My apologies for being off the air here for a couple of days here. But I've been out in Southern California on a business trip from JimHillMedia and the Huffington Post . Going to the sorts of places that Disney fans just dream about getting into and seeing things that ... Well, I can't talk about. Not yet, anyway. But in the weeks & months ahead, boy, will I have some truly cool stories to share. But -- for now (mostly because I'm headed out the door shortly for a roundtable session...

Avast, me hearties ! Walking the plank off the television screen and into an arena near you, look for some popular Disney Junior characters to make a stop in your hometown. Jake and the Never Land Pirates and Sofia the First will be hitting the road starting this summer as Feld Entertainment announces it will stage a live production based on the top performing Disney Junior cable television programs. Feld, famous for Disney On Ice and Disney Live! extravaganzas, along with its Ringling Brothers and...

Woo Hoo! Springfield, hometown to America's favorite animated family, The Simpsons, comes to life at Universal Orlando Resort this summer. Copyright Fox / Universal Orlando. All rights reserved The expansive, new area within Universal Studios will be anchored by the mega-attraction, The Simpsons Ride, and will allow guests to enter the world of The Simpsons like never before. It will be the only place in the world where guests can walk the streets of Springfield. It will include a brand-new outdoor...

For one night only, two of the world’s most celebrated songwriters and composers will take to the stage for “Richard M. Sherman and Alan Menken: The Disney Songbook.” The concert will take place at the D23 Expo 2013 at the Anaheim Convention Center in the D23 Expo Arena on Saturday, August 10. Together Sherman and Menken have won a combined 10 Academy Awards for their work with Disney, and have composed music and songs for more than three dozen Disney feature films, over two dozen...

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,...

From above the world of "Cars" comes "Disney's Planes," an action-packed 3D animated comedy adventure featuring Dusty (voice of Dane Cook), a plane with dreams of competing as a high-flying air racer. But Dusty's not exactly built for racing-and he happens to be afraid of heights. So he turns to a seasoned naval aviator who helps Dusty qualify to take on the defending champ of the race circuit. Dusty's courage is put to the ultimate test as he aims to reach heights...

Members Will Have Online Access to Vast Array of Exclusive Disney Content Disney to Celebrate Expansion With New Free D23 Membership Level BURBANK, Calif. - May 16, 2013 - On June 17, D23: The Official Disney Fan Club , will launch a massive reimagining of its D23.com website, opening up the wonderful worlds of Disney like never before to its members. The site will provide access to newly digitized content that delves deeply into The Walt Disney Company's vault of material, past and present,...

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...

The entire cast of the animated smash RIO returns in RIO 2, and they are joined by a new flock of top actors and musical talents. Rich with grandeur, character, color and music, RIO 2 finds Jewel (Anne Hathaway), Blu (Jesse Eisenberg) and their three kids leaving their domesticated life in that magical city for a journey to the Amazon. They encounter a menagerie of characters who are born to be wild, voiced by Oscar nominee Andy Garcia, Oscar/Emmy/Tony-winner Rita Moreno, Grammy winner Bruno Mars...

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Tuesdays, 8:00-9:00 p.m., ET/PT) Clark Gregg reprises his role of Agent Phil Coulson from Marvel's feature films, as he assembles a small, highly select group of Agents from the worldwide law-enforcement organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D. Together they investigate the new, the strange and the unknown around the globe, protecting the ordinary from the extraordinary. Coulson's team consists of Agent Grant Ward (Brett Dalton), highly trained in combat and...

"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...

Famed actor and musician John Stamos "rolled out" to Universal Orlando Resort yesterday, May 13, 2013, where he was recruited as a NEST agent by the larger-than-life Autobots, Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. The Autobots are preparing for battle against the Decepticons before the highly-anticipated, mega-attraction, TRANSFORMERS: The Ride - 3D, grand opens on June 20. Hosted by Universal Orlando, Stamos is best known for starring on hit TV shows, "Full House" and "ER,"...

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...

Copyright Disney Enterprises. All rights reserved. In celebration of mothers and daughters everywhere, Disney proudly welcomed Merida from Disney∙Pixar's Brave , into the Disney Princess royal court on May 11th, 2013. The special ceremony to honor the brave and passionate princess was hosted at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort in front of Cinderella Castle. Copyright Disney Enterprises. All rights reserved. Merida was welcomed on stage by the entire Disney Princess court, and was...

