AP - The Walt Disney Co. said Friday its Miramax Films division will slash the number of movies it produces each year, which it says will lead to "significant cost savings."

The division will now produce about three movies a year, down from the current six to eight, and eliminate 50 jobs in New York and Los Angeles by January.

About 20 employees will remain, mostly at the New York headquarters.

The announcement Friday came two weeks after Disney studio chief Dick Cook said he was stepping down immediately as chairman after nearly four decades with the company.

Daniel Battsek will continue as president of Miramax.

Alan Bergman, president of The Walt Disney Studios, said in a statement that the decision to cut Miramax's movie output "maximizes operating efficiencies and provides significant cost savings" while allowing the division to focus on high-quality entertainment.

Disney bought Miramax in 1993 for $80 million, hoping for the kind of inexpensive hits like "Pulp Fiction" delivered by founding brothers Bob and Harvey Weinstein.

While some of its recent films have brought critical success, Miramax has largely failed to bring in big dollars at the box office. Its latest hit was last December's "Doubt," starring Meryl Streep, which had five Oscar nominations but grossed just over $46 million worldwide.

AP - Fresh from "infinity and beyond," Buzz Lightyear received a rocket hero's welcome home Friday, sharing the spotlight with none other than the astronaut for whom the character is named.

The 12-inch action figure that returned last month from a real 15-month space station mission was showered with blue and gold confetti in a parade through Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom on a warm fall afternoon. Cheering schoolchildren and tourists lined the street, holding signs that read "Buzz is the Best" and "Buzz is Back."

Leading the parade was "the real Buzz" — Apollo 11's Buzz Aldrin — the second man to walk on the moon. Aldrin rode atop a 1969 Camaro convertible, followed by former space station commander Mike Fincke in another classic convertible. Then came Buzz Lightyear in a small, remote-controlled "Toy Story" movie-type car.

Aldrin said he briefed Buzz Lightyear before the doll was launched into space in May 2008 aboard space shuttle Discovery. "I said, now look, don't you forget, I'm the real Buzz," Aldrin said, looking serious.

That's even the name of his Twitter account: therealBuzz.

The Apollo astronaut wore a black T-shirt with the words "Rocket Hero" and the picture of a moonwalker with a flag. Little Buzz was its usual self, although the name tag was peeling a bit after so much time in space and each foot had small blue Velcro dots on the bottom for sticking to spacecraft walls.

The toy flew back to Earth on Discovery on Sept. 11.

Fincke shared the International Space Station for six months with Buzz Lightyear.

"He didn't talk very much," Fincke explained. That's because the toy's batteries were removed for safety reasons. "But more importantly, he didn't eat very much, either, so that left more food for the rest of us. But he kept us happy."

Seriously, though, Fincke said, Buzz Lightyear's flight represented an important education tool. On Friday, NASA launched a contest for children to design a mission patch for Buzz Lightyear; the winner will get a Kennedy Space Center tour and a trip to — where else? — Walt Disney World.

The double feature of “Toy Story” and “Toy Story 2,” which was released on Friday, not only offers another generation of children the chance to see both films in theaters. It also, conveniently, helps prime the promotional pump for next summer’s “Toy Story 3.” For Pixar and its owner, the Walt Disney Company (another new development since the originals appeared), 3-D innovation means the films can be seen as they should have been all along.

“I’ve always been thinking in three dimensions, ever since I started working with computer animation in the early ’80s,” said John Lasseter, chief creative officer of Pixar and Disney Animation Studios and the director of “Toy Story” and “Toy Story 2.” “Within the computer, we’ve created truly three-dimensional environments. We’ve only looked at them with one camera. Therefore it’s a two-dimensional view of that three-dimensional world.”

The production process for a 3-D movie requires the use of two cameras, positioned next to each other, shooting action at the same time to mimic each of the viewer’s eyes. A live-action film not originally shot with two cameras cannot be made into a 3-D film, but in the more malleable world of computer animation, the second camera view can be added. The process involves a bit of virtual time travel.

