So what's the drink of choice in Monstropolis these days? Milk, of course. And if the college-aged versions of James P. Sullivan & Mike Wazowski are to be believed, milk doesn't just do the human body good. It also does wonders for a growing monster. Giving Sulley a thicker coat of fur and -- in Mike's case -- stronger nails on his hands & his feet. Copyright California Milk Processor Board / Pixar. All rights reserved Mind you, these stars of Pixar 's first-ever prequel,...

It wasn't a phone call that Roger Deakins had ever expected to receive. This acclaimed English cinematographer -- best known for his Oscar-nominated work for the Coen brothers and Sam Mendes -- had strictly been working the live-action side of the street. But when Pixar Animation Studios reached out in 2005 and asked him to come consult on a project that they then had in development, Deakins had to admit that he was intrigued. Cinematographer Roger Deakins "They were just getting started...

"Discover a new world with Epic the Movie by Blue Sky Studios , a brand-new 3D animated film from the people who brought you Ice Age ." That's the message that the folks who work in promotions at 20th Century Fox have been hammering home for the past few weeks. As they try & make sure that as many would-be moviegoers as possible know that this new Chris Wedge movie will soon be opening in theaters. On Friday, May 24th, to be precise. Copyright FOX and its related entities. All rights...

Ever since The Wizarding World of Harry Potter first opened at Universal's Islands of Adventure back in June of 2010, thousands of people have entered Hogsmeade and -- after spotting that stationary version of the Hogwarts Express (which was parked at the entrance of this theme park land as a photo op) -- exclaimed: "Oh, wouldn't it wonderful if we could climb aboard that train and actually go someplace like London or Diagon Alley." Well, as you can see by this exclusive piece of...

Between that basilisk in the basement, those pesky mountain trolls who wander in through open doors, not to mention the occasional dragon which slips its chain and then starts ripping up the roof of this famed castle, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has obviously previously had some problems with creatures. But who knew that the people who had been placed in charge of rebuilding the cinematic version of this iconic structure would then find themselves being out-foxed by a fox? As Craig...

It's one of the hard realities of the theme park business. You may have this absolutely killer concept for a new attraction in your head. But when you factor in the size of the budget that you've been handed coupled with the amount of time that you have left to actually construct this ride, sometimes only a fraction of the show that you had in your head makes it out into the real world. Bud Hurlbut (l) and Walter Knott look over the scale model of Calico Log Ride. Copyright Cedar Fair Parks...

Toon fans and film historians just don't know what to make of Walt Disney Animation Studios ' " Get a Horse! " There's a real air of mystery surrounding this animated short. The fact that it's done in black-and-white, features rubber-hose, pie-eyed versions of classic Disney characters and has Walt himself providing Mickey's speaking voice suggests that this is something that Disney has dug out of its vault. And yet still others at the studio are suggesting that "Get...

So how exactly do you make an eyeball look like it's 18 years old? Copyright Disney Pixar. All rights reserved That was the challenge that Ricky Nierva faced on " Monsters University ." As the art director / production designer of Pixar's first-ever prequel, Nierva (working closely with this project's character art director Jason Deamer ) had to figure out how to properly reverse-age Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan. Turn these two " Monsters, Inc. " stars into...

You'd think -- what with getting the revival of "Jekyll & Hyde" ready for its 13 week-long, limited engagement at the Marquis Theatre -- that director Jeff Calhoun wouldn't have any time left for his other Broadway show, Disney's "Newsies ." But that's where you'd be wrong. Last month while he was out-of-town with this Frank Wildhorn musical in Chicago, Jeff used his one day off from "Hyde" to nip off to NYC's Nederlander Theatre to go check...

Earlier this week, Paul T. sent me an e-mail with an image attached that -- I'm sure -- will titillate a certain segment of the Disney fan community. Jim, Check out what I found on an animation art auction cite!! It's a bare-ass Ariel!! Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved Well, okay. This is how this particular cel from that 1989 Walt Disney Animation Studios production was inked & hand-painted back in the day. But please note that the paint never actually makes it...

As the staff cuts at DreamWorks Animation and Walt Disney Studios prove, bigger is no longer thought of as better in Hollywood. The suits are now angling after a far more efficient business plan. Tinsel Town 2.0, if you will. A place where smaller teams follow shorter production schedules and work within tighter budgets yet still somehow manage to deliver top-quality motion pictures. You know. The way that Sony Pictures Animation has been doing business for the past 10 years. Copyright 2013 Sony...

It's been 36 hours or so now since those bombings happened at the finish line of the Boston Marathon . And a lot of us are feeling ... Well, kind of helpless. We wonder what we can do to show our support. Let the people of Boston know that we're solidly in their corner. That we genuinely care. Well, after the 9/11 attacks, then-president George W Bush famously went on television to tell Americans that the very best way " ... to restore public confidence" was for " ... the traveling...

