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It wasn’t exactly the news that animation fans were expecting. That Walt Disney Animation Studios would be following up “ The Princess and the Frog ” (i.e. The Company’s much anticipated return to hand-drawn animation) with a feature-length Winnie the Pooh project . Ah, but there was method to the Mouse...

What with that $1.1 billion worth of construction that’s currently going on at Disney’s California Adventure (not to mention that $100+ milllion redo of the Disneyland Hotel that just got underway), the next three years are going to be a particularly tough time for the Disneyland Resort . Walt Disney...

Did you ever wonder what it might be like to be one of those scare-actors at Universal Studios Florida ? You know, one of those guys who comes lurching out of the shadows on Halloween Horror Nights and then frightens some poor unsuspecting tourist? Well, this past week, the nice folks who work in Public...

So how early do the folks at Knott’s Berry Farm start getting ready for Halloween Haunt ? Photo by Angela Ragno Well, if you take into consideration all of the costumes & sets that are kept in storage behind-the-scenes at this Buena Park theme park … Photo by Angela Ragno … not to mention all of...

Last month at the D23 EXPO , the Disney Cruise Line announced that they would begin offering cruises to Alaska & the Pacific Coast in the summer of 2011. Disney Cruise Line President Karl Holz reveals the Line's new destination at a special presentation last month at the D23 EXPO Photo by Angela...

Boys and girls of every age, Wouldn’t you like to see something strange … Like – say – Zero flying over Sleeping Beauty Castle . Photo by Paul Hiffmeyer. Copyright 2009 Disney. All Rights Reserved Or – better yet -- a 20-foot tall magical orb that rises 45 feet in the air behind the Castle. Which then...

It’s been quite a month for the Mouse, don’t you think? Inside of one single 30 day span, The Walt Disney Company has: Revealed that it would be spending $4 billion to acquire Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and its library of 5000 characters At the D23 EXPO , the Studios announced a new production label...

You gotta give DreamWorks Theatricals & Neal Street Productions their props. These folks will do whatever they have to in order to make sure that “ Shrek the Musical ” stands out from the crowd. Seem that much more different than all the other shows that are currently running on Broadway. Take –...

Is it just me or does Nathan Fillion seem to be everywhere these days? I mean, the guy reprised his role as Captain Hammer in that “ Dr. Horrible ” sketch on the Emmys back on September 20th. The second season of Fillion’s latest show, “ Castle ,” debuted on the 21 st , while the DVD version of the first...

Because Kermit the Frog helps hammer together the framing for a new Habitat for Humanity house, he gets to take his little nephew Robin off to Disneyland to experience “ Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride .” And because Miss Piggy muscles some plywood into place at this very same construction site, she then gets a...

Epcot has long been noted known for its mix of education and entertainment. Which is why Gary Vaynerchuk fits in perfectly at this theme park. This self-trained wine expert flew into Orlando late last week to help kick-off the 14 th annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival . And in his own...

There are all sorts of rituals associated with the opening of a brand-new show. Take – for example – how veteran performers will wish each other well on opening night. They never say “Good Luck” or “Have a good show.” They always say “Break a leg.” Well, the Universal Orlando Resort has its own rituals...

Take a dollop of “ Desperate Housewives ” and then toss that into a blender with a cup full of “ Charmed .” Now whip up elements of these two hit show elements up until they’re light & frothy, then pour the whole thing over the Stars Hollow sets from “ Gilmore Girls .” What do you wind up with? A...

As I sat in the Arena at the Anaheim Convention Center earlier this month, watching the Walt Disney Studios presentation at the D23 EXPO, I remember thinking that no one but Dick Cook could pull off a show like this. Kelly Preston, Ella Bleu Travolta, John Travolta and Disney's Dick Cook at Walt Disney...

CatastropheCanyonCat writes in to say: Photo by Jeff Lange “I’ve been checking your site for days now, waiting for the D23 EXPO coverage to begin. When are you going to start telling us what this show was like, what your favorite parts were?” Favorite parts? There’s a line out of Ben Brantley‘s May 2001...

For those of you out there who have been grousing about the Marvel acquisition deal – saying, in essence that “ … Disney’s going to ruin those characters just like they did the Muppets ” … Well, you clearly haven’t been paying attention to what Kermit & Co. have been up to this year. The Muppets...

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...

When “ The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies ” was initially published back in September of 2003 , I seriously doubt that Jason Surrell ever thought that he’d have to “hurry back … hurry back …” to revisit this material. Copyright Disney Editions. All Rights Reserved But who knew...

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...

Throughout the country, people are looking forward to Labor Day. Trying to fit in the very last few moments of summer, including one last barbecue, one last dip in the pool, and those final few moments of joy, before the summer season disappears and the Fall grind of work and school arrive. But over...