“We have every scene in ‘Toy Story’ and ‘Toy Story 2’ saved, and so we have this bit of action that is frozen in time, “ Mr. Lasseter said. “If we bring that up in our system, we’re going back in time into that moment.”

Without changing any of the film’s action, Pixar’s 3-D specialists, or stereographers, returned to each frame of the film and virtually placed a second camera next to the original, creating left-eye and right-eye views of the scene. Then all of the scenes were re-rendered in the computer with this additional perspective.

The process of taking the original files from the first two movies and getting them to a place where they could be enhanced was one that Mr. Lasseter called “digital archaeology.” “We had to have some very, very smart people at Pixar go back in and write some software and figure out a way to make it so that those files would render on our current computers,” he said.

It took four months to resurrect the old data and get it in working order. Then, adding 3-D to each of the films took six months per film. (Pixar and Disney declined to talk about the project’s cost.)

One person charged with that task was Bob Whitehill, the lead stereographer. And his role was not just technical; emotional impact also informed some of the changes. “When I would look at the films as a whole, I would search for story reasons to use 3-D in different ways,” he said. “In ‘Toy Story,’ for instance, when the toys were alone in their world, I wanted it to feel consistent to a safer world. And when they went out to the human world, that’s when I really blew out the 3-D to make it feel dangerous and deep and overwhelming.”

The distance Mr. Whitehill would position the second camera from the first would determine the degree of 3-D and which of three types: “in front of screen” (when an object seems to be in the theater with the audience), “at screen” (when the image looks 2-D) and “behind screen” (when the screen seems to be a window with objects in the distance).

Orlando Sentinel - Florida has received a last-minute boost from Walt Disney World in its bid for $2.5 billion of federal money to build a high-speed train linking Orlando and Tampa.

Disney says it will support a stop at the Orange County Convention Center, as well as provide up to 50acres of free land for a station. For years, Disney wanted any train that might be built to take a straight shot from Orlando International Airport to its parks, with no other stations.

"While many details are still yet to be worked out, we think this project makes sense for our community," Walt Disney World President Meg Crofton wrote in a letter to the state earlier this week.

Disney's backing is important because it could provide millions of riders to the system, helping to underwrite operation costs for the entire 90-mile route.

There will be intense and widespread competition for the $8 billion set aside by the Obama administration and Congress for creating mass-transit systems featuring trains capable of going at least 110 mph. Today, Florida is electronically transmitting its final application to Washington. Nearly 280 pre-applications, from Los Angeles to Boston and many places in between, were submitted earlier this summer, for a total of $102billion in proposals.

No timetable has been set for announcing the winners, but it's clear that most of the requests will not be filled.

Florida proponents, however, are upbeat about the state's chances.

Ed Turanchik, a developer and former Hillsborough County commissioner, called Florida's odds "very good." He runs ConnectUs, a nonprofit formed three months ago with $50,000 donated by a variety of businesses and individuals to promote Florida's high-speed-rail bid.

He maintains the state's decades-long pursuit of a fast train should place Florida at or near the top of the list for those making the decisions at the federal Department of Transportation.

Thanks largely to the work of a defunct high-speed-rail authority, the state has chosen an alignment and completed an environmental-impact study that recently was updated. Florida could start construction within 14 months, with operations beginning late in 2014. Few, if any, of Florida's rivals can make that claim.

"I really think we have the best project in the country. We have all the ingredients," said Nazih Haddad, who oversees the state's proposal for the Florida Department of Transportation.

C.C. "Doc" Dockery, the retired Lakeland insurance magnate who has long worked to bring a fast train to Florida, said Disney's decision to get on board is "big. It really is."

Disney's marketing abilities, he said, "will showcase the first high-speed rail in the U.S. in a way it could never be anywhere else.... What a marvelous opportunity for the Obama administration."

Disney spokeswoman Zoraya Suarez said Disney backs the current plan because it could complement the planned SunRail commuter train that would run from DeLand to Poinciana.

