It’s a Jungle (Book) Out There For more than 50 years, The Walt Disney Company has been reimagining the writings of Rudyard Kipling–taking his tales of Mowgli the man-cub and his animal friends and then turning them into hugely popular films and television series. Let Jim Hill take you from Bill Peet’s far-too-dark take on this tale (which Walt Disney just hated) to Jon Favreau’s photo-realistic box office smash (for which the Studio is already developing a sequel). You’re...

Do you love Disney? Is New York City one of your favorite places to be in the Spring? Are you amazing at solving word puzzles? If you said "Yes !" to all of the above, then you're gonna LOVE the Time'd Square Trivia Challenge What: Get ready for the Time'd Square Challenge , a three-hour experience designed by the fiendishly clever, one and only Jim Hill of Jimhillmedia.com. But what will I be doing?: Prepare to repeatedly crisscross the Crossroads of the World as you seek out...

Let's Talk Frozen! Join entertainment historian Jim Hill for a behind-the-scenes look at Disney's mega-hit movie "Frozen" Brought to you by - e.t.c.: Events Tailor-made & Customized What: Entertainment writer and Disney historian Jim Hill takes you behind the scenes at Walt Disney Animation Studios and reveals Disney's more than 60-year struggle to turn Hans Christian Andersen's beloved fairy tale into a full-length animated feature. Over the course of this 90 minute...

Twelve years ago, following the phenomenal success of the big screen adaptation of the Broadway musical "Chicago" director Rob Marshall sat down with Stephen Sondheim and expressed an interest in directing a film version of one of the legendary composer's stage productions. At the top of Sondheim's list: "Into the Woods," one of his most acclaimed - and poignant - works, and one which he thought would be a perfect fit for Marshall. Marshall and his producing partner, John...

Do you remember how you used to do those projects in grade school? Where you'd sit at the kitchen table with a pair of safety scissors, a pile of cardboard, a bottle of Elmer's Glue and a shoebox? And then -- after an hour or so of cutting & gluing (and a little help from Mom) -- you'd wind up with a pretty crummy diorama of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Or a fairly lumpy relief map of South America. Well, Brian Morrow -- the Creative Director for SeaWorld Parks...

Seeing as Jim has already covered what the Disneyland Resort version of the Monstrous Summer! All Nighter was like, I thought that I'd share Angela Ragno & myself's experience at the WDW version of this 24 hour-long party . Photo by Nancy Stadler In the spirit of full disclosure here, I guess I should mention that we did not in fact spend a full 24 hours inside the Magic Kingdom. Given that I was actually down in Central Florida to cover the grand opening of SeaWorld Orlando 's new...

How do you train a dragon? Very carefully. The life-like Nadder in the DreamWorks How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular. Photo By Nancy Stadler Especially when you have to make sure that twenty-three of the beasts need to breathe fire, roar, flap their wings, blow smoke rings, wag their tail, laugh, grunt, pass gas, blink and -- oh yeah -- actually walk at precisely the right moment. Which is exactly what the cast and crew / dragon tamers of the DreamWorks "How to Train Your Dragon Live...

Jim is in Anaheim getting ready for the grand opening of Cars Land but wanted me to share this fun new video with you - the story of the journey to Cars Land through the lens of the biggest (and youngest) fans. Be sure to stick around to the end of the video for a fun easter egg!

On the first "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie , Captain Barbossa was an out-and-out villain. "Spat out from the mouth of Hell," is how one character describes Hector before he makes his grand entrance in "The Curse of the Black Pearl." But to hear Geoffrey Rush describe the character he has now portrayed in four installments of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" film series, it's kind of hard not to feel sorry for the "Black Pearl" version of Barbossa...

When Sam Claflin 's agent told him that he had an audition for " Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ," this just-two-years-out-of-the- London-Academy-of-Music-and-Dramatic-Arts performer was not what you'd call optimistic. "I told him 'Oh, what's the point? This is never going to happen. It's impossible,' " Claflin laughed. "But at his insistence, I went to that audition and then flew off to South Africa to shoot another job." But clearly...