Did you need a distraction from all of the sad news coming out of Boston tonight? I know that I do. Which is why -- rather than watch that footage of the explosion at the marathon's line yet again -- I picked up a copy of Doug Lipp 's terrific tome, " Disney U: How Disney University develops the World's most engaged, loyal, and customer-centric employees " ( McGraw-Hill , March 2013). Given that Lipp helped create the first international version of Disney University (which was...

So how was your Tuesday? Me? I wound up getting schooled on Pixar 's next full length animated feature, " Monsters University ." Photo by Jim Hill Early yesterday morning, I flew out to San Francisco to take part in a Press Day for this "Monsters, Inc." prequel. And I'll say this much: The folks in Disney & Pixar's marketing office really know how to theme a media event. As I (and 30 other lucky bloggers & journalists) got off the bus that took us over to the...

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray." This oft-quoted line from Robert Burns ' 1785 poem applies to an awful lot of aspects of modern day life. But none more so than the work that's recently been done in & around WDW 's Magic Kingdom Park . Take -- for example -- that "Tangled" -themed rest area that recently came online in Fantasyland. Even before this elaborately themed set of bathrooms was officially opened to the public, some of the Mouse's...

It has often been said that "... behind every great man, there's a great woman." Well, that certainly wasn't the case with Jane Henson . Take a look at these pictures from the early, early days of the Muppets . Back when these characters starred in their own late night television series, " Sam and Friends " on WRC-TV . Please note that Jane isn't standing behind Jim. But -- rather -- that this then-21 year-old was standing beside her future husband, puppeteering right...

Given that April 1st is typically the day when a number of Disney news sites post these elaborate prank stories where they then try & convince a few poor April Fools that their obviously bogus article is legit, I thought that JHM should go the other way today. In that I'm going to post a story that may sound bogus but is -- believe it or not -- absolutely true. Better yet, given all the chatter that there's been out there on various discussion boards around the Web about that Star Wars...

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 Hall was going to helm -- one built around a talking steam train -- got derailed. "This must have been June or July of 2009. I was just finishing up directing 'Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure...

Figment's Friend sent me a rather anxious e-mail last week. This JHM reader wanted to share a bit of news coming out of WDW's Magic Kingdom which had really upset him: Did you see what happened to that portrait of Tony Baxter which was hung in the new interactive queue of Big Thunder Mountain ? Disney had to remove this painting within 48 hours of it being hung because of the way that Guests had been defacing it . I can not believe how disrespectful these people have been to this Imagineering...

Chris sent me an e-mail earlier this week in regards to the "Unofficial Guide Disney Dish" podcast that I do with Len Testa , where he asked: "Where do you get all of the stories that you tell on these podcasts? I'm a big Disney history buff. But you always seem to have these behind-the-scenes stories that I've never heard before. Where do you get your material?" Thanks for the kind words, Chris. As to where I get the information that I used in those "Unofficial Guide...

"Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans." The late John Lennon included that line as part of his lyrics for " Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) ." And that sentiment is as true today as it was back in 1980 when John originally wrote that line. Maybe even more so. Let's face it: When we're young, we all have these plans in our heads about how our idealized lives & careers are supposed to go. But then unexpected things happen. Obstacles suddenly crop...

So why exactly did Walt Disney World 's November 2010 plan for Pleasure Island (i.e. turn the center-most section of Downtown Disney into Hyperion Wharf , "a nostalgic yet modern take on an early 20th century port city and amusement pier" which was supposed to have "stylish boutiques and innovative restaurants" as well as "thousands of lights" that would then "transform the area into an electric wonderland" at night) morph into the far more ambitious Disney...

So what does it actually take for D23 to pull together those Fanniversary events that they've been presenting around the country for the past few weeks? According to Jeffrey Epstein, spokesman for the Official Disney Fan Club, it takes a solid six months of behind-the-scenes effort to produce each of these two hour-long annual presentations. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved "We know that D23 Members are already incredibly knowledgeable when it comes to The Walt Disney...

Huffington Post -- Mickey Mouse gets a retro makeover for the Disney Channel's new series of 2D animated shorts In Hollywood, it's customary for stars of a certain age to periodically go under the knife. Freshen up their look every now and then, if you will. In Mickey Mouse 's case, when The Walt Disney Company recently decided it was time for their corporate symbol to get back into the animation game, they drew their inspiration for a brand-new series of 2D shorts from a number of different...

Never mind March coming in like a lion. This month is really more a mouse, given all of the Disney-related events that are going to be happening all over the country in the coming week. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved Like what? Well, for starters, today through Monday, March 11th, internationally recognized artist Larry Dotson will be appearing at Epcot 's Art of Disney . And if you'd like to purchase one of his paintings and/or get Larry to sign one of his canvases...