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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 "...

Judging by the long lines at " Toy Story Mania " as well as the brisk business that "Hey Howdy Hey!" & the gift shop across the way have been doing, it would appear that Pixar Place has already proven to be a very popular addition to Disney's Hollywood Studios . The only problem with the studio theme...

Will the third time really be the charm for Click & Clack ? Or will this latest attempt to adapt NPR 's " Car Talk " to television stall out just like the other two? Truth be told, Tom & Ray Magliozzi -- the real-life brothers who host this extremely popular National Public Radio program -- bear...

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...

With its lush visuals and eye-popping fight scenes, " Kung Fu Panda " may be one of the best looking action film ever produced. Which -- I know -- sounds like a really weird thing to say about a new animated feature. But as Brad Bird once said: "Animation isn't a genre. It's a type of film-making that...

If you were to ask David A. Price when Pixar Animation Studios first came on his radar, he'd probably tell you about this tech conference that he attended in the late 1980s where the work-in-progress version of "Tin Toy" was shown. "Tinny had just gotten stuck in that box," Price recalled. "And as he...

It's a fantasy that every animation fan has. First breaking into Disney's infamous vault and then screening all of those shorts that -- for one reason or another -- the Mouse has kept hidden away from view. Well, if tunneling under the walls of Walt Disney Studios sounds like too much work to you .....

Everybody knows about those " Hidden Mickeys " that Disney sometimes stashes in its motion pictures & theme park attractions. But have you ever heard about the "Hidden Lasseters" ? Yep. As a tribute to the creative Grand Pooh-Bah of Pixar , the folks who work at this Emeryville-based animation studio...

" ... and then there were none." For over three decades now, animation fans have been quietly counting down. As first John Lounsbury , and then Les Clark slipped away. Followed by Woolie Reitherman , Milt Kahl and Eric Larsen . Then Marc Davis , Ward Kimball and Frank Thomas . And today word came out...

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...

Anyone who's ever been stuck in traffic on the 5 or the 10 will tell you that Southern California already has 'way too many cars. That said, I imagine that even the crabbiest of commuters will still crack a smile once they see the four-wheeled characters who'll be going on display at the Petersen Automotive...

Hey, have you heard that there's a new " WALL * E " trailer up on the Net? Copyright 2008 Disney Pixar. All Rights Reserved As I understand it, this is the official theatrical trailer. The one that will run in theaters now through June 27, when this new Andrew Stanton film finally reaches the big screen...

Today, the "Special Edition" version of " The Aristocats " DVD goes on sale. Copyright 2008 Disney. All Rights Reserved And while it's hard to find fault with this 1970 Walt Disney Productions release itself (Which remains just as charming as ever. With Duchess the filthy rich feline falling for Thomas...

Next Friday night, Toontown's top talents will put on their Sunday best and then motor on over to UCLA 's Royce Hall for the 35th annual Annie Awards . Copyright 2008 ASIFA-Hollywood. All Rights Reserved This is the night that the animation industry honors its own. When the very best work from 2007 in...

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...

Who is Hans Bacher ? Trust me, folks. If you're a Disneyana fan, you know this man's work. If you were creeped out by the look of the Beast's lair in " Beauty & the Beast " ... Copyright 2007 Disney Enterprises. All Rights Reserved ... or ever marveled at the clean, crisp design of the logo for the...

"Maybe Tuesday will be my good news day ..." -- lyric from "The Man I Love" by George & Ira Gershwin Well, if you worked on the Miramax Films side of the Mouse House, Tuesday definitely was a "good news day." Disney's art house arm snagged Academy Award nominations for four of its most recent releases...

The world got a little smaller this past Tuesday with the passing of Disney Legend Joyce Carlson . And -- no -- I'm not just saying that because this veteran Imagineer worked on six different versions of "it's a small world." With Joyce not only helping to create the original version of this much beloved...

How many of you know the story of the blind men and the elephant ? I bring up this ancient Indian fable because ... Well ... I have to admit that I was highly amused by what happened last Wednesday. When the on-line animation community went completely bananas over those "Bolt" pre-release images . Copyright...

It's going to seem like "Old Home Week" at Hollywood's Egyptian Theater tonight. What with acclaimed filmmaker Leslie Iwerks sharing the stage with industry legend Roy E. Disney during the Q & A portion of tonight's screening of " The Pixar Story " at the American Cinematheque . You see, if it hadn...