From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes "Big Hero 6," an action comedy adventure about brilliant robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada, who finds himself in the grips of a criminal plot that threatens to destroy the fast-paced, high-tech city of San Fransokyo. With the help of his closest companion-a robot named Baymax-Hiro joins forces with a reluctant team of first-time crime fighters on a mission to save their city. SAN FRANSOKYO AT NIGHT – Pictured in concept art, the high-tech city of...

Story App Instantly Unlocks and Organizes Memories Included in Your Photo Library May 8, 2013 (Glendale, CA) -Disney Interactive today announced that Story, a digital storytelling app for iPhone and iPod touch that turns photography and video into compelling personal narratives, is now available on the App Store. A revolutionary story creation and storytelling app, Story uses intuitive technology to access the photo and video library on your iPhone or iPod touch and automatically organizes them into...

Happy Mother's Day From Monsters University! Like MONSTERS UNIVERSITY on Facebook: http://facebook.com/PixarMonstersUniversity Follow Disney/Pixar on Twitter : http://www.twitter.com/DisneyPixar Tweet the official hashtag: #MonstersU Visit the website: http://www.Disney.com/MonstersU

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...

Disney Proudly Celebrates the “Winnie The Pooh” Movie that Started it All! Beloved Original Animated Classic Debuts for the First Time on Blu-ray TM and HD Digital - August 27, 2013 BURBANK, Calif., May 3, 2013 - The Walt Disney Studios proudly celebrates the heartwarming animated classic that started it all - "The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh." Available August 27 th for the first time on Blu-ray TM and HD Digital with a variety of bonus features, a whole new generation...

THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY AND EA ANNOUNCE MULTI-YEAR STAR WARS GAMES AGREEMENT Deal will bring new Star Wars games to fans across the most popular gaming genres and platforms BURBANK and REDWOOD CITY, Calif., May 6, 2013 -- The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) and Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) today announced a new multi-year exclusive licensing agreement to develop and publish globally new games based on Star Wars characters and storylines. Under the agreement, EA will develop and publish new Star...

Disney VISA Free Dining 2013 2013-05-06 07:39:14-04 Travel Dates : September 2 – 25, 2012 The Walt Disney World ® Resort has released a new Free Dining offer to cover dates from September 2 through September 25, 2012. Only selected dates and resorts are available. Please note that in order to qualify for the free Disney dining offer, your must check in on one of the available dates above. Your stay can extend beyond September 25, and you will still receive the free Disney dining for your...

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...

HEED THIS WARNING: THE DECEPTICONS HAVE ARRIVED IN ORLANDO THE BATTLE BEGINS JUNE 20 Orlando, Fla. (May 2, 2013) - Megatron and the Decepticons are closing in on Orlando...we must prepare for battle... The highly anticipated blockbuster attraction TRANSFORMERS: The Ride - 3D will officially open on Thursday, June 20, 2013, Universal Orlando announced today. Universal also launched an all-new "Join the Resistance" Facebook experience to prepare fans for the battle they'll experience...

Disney Infinity is an all-new video game initiative starring the beloved characters from Walt Disney and Pixar Studios' most popular franchises. Players can place real-world toy versions of their favorite Disney characters onto a device called the Infinity Base and transport them into the virtual game worlds of Monsters University, the Incredibles, Cars and Pirates of the Caribbean, as well as into a giant Toy Box. For additional information on the Disney Infinity Toy Box mode, visit https:/...

Go Deeper Into the Spectacular Land of Oz Disney’s OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL New To Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, Digital and On-Demand - June 11, 2013 BURBANK, Calif. May 1, 2013 - Disney's "Oz The Great and Powerful" will once again provide audiences with a magical entertainment experience when it debuts for in-home release on Blu-ray TM Combo Pack, DVD, Digital) and On-Demand, June 11, 2013. A must-own for any home entertainment collection, the Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD...

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...

Special preview screening set at Fly-In Theater on Friday, August 2 EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wis. - (April 29, 2013) - Everyone knows that Oshkosh becomes the busiest airport in the world the week of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh (July 29-August 4), and that airplanes take off all the time ... however, 2013 will be a first for some very special planes . The summer release of "Disney's Planes," the animated comedy adventure from above the world of the popular 2006 film "Cars,"...

