Jim Hill explains why it's going to be a rather nervous Fourth of July for Dick Cook and Nina Jacobson. As these two Mouse House honchos hope & pray that their $450 million (and counting) investment in back-to-back "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequels eventually pays off. PLUS Jim announces a brand-new JHM readers contest!...

Since " Zeke and Luther " proved that there's a fairly sizable young-male audience out there which enjoys sitcoms that mix slapstick & extreme sports, Disney XD is revisiting this theme tomorrow night with " Kickin' It ." Which is a brand-new half-hour-long comedy that debuts on this cable channel tomorrow night at 8:30 p.m. ET / PT following the Season 2 premiere of " Pair of Kings ." "So how does 'Kickin' It' compare to "Zeke and Luther'...

Jim Hill talks about a new trend that's really disturbing studio heads as well as exhibitors. The fact that young adult males are seeing this year's crop of summer blockbusters only once. While families aren't seeing them at all. Prefering to wait for the DVD versions of these new movies come out...

Jim Hill shares a story that one WDFA insider told him yesterday. Which explains how "Meet the Robinsons" earning less than "Chicken Little" did over its own opening weekend could actually turn out to be good news for traditional animation fans...

Jim Hill runs the numbers for this John Lasseter film's second weekend in theaters. Which the folks back in Burbank supposedly found rather depressing. Jim also shares some info about a possible sequel that Pixar's college recruiters have reportedly been talking up...

Jim Hill talks about all of the finger-pointing that's going on in Burbank & Emeryville, as execs try to find someone to blame for this Pixar picture's perceived under-performance ...

As the investment community and the mainstream media begins to turn on Pixar because of low foreign ticket sales & because John Lasseter, Ed Catmull & Steve Jobs' names have begun popping up in the stock options scandal coverage, Jim Hill wonders: What can the Walt Disney Company do to turn this particular PR problem around?...

Here's an article that's almost sure to upset all you animation fans out there. Jim Hill shares what he's heard about the projected domestic box office for Brad Bird's newest movie. Which suggests that "Ratatouille" is going to earn significantly less than "Cars" did last year...

Disney's spin machine went into overdrive yesterday, as the Mouse tried to explain away why it wasn't actually disappointed that "Cars" (Which had originally been projected to take in $70 - $75 million) only managed to pull in $60.1 million over its opening weekend. Jim Hill now shares some of the more interesting rationalizations that are currently making the rounds...

Jim Hill talks with Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Walt Disney Studios. Who says that the real test for this new Pixar production comes in the coming week. When we see how well tickets sell for Brad Bird's latest over the extended Fourth of July holiday...

Jim Hill runs the numbers on Walt Disney Studios' two latest releases. And while Gore Verbinski's new film is literally putting hundreds of millions of dollars in Mickey's wallet, thanks to the shift in the box office split for "Cars," John Lasseter's new movie is now making more for exhibitors than it is for the Mouse...

Jim Hill shares what he knows about WDW's 5th theme park. Which will be an after-hours venue that will offer guests the chance to have all sorts of once-in-a-lifetime, hands-on adventures...

Jim Hill once again chats with Chuck Viane, head of Distribution at Walt Disney Studios. Who puts a very positive spin on the box office performance of Pixar's latest release...

Jim Hill reveals why the Mouse's PR department has gone into overdrive in their attempt to defuse the PC controversy that currently surrounds Ron'n'John's next movie. You see, it's not just the future of traditional animation at Walt Disney Studios that may be riding on "The Princess and the Frog." But also the DVD release of "Song of the South"

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Jim Hill brings you the latest buzz from Burbank. Which suggests that -- unless "Prince Caspian" does huge business when it's released to theaters in May -- Disney may opt to pull the plug on the "Narnia" series. Replacing that film franchise with a trio of Pixar-produced "John Carter of Mars" movies ...

It's been a bruising couple of months for the Imagineers. What with Universal Studios acquiring the theme park rights to J.K. Rowling's characters as well as gaining exclusive use of a technology that the guys in Glendale already had plans for. But Jim Hill details how WDI hopes to bounce back with a little help from Pixar...

Jim Hill shares what he knows about the on-going overhaul of this WDFA project. What new director Chris Williams is doing to get this animated feature ready for its 2008 release date...

Are you concerned about the Chris-Sanders-being-forced-off-of-"American-Dog" story? Jim Hill asks you to consider the bigger picture. How this moment of pain may lead to something truly extraordinary for animation fans everywhere...

Whose side are you on? The WDW cast member who finds fault with "Toy Story Mania" 's acoustics? Or the veteran Imagineer who's grown tired of the online Disneyana community continually knocking WDI's efforts?...

JHM's most popular column finally emerges from its long winter's nap, as Jim Hill answers your questions about a cut scene from "The Rocketeer," Goofy's original voice as well as soliciting your opinions about this site's editorial direction...

Jim Hill takes a moment to answer his critics. Particularly those folks who have grown tired of the JHM articles that touch on the $7.4 billion that the Walt Disney Company spent to acquire Pixar Animation Studios...

If you look around the Web, you can see that the reaction (among Disney theme park fans, anyway) to the xPASS - related articles that I've written so far seem to have been pretty negative. With the gist of their comments being that "I would never ever pay for a service like this" and "booking ride times for attractions weeks in advance would rob my WDW vacation of spontaneity." Addressing the latter complaint first ... Let me blunt here: A Walt Disney World vacation is hardly...

Jim Hill shares some interesting comments from this past Wednesday's quarterly earnings conference call. Which suggest that Mouse House officials have finally accepted the fact that "Ratatouille" won't actually do as well domestically as "Cars" did last year...

Jim Hill's back with even more answers to your Disney-related questions. This time around, Jim talks about why the Mouse was willing to abandon its negotiations with J.K. Rowling, what rethemed rides you can expect to find when you visit the "Wizarding World of Harry Potter," as well as what Disney's response to IOA's new addition might be...

First up, Jim Hill offers some corroboration of his Wall-Street's-initial-financial-projections-has-been-having-a-negative-impact-on-Hollywood's-attitude-toward-this-year's-crop-of-top-grossing-films theory. Then Jim goes on to talk about Mickey's plans to increase "Cars" DVD sale levels at the Big Box stores...