figure something out. They have to. It
has to happen, though. It's time to split some of that big pie.
The writers are so important."
Wilson said she was taking advantage of the unexpected work
break.
"Now I can do all the things that I don't have time to do, like
go to school meetings," she explained, giggling. "You know,
spending some time cleaning up — things that you put on the back
burner, that you don't have enough time to do."
Among Disney film vets on Saturday's red carpet were Jodi
Benson, the voice of "Ariel" in "The Little Mermaid" and Paige
O'Hara, "Belle" from "Beauty and the Beast." Both make cameo
appearances in "Enchanted."
"Beauty and the Beast ... was a life-changing experience,"
O'Hara said. "I'm still recording Belle all the time. I'm in the
studio every few weeks, recording toys, interactive toys, games,
CDs, CD-ROMs, direct-to-DVD princess videos, so it's still very
much a part of my life."
Broadway belter Idina Menzel ("Wicked"), in a dark green Zac
Posen dress, did interviews with actor-husband Taye Diggs
("Private Practice") at her side. She plays Dempsey's girlfriend
— a rare, non-singing role.
"Don't feel sorry for me," Menzel said. "l had just finished
doing 'Wicked' and 'Rent,' the movie, and I was singing every
day. ... And I actually was really honored that ("Enchanted"
director) Kevin Lima hired me on the merits on my acting alone."
Chart-topping Grammy winner Carrie Underwood, who was on hand in
a pink Elsie Katz Couture, provides the film's end-title track,
"Ever, Ever After."
Of Disney princesses, she said she related most to Cinderella.
"I've never been scrubbing floors or cleaning toilets growing
up. And my family was great," Underwood said. "But just to go
from small-town girl to red carpets and cameras, it's definitely
a Cinderella story." |
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Can
Disney save Broadway talks?
Newsday - Can the Mouse save Broadway? With 27 shows dark again
Sunday, negotiations between the stagehands and the producers
resumed at an undisclosed location Saturday with hopes pinned on
an unlikely savior.
Disney.
Robert Johnson, a top labor lawyer at Disney since 1977, has
flown in from Los Angeles for the first meeting since talks
broke down Nov. 9 and the strike began the following day. Also
back at the table is Thomas C. Short, president of Local One's
parent union, who called the strike that is costing the city at
least $2 million a day.
Since Disney does not belong to the League of American Theatres
and Producers, "Mary Poppins" -- at the company's own New
Amsterdam Theatre -- has been open throughout the strike. But
both "The Little Mermaid," scheduled to open Dec. 6, and "The
Lion King" are shuttered in affected theaters.
Not long ago, the theater community would have scoffed at the
idea that Disney might be the knight to make peace between Local
One and the producers. Until "Lion King" opened 10 years ago
last Tuesday to rave reviews, it was believed that Disney-fication
would further dumb-down Broadway with theme-park entertainment.
If the strike is settled Sunday, Broadway could be up and
running as early as Monday, which means "Jersey Boys," "Wicked"
and other tourist favorites would be playing before the
lucrative Thanksgiving weekend.
The immediate fate of at least three major new plays is less
clear.
"The Farnsworth Invention," Aaron Sorkin's return to Broadway
after creating "The West Wing," was to have opened last
Wednesday. Conor McPherson's "The Seafarer," an import from
London's National Theatre, should have opened Thursday. "August:
Osage County," a highly anticipated transfer from Chicago's
Steppenwolf Theatre, could theoretically open Tuesday as
planned.
Long-dormant productions, however, may need at least one
performance before critics are invited. Holiday schedules make
logistics even more complicated.
Meanwhile, diners are being encouraged to eat in the theater
district. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has helped to arrange 15
percent discounts in 25 area restaurants through next Sunday
(not including Thanksgiving Day). In his weekly radio show
Saturday, Bloomberg said, "I encourage New Yorkers and visitors
to take advantage of this great deal and help support
restaurants that have been affected by this strike."
Check www.nycvisit.com for a list of participating restaurants. |
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Hooking the kids with the internet
Times
Online – The
swashbuckling exploits of Captain Jack Sparrow and his scurvy
mates have been followed by millions of children around the
world. Early next year Britain’s would-be pirates will get a
chance to join the crew.
Disney is preparing to launch a British version of Pirates of
the Caribbean online, a game where players can create their own
pirate character and form crews with other participants, sailing
the seven seas in search of booty.
