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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...

Well, it's September now and the kids are headed back to class. Which means that it's time to start stocking up on those essential school supplies: Pencils. Erasers. Lined paper. Copyright 2008 Silman-James Press. All Rights Reserved And if you've got a son or daughter who's heading off to Cal Arts ...

It's something of a show business tradition to get your act together and then take it on the road. But for primary-school-teacher-turned-author Eoin Colfer , who's been toodling around the United States for more than a week now aboard a bus emblazoned with the words "Fairies, Fiends and Flatulence,"...

As a kid I'd tune in the Wonderful World of Color every Sunday night. Most of the time Walt would introduce some western or historic feature - or some story like "Melvin, the Manic Marmoset" - and I'd switch over to watch Ed Sullivan . He had ventriloquists ! On a good week, there'd be an animated feature...

Hey, folks -- Jim Hill here. Before this month's Floyd Norman column officially gets underway, I thought that I'd take a moment to let JHM readers know that Mr. Fun recently launched his very own blog. Appropriately titled Mr. Fun's Blog . So if you want more than just the usually once-a-month dose of...

Picking up where we left off with last week's tale ... It's one thing to watch your favorite Disney show as a fan. It's quite another to know that -- in 45 minutes -- you're going to be a member of the cast, carrying on a proud tradition started 25 years before by Walt Disney and Wally Boag . It's April...

Today's lesson: Sometimes our