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We're still six weeks out from the release of the diamond edition of " Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ." But some of the merchandise that's supposed to piggyback on the hi-def Blu-ray version of this Disney Classic is already starting to show up in stores. With Cynthia Rylant & Gustaf Tenggren ...

September is shaping up to be quite a month for Disney history buffs. First the D23 EXPO will give film fans the chance to check out two recent documentaries that relate to the Studio’s past: “ the boys: the sherman brothers’ story ” will be screened on Thursday, September 10 th at that event. Richard...

According to the good folks at Gallup , consumer confidence is on the rise . At the very least, there’s been a sharp albeit seasonal increase in spending over the past two weeks. Of course, anyone who wandered through FAO Schwartz yesterday could have told that you spending was up. Based on the tons...

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...

He’s ba-a-ack. After taking a six month sabbatical from the Mouse House, master animator Glen Keane is back. Keane – who stepped down from his directorial position on “ Rapunzel ” last October due to health-related reasons – is now back supervising animation on that project. Master animator Glen Keane...

In response to last week’s Alice in Wonderland touring exhibit article , Cheshire Brat wrote in to say: In today’s article, you say that Tim Burton wants his version of “ Alice in Wonderland ” to be different from all the movies & TV shows that proceed it. That this time around, Burton wants to emotionally...

Is it just me? Or does it seem like – every other week – someone new is inventing yet another reason to go after “ The Princess and the Frog ”? Almost from the moment that this Walt Disney Animation Studios’ production was officially announced back in March of 2007, there have been individuals &...

A somewhat angry Tom B. writes in say: Enough with the stories about Comic-Con ! I think it’s pretty arrogant of you to assume that every JHM reader is interested in hearing about what’s going on in San Diego this year. You know what would be a nice change? If you posted a story about some Disneyana...

Over the years, many actors have been accused of turning in somewhat robotic performances while appearing on Broadway. But when’s the last time you heard about an actual robot performing on the Great White Way? Well, this coming Sunday night, history was supposed to be made. As WALL-E (Or at least the...

It’s the Hans Christian Andersen story that Walt Disney almost put into production back in the 1940s (as part of a live action / animated co-production with Samuel Goldwyn ). This is one of Kay Nielsen's Little Mermaid concept paintings for that aborted Hans Christian Andersen feature from the 1940s...

Forget about the flying house, that giant bird and the talking dog. All of those out-of-the-ordinary items. Because -- when you get right down to it --“ Up ” is a movie that celebrates the boring stuff. Those tiny, little moments that really make life worth living. Copyright Disney / Pixar. All Rights...

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...

Mention the name Stephen Schwartz to a musical theater fan, and they'll automatically list his Broadway credits. Particularly this songwriter's trio of long running hits, " Godspell ," " Pippin " and " Wicked ." However, were you to mention Stephen's name to a Disneyana fan, they'd then mostly likely...

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...