Before Pirates of the Caribbean is revamped, Disney will launch
a British version of Club Penguin, a hugely popular web-site
aimed at preteens where players can live a virtual life as a
colourful penguin. The company is also overhauling Disney.co.uk
to be more closely tailored to the British market.
The company’s American site, Disney.com, was recently relaunched
with a team in north Hollywood rejigging the content twice a
week. New shows are added, old ones dropped, games are launched.
And the audience likes it. In August the channel received a
record 23m visitors, 24% more than a year ago.
After years of false starts, the internet is now at the
forefront of the Disney empire.
The digital renaissance is coming in the nick of time as
television executives start to sweat about declining audiences
and children – early adopters of technology – increasingly turn
to the internet for their entertainment.
Research by the children’s television channel Nickelodeon found
that 86% of 8 to 14-year-olds are playing games online, more
than 51% are watching television shows and videos online and 37%
are sending instant messages. Traditional television viewing is
still strong in the youngest audience but by the time they reach
their teens, the internet is winning out. In the long run, media
companies that fail to keep up with their net-savvy kids may not
have an audience at all.
So far two firms have emerged as the biggest players for kids
online, Disney and Nickelodeon’s parent company Viacom.
When it comes to grabbing children’s attention, Viacom is
Disney’s closest rival. Nickelodeon is home to Spongebob
Squarepants, Jimmy Neutron and a host of world famous cartoon
characters. The company’s 2005 acquisition of Neopets, a virtual
world of digital cuddly pets, now looks pioneering and, at $160m
(£80m), cheap. Earlier this year Disney spent $350m buying Club
Penguin.
Nickelodeon has announced a $100m expansion of its online casual
gaming ventures. The money will go towards new mul-ti-player
online games, virtual worlds and gaming titles during the next
two years.
While Disney was an early, and not always successful, fan of the
internet, Steve Wadsworth, president of the Walt Disney internet
group, said that it was only in the last one or two years that
the internet had truly emerged as an equal to the company’s
television channels, theme parks and films.
“The beauty of the internet,” said Wadsworth, “is that it can do
so many different things.” For shows like Hannah Montana, High
School Musical and Power Rangers, Disney has set up special
events, interactive worlds and online games.
“People look at Disney as a world and it means different things
to different people. To some its about films, for others its
about a character or the theme parks,” said Wadsworth. “And
there are world’s within worlds, so for a 13-year-old boy it may
be about Pirates of the Caribbean.”
“It’s a bit like taking the idea of a theme park and recreating
it in a virtual space.”
The two firms have markedly different approaches to kids in
cyberspace. Steve Youngwood, executive vice-president of digital
media at MTVN, the Viacom division that runs Nickelodeon, said
the aim of his sites, including Nick.com, was to be “a home base
for kids and teens”.
“But we need to be open. We need, too, to go beyond what we
produce,” he added.
Youngwood points to Viacom’s purchase of Addicting-games.com, a
site that offers hundreds of online games and directs visitors
to other gaming websites. “Anyone who likes gaming can come back
to us and know they can trust us as a filter,” he said. Nick.com
will also carry advertisements for films and television shows
that are not Viacom products.
For Disney the online experience is about remaining true to the
Disney universe. It may not carry other people’s advertisements
on Disney.com but the company creates so much content that it
hardly needs to look outside its own kingdom. Disney has been
creating virtual worlds from its inception and has “a deeper toy
box” than most of its rivals, said one executive at Disney.
While both sites charge subscriptions, Neopets carries ads while
Club Penguin is ad-free. Disney feels it is inappropriate to aim
ads at such a young audience. Other observers are more cynical.
“Club Penguin is basi-cally a big ad for itself,” said one media
executive.
When it comes to older children and adults, sites like MySpace,
YouTube and Face-book, where people create their own
“user-generated” content, have attracted big audiences.
Wadsworth said Disney’s strategy was to allow children to be
creative but within Disney’s context. It’s a model that has
proved successful elsewhere. World of Warcraft, an online game
where players undertake magical quests as wizards, dwarves and
elves, has 9.3m players world-wide. Second Life, a virtual
community where people have to create their own characters and
decide how to spend their time, claims millions have set up
accounts in its world but only a fraction of those people are
regular visitors.
Children want to be creative and feel “empowered” said
Youngwood. “But they also need to be given the right tools,” he
said. An open platform like YouTube where users can put up any
video they have created would not work as well for a younger
audience.
“The communities on Face-book or YouTube are relatively small.
People don’t tend to have more than 20, 30 or 100 friends,” said
Wadsworth. Providing a context brings far more people together.
