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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...

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...

"We currently have no traditional hand-drawn animated motion pictures in production or development." Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved I'm paraphrasing what Disney CEO Robert Iger said at the recent shareholders meeting in Phoenix, AZ . But whether he knew it or not...

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...

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 Internet is really a wondrous place. Especially if you're a young person who's considering a career in animation. If you've ever considered becoming a character designer someday, you can always swing by Tom Bancroft 's Character Mentor Studio or Stephen Silver's blog and then...

If you listen carefully today, you can hear thousands of people around the country quietly cursing. "And why are these people cursing?," you ask. Well, that's because these folks are just now realizing it's February 13th. Which means that tomorrow is Valentine's Day. That day when...

For three weeks now, photos of a mysterious bankers box have been making the rounds on the Web. Brad Bird and Damon Lindelof reportedly deliberately put these images out there to help whet people's appetites for " Tomorrowland ," the sci-fi -themed project that these two wrote which is...

I have to admit that I'm kind of a sucker for all of these castle shows that Disney has begun doing in the Magic Kingdom . Whether it's draping this iconic structure with over 200,000 lights to turn it into a wintery wonder for the "Cinderella's Holiday Wish / Castle Dream Lights"...

They say that a man's home is his castle. Well, tonight, my castle is under siege. The wind field associated with Hurricane Sandy has already made its way up to New Hampshire, sending wind gusts of 50 - 55 MPH whistling through the trees. Which means that Nancy and I have already experienced a number...

It's no secret that animation played a big role in the life of Walt Disney and the company that bears his name. A visit to the Walt Disney Family Museum offers guests the opportunity to learn about it. And usually, the process of two-dimensional, such as hand-drawn animation, is how the story unfolds...

Los Angeles, Calif., September 19, 2012 -Disney began production today on "Saving Mr. Banks," the account of Walt Disney's twenty-year pursuit of the film rights to P.L. Travers' popular novel, Mary Poppins , and the testy partnership the upbeat filmmaker develops with the uptight author...

Earlier today, Chris sent me a note which read: Hi Jim I am loving the daily why for entries. I heard that when planning a european park the original plan was to construct somewhere is Spain. if this is true why for did Disney feel the need to build it in France? As a Britt, I can say that the amount...

The full-length animated features that Walt Disney Animation Studios has produced over the past 75 years can mostly be sorted into two distinctly different piles: Those films that Walt personally had a hand in and those movies which were produced after Disney passed away. Please note that I said "mostly...

September Programs, Exhibitions, and Events San Francisco, CA - August 13, 2012 -Animal lovers rejoice! Our furry friends will be in the spotlight all throughout September at The Walt Disney Family Museum, where we will be screening the classic Disney live-action film Old Yeller daily. Based on Fred...

I recently learned of the passing of my friend and colleague, Ginny Tyler . Ginny and I shared our love for Disney. And I always regarded her as a true talent as well as one of the chief Mouseketeers much like the original head mouse, Jimmie Dodd . Back in the 1960s, Ginny performed live segments from...

Last Monday afternoon, I was at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum and overheard a pretty funny exchange between two of the docents who'd been assigned to work the " D23 presents Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives " exhibit. Photo by Alice Hill It seems that one of these...

As I sat at my drawing board wildly sketching away on a new feature film idea, I suddenly glanced up to see two visitors in the room. It seems they were scrutinizing the sketches, models and story boards in my cluttered office. The two older gentleman were wearing the pastel colored garb usually sported...

The "top dog" in the Wonderful World of Disney is celebrating his 80th birthday. One of Walt Disney's classic "Fab Five" animated characters, Goofy first stumbled onto the silver screen on May 25th, 1932 in a cartoon called " Mickey's Revue ." Originally named Dippy...

The old adage is "April Showers bring May Flowers." Image courtesy of S/R Laboratories. All rights reserved Well, Nancy and I are down in Orlando right now. And this year, April Showers seems to be bringing May Downpours. Which suggests that June might be a really good time to go shopping for...