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• “Fairest of All: A Tale of the Wicked Queen” offers a twisted take on Disney's Snow White

  Jim Hill reviews Serena Valentino’s first novel. Which tells the story of Walt Disney’s first feature-length animated cartoon from the Queen's POV Read More... Posted Wednesday, September 02, 2009 12:00 AM | 1 Comments Filed under: book, Disney, musical, Walt Disney, Disney Press, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Crone, Disney Princess, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty, Serena Valentino, Heart Box, 2009, Wicked Queen, August, Fairest of All: A Tale of the Wicked Queen, Wicked, Gregory Maguire, 1937, Magic Mirror, Huntsman

• A special "May the (Stephen) Schwartz Be With You" edition of Why For

  Jim Hill's back with even more answers to your Disney-related questions. This time around, he talks about "Enchanted" 's score evolves over the course of that motion picture, where Stephen drew his inspiration for "Out There" as well as talking up an event that's being held at Woodbury University this coming Monday night Read More... Posted Friday, October 17, 2008 12:00 AM | 2 Comments Filed under: animation, book, Disney, music, Broadway, musical, Disney Theatrical, Beauty and the Beast, Alan Menken, Kevin Lima, Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty, James Baxter, James Baxter Animation, Stephen Schwartz, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Paris, Kiss the Girl, ASIFA-Hollywood, panel discussion, stage version, ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive, 2008, October, animated feature, 2007, Happy Working Song, So Close, That's How You Know , animators , Mulan, Belle, Warner Bros. , 2010, Don Hahn , stage, Woodbury University, Pocahontas, Broadway-bound, The Little Mermaid, Snow White, Disney Music , Carol de Giere, Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz from Godspell to Wicked, Enchanted, The Alchemy of Animation: Making an Animated Film in the Modern Age, Craig Lucas, James Lapine, Cathedral of Notre Dame, Out There, Quasimodo, Hunchback, Mike Belzer, Nik Ranieri, Fletcher Jones Foundation Library, Fletcher Jones, Ever After, Ever

• "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: book, Disney, DreamWorks, Broadway, musical, Michael Eisner, Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, DreamWorks Animation, Stephen Schwartz, Los Angeles, Walt Disney Studios, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Broadway musical, September, animated feature, 2007, Walt Disney Feature Animation, Disney Feature Animation, Peter Schneider, London, TV movie, show business , 1996 , 1986, Tony, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Academy Award-winning, world premiere, Walt Disney Company, musical theater, musical theater fan, Broadway credits, trio, long running hits, long running hit, hit, Godspell, Pippin, Wicked, Disneyana fan, resume, lyricist, 1990s, 1978, Working, Radiator Springs, Children of Eden, 1991, graduate school, NYU, therapist, Sir Tim Rice, A Whole New World, Kevin Bannerman, Carol de Giere, Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz from Godspell to Wicked, Applause Books, softcover, songwriter, career, lyrics, 1992, Shirley Jones, Colors of the Wind, John Smith, Native Americans, Romeo, Romeo & Juliet, Juliet, West Side Story, Something's Coming, creative process, 1994, The Prince of Egypt, China, Matthew Wilder, David Zippel, Written in Stone, Destiny, Geppetto, Academy Award-nominee, Enchanted, Gregory Maguire, middling reviews, rhyme, reviews

• "Anything Can Happen If You Let It" chronicles Mary Poppins' journey from page to stage

  Jim Hill reviews Brian Sibley & Michael Lassell's great new making-of book. Which -- through a trio of artfully designed books -- covers the history of this much beloved character Read More... Posted Wednesday, December 19, 2007 12:00 AM | 2 Comments Filed under: book, Broadway, musical, Walt Disney, Disney Theatrical, Disney Editions, Chicago, Disneyana, Walt Disney Archives, Walt Disney Studios, Academy Award, film, movie, stage version, 2008, 2009, show, Thomas Schumacher, Broadway production, Brian Sibley, Michael Lassell, Bert, Cameron Mackintosh , scenic designer , 17 Cherry Tree Lane , Cherry Tree Lane , nursery, touring version , Plymouth , North American tour , Jolly Holiday, Bob Crowley, design folio , Mary Poppins, costume concept, Guardsmen, Busby, Mary Poppins: Anything Can Happen If You Let It, PL Travers, Gregory Wakabayashi , Clark Wakabayashi

• "How Does the Show Go On?" lifts the curtain on what goes on behind-the-scenes at a Broadway musical

  Jim Hill reviews Thomas Schumacher & Jeff Kurtti's interactive introduction to the theater. Which uses stories & images from various Disney Theatrical productions to reveal what's actually involved with putting on a professional show Read More... Posted Thursday, December 06, 2007 12:00 AM | 2 Comments Filed under: book, Disney, theater, Broadway, musical, Disney Theatrical, Beauty and the Beast, Disney Press, Tarzan, New York City, Jeff Kurtti, Disney Editions, New Amsterdam Theatre, NYC, Local One, stagehands, Broadway musical, show, Thomas Schumacher, Broadway production, How Does the Show Go On? An Introduction to the Theater, backstage

• "Disney's Lost Chords" showcases long-hidden treasures from the studio's musical archives

  Jim Hill just raves about this self-published hardcover, which features 225 rarely-seen pieces of development art as well as 77 songs that were cut from Walt Disney Productions' pictures in the 1940s, 1950s & 1960s Read More... Posted Wednesday, July 18, 2007 12:00 AM | 10 Comments Filed under: animation, book, Disney, music, musical, Walt Disney, traditional animation

• Tune Tuesday : By playing it safe, did Disney Theatrical miss the chance to turn "Tarzan" into a real Broadway spectacular?

  As this poorly received musical gets ready to vacate the Richard Rodgers theatre, Jim Hill talks about the ambitious version of this show that we almost got to see. Where the audience would have literally found itself seated right in the middle of the jungle Read More... Posted Tuesday, June 26, 2007 12:00 AM | 20 Comments Filed under: book, movies, music, theater, musical

• "Cartoon Modern" takes a witty & informed look back at animation's not-so-distant past

  Jim Hill reviews Amid Amidi's award-winning book. Which pays tribute to the many studios as well as individual artists that helped to revolutionize the look & style of 1950s-era animation Read More... Posted Wednesday, June 06, 2007 12:00 AM | 6 Comments Filed under: animation, book, Disney, movies, other, TV, Broadway, musical, Walt Disney, traditional animation

• "Tarzan : The Broadway Adventure" chronicles the misfire of Disney Theatrical's latest musical

  Jim Hill reviews Michael Lassell's latest Broadway behind-the-scenes book. Which is actually a surprisingly honest account of how Disney Theatrical's most recent production started out with such promise, only to then be derailed by brutal reviews Read More... Posted Wednesday, April 04, 2007 12:00 AM | 4 Comments Filed under: book, music, theater, Broadway, musical