"Our primary concern," Suarez said in an e mail to the Orlando Sentinel, "has always been ensuring that high-speed rail does not prevent our community from building an effective commuter rail system in the future. The proposed route for SunRail would not be impacted by the high-speed rail route that has been selected."

Suarez said Disney would continue offering its Magical Express bus service that takes visitors directly from the airport to hotels on its property. The train, she said, would provide another option.

Crofton's letter did not specify where the station would be located, only that it would be "at or near" the resort. Crofton valued the land at $25 million.

Haddad said the state already owns more than 90 percent of the land needed for the tracks. The property — a 44-foot-wide swath largely down the middle of Interstate 4 — is worth $1 billion, he said.

The terrain, Haddad points out, is flat, which lends itself to speed. And I-4 hosts hundreds of thousands of motorists who daily traipse among Orlando, Lakeland and Tampa — and many of those travelers could be potential passengers.

Stops are planned for Orlando International Airport, the Orange County Convention Center, Walt Disney World near Celebration, Lakeland and the old Morgan Street Jail in downtown Tampa.

Yahoo Finance - Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) has recently won a copyright infringement case running since 1991, relating to the famous animated character ‘Winnie the Pooh.’

In 1930, Stephen Slesinger, a New York television and film producer, acquired the merchandising rights to the Pooh works from author A.A. Milne. Later in 1961, Slesinger transferred the rights to Disney in exchange for a regular royalty. However, the heirs of Slesinger filed a case against Disney, alleging its failure to pay billions in royalties.

The case has been dismissed by the court on the grounds that Stephen Slesinger Inc. had transferred all of its rights to Disney, and had no legal rights to claim any compensation for any infringement.

In a separate story, Walt Disney could face a copyright battle for Marvel characters, having recently agreed to acquire Marvel Entertainment (NYSE: MVL) in a cash and stock deal worth approximately $4 billion.

The children of late artist Jack Kirby, represented by the Los Angeles law firm Toberoff & Associates, have served notices related to copyright termination for 45 characters (including the X-Men, Fantastic Four, Thor and the Hulk) created by the artist to Walt Disney, Marvel Entertainment, Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures.

Jack Kirby died in 1994. Sony Pictures owns movie rights to Spider-Man, and 20th Century Fox owns movie rights to the Fantastic Four and X-Men. Paramount Pictures has a film distribution deal for four upcoming films produced by Marvel, and Universal Pictures has distribution rights to Hulk movies.

Kirby’s children seek to gain control of the characters, which would give them explicit right to license the characters for a fee or to sell them to a new licensee. If Kirby’s children win the copyright claims, Disney may end up losing ownership of many of Marvel's most famous super-hero characters.

While a reissue in 3-D might seem like an easy way to breathe new life into an existing property, the costs and hurdles have led most studios to hold off.

Just a handful of titles would justify the expense of a conversion—titles of the stature of "Star Wars," "Titanic," "Lord of the Rings," and the "Harry Potter" series. All those titles have been tested in 3-D. In 2005, director George Lucas said he aimed to start rereleasing the "Star Wars" movies in 3-D in 2007; the delay underscores some of the complexities at play.

The "Toy Story" reissue will need to take in north of $25 million over its scheduled two-week run to justify the cost of conversion and marketing.

Converting a movie to 3-D currently costs around $10 million. Marketing costs add at least another $15 million.

"The dollars just don't add up at the moment," says Dan Fellman, president of domestic distribution for Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros., who has considered everything from "The Wizard of Oz" to "The Matrix" for reissue in 3-D. "Down the road, I'm sure there will be a way."

Legend Films, a San Diego-based 3-D production company, is among those working on less expensive methods to convert existing movies to 3-D that might cost as little as $2 million.

Films that would do well outside the U.S., where an estimated 2,000 3-D screens exist, are also good candidates. Jon Landau, a partner at Lightstorm Entertainment, says the company hopes to bring its 1997 film "Titanic" out in 3-D, but hasn't yet announced a release date. "Titanic," which took in $1.2 billion overseas compared with $600 million domestically, would likely perform strongly in 3-D, executives say.

Titanic producer James Cameron is currently working on his much-anticipated "Avatar," a 3-D fantasy that will be released for the holidays.

Perhaps the biggest hurdle to 3-D releases is finding enough screens. The movies require special projection systems that generally cost about $80,000 each to install. In the U.S., only about 3,000 of the total 40,000 screens are 3-D.

In part that's why the "Toy Story" rerelease is coming out in "shoulder season"—a time when it won't have to compete as hard for space on existing 3-D screens compared with the summer or winter holidays. "We're caught right now in this dilemma where getting off multiple pictures in 3-D at the same time is not optimum," says Chuck Viane, head of theatrical distribution at Disney. Disney's 3-D rerelease could also lay the marketing groundwork for next year's "Toy Story 3."

There are some definite pluses to updating existing movies in 3-D format for theatrical release.

For starters, 3-D movies command a ticket price that's generally $3 higher, even for children.

There's also a chance a rerelease will boost sales of regular two-dimensional DVDs and eventually extend to 3-D versions for home viewing once 3-D TVs become widely available. Currently, few 3-D-ready TVs have been sold in the U.S.

When penetration of 3-D TVs and DVD players reaches 25 million households or so, studios will likely start releasing movies at a rapid clip, studio executives say, the way many dipped back into their catalogs for titles to release in the Blu-ray format.

Some movies would make difficult transitions to 3-D for technical reasons. Newer movies are generally easier to convert, especially animated ones, but tend to have lots of rapid cuts, which can tire the eye unless depths are similar in shot to shot.

The goal of conversion is to create film where "your eyes aren't hunting and pecking, going in and out, trying to find that focal element," says Damian Wader, vice president for business development at conversion company In-Three Inc., of Westlake Village, Calif.

Older movies, in contrast, linger longer on each shot, which "allows you to soak up the 3-D," says Mr. Wader. But many of their effects translate badly.

It is unclear whether Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Bob Iger will discuss Ross' appointment with the company's board of directors at their regularly scheduled meeting tomorrow on the Burbank lot. People believe the announcement could come as soon as next week.

Iger hasn't commented publicly about his plans for the studio, but industry observers speculate he may divvy up Cook's job among two or more executives.

A Disney spokeswoman declined comment.  

Ross' departure from Disney Channel, which he built over the last dozen years into a tween programming juggernaut that reaches nearly 100 million U.S. households, would leave a new management void that would need to be filled in short order.

A person familiar with Iger's thinking said the Disney chief, in naming a new studio head, is looking to create an openness that didn't exist under Cook.  

Iger has been publicly critical of the studio's movie picks and the high cost of some of the films, including Jerry Bruckheimer's money-losing summer 3-D family movie, "G-Force." The studio's most recent big-budget release, "Surrogates," starring Bruce Willis, debuted last weekend with a paltry $14.9 million.

Examiner - The Walt Disney World Monorail System resumed service this morning (Oct. 1) after an electrical shortage at the Magic Kingdom platform shut the system down on Sept. 30.

According to Orlando Sentinel reporter Jason Garcia, who broke the news on his Twitter at about 10 a.m., all monorail lines serving Disney World's parks are back in service.

The short in the control tower at the Magic Kingdom, which resulted in smoke, halted a train while it pulled into a station. Guests were able to make it off safely as a tractor towed the train to their stop.

The Magic Kingdom and resort lines went out of service following the short, but the Epcot line remained open.

Jaguars might really be going to Disney World

USA Today - No member of the Jacksonville Jaguars has ever been accorded the honor of making that "I'm going to Disney World!" proclamation, because the team still hasn't reached its first Super Bowl.

And the last exhibit in the sleek museum, which opens to the public Thursday after more than six years of preparation, is a series of telegrams and cartoons mourning the death of Disney in 1966.

Though the facility features the first sketch of Mickey Mouse and a room-sized model of Disney's original concept for Disneyland, it is not dominated by princesses and pirates.

Instead, it is a serious look at the genius of Disney, a poor farm boy who became a risk-taking innovator and one of the major cultural influences of the past century.

Unlike Disney theme parks in the US, France, Japan and Hong Kong or the ever-growing fleet of Disney cruise liners, the museum created by the Disney family is aimed at adults -- those who grew up with Disney's creations and who can relive their childhood in the facility's galleries.

"It's really not a children's museum, it's a family museum," said director Richard Benefield. "We think most of the people who come here will be 45 to 65 years old."

Teri McCollum, who wore gold Mickey Mouse ears during a recent sneak preview of the museum, is exactly the type of visitor Benefield expects.

The 52-year-old McCollum said the museum brought back memories of a difficult childhood, and that the original 1928 pencil sketch of Mickey Mouse brought tears to her eyes.

"It's just part of our childhood," she said. "I'd say Walt Disney saved my life. I escaped into Disney, totally escaped into the movies. It helped me cope."

The museum, built in a former military barracks on the decommissioned Presidio base overlooking San Francisco Bay, has something for everyone -- though it probably will be a bit too sophisticated for young children used to the carnival atmosphere of Disney theme parks.

There are original sketches, thousands of artefacts, hundreds of audio clips of Disney explaining his craft.

There are a caseful of Academy Awards, doodles by the artist Salvador Dali and a replica of the ambulance Disney drove in Neufchateau, France, just after World War I. And there are countless pictures and film clips of Disney interacting with his family and fellow animators.

Interactive displays that allow visitors to be part of the creative process, such as syncing music to cartoons, will appeal to a younger crowd -- especially in the tech-savvy Silicon Valley.

"Walt is my hero, he's somebody that had a dream and made it happen. The museum is amazing, it shows him and it shows his dream," said 23-year-old Amber Wagner, a student in forensic science who was wearing Minnie Mouse ears above multiple facial piercings including a lip ring. Wagner has a tattoo of the Disneyland logo on her lower back.

A glass-enclosed pavilion connecting two museum galleries offers a spectacular view of the Golden Gate Bridge -- on days when the iconic bridge is not enrobed in fog.

The Disney family chose San Francisco for the museum after considering Los Angeles, Kansas City or Disney's birthplace of Chicago.

After Disney's death, his family moved to the San Francisco area and stored thousands of his artefacts in a warehouse in the Presidio.

Also, San Francisco has become the global center for animation -- with heavyweights Pixar, DreamWorks and Lucasfilm all based nearby.

Though the 110-million-dollar museum is a paean to Disney, it does not hide his flaws. A corner is devoted to his problems with labor unions, and his handwritten list of favorite foods contains several misspellings.

It highlights his early bankruptcy with an animation studio in Kansas City, and the fact that he traveled to Hollywood with 40 dollars in his pocket.

"I failed," Disney's voice booms in the elevator leading to the main galleries. "I think it's important to have a good, hard failure when you're young."

Benefield said the goal was to present Disney as an artist and innovator, not as the name behind a merchandising behemoth.

The four month season in the summer of 2011 was uncharted territory for Disney, trying something different with departures from Vancouver.  Selling at a brisk pace, fans of the cruise line are lining up to take advantage of what might be a one time shot at doing Alaska the Disney way. 

As other cruise lines go to court with the state over a $50 per head tax they feel is unjust, capacity on most lines has been cut from what it once was with eyes on future cuts and less sailings in 2011.  With prices starting at $939 per person (plus taxes) for an inside cabin, seasoned cruisers know Disney is putting a lot of faith in the brand and loyal guests to come along for the ride.  That starting price is considerably higher, 20 to 30% more, than other lines struggling to fill their ships. 

It looks like they will fill the short May 3rd to September 6th season's sailings though with cabins being booked quickly. 

Guests who purchase or bring in a copy of her CD, "Kiss and Tell" can meet Gomez from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday in the Carousel Court near The Disney Store.