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Chris B. wrote in on September 10th to say Hi Mr. Hill, Great website and so appreciate how you share your Disney knowledge. With the opening of the New Fantasyland Disney has installed a statue for Beauty and the Beast's Gaston. Disney villains have typically only been out and about for the Halloween...

Last Monday afternoon, I was at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum and overheard a pretty funny exchange between two of the docents who'd been assigned to work the " D23 presents Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives " exhibit. Photo by Alice Hill It seems that one of these...

The old adage is "April Showers bring May Flowers." Image courtesy of S/R Laboratories. All rights reserved Well, Nancy and I are down in Orlando right now. And this year, April Showers seems to be bringing May Downpours. Which suggests that June might be a really good time to go shopping for...

It was supposed to be Disneyland 's first thrill ride: Monstro the Whale ... Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved Which - in much the same way that Dumbo the Flying Elephant ... Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved ... was just a Disneyified version of that amusement...

It's the sci-fi cult classic that spawned a pricey sequel last year. Not to mention being the jumping-off point for a brand-new animated series which will debut on Disney XD later this year. "Tron: Uprising," which is due to debut on Disney XD later this summer. Copyright Disney Enterprises...

With the arrival of Black Friday, the 2011 holiday shopping season is now officially underway. And if you're struggling to come up with the perfect gift for the Disneyana collector and/or the animation enthusiasts on your Christmas list ... Well, you might want to consider checking out the catalog...

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...

A long time ago (Okay. It was 2002), Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz were just getting started in the television writing business. They had landed jobs on " Felicity ." And while these two were genuinely enjoying creating scripts for this Touchstone Television production, Edward & Adam...

It's a busy but happy time for the folks at S/R Laboratories Animation Art Conservation Center . And not just because their annual Spring auction gets underway today. Which means that - now through tomorrow afternoon PT- some rarer-than-rare cels, storyboard and concept sketches will be coming up...

So when did Don Peri start collecting Mouse-related stories? Over 35 years ago. Back when genuine Disney Legends were still working at the Studios. " Frank and Ollie were still doing animation back then. When I first met them, they were both working on ' The Rescuers ' and were getting started...

Over the past 20 years, it's become something of a tradition that Walt Disney Animation Studios slips in a few Easter Eggs. A brief, affectionate nod to previous productions. Which is why the Beast from Disney's " Beauty and the Beast " can be among the toys that the Sultan plays with...

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...

There are lots of reasons to like BOOM! Studios "Darkwing Duck" comic book series ... Copyright 2005 - 2010 BOOM! Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved ... which - FYI - will be releasing its first-ever oversized annual next month. Copyright 2005 - 2010 BOOM! Entertainment, Inc. All rights...

Dorse Lanpher has a real eye for detail. Which is just what you'd expect from one of the top effects artists in feature animation. But as it turns out, Lanpher was able to use his eye for detail for more than just creating all those fire, water and shadow effects that you've seen in most Disney...

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...

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."...

DonkeyBoy writes with a question related to Wednesday’s “ The Art of Shrek Forever After ” review . He wants to know about … … that image of teenage Shrek you included with your article. You mentioned that this was a storyline that Mike Mitchell and his team developed for this Dreamworks film and then...

Did you see where the purchase price of DreamWorks Animation shares dropped 6% yesterday because some investment analyst said that “ Shrek Forever After ” was projected to only make $315 million during its initial domestic run? Care to guess how many movies released last year sold more than $300 million...

From the people who brought you Passamaquoddy , Heffalumps and Woozles as well as Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo , now come Disney Pook-A-Looz . The official tagline for this quirky new line of plush is “Too cute for their own good.” But these classic Disney characters didn’t get that way all by themselves. They...

David Caranci has a rather bland-sounding job title: Manager of Resort Enhancement at the Disneyland Resort . But don’t be fooled by David’s non-descript job description. Because – truth be told -- Caranci has one of the coolest positions at DLR. He’s the guy in charge of getting the Resort ready for...