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• Monday Mouse Watch: Meet Alan Bergman, Disney’s leader of the brand

  Jim Hill talks about some of the management changes that Rich Ross made last week. In particular how Disney Studios' new chairman is looking to update the way the Mouse House markets its movies Read More... Posted Monday, November 16, 2009 12:00 AM | 5 Comments Filed under: Gore Verbinski, Pirates 4, Pirates of the Caribbean, Pirates of the Caribbean 4, Pirates of the Caribbean films, Pirates of the Caribbean franchise , Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Pixar, Universal Pictures, Roy E. Disney, marketing, Hannah Montana , franchise, Disney / Pixar, Disney brand, Disney CEO, Disney Channel, Disney Channels Worldwide, Disney Fairies, Disney Feature Animation, Disney franchise, brand loyalty, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2011, Save Disney, Disney, Bob Iger, High School Musical, Disney Parks & Resorts

• Monday Mouse Watch : “Carol” makes cash registers ring, while “Frog” ‘s financial future makes Disney animators jumpy

  Jim Hill looks past what “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” earned over its opening weekend to what this new Robert Zemeckis movie will gross over the next 3 to 5 years. He also talks about what impact “The Princess & the Frog” ticket sales may have on veteran animators’ careers Read More... Posted Monday, November 09, 2009 12:00 AM | 10 Comments Filed under: A Christmas Carol, soundstage , Warner Bros. , WDAS, Walt Disney Animation Studios, ticket sales, Tim Burton, Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas in Disney Digital 3-D , The Polar Express, The Princess and the Frog, seasonal event, seasonal run , ImageMovers, ImageMoversDigital, hand-drawn, hand-drawn animation, hand-drawn feature, Ed Catmull, Disney Digital 3D, Disney Feature Animation, CG, CG feature, Charles Dickens, box office, box office estimates, box office projections, animated feature, animated features, animated film, animated films, animation, 2009, 2011, John Lasseter, Robert Zemeckis, limited release, Burbank, Disney, animators , opening weekend, opening weekend grosses, Winnie the Pooh

• “Waking Sleeping Beauty” takes a candid look at the Second Golden Age of Disney Feature Animation

  Jim Hill talks up Don Hahn & Peter Schneider’s new documentary. Which will hold its world premiere next month at the Toronto International Film Festival Read More... Posted Friday, August 21, 2009 12:00 AM | 0 Comments Filed under: The Little Mermaid, D23, D23 EXPO, South American , South of the Border with Walt: Walt Disney and the Good Neighbor Program 1941 - 1948, Kirk Wise, Gary Trousdale, Aladdin, Ted Thomas , Waking Sleeping Beauty, Walt & El Grupo, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Theodore Thomas, TIFF, Tim Burton, The Lion King, The Black Cauldron , the boys: the sherman brothers' story, Second Golden Age of Disney Feature Animation, Ron Miller, Roy E. Disney, Saludos Amigos, Poppin' Guitars: A Tuneful of Sherman, Peter Schneider, Laurence Juber, J B Kaufman, Glendale, Frank Wells, documentary, Don Hahn , Disney Feature Animation, Brad Bird, Beauty and the Beast, animated feature, animated features, 1970s , 1980s, 1990s, Toronto, Toronto International Film Festival, Jeffrey Katzenberg, John Lasseter, John Musker, Michael Eisner, Robert B Sherman, Disney, Howard Ashman, Mouse Factory, The Fox and the Hound, Sherman Brothers

• Remembering Virginia Davis (1918 - 2009)

  Jim Hill looks back over the life & career of Disney’s first star, that talented little girl who lit up the “Alice Comedies” Read More... Posted Tuesday, August 18, 2009 12:00 AM | 0 Comments Filed under: cartoon series, cartoons, Pinocchio, Alice Comedies, Alice in Wonderland, Alice's Wonderland, Virginia, Virginia Davis, Virginia Davis McGhee, Walt Disney, Snow White, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Hollywood, Disney animation rarities, Disney Feature Animation, animated character, animated short, animation, animation historian, 1920s, Disney, Hollywood history, Walt Disney Productions, Walt Disney Studios, Disney Legend