As everyone is clearer on what they are buying it also makes it
easier for Disney to sell the idea to advertisers and to charge
parents for subscriptions ($5.95 a month in America).
Parents will soon be coughing up for mobile-phone features too.
Both firms have been developing their mobile plans. Wadsworth
believes that in the near future mobile devices will be just
another way to access the internet and is developing his
strategy accordingly.
Disney has had some setbacks in mobile. Its attempts to launch
its own phones in America ended in failure. Now it is going into
partnership with mobile operators and has studios in Prague,
Hollywood and Beijing developing mobile content.
Its biggest mobile market is Japan, where girls download Disney
ringtones and images of characters. Japan also has a
Disney-themed virtual world, Disney Wonder Days, that can be
accessed via mobile devices.
“The PC connected to the internet is far more robust than mobile
at this point, particularly for our demographic,” said
Wadsworth. “But mobile is increasingly becoming an important
platform.” Given the vulnerable nature of their audience, both
companies work hard to ensure their safety. But often it is the
kids themselves who get out of hand. Swearing is electronically
banned on Disney’s messaging systems but some users have found
creative ways round it. For a while, until a sharp-eyed Disney
employee added the phrase to the banned list, kids were
describing something good as “sofa king great”.
Disney and Viacom executives could be forgiven for using similar
terms for their now profitable internet ventures. Now all they
have to worry about is the rest of the empire.
Gentle approach: Disney won’t allow advertisements on its Club
Penguin site. |
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Tips for
Planning a Disney World Vacation
Best Syndication -
Planning a Disney World
Vacation is part of the fun of the vacation itself for most
people! For others, however, it can be a headache. Before you
start planning your vacation, determine whether or not you are
really up to planning the trip yourself or not. Disney World has
become the pinnacle of all family vacation destinations. While
there is no doubt that your family will have fun at Disney
World, getting there and back on a tight budget is sometimes
easier said than done.
If you don’t want to plan your own trip, you have several
options. Of course, you can have a travel agent make all of the
arrangements for you, but for the best Disney World experience,
you might be better off using the Disney World Vacation Planning
Services. Either way, you can have every single aspect of your
trip planned for you. Once you get there, all you will need to
do is follow your Itinerary.
If you prefer the fun
involved in planning your Disney World vacation yourself, there
are some things that you absolutely must not leave out of the
planning stage. Before you can decide what you will be doing at
Disney World, you must determine which dates you will be there.
The parks offer different things at different types of the year,
with many different themes and entertainment to choose from.
Like any tourism business, Disney World charges a premium for
their food items. While this can be disappointing to first-time
visitors, veteran Disney-goers know there are plenty of ways to
find a cheap meal. The key is to know your options and plan
ahead. A small amount of strategy can save you hundreds of
dollars.
Once you know when you will
be at Disney World, the next step is to figure out what you will
be doing each day that you are there. Once you’ve set up your
travel arrangements and your hotel reservations, there are a few
more things you must consider.
Food is one thing you might
want to arrange in advance. Disney World is a very popular
place, and having reservations at some of the more popular
restaurants is recommended. These reservations can be made well
in advance – before you ever leave home.
When planning which
attractions at Disneyland you want to visit, use a map of Disney
World as a guide. This will make it easier to schedule time for
attractions that are near each other. You want to see and do as
much as possible, so as much walking or travel time as you can.
Budget is the criteria that you have to keep in mind. Often, by
making arrangements through travel agents or through the Disney
World Vacation Planning Services, you will be able to get better
deals – which can save you money. Look for these deals, and save
as much money as you can on your hotel and food. If you have
small children with you, keep their priorities in mind – they
have less interest in where they will sleep and the food that
they will eat, and more interest in what they will see and do! |
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Disney deals
The
Birmingham News - Plan! Plan! Plan!. The most important part of
making the most of your money at Disney World is advance
planning. Research and book your transportation, accommodations,
meal plans, character dining, and theme park tickets as far in
advance as possible for maximum savings - and to make your visit
more pleasant!
Let's start with air travel to Orlando and hotel. Airfares and
hotel rates are least expensive from mid-January through
February and September to October. Southwest and Delta offer
nonstop flights from Birmingham and Southwest often has the best
fare, but it pays to research and compare.
Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground accommodates
everything from RVs to tents; rates start at $41 per night. The
value resorts (Disney's Pop Century and Disney's All-Stars
Movie, Music and Sports) have rooms as low as $82 a night, and
the moderate resorts (Disney's Caribbean Beach, Coronado
Springs, Port Orleans French Quarter and Riverside) have rooms
starting at $145. (These prices are for what Disney calls its
"value season.")
