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Just yesterday, Universal Orlando served up its five-millionth glass of Butterbeer. Which is quite an achievement. Given that -- prior to the June 2010 opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal's Islands of Adventure -- this beverage only existed between the pages of J.K. Rowling...

Elizabeth Jane Cochran didn't exactly make headlines when she was born in Western Pennsylvania 148 years ago this Saturday. But all of that would change when -- at just 16 years of age -- Ms. Cochran took up the pen name Nellie Bly and thus became America's first female investigative reporter...

In honor of Super Bowl Sunday (that annual television event that turns tens of millions of us into couch potatoes, when we wolf down handful of greasy potato chips and/or platters full of toppings-laden potato skins), I thought that - today - it might be appropriate to pay tribute to that most cinematic...

Have you heard about this "Tron 3" teaser that Aint It Cool News & Tron-Sector have been talking up this past weekend? As the story goes: This "Tron 3" teaser was supposedly shot back in November before " Tron: Legacy " was released to theaters, with the idea that it...

What was the toughest part of riding herd on all of the CG artists at Rhythm & Hues who worked on " Yogi Bear " ? According to Alex Orrelle , the Animation Supervisor on this new Warner Bros ' live-action/computer animated 3D adventure, it was actually when he had to persuade his crew...

It's now considered one of the great PR disasters of 2010. The way that NBC totally mismanaged its Jay Leno / Conan O'Brien situation. Which ultimately resulted in Conan bolting for TBS , a significantly battered & bruised Jay resuming his duties as host of " The Tonight Show "...

W.C. Fields is often credited with coining that old show business adage, "Never work with children or animals." Copyright 2009 W.C. Fields Productions. All rights reserved Well, Robert Vince has clearly never heard this adage. Given that - as the writer / producer / director of Disney's...

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...

There have been lots of looky-loos lately over that Fantasyland Forest construction fence. Which has resulted in an equally large number of theories floating around online about what's currently going on with this $300 million project. Take - for example - all that soil that's been piled up towards...

If you read my March 16 th non-review of that Showest screening of “ Toy Story 3 ,” then you already know that I’m a huge fan of this Lee Unkrich film. But you know what truly impressed me about this Pixar production? That in the months leading up to the release of this acclaimed animated feature, no...

So what’s the most important aspect of the Disney Channel ’s ambitious promotional plan for “ Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam ” ? Was it Demi Lovato & the Jonas Brothers ’ appearance on “ Good Morning America ” last month, where these tween favorites announced that tickets for the “ Jonas Brothers 2010...

First up, Mark K. writes to ask about WDW ’s Night Kingdom / Jungle Trek project: There was considerable talk several years back about a potential 5th park opening but I have heard no mention of it recently. Did the recession and the decision to remake fantasy land doom this project? Dear Mark K. – There...

When discussing a new summer blockbuster like Disney’s “ Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time ,” it’s hard not to get caught up in all the details. Like those 1,200 visual effects shots that you’ll find in this Jerry Bruckheimer production. Or the action sequences that Mike Newell chose to stage 8,200...

IronManFan236 sent in a question that was short & sweet: Did Marvel Studios deliberately make Howard Stark look like Walt in “ Iron Man 2 ” as a tribute / tip-of-the-hat to the Disney acquisition deal? Iron Man 2, the Movie: Copyright 2010 MVL Film Finance LLC. Iron Man, the character: TM & Copyright...

Do you recall – just a few weeks back – how quick industry analysts were to write off “ How to Train Your Dragon ”? That – because this Chris Sanders & Dean DeBlois film “only” earned $43.3 million over its opening weekend (as opposed to the $59.3 million that DreamWorks Animation ’s “ Monsters vs...

When it comes to real estate & retail, there are two adages that these worlds share: “Timing is everything” and “Location, location, location.” Which brings to mind “ Studio Disney 365 ” (i.e. that tween-centric store which opened in the Disneyland Resort ’s Downtown Disney shopping district back...

Did you hear about the play test that WDI ran at The Magic Kingdom last month? Where the Imagineers used Guests who were waiting in line for a character meet-n-greet right outside of Pooh’s Playful Spot to try out a new entertainment-based queuing system? Though the Imagineers are being pretty close...

First up, RedRyderBB writes in to say: Disneyland can’t be serious about bringing back “Captain EO.” I saw that 3D movie when it first opened in 1987 and once was really enough. “EO” was just a glorified music video. And even MTV doesn’t show music videos anymore. So what’s the point of bringing “Captain...

You gotta give DreamWorks Theatricals & Neal Street Productions their props. These folks will do whatever they have to in order to make sure that “ Shrek the Musical ” stands out from the crowd. Seem that much more different than all the other shows that are currently running on Broadway. Take –...

First the good news: What Disney Princess is for little girls, Cars has become for little boys. Copyright Disney·Pixar. All Rights Reserved As in: This John Lasseter film is now one of Disney Consumer Products ’ fastest growing key franchises. Global retail sales of “Cars”-themed licensed merchandise...