October, 2010

So what's the very best way to break into the biz? Does going to some four year school like Emerson College or CalArts (which specializes in Communications and the performing arts) really give you an advantage? Or would it better in the long run to just hook up with some outfit like pabootcamp and then get some practical show business experience there? To hear Lee Unkrich (i.e. the director of " Toy Story 3 ." Which -- FYI -- makes its Blu-ray & DVD debut tomorrow) talk, getting...

It's kind of ironic that - everywhere you look this week - there seem to be a story or some photo essay related to the "Back to the Future" 25th Anniversary trilogy Blu-ray . Lea Thompson, Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd at this week's party for the release of the Blu-ray version of the "Back to the Future" trilogy. Copyright 2010 Universal Studios Home Entertainment, a Division of NBC Universal. All rights reserved How so? Well, at least when it comes to animation...

The Walt Disney Archives has lots of props & costume pieces from " Mary Poppins " currently on file ... Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved ... among them that cherries-and-daisies hat which Julie Andrews wore in this 1964 Academy Award-winning film ... Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved ... as well as that snowglobe version of St. Paul's Cathedral which Ms. Andrews held as she sang "Feed the Birds." Copyright Disney Enterprises,...

Hey, did I ever tell you my favorite grace-under-pressure story? It happened just recently. And not to me, thank God. But - rather - to poor Rupert Grint , the talented young actor who's played Ron Weasley in all of the "Harry Potter" movies to date. Photo by Jim Hill Now let me take a moment to properly set the scene here: It's a brutally hot June afternoon in Central Florida. I'm down at Universal Studios' Islands of Adventure theme park attending The Wizarding World of...

Did you see where Walt Disney Studios put Tim Burton 's " Alice in Wonderland " back in theaters last week ? Not all over the country, mind you. But just in the LA area. With the hope that this limited engagement might then make Academy members remember this 3D blockbuster when awards season rolls around again. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved Boy, what a difference a few decades can make. I can remember back in the early 1980s when Tim used to make live-action...

Walt Disney once said "For every laugh, there should be a tear." But there's another unsaid rule when it comes to the animated features & shorts that Disney Studios produces. Which is that -- for every smile -- there should be a shriek. I mean, think about it. Is there another studio in the history of Hollywood that has served up more nightmare fuel than Disney? Okay. I know. Given that " Saw 3D " and " Paranormal Activity 2 " are about to bow at theaters nationwide...

Hey, gang. My apologies if JHM seems to have been running at half speed for the past 10 days or so. But after spending October 8 - 10 th in the Big Apple covering New York Comic Con , I came down with a bad case of Convention Crud. Which is the Pop Culture equivalent of Kennel Cough. Anyway, what with all the wheezing & hacking (I know, I know. TMI), I just haven't had the time - or the energy, to be frank - to write all that many stories. Which is kind of ironic. Given that - while I've...

Do you remember that niche park which the Imagineers toyed with building back in 2008? You know, that project which went by a variety of names among them Disney's Night Kingdom & Disney's Jungle Trek )? Which then would have given WDW Guests the opportunity to have all sorts of hands-on experiences? If not ... Well, here's a few quotes from that online survey that Disney representatives sent out to UK tourists back in late 2007 / early 2008 just to gauge their interest in this proposed...

Did you catch that terrific profile of Michael Giacchino that " Variety " ran yesterday? I mean, if you thought that this Academy Award-winning composer was busy in 2009 - 2010 (i.e. that's when he composed & conducted the music for " Prep and Landing ," " Day & Night ," " Earth Days ," the " Undercovers " pilot as well as the entire final season of "Lost" ), wait 'til you see what Michael's going to try and do in 2010...

When people talk about where the Disney / Pixar magic comes from, there are always a few California cities that get mentioned right away. Burbank. Glendale. Anaheim. Emeryville. But - to be honest -- there's one other place that really belongs on that list. And that's Valencia, CA. Which is home to the California Institute of the Arts , that 60-acre campus located 30 miles to the north of Hollywood. Which is where many of the top animators & Imagineers working today received a lot of...

Greetings from kooky, crazy and crowded New York Comic Con . Photo by Jim Hill JHM will soon be posting multiple articles about what went on this past weekend at the Jacob Javits Center (with a particular emphasis on what was revealed at the TRON: Evolution , Marvel Television , Disney Comics and Disney Publishing Worldwide presentations & events). But - as kind of a Columbus Day treat - I thought that I'd talk about one special moment that occurred at Saturday night's Disney Epic Mickey...

Yesterday, Nancy twittered that we were headed down to the City this weekend to cover New York Comic Con . And Daniel W. twittered back: (I) was thinking about going Saturday, but it looks kind of lame! What Disney booths/programs are going on there? Just Epic Mickey ? Sample pages from the Disney Epic Mickey graphic novel which was previewed at San Diego Comic Con back in July. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved Well, yes. There is Saturday night's Disney Epic Mickey panel...

Nancy and I were just watching "The Purdum Reel." Which is this Special Feature on the Blu-ray version of the Diamond Edition of Disney's " Beauty and the Beast ." Which hits store shelves yesterday. Concept art from the Richard Purdum version of "Beauty and the Beast." Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved Anyway ... After getting an exclusive look at the earlier, darker, non-singing version of this animated feature that English director Richard...

Now let me say from the very start of today's photo essay that the Security Hosts who patrol the grounds of the Disneyland Resort actively discourage people from bringing knives on property (That's why they do those bag checks at Disneyland Plaza, after all). But that said, this time of year, you can still find folks inside of the Parks who do pretty amazing things with a blade. Photo by Noe Valladolid I am speaking - of course - about all of the pumpkin carvers who have set up shop at Big...

Okay. Let's say that you're a parent living in Southern California. And you want to give your family a special treat-or-treat this Halloween season. Copyright 2010 Universal Studios. All rights reserved The only problem is ... Your kids are kind of on the young side. 4 to 8 years-old. Which means that - unless you're willing to pay for years & years of therapy afterwards - a trip to Halloween Haunt at Knott's Scary Farm and/or Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood...

Flynnsbiggestfan writes in to say: Thanks for sharing all that great info about " Tangled ." But could you please be a bit more specific about this new Disney animated film? Maybe talk about "Tangled" songs or action sequences? Any additional information you can share would be great. Sorry, Flynnsbiggestfan. No can do. You see, the only way that Disney would agree to let me (and about 100 - 150 other media types) see "Tangled" this past Wednesday night is if we agreed...