NOW AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY TO D23 MEMBERS Insider Glimpses of Monsters University , Iron Man 3, The Lone Ranger and Disney's Planes Plus an Extensive Feature Saluting 60 Years of Walt Disney Imagineering BURBANK, Calif. - April 29, 2013 - The summer issue of Disney twenty-three , the flagship magazine of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club, features a mega summer movie preview of Disney's upcoming theatrical releases. D23 gets readers back in the saddle with filmmakers Jerry Bruckheimer and...

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...

Members assemble in more than 25 Marvel costumes including Iron Man, She-Hulk and Captain America Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, April 25 - Penguins are once again assembling as Marvel Super Heroes and Super Villains in Disney's Club Penguin , the #1 virtual world for kids, for this year's all-new Marvel Super Hero Takeover event. Starting today, penguins will be called to defend the city of Penguintropolis and bring members dressed as Marvel Super Villains to justice before they take...

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FOURTH SEASON OF "GOOD LUCK CHARLIE" PREMIERES WITH A SPECIAL PERFORMANCE BY THE MUPPETS, SUNDAY, APRIL 28 ON DISNEY CHANNEL Season four of Disney Channel's hit family comedy "Good Luck Charlie," premieres SUNDAY, APRIL 28 (7:30-8:00 p.m. ET/PT) with a special performance by Disney's The Muppets. Guest stars Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and Animal join series stars Bridgit Mendler and Leigh-Allyn Baker to perform a show-stopping, Muppet-ational original song...

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...

Helen Mirren, Alfred Molina, Dave Foley, Sean P. Hayes and More Join Billy Crystal, John Goodman and Steve Buscemi in a Remarkable Roster of Monster Voices BURBANK, Calif. (April 17, 2013) -- Disney•Pixar's "Monsters University" welcomes some of Hollywood's top stars to its roster of voice talent for this summer's frighteningly funny comedy adventure, opening in U.S. theaters on June 21, 2013. Joining Billy Crystal and John Goodman are Steve Buscemi, Helen Mirren, Alfred...

UNIVERSAL ORLANDO RESORT AND GIVE KIDS THE WORLD PARTNER TO CREATE AN UNFORGETTABLE VACATION AND VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE Universal Parks & Resorts Vacations to Donate $100 to Give Kids The World for Every Package Booked ORLANDO, Fla. (April 17, 2013) - Universal Orlando Resort today unveiled a one-of-a-kind vacation package allowing guests to spend cherished family time in its theme parks and then to create unforgettable memories for children at Give Kids The World Village. Give Kids The World Village...

Tune-in - by clicking below - to THE LONE RANGER trailer debut and live stream Q&A exclusively on Yahoo! featuring Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, director Gore Verbinski, and producer Jerry Bruckheimer at 1:00pm PST.

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...

In the Toy Box mode, players can build their own adventures and worlds featuring hundreds of characters, vehicles, items and environments, including Scrooge McDuck's money pit, a Tron Recognizer, the Dumbo flying elephant ride and Stitch's Surfboard. Players can also use the logic editor to create any kind of game or experience, such as action adventures, obstacle courses, capture-the-flag, tower defense, car races - even re-create some of their favorite classic arcade games. About Disney...

Annette Funicello , long-time Disney and Beach Party star, passed away on Monday April 8 at Mercy Southwest Hospital in Bakersfield, CA, at the age of 70. She died peacefully from complications due to Multiple Sclerosis, a disease she battled for over 25 years. Beloved by television viewers in the 50s for her stint on Disney's original The Mickey Mouse Club, and by film buffs for her numerous roles in a series of popular teen-oriented movies in the 60s, Funicello became a pop culture icon. Copyright...

"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...

This morning on “Good Morning America,” the cast of Newsies , the Tony® Award-winning hit Broadway musical, celebrated one year on Broadway with a special performance of “Carrying The Banner” that took the newsies from the streets of the Nederlander Theatre (208 West 41 st St., New York City) to a takeover of GMA’s Times Square Studios. Click on the image below to view the performance: In its first smash year, Newsies has been seen by nearly a half-million people...