• Toon Tuesday: Glen Keane goes back to the drawing board

  Jim Hill shares some shots from Comic-Con. Where this master animator revealed that he had just ended a six month sabbatical and was now returning to work at Walt Disney Animation Studios Read More... Posted Tuesday, August 11, 2009 12:00 AM | 2 Comments Filed under: The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Tarzan, panel, panel discussion, Walt Stanchfield, Walt Stanchfield lectures, WDAS, Walt Disney Animation Studios, train, stylization, Ruben Procopio, Glen Keane, Don Hahn , Disney Feature Animation, convention, convention center , CG, CG feature, character , character animation, book, Beauty and the Beast, animated feature, animated features, animation, animation fan, 2009, 2010, Tom Sito, San Diego, San Diego Convention Center , Burbank, Disney, drawing class, drawing classes, drawings , Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes , Eric Goldberg, Rapunzel, Comic-Con , Comic-Con International

• "The Archive Series: Story" features a stunning selection of art from Disney's Animation Research Library

  Jim Hill reviews this impressive new hardcover from Disney Editions. He also talks up Don Hahn's book signing tomorrow night at the Barnes & Noble at the Americana at Brand Read More... Posted Wednesday, December 10, 2008 12:00 AM | 1 Comments Filed under: The Little Mermaid, Song of the South, LA, Gaetan Brizzi, Paul Brizzi, feature film , feature-length cartoon, featurette, featurettes, film, films, Firebird Suite, Walt Disney's Legends of Imagineering and the Genesis of the Disney Theme Park, WDAS, Walt Disney, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Animation Studios The Archive Series: Story, Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Alchemy of Animation: Making an Animated Film in the Modern Age, The Americana at Brand , signing, sketches, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Mulan, Los Angeles, Humphrey the Bear, In the Bag, Highlander, holiday, holiday shopping list, Hans Christian Andersen, Glen Keane, Fantasia 2000, Don Hahn , Disney Editions, Disney Feature Animation, December , book, Brizzi Brothers, artwork, animation, animation fan, 2008, Jeff Kurtti, Joe Ranft, 1930s, Steamboat Willie, story, story sketch, story sketches, storyboard, storyboards, Chris Sanders, Christmas, Christmas gift, Cinderella, Samuel Goldwyn, Lilo & Stitch, Lilo and Stitch, Malibu, Disney, Barnes & Noble, Animation Research Library, archives , ARL, Bill Peet, board, boards, Hellfire, The Fox and the Hound, short, shorts, What's This

• Toon Tuesday : Will Disney Animation's latest "Rapunzel" rescue attempt have a negative impact on "Bolt" 's debut ?

  Jim Hill wonders if Glen Keane's exit will result in more reporters asking about why Chris Sanders was taken off of "American Dog" Read More... Posted Tuesday, October 14, 2008 12:00 AM | 10 Comments Filed under: Crood Awakening, Kingdom of the Sun, American Dog, film, films, Wolfgang Reitherman, Woolie Reitherman, WDAS, webmaster, webmasters, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Roger Allers, reporter, reporters, plot, plotline, PR Department, PR team , movies, marketing, marketing staff, Jan Pinkava, Glen Keane, Ed Catmull, Disney Feature Animation, Dean DeBlois, Dean Wellins, co-director, Bolt, animated feature, animated features, 2002, 2008, 2010, jewelry, John Lasseter, Stitch, story, story problems, storyline , Chris Sanders, Lilo, Lilo & Stitch, Lilo and Stitch, Byron Howard, Disney, DreamWorks, DreamWorks Animation, How to Train Your Dragon, head of story, entertainment writer, entertainment writers, movie, The Emperor's New Groove, The Fox and the Hound, Rapunzel, Ratatouille, Disney Publicity , Nathan Greno

• "Defying Gravity" details Stephen Schwartz's sometimes difficult dealings with the Walt Disney Company

  Jim Hill reviews Carol de Gieve's career biography of this Academy Award-winning songwriter, which features some great behind-the-scenes stories about the five Disney projects that Schwartz worked on Read More... Posted Wednesday, October 01, 2008 12:00 AM | 6 Comments Filed under: graduate school, Gregory Maguire, A Whole New World, softcover, Something's Coming, songwriter, Kevin Bannerman, Pippin, Aladdin, Alan Menken, Working, world premiere, Written in Stone, therapist, The Prince of Egypt, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Sir Tim Rice, September, Romeo, Romeo & Juliet, resume, reviews, rhyme, Radiator Springs, Pocahontas, Peter Schneider, musical, musical theater, musical theater fan, middling reviews, Matthew Wilder, long running hit, long running hits, Los Angeles, lyricist, lyrics, Juliet, hit, Geppetto, Godspell, Enchanted, Disneyana fan, Disney Feature Animation, David Zippel, Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz from Godspell to Wicked, Destiny, creative process, Colors of the Wind, career, Carol de Giere, book, Broadway, Broadway credits, Broadway musical, animated feature, Academy Award-nominee, Academy Award-winning, 1978, 1986, 1990s, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996 , 2007, Tony, John Smith, trio, TV movie, Stephen Schwartz, Children of Eden, China, Michael Eisner, London, Disney, DreamWorks, DreamWorks Animation, Applause Books, Howard Ashman, Shirley Jones, show business , NYU, Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney Feature Animation, Walt Disney Studios, West Side Story, Wicked, Native Americans

