When it comes to Disney and gaming, we here at JHM take the subjects seriously. Where entertainment and good business cross paths chances are that Disney will be at the forefront. "Iron Man 3," released by Marvel and Disney was one of the biggest films of 2013. It made $372 million in its first weekend including domestic and international ticket sales . Compare that to the weekend that Grand Theft Auto V had when it debuted. In just three days, Take-Two Interactive's crime action game...

The Disney films are synonymous with music. Chances are most fans can remember at least one song from every animated film that they've ever seen. I shouldn't have to mention that Disney "Frozen" has been at the top of the Billboard charts over the past 13 weeks . Disney films however do not have a great track record in the video game arena, especially not titles that were predominantly music-oriented. Music is a big part of gaming. The soundtracks for some of the biggest action...

Disney hopes to capture lighting in a bottle twice on the same game. JHM readers may remember that the site had a short look at the Disney Japan game Magic Castle Online . The free-to-play online game featured player controlled characters interacting with Disney icons and other gamers in a persistent world that was a sort of virtual Magic Kingdom. Players could enjoy mini-games and earn virtual currency to buy or win character costumes and other prizes. The game was popular among the visitors to...

Disney Theatrical Productions has certainly had a busy couple of weeks. First they announce plans to transform the beloved-fairy-tale-turned-cult-classic "The Princess Bride" into a stage production . Next came word that Disney will be joining forces with Sonia Friedman Productions to produce a stage version of "Shakespeare in Love" (which will begin previews at London's Noel Coward Theatre next July). Then the new musical comedy version of Disney's "Aladdin"...

"Welcome one and all to Mystic Manor !" Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved This is how Lord Henry Mystic welcomes visitors to his elegant home during the brief, slide-driven pre-show for this new Hong Kong Disneyland attraction. During which Mystic tells us a little bit about himself, his companion Albert (a monkey), his world-class collection of antiquities and artifacts (which we will soon see as we tour his mansion) as well as his latest find: a music box. Mind you...

After beginning her theatrical career dancing in London's West End and then traveling the world, Katy Harris found herself at what was then known as EuroDisney working as a dancer at that theme park's "Beauty and the Beast" stage show. From there, Harris quickly rose through the ranks and help produce Walt Disney Studios seasonal events such as Kids Carnival and DLP's 15th anniversary "Once Upon a Dream Parade." Over the past few years, Katy has worked hand-in-hand...

Jouyeux Noel a tous, Buon Natale a tutti and a Happy Christmas, everyone! This past weekend, Disneyland Paris had a media event where members of the press got to preview many of the Resort's holiday offerings. And what with this theme park's new Christmas Cavalcade, a retooled parade, an entirely-new nightly tree lighting ceremony and the DISNEY-DREAMS-celebrates-Christmas castle show, there are all sorts of seasonal surprises be found under DLP's holiday tree this year. Best of all,...

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go. Take a look in the Five and Ten, glistening once again, with candy canes and silver lanes aglow ... " It has been looking like Christmas since July at your local Hallmark Gold Crown store. This past summer just in time for Christmas in July, Hallmark rolled out their annual line of Keepsake ornaments helping not only to mark the holidays but celebrate a milestone or create a new memory. This year the Keepsake ornaments...

Retailer J.C. Penney is hoping some of Tinker Bell 's pixie dust will attract parents and their children into its recently launched Disney shops inside some 565 stores nationwide. Penney's had been selling select Disney merchandise on its website since early September and now has cut the ribbon on Disney shops as part of its redesigned children's department. Photo by Paul Perrello There is no mistaking the Disney footprint. At the J.C. Penney store at the Franklin Mills Mall in Philadelphia...

“Hear Ye! Hear Ye! By royal proclamation, the Princess Fairytale Hall at Walt Disney World ’s New Fantasyland is now open.” Photo by Paul Perrello With a bit of pomp and circumstance only fitting for royalty, guests can now pay a visit to the fairest princesses in all the land at the recently opened Fairytale Hall located in the Castle Courtyard in the center of an expanded Fantasyland at Disney’s Magic Kingdom . Here you will be able to meet and greet some of your favorite...

The gamers at JimHillMedia.com -- Alice, Shelly and myself -- have spent the past few days exploring the world of Disney Infinity. This new Disney Interactive release game came out on August 18th. But the game is so robust that it deserved a few days to get an accurate sense of the entire experience. Alice, Shelly and myself had been interested in the title since John Lasseter gave the first public debut exclusively for D23 members in January. In fact we had spent time following the progress on the...

Video game remakes are nothing new. In the history of computing there have been hundreds of remakes over the past three decades. Some of the remakes were done to be compatible with the various gaming devices, consoles and PCs. The best selling games were often ported to every imaginable device, including cell phones. Classic console games, even extremely popular ones were rarely remade. Instead publishers like Nintendo , Capcom and Sega often relied on sequels to keep a franchise going. Yet despite...