Astrid Bergès-Frisbey wasn't quite sure what she was getting herself into when this Spanish-French actress first went in to audition for " Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ." Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved "I did that audition in Paris. And the only information I had to go on was this one short scene from the movie and the name of my character, Syrena," Astrid recalled. "But since the name 'Serena' means 'mermaid'...

Typically when something special happens at Disneyland Park , they roll out the red carpet. But this past Saturday - in preparation for the world premiere of Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films ' " Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides " - Disneyland rolled out a black carpet. In fact, when Angela and I arrive at 2 p.m., while Main Street, U.S.A. was already decked out with all sorts of pirates-related finery, they were still in the process of laying that section...

Are you actively looking for a way to tick off producer Jerry Bruckheimer ? Then suggest to him that the last two installments of Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean" film franchise were too long. Or worse than that, criticize " Dead Man's Chest " & " At World's End " for being unfocused. For having storylines that were far too complicated & confusing. At a Beverly Hills press conference yesterday for " Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides...

Am I the only one out there who misses ABC Super Soap Weekend? No. I can't be. I remember the people who used to literally camp out in front of the entrance of Disney-MGM Studios theme park. Photo by Nancy Stadler So that they could be the first in line to meet their favorite ABC soap stars. Veteran performers like Susan Lucci from "All My Children" ... Photo by Nancy Stadler ... or new young breakout stars like Bradford Anderson from "General Hospital." Photo by Nancy Stadler...

For Tony Award winner Gary Beach , his association with " Beauty and the Beast " pretty much began the way the rest of ours did. In a movie theater. "I was living in LA when Disney premiered the film at the El Capitan Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. It was a really big deal. They had a stage show before the movie," Beach recalled. "So I went and I just loved it. I mean, almost ridiculously." "So I'm sitting there, watching 'Beauty and the Beast.' And...

To hear Robby Benson tell the tale, the only reason that this " Ice Castles " star wound up doing the voice of the Beast in Disney's acclaimed animated feature was because Robby knew his way around a Walkman. "This is a story that I always tell the students in my acting classes. How I got past that first audition for ' Beauty and the Beast ,' " Benson recalled last week in NYC. Where Robby and Paige O'Hara were doing publicity for this Academy Award-winning film...

Nancy Stadler looks back over the history of this long-running soap as well as talking up the production’s recent move to the West Coast...

Nancy Stadler reports in from Hartford, CT. Where Donald Evans – SVP of Marketing for Walt Disney Animation Studios – hosted an advance screening of Pixar’s latest film ...

Nancy Stadler chats with Paul Rugg about "Freakazoid!," that Daytime Emmy Award-winning Kids' WB series which recently became available on DVD...

Nancy Stadler looks back on last weekend's event at Walt Disney World. Which is alleged to be the very last Super Soap to be held in Central Florida...

Nancy Stadler shares some of the photographs that she took last night at NYC's Roseland Ballroom. As the cast of Disney Theatrical's latest production arrived for that show's opening night celebration...

Nancy Stadler interviews Hilary Graham. Who -- on the eve of the finale of this Fox reality series -- looks back on what it was actually like to compete for that $1 milllion DreamWorks contract ...

Nancy Stadler shares her take on a recent event at New Hampshire's Derryfield Country Club. Where Bradford Anderson met with GH fans in an effort to raise money for the Friends of the Manchester Animal Shelter...

Disney Theatrical is trying an intriguing experiment at the Lunt Fontaine theatre over the next nine weeks, bringing "All My Children" 's Jacob Young in to play the role of Lumiere. Does this ABC soap star light up the stage when he's dressed as a giant candelabra? Nancy Stadler fills you in on all of the details...

In an effort to promote ABC's daytime line-up, the Walt Disney Company flies six Soap stars up to Beantown to spend a hot, sweaty afternoon with their fans. Nancy Stadler reports on the festivities....