• "I can go to Disney and be a director, or I can stay here and make history"

  In honor of "Tin Toy" 's 20th anniversary, Jim Hill shares an excerpt from David A. Price's "The Pixar Touch" which talks about the creation of this Academy Award-winning short Read More... Posted Friday, August 01, 2008 12:00 AM | 8 Comments Filed under: David A Price, Pixar, Pixar Animation Studios, Alvy Ray Smith, PDI, The Pixar Touch : The Making of a Company, SIGGRAPH, Oscar, Oscar-winning , Pacific Data Image, Luxo Jr, Ed Catmull, Disney / Pixar, Disney Feature Animation, CG, Andrew Stanton, animated short, animation, Academy Award, Academy Award winner, Tin Toy, Jeffrey Katzenberg, John Lasseter, Steve Jobs, Disney, Apple, Red's Dream, short, shorts, Walt Disney Studios, Disney Pixar , computer animation

• Disney rarities to be screened tonight at Newport Beach Film Festival

  Jim Hill gives animation fans a "heads up" about an extra-special event that's being held this evening at the Lido Theater. Where some seldom-seen shorts will be hauled out of the Disney vault for a one-time-only screening Read More... Posted Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:00 AM | 1 Comments Filed under: The Pixar Story, A Spoonful of Sugar and Song with Richard Sherman , film festival, The Little Match Girl, Roy E. Disney, Oscar nominee, Newport Beach, Newport Beach Film Festival, Lorenzo, Leslie Iwerks, Fantasia 2000, Don Hahn , Disney animation rarities, Disney Feature Animation, Destino, animated feature, animated short, animation, animation fan, animation industry, Richard M Sherman, Richard M. Sherman, Lido Theater, Disney, animators , How to Hook-Up Your Home Theater, Redux Riding Hood, Oilspot & Lipstick

• Toon Tuesday : Was John Lasseter stung by that mean caricature of him that appears in "Bee Movie" ?

  Did an awkward conversation between Jerry Seinfeld & John Lasseter at Vanity Fair's 2006 Oscar party actually lead to an unflattering joke being inserted into this DreamWorks Animation release ? Jim Hill shares the story that's making the rounds in Hollywood Read More... Posted Tuesday, April 29, 2008 12:00 AM | 32 Comments Filed under: A Bug's Life, Toy Story, Renee Zellweger, Disney / Pixar, Disney Feature Animation, Bee Movie, animated feature, animated short, 2006, 2007, Tin Toy, Jerry Seinfeld, John Lasseter, Disney, DreamWorks Animation

• Oscar Watch '08: Miramax maxes out while the Mouse gets skunked

  Was today a good day or a bad day at Walt Disney Studios? Well, as Jim Hill points out, it all depends on whether you work at Miramax Films or on the Walt Disney Pictures side of the house Read More... Posted Tuesday, January 22, 2008 12:00 PM | 37 Comments Filed under: The Man I Love, Gone Baby Gone, good news day, ABC, So Close, picket line, picket lines, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Pixar, Pixar Animation Studios, Ted Thomas , That's How You Know , Paramount Vantage, Pathé Renn , feature film , film, Virginia Davis McGhee, Theodore Thomas, There Will Be Blood, The Black Cauldron , Poppin' Guitars: A Tuneful of Sherman, Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role , Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role , Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, Original Score, Original Song , Oscar, Oscar broadcast, Oscars, Oscar-winning , No Country for Old Men , nomination , nominations , nominee, Norman Jewison , movies, Laurence Juber, Jan Pinkava, hand-drawn animation, Happy Working Song, George Gershwin, Golden Globes, Disney / Pixar, Disney Feature Animation, co-production, Captain Nemo: 20000 Leagues Under the Sea, Brad Bird, Best Actress , Best Animated Feature Film of the Year, Best Animated Short Film, Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Original Screenplay, Best Picture nominee, Amy Adams, Amy Ryan, animated feature, animated features, animated short, animation, ABC Inc, Academy Award, Academy Award nominations , Academy Award nominees, Academy Award winner, Academy Award winners, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Academy voters , Achievement in Music – Original Score, Achievement in Music – Original Song, Achievement in Sound Editing, actors , actress, Adapted Screenplay, 2007, 2008, Jim Capobianco, Ira Gershwin, school year, Michael Giacchino , Disney, How to Hook-Up Your Home Theater, movie, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Randall Wallace, Wicked Queen, NBC, Miramax Films