One advantage to staying at a Disney property is access to extra
Magic Hours. Each day, one of the parks opens early or stays
open later for resort guests only.
Disney's Magic Your Way package runs less than $1,600 for a
family of four staying six nights, seven days, at a value
resort, and includes theme park tickets. For vacation packages,
call 407-939-7675.
The Disney resorts also offer Disney's Magical Express, which
consists of free roundtrip transportation from Orlando
International Airport, with baggage delivery. Hotel guests can
continue with free transportation by using Disney buses, ferries
and the monorail system to visit theme and water parks, and
Downtown Disney.
Another possibility is to use a search engine such as
Expedia.com to book a package of airfare, hotel and car rental,
depending on your needs. Southwest Airlines Vacations also is a
popular site for booking Orlando vacations. And it has a sale on
now offering a $50 discount when booking into a Best Western.
When booking use code BW50. The offer may be booked now through
Dec. 31 for travel through March 7.
For the military:
For military personnel (both active and retired) and their
families, there is the Shades of Green resort on Disney
property. Room rates are determined by military grade. Details
at www.shadesofgreen.org or 888-593-2242.
If
you're staying at a Disney property and driving to the theme
parks, Disney will waive the $10-a-day parking fee.
AAA members who book a Disney vacation package through the
automobile club's travel service can receive a voucher for
preferred parking in the "Diamond Lot" at Walt Disney World and
can get discounts at certain hotels and restaurants. Details at
www.aaa.com.
Check out the dining plan when you stay at a Disney World
Resort. You can save 40 percent per person when you purchase the
Magic Your Way Package plus dining. The plan includes one table
service meal, a quick service meal and a snack, per person for
each night of your stay. To book, call 407-939-7500. Disney is a
special upgrade package for $385 each for a five-day, four-night
stay that includes both the Park Hopper ticket and a Water Park
ticket with a stay at certain resorts. It's available for stays
most days Jan. 1-17 and Jan. 21-Feb. 13; go to http://disneyworld.disney.go.com.
Book by Dec. 15.
Character dining:
Dining with a Disney character like Cinderella or Winnie the
Pooh is one of the park's most popular experiences. Character
dining can be booked up to 180 days in advance. The meals sell
out, so make arrangements as soon as reservations become
available.
To make the most of your day, ask for the earliest breakfast
seating and choose a restaurant in a park where you want to
spend the day. Or pick off-hours for the meals, like lunch at 11
a.m. or dinner at 5 p.m. Most visitors break for lunch at noon
and dinner at 6 p.m., so when you're done with your meal, there
will be fewer people on line for rides. Character meals are also
all-you-can-eat, whether they are with table service or
buffet-style. For reservations, call 407-939-3463.
Disney's ticket options can also be bundled in a variety of ways
to suit your preferences and schedule. You can add a Park Hopper
option for $45 a person that allows you to jump from park to
park. A Water Park Fun & More option runs $50 a person. You can
also buy a non-expiration option that lets you use unused days
from your original ticket at a future time. For ticket
information, call 407-939-1289.
If you plan more than one Disney visit within a 365-day period,
it might be cheaper to buy an annual pass - $448 for ages 10 and
up, $395 for ages 3-9. For comparison, a three-day ticket for
guests 10 and up with a Park Hopper option is $248. Passholders
get free parking at theme parks and are eligible for periodic
discounts at certain hotels.
The one-day price for a Disney World ticket recently was raised
to $71. But you can reduce your per day cost by booking more
days. The best rate is for a seven-day ticket, which averages
out to about $30 a day.
You can also earn Disney Rewards with the Visa card from Chase.
Everyday purchases can be redeemed for Disney hotels stays and
theme park tickets. Log on to www.Disney.com for more
information.
Disney Vacation Club members receive additional discounts on
dining, theme park tickets and tours, shopping and recreational
rentals. Details at www.dvcfriends.com or 800-840-3708.
Finally, MouseSavers.com is not an official Disney site, but it
compiles all sorts of helpful tips, news about discounts and
deals, and a basic rundown of choices at Disney, along with
links to other helpful Web sites and a list of frequently asked
questions: www.mousesavers.com. Deals recently featured on
MouseSavers include an Orlando Entertainment Book for $9.99,
with discounts on other area theme parks including Universal and
SeaWorld, along with coupons for car rentals and restaurants. |
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