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We've gotten a lot of very nice e-mails over the past few days in response to JHM's E3 2013 coverage . With most of these notes expressed the exact same sentiment over & over again (i.e. "Boy, that all looks really, really cool. I wish that I could get access to a super fun event like...

Disney's Soda Fountain and Studio Store is going to the dogs. And the cats. In honor of the upcoming 25th anniversary of the November 1988 release of " Oliver and Company ," this Hollywood Boulevard hotspot (which is located right off of the lobby of the El Capitan Theatre ) is now offering...

Okay. Let me say -- right from the get-go -- that I know that this story is going to be kind of annoying. And I apologize in advance for that. But I'm not presently at liberty to share a lot of what I know about this presented-by- Walt Disney-Animation-Studios short. Copyright Disney Enterprises...

Jody R. tossed me a note over this past weekend, praising last Tuesday's "Building Tall" story , saying that ... ... it's articles like this that keep me coming back to Jim Hill Media, that keep me listening to that podcast you do with Len Testa . Your ability to continually uncover...

Hey, guys! Check out this cool poster for Walt Disney Animation Studios , "Get A Horse!" Just so you know, this never-before-seen short is making its world debut at the Annecy Animation Festival in Annecy, France. And to quote the WDAS press release that I received earlier this morning, "Get...

Since sinkholes are back in the news again in Central Florida , Hungry Howie was inspired to drop me a line earlier today to ask about the sinkhole that almost swallowed EPCOT Center back during the construction of that theme park: For years now, I've been hearing stories about EPCOT's sinkhole...

Just can't wait to see Disney "Planes ," that new animated feature which is set in the world above " Cars " ? Well, what if I were to tell that there was a way to get close to one of the characters featured in this new Walt Disney Pictures release well ahead of its August 9th...

So what's the drink of choice in Monstropolis these days? Milk, of course. And if the college-aged versions of James P. Sullivan & Mike Wazowski are to be believed, milk doesn't just do the human body good. It also does wonders for a growing monster. Giving Sulley a thicker coat of fur and...

"Discover a new world with Epic the Movie by Blue Sky Studios , a brand-new 3D animated film from the people who brought you Ice Age ." That's the message that the folks who work in promotions at 20th Century Fox have been hammering home for the past few weeks. As they try & make sure...

It's one of the hard realities of the theme park business. You may have this absolutely killer concept for a new attraction in your head. But when you factor in the size of the budget that you've been handed coupled with the amount of time that you have left to actually construct this ride, sometimes...

Toon fans and film historians just don't know what to make of Walt Disney Animation Studios ' " Get a Horse! " There's a real air of mystery surrounding this animated short. The fact that it's done in black-and-white, features rubber-hose, pie-eyed versions of classic Disney...

So how exactly do you make an eyeball look like it's 18 years old? Copyright Disney Pixar. All rights reserved That was the challenge that Ricky Nierva faced on " Monsters University ." As the art director / production designer of Pixar's first-ever prequel, Nierva (working closely...

You'd think -- what with getting the revival of "Jekyll & Hyde" ready for its 13 week-long, limited engagement at the Marquis Theatre -- that director Jeff Calhoun wouldn't have any time left for his other Broadway show, Disney's "Newsies ." But that's where you'd...

Earlier this week, Paul T. sent me an e-mail with an image attached that -- I'm sure -- will titillate a certain segment of the Disney fan community. Jim, Check out what I found on an animation art auction cite!! It's a bare-ass Ariel!! Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved Well...

It's been 36 hours or so now since those bombings happened at the finish line of the Boston Marathon . And a lot of us are feeling ... Well, kind of helpless. We wonder what we can do to show our support. Let the people of Boston know that we're solidly in their corner. That we genuinely care...

Did you need a distraction from all of the sad news coming out of Boston tonight? I know that I do. Which is why -- rather than watch that footage of the explosion at the marathon's line yet again -- I picked up a copy of Doug Lipp 's terrific tome, " Disney U: How Disney University develops...

So how was your Tuesday? Me? I wound up getting schooled on Pixar 's next full length animated feature, " Monsters University ." Photo by Jim Hill Early yesterday morning, I flew out to San Francisco to take part in a Press Day for this "Monsters, Inc." prequel. And I'll say...

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray." This oft-quoted line from Robert Burns ' 1785 poem applies to an awful lot of aspects of modern day life. But none more so than the work that's recently been done in & around WDW 's Magic Kingdom Park . Take -- for example...

Huffington Post -- Vocal cast for Disney's "Planes" includes a "Top Gun" cameo, top names from stand-up comedy So how did Klay Hall wind up as director of Disney's "Planes" ? First there was this train derailment ... Or should I say: First an earlier project that...

Figment's Friend sent me a rather anxious e-mail last week. This JHM reader wanted to share a bit of news coming out of WDW's Magic Kingdom which had really upset him: Did you see what happened to that portrait of Tony Baxter which was hung in the new interactive queue of Big Thunder Mountain...