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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...

I have to admit that I'm kind of a sucker for all of these castle shows that Disney has begun doing in the Magic Kingdom . Whether it's draping this iconic structure with over 200,000 lights to turn it into a wintery wonder for the "Cinderella's Holiday Wish / Castle Dream Lights"...

It's been a while since JHM last did a story about the various domain names that The Walt Disney Company has registered. Me personally, I always love the research phase for pieces like this because they then allow me to peek over the horizon. See what the Mouse possibly has planned for the future...

How do you take something small - like, say, an athletic competition between pixies - and then make that seem big? Conversely, how do you take something of size - like those feature-length " Disney Fairies " home premieres that Disney ToonStudios has been producing since 2008 - and then cut...

" Dumbo " may not be the shortest animated feature that Walt Disney Animation Studios ever produced (" Saludos Amigos " is actually shorter. This 1942 release clocks in a mere 42 minutes long). But if Walt had gone with his original gut feeling on this project, this movie might have...

How does a well-intentioned restoration wind up being thought of as a desecration of a once-popular motion picture? That's what Steven Spielberg seemed to be wondering earlier this week at the 30 th anniversary screening of "Raiders of the Lost Ark." During the Q & A session following...

You know what I find bizarre? A week ago today at the annual meeting of shareholders, Bob Iger reaffirmed his commitment to keep "Song of the South" in the Disney Vault . Saying flat-out that it wouldn't be in the best interests of the Company's shareholders to make this Academy Award...

Did you catch that piece about Michael Barrier that the Huffington Post ran last week? Where this noted animation historian said that the films that Pixar produces " ... are emotionally manipulative in a fundamentally dishonest way." Well, no disrespect to Mr. Barrier (By that I mean: I'm...

It was a cold grey November morning in New York City. Photo by Nancy Stadler And even though people were feeling somewhat discombobulated from the first morning of Daylight Savings Time (Not to mention the fact that the ING New York City Marathon was being held that same day. Which meant that streets...

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."...

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...

It is arguably the best-loved film of that trio of fairy tales that Walt Disney Animation Studios produced during its Second Golden Age. The first hand-drawn animated feature ever to be nominated for Best Picture, " Beauty and the Beast " has been discussed, dissected and written about so often...

So why exactly should you buy " Two Guys Named Joe: Master Animation Storytellers Joe Grant & Joe Ranft " (Disney Editions, August 2010)? Because this new John Canemaker book not only does a brilliant job of paying tribute to these animation legends, this 192-page hardcover contains one...

You’ve probably seen a lot of Joe Ranft -related material popping up around the Web over the past few days. John Musker ’s excellent story reel-based tribute to his old pal (who was tragically killed in an automobile accident back on August 16, 2005 ). No to mention the first installment of Leo Holzer...

Boys and girls of every age, Wouldn’t you like to see something strange … Like – say – Zero flying over Sleeping Beauty Castle . Photo by Paul Hiffmeyer. Copyright 2009 Disney. All Rights Reserved Or – better yet -- a 20-foot tall magical orb that rises 45 feet in the air behind the Castle. Which then...

What with all of the excitement associated with the Fantasy Forest project , Disneyana fans seem to have overlooked one important aspect of this Magic Kingdom expansion. As in: Given that Mickey's Toontown Fair is going to be flattened to make way for new Dumbo Circus & Disney Fairies -themed areas...

Go ahead. Admit it. You were somewhat depressed when Michael Jackson pulled the plug on that memorabilia auction that Julien’s Auctions had scheduled for earlier this year. You were hoping to bid on some of those one-of-a-kind items that Jackson had in his Disneyana collection. And once this event was...

Have you heard about " Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust ," the new Disney-themed CD that's hitting store shelves today? Okay. I know. You've already got 'way too many Mouse-related recordings as it is. Soundtracks from various Disney films. Original cast recordings from the Broadway shows. Music from the...

Okay. Quick show of hands here. How many of you actually remember filling out that application toward the back of " Mickey Mouse Club Magazine "? And then sending a letter off to Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Just so that -- four to six weeks later -- you'd then be able to receive your very own Mickey...