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New and a bit alarming Who 'd have ever thought that this could be? Well, " Beauty and the Beast " co-director Kirk Wise doesn't seem all that surprised that this Academy Award-winning film (which was the first animated feature to ever be nominated for Best Picture) got selected for...

So now that " Tangled " has restored moviegoers ' faith in Walt Disney Animation Studios , which toon is going to cash in on all of this Mouse-related good will? Oddly enough, it's a project that WDAS abandoned back in 2006 , only to then be resurrected by Miramax Films in 2008 and...

Here's kind of a depressing fact to start 2011 off with: 88% of all people will fail to keep their New Year's resolution . With 45% of those folks falling off the self-improvement wagon by the end of January. And why is that exactly? To be blunt, it's because a lot of us aren't willing...

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...

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...

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...

Okay. I know. JHM has already done a number of stories on “ Disney Prep and Landing ,” that new holiday special that Walt Disney Animation Studios produced exclusively for ABC (which – FYI – wound up being the highest rated Christmas special of the 2009 – 2010 season ). Copyright 2009 Disney Enterprises...

If you’re going to see “ Ponyo ” and expecting yet another ambitious animated feature like “ Spirited Away ” and/or “ Princess Mononoke ,” you may be in for a bit of a disappointment. Copyright 2009 Disney Enterprises, Inc. / Copyright 2008 Nibariki-GNDHDDT. All Rights Reserved This time around, Japanese...

Twilight is traditionally a time of shadows. But from what I hear, no one at Walt Disney Pictures dreamed that " Bolt " would be so totally overshadowed by “ Twilight ” at the box office this past weekend . As recently as 10 days ago, Mouse House marketing types were quietly putting out the word that...

When it comes to putting together a good "Art of" book, especially one that covers the creation of a new animated feature ... Well, it's a lot harder than it looks. Sometimes the authors of these over-sized coffee table books take themselves a bit too seriously. Which is why they then make the mistake...

If you're a Disney trivia buff, I'm sure that you can already name the father & mother dog in " 101 Dalmatians ." But can you name all 15 of the puppies that Perdita had? Copyright 2008 Disney. All Rights Reserved Okay. I know. That's kind of a trick question. Given that -- in the original 1961 film...

Evidently that book review of Carol de Giere 's " Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz, from Godspell to Wicked " that this site ran two week back really struck a chord with JHM readers as we've received a number of Stephen Schwartz -related questions since then. First up, Gayle B...

By now, I'm sure that you're heard that Glen Keane is no longer the co-director of "Rapunzel." That he and Dean Wellins will be turning the reins over to Byron Howard & Nathan Greno , who were the co-director and head of story on " Bolt " respectively. To be honest, this change couldn't have come...

Forget about " When Harry Met Sally ." You want to talk about a truly magical movie moment? Then let's discuss when Mary met Alice. To be specific, when Mary Blair was assigned to work on Disney's animated adaptation of " Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ." Ever since May of 1938, when the Studio had...

As far as Universal Studios Hollywood is considered, this was the Summer of the Simpsons. " The Simpsons Ride ," to be exact. Photo by Shelly Smith But now Autumn's on its way. Which typically means that this is the start of the slow season for Southern California's theme parks. A time when you push...

I wonder if you've ever had an experience like this: The other day, I was feeling blue. Alice had just gone home after spending almost the entire summer up here in New Hampshire. And I was missing my daughter something fierce. Which is why I decided that I'd try & cheer myself up by watching...

There are so many movie-based musicals turning up on Broadway these days that the theater community has actually invented a somewhat derogatory term to describe these high profile productions: movsicals. And what with the rather tepid respection that " Young Frankenstein " and " The Little Mermaid "...

There are some very happy people today at DreamWorks Animation this morning, given how well " Kung Fu Panda " did this past weekend. Copyright 2008 DreamWorks Animation. All Rights Reserved This Mark Osborne / John Stevenson took in an estimated $60 million over the past three days. Which not only gives...

Following up on last month's article about how Children's Place is getting ready to sell the Disney Store retail chain back to the Walt Disney Company ... I spoke with the managers of a number of New England-area Disney Stores over the past few days. And while none of these folks wanted to go on-the...

It's the story that won't go away. How back in 2001, Michael Eisner reportedly told Disney's board of directors that he'd be postponing any further contract talks with Pixar Animation Studios . "And why would the then-Chairman & CEO of the Walt Disney Company do that?," you ask. Because Eisner had...