June, 2012

With " Brave " opening at No. 1 this past weekend , that now makes it thirteen hits in a row for Pixar Animation Studios . A box office winning streak which has been applauded & envied by many in Hollywood for nearly two decades now. And speaking of thirteen in a row ... By doing the voice of Gordon, a guard at Castle DunBroch in "Brave," that marks the thirteenth time that Pixar execs have reached out to John Ratzenberger and asked this " Cheers " vet to come voice...

Is it just me? Or has Columbia Pictures gone a little too far in its attempt to freshen up Spidey' s look for that Studio's soon-to-be released reboot of its "Spider-Man" film franchise? Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved Oops. My mistake. The above artwork has nothing to do with " The Amazing Spider-Man " (which is due to be released to theaters on July 3rd). It's actually one of the Marvel-themed costumes which Club Penguin users will be able...

Okay. I know. It's not considered cool or kosher to peek at your Christmas presents. Especially six months ahead of time. But half the fun of attending a PR event like yesterday's Disney Consumer Products' Holiday Showcase in New York City is that you get a preview of what will be showing up on store shelves shortly. The toys ... Disney's never produced a "Cinderella" playset that's this complete before. With three separate dresses for Cinderelly to wear, not to mention...

It's something that The Walt Disney Company is rather good at. Taking characters that audiences already know and love and reinventing them. Giving them a bold new look. Just in the past 15 years or so, we've seen Julie Taymor take Mufasa & Simba from " The Lion King " ... Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved ... and then reimagine these animated characters in ways that they could be played onstage in an acclaimed Broadway musical . Photo by Joan Marcus. Copyright...

Disney's "Paperman" short showcases new CG / hand-drawn animation hybrid Is it really the end of the line for hand-drawn animation at Walt Disney Studios? That was the conclusion that many in Hollywood reached late last year. All they had to do was compare Winnie the Pooh 's meager ticket sales with the boffo box office that Tangled had done worldwide, and it then became obvious that CG had finally officially fully eclipsed hand-drawn animation at the House of Mouse. Copyright Disney...

My apologies to those of you who have been waiting for over five weeks now for me to finally post the results of JHM's "Once Upon a Time" -themed trivia contest . But ... purple smoke?! Prince Charming (Josh Dallas) and Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) meet the purple smoke. Copyright American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. All rights reserved For those of you who didn't see the season finale of this acclaimed ABC series, the very last image you saw was the town of Storybrooke, Maine...

I always thought that the wearing of the green was associated with Ireland, rather than Scotland. Well, even though Hollywood Boulevard was clad in a green carpet ... Photo by Jim Hill ... Last night was obviously a Scottish-themed celebration. Which officially kicked off as the Los Angeles Scottish Pipe Band paraded in, playing "Scotland the Brave." Photo by Jim Hill This was the moment when the thousands of tourists who were on the ground ... Photo by Jim Hill ... as well as the dozen...

Elliot seems like such a nice dragon when he's rolling through the Disney theme parks with Pete on his back. The Pete's Dragon unit as it appears in the "Dreamlights" iteration of Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved But you send a sweet character like that wander into a weird space like " Disney Epic Mickey " 's Cartoon Wasteland and then let him get mixed up with someone like that action adventure game's arch...

It's always interesting to talk with an author, have them tell you what they think is the most important part of their new book is. Because their answer -- more often than not -- will surprise you. Take -- for example -- Bob Gurr 's recently released memoir, " Design: Just for Fun " (APP - GurrDesign Publishing, May 2012). Just last week at the Cars Land press event, I ran into this Disney Legend while he was seated in the open-air patio area at Flo's V8 Cafe . Given that Gurr...

I got a note from Diana D. a few weeks back. It turns out that her husband has become a fan of those "Unofficial Guide's Disney Dish" podcasts that Len Testa and I have been recording for iTunes. And since her husband was now addicted to behind-the-scenes stories about The Walt Disney World Resort , Diana wanted to know if there was a fun & informative book that I could maybe recommend as a possible birthday gift for her husband. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved...

I'm sending this message out to all you D23 fence-sitters out there. Those people who haven't quite decided yet whether the Official Disney Fan Club is really worth joining or not. If that nation-wide series of Fanniversary events that D23 has been staging weren't enough to convince you, not to mention the upcoming "Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives" exhibit at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum and/or that amazing line-up of artists & Disney Legends...

Greetings from Southern California. I traveled some 3000 miles last week to cover one of the most highly anticipated events of the year. Which was -- of course -- my daughter Alice's graduation from high school (she's the one in blue wearing the yellow sash at the center of the below photo, having her hand shaken by the gentleman in the black robe). Photo by Noe Valladolid Oh, yeah. There was this other thing going on about that same time. Maybe you heard about it? The Walt Disney Company...