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First it was Walt who did all the talking for Mickey. Then it was Jimmy MacDonald who put words in the Mouse’s mouth. Then in the early 1980s, Wayne Allwine became Disney’s main mousekeeper. But then with Allwine’s untimely passing in May of last year, it was time for The Walt Disney Company to select...

IronManFan236 sent in a question that was short & sweet: Did Marvel Studios deliberately make Howard Stark look like Walt in “ Iron Man 2 ” as a tribute / tip-of-the-hat to the Disney acquisition deal? Iron Man 2, the Movie: Copyright 2010 MVL Film Finance LLC. Iron Man, the character: TM & Copyright...

Trina P. wrote in to say: Thanks for sharing those pictures from the Tim Burton exhibition at the MoMA . I’m a huge Burton fan and had wanted to get down to NYC while that exhibit was there, but never found the time. I noticed that you had a lot of pictures from Tim Burton movies that never got made...

It’s always been one of the great what-ifs of Disney history. What if … All of the Studio’s overseas markets hadn’t been cut off by the start of World War II? It’s well known that – as of the late 1930s -- Walt was well into development of full-length animated versions of “ Alice in Wonderland ,” “ Peter...

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...

Nancy and I got the news yesterday afternoon as we were driving down to NYC. We’d stopped to gas up the car in Tolland, CT when Angela called on the cell to say that Roy E. Disney had died . This was obviously sad news. But -- to be honest -- not exactly unexpected. Ever since word leaked back in June...

Do you have a Disney fanatic in your family? Then this must be the time of year that you dread most. When you’re expected to come up with a suitable holiday gift for this problematic family member. Not to worry, though. Jim Hill Media is here to help. Over the first four Wednesdays in December, we’ll...

Today is a day when most people here in the US traditionally take a moment or two to reflect on whatever it is that they have to be thankful for. And for the more-than-a-thousand Southern California students who’ve taken part in the Ryman Arts program over the past 19 years … Well, they’re just thankful...

So where will you wind up spending MM’s b-day? It’s tomorrow, you know. November 18 th . That’s the date that The Walt Disney Company officially acknowledges as being this iconic character’s “ birthday ” (i.e. the day that “ Steamboat Willie ” – the first Mickey Mouse cartoon with synchronized sound...

You’ve going to have to forgive any animation fans you know if they seem kind of distracted today. You see, S/R Laboratories is holds its biannual animation art auction today and tomorrow. Which means that some incredibly rare pieces of animation history are about come up for bid. “How rare?,” you ask...

The late, great George Carlin once had this routine about words that no one has ever said before. Truly unlikely phrases like: George Carlin (1937 – 2008) "Please saw my legs off." "Hand me that piano." "Do what you want to the girl, but leave me alone!" Why do I bring that up now? Well, while I was...

It all started with a shoebox. To be specific, a shoebox full of old travel photos from the 1940s. “I was talking with Diane Disney Miller ,” Ted Thomas remembered. “And she told me that J.B. Kaufman – while he was doing research for this book that J.B. was writing about those Good Neighbor films that...

No one mourns the Wicked. No one cries “They won’t return!” No one lays a lily on their grave Ah, but as “Wicked” (i.e. Gregory Maguire ’s best-selling book as well as the long-running stage musical ) proves, it is actually possible to feel sadness & sympathy for a character that’s been labeled Wicked...

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 ...

Early this morning, Martin A. Sklar ’s friends & family gathered at Disneyland . Where this Disney Legend was then honored with his very own Window on Main Street . And it was kind of appropriate that Marty spent his last official day as a Disney employee at the very place where his career with the...

Andy H. writes in to say: “So what’s the deal with the Walt Disney Family Museum ? I read somewhere on the Web that tickets are supposed to go on sale August 1 st and that the museum itself is supposed to open on October 1 st . But beyond that, there isn’t a whole lot of info out there.“ Copyright Disney...

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...

Do you want the Disneyana fan on your holiday shopping list to have a very "Mary" Christmas? Then be sure and pick them up a copy of Brian Sibley & Michael Lassell's " Mary Poppins: Anything Can Happen If You Let It " (Disney Editions, December 2007). Subtitled "The Story Behind the Journey from...

What's in a name? Well, as Universal learned the hard way back in 1998, when it decided to rename its recently expanded resort " '>Universal Studios Escape " and thus confused hundreds of thousands of tourists ... Sometimes picking the wrong name for your theme park and/or resort can prove to be disastrous...