Thanks to Comic-Con , all eyes will be on San Diego for the next few days. But -- to be honest -- that doesn't matter much to the fine folks of Philadelphia . You see, they're still jazzed about the great news that came down from The Walt Disney Company last week. Which is that three local boys have made good. American Bandstand host Dick Clark , animator Glen Keane and comedian and actor Ed Wynn are to be inducted as official Disney Legends during next month's D23 EXPO at the Anaheim...

Disney has just released a fantastic game for smartphone and tablet systems titled " Where's My Mickey ?" The game is the spiritual successor to the wildly popular and highly successful " Where's My Water? " series. Technically this is the third major iteration of the game. " Where's My Perry? " introduced new physics and motion elements to the water-puzzle genre. The new title introduces other gameplay elements that are also unique to the genre, this time...

The most recent DC Universe Animated Original movie , "Superman Unbound " , is not the best release by Warner Bros. Animation . The production quality is up to par with previous releases. "Unbound" has solid animation, memorable action sequences and a good story. However the film was lacking. Copyright 2013 Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved The movie was based on the story arc " Superman: Braniac " which was an attempt to understand the classic villain...

Avast, me hearties ! Walking the plank off the television screen and into an arena near you, look for some popular Disney Junior characters to make a stop in your hometown. Jake and the Never Land Pirates and Sofia the First will be hitting the road starting this summer as Feld Entertainment announces it will stage a live production based on the top performing Disney Junior cable television programs. Feld, famous for Disney On Ice and Disney Live! extravaganzas, along with its Ringling Brothers and...

Disney Interactive keeps trying to play catch up with the gaming industry but often misses out with gamers. The upcoming title Disney Infinity is another attempt for the company to reinvent themselves for audiences. The previous two high profile showings from the company have failed to turn heads. In early 2010 the studio had touted the evolution of the racing game by marrying the reality TV show concept with the spectacle of big budget chase films like The Fast and The Furious , and Gone in 60 Seconds...

Annette Funicello , long-time Disney and Beach Party star, passed away on Monday April 8 at Mercy Southwest Hospital in Bakersfield, CA, at the age of 70. She died peacefully from complications due to Multiple Sclerosis, a disease she battled for over 25 years. Beloved by television viewers in the 50s for her stint on Disney's original The Mickey Mouse Club, and by film buffs for her numerous roles in a series of popular teen-oriented movies in the 60s, Funicello became a pop culture icon. Copyright...

One really has to tip their colorful, blinking mouse ears to the Disneyland Paris Creative Entertainment team. Between those two new scenes that were just added to the Disney Dreams! nighttime spectacular and that "Glow with the Show" technology which made its international debut this past weekend, DLP is now a brightly shining star in the theme park heavens. Which -- as you may recall -- wasn't always the case. Back in April of 1992 when this $4 billion project first opened to the...

Veteran Disney film editor Norman "Stormy" Palmer passed away this past Saturday, March 23rd at his home in Northridge, California from age-related natural causes. He was 94 years old. Palmer worked at the Walt Disney Studios for 45 years, and became closely associated with the acclaimed series of " True-Life Adventure " films. Among the popular titles in that series that he edited were " The Living Desert ," " The African Lion ," " Beaver Valley ,"...

On the heels of last week's release of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" on Blu-ray , the internet has been buzzing like Marvin Acme's hand buzzer with rumors that Robert Zemeckis may be making plans to return to Toontown. To be specific, that this Academy Award-winning director is finally getting serious about shooting that often-talked-about and long-delayed "Roger Rabbit" sequel. Most of this talk about a return to Toontown can be traced back January 17th of this year when...

Stepping off the silver screen and out of the pages of comic books, look for Spider-Man , Iron Man , The Avengers and X-Men to swing into an arena in your hometown. The iconic Marvel super heroes are being tapped to star in an unprecedented new show that brings the characters to life and puts the audience right in the middle of all the spectacular action. Feld Entertainment has signed a groundbreaking agreement with Marvel Entertainment which allows the companies to produce shows featuring the super...

Back for a second season on Disney XD is " Lab Rats ," the live-action, sci-fi comedy adventure series starring actor / comedian / musician Hal Sparks as Donald Davenport, the billionaire-scientist inventor who created three bionic superhuman kids. Excited to be back for a new season, Sparks calls the part, tongue-in-cheek, "the role I was born to play." Photo by Bruce Birmelin. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved "Labs Rats" was ranked as Disney XD's...

Newtown, Connecticut, was the scene of one of the most hideous mass slaughters in American history. Driving into this quaint New England town, it is impossible to miss the sad reminders of that horror, cutout angels along the roadside and tributes of sympathy from around the world in the town hall. But through January 27, 2012, that same town hall is being treated to a gentle reminder that the world can be a better place and that, yes, it is possible to have magical days. "Small World: A Fantasia"...

Shiver me timbers! The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow has set sail at Disney's Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Batten down the hatches as the eight-minute immersive experience is a must-see for swashbuckler fans of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise , whether it is the attraction in Adventureland in the Magic Kingdom or the four movies starring Johnny Depp as Captain Jack. However parents of very young lads and lassies might want to reconsider plans to walk the...