• What a doll ! Remembering Joyce Carlson (1923 - 2008)

  Jim Hill pays tribute to this Disney Legend, who passed away this past Tuesday following a long bout with cancer Read More... Posted Friday, January 04, 2008 12:00 AM | 3 Comments Filed under: Altamonte Springs, Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress, WDI, WDW, WED, theme park attraction, The Walt Disney Company, Sleeping Beauty, retired, project development, Peter Pan, Mary Blair, LaughingPlace, legacy, Joyce Carlson, humble, Imagineer, Imagineering, Fantasyland, doll, Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, Disney Feature Animation, design phase, detailed model, attraction, Anaheim, animated feature, 1964 New York World Fair, 2003, Tokyo Disney Resort, Tokyo Disneyland, Jim Korkis, John Hench, it's a small world, Cinderella, ride, Marc Davis, dimensional figure, Disney, Hong Kong Disneyland, Hospice of the Comforter, obituary, Walt Disney Feature Animation, Walt Disney Studios, Walt Disney World, The Walt Disney World Resort, theme park, Disney Legend, Disney Netpal, Disney Parks & Resorts, New York World's Fair, compliment, concept phase, condolences

• Animation fans prematurely shoot off their mouths about "Bolt"

  Jim Hill points out the parallels between what WDAS's next release is now going through and "Beauty & the Beast" & "The Lion King" 's troubled productions Read More... Posted Wednesday, January 02, 2008 12:00 AM | 18 Comments Filed under: Kingdom of the Sun, Kirk Wise, Kiskaloo, gadget tray, Gary Trousdale, Pixar, Pixar Animation Studios, Alan Menken, American Dog, pre-release image, teaser poster, film, WDAS, WDI, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Toy Story, Roger Allers, S Gross, Rhino the hamster, quirkiness, November 2008, November 28, movies, lemons into lemonade, Jan Pinkava, Indian fable, George Scribner, Ed Catmull, Disney Feature Animation, Cranium Command, Bolt, Beauty and the Beast, award, animated feature, animation, Academy Award, 2008, Jeffrey Katzenberg, John Lasseter, John Musker, Chris Sanders, Chris Williams, Richard Purdum , Rob Minkoff, Disney, DreamWorks, DreamWorks Animation, Howard Ashman, blind men and the elephant, movie, The Emperor's New Groove, Ratatouille, Walt Disney Feature Animation, Walt Disney Imagineering, Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Studios, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, computer animation, Mittens the cat

• "To Infinity and Beyond!" is an entertaining look back at Pixar's first two decades

  Jim Hill reviews Karen Paik's inspired (more importantly, inspiring) new history of Pixar Animation Studios. Which offers a lot of insight about how John Lasseter became the Big Kahuna of the CG world Read More... Posted Thursday, November 29, 2007 12:00 AM | 4 Comments Filed under: The Pixar Story, cutting-edge technology, gourd, keyboard, Cars, cartoons, Casper the Friendly Ghost, picture book, Pixar, Pixar Animation Studios, The Adventures of Andre & Wally B, The Adventures of Ichabod & Mr Toad, pencil, pencil time, feature film , featurette, film, WDAS, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Thomas M Disch, The Headless Horseman, The Art of Animation, The Art of Ratatouille, The Brave Little Toaster, SIGGRAPH, sermon, Ron Miller, repetitive-stress injury, pew, movies, middle management, Maurice Sendak, Lucasfilm, Leslie Iwerks, Karen Paik, James and the Giant Peach, Jane Eisner, human costs, holiday shopping list, hardcover, Ed Catmull, Disney / Pixar, Disney Feature Animation, coffee table book, CG, character animation, character comedy, CalArts, calcified, California Institute of the Arts, book, Brad Bird, aspiring animator, award, animated short, animation, 2007, Tis the season, To Infinity and Beyond: The Story of Pixar Animation Studios, Tom Wilhite, John Lasseter, John Musker, station wagon, Steve Jobs, Chronicle Books, church, Roald Dahl, Disney, banners, Bob Thomas, epiphany, movie, The Fox and the Hound, Ratatouille, short, old guard, Walt Disney Feature Animation, Walt Disney Studios, Where the Wild Things Are, computer animation, money pit, Monsters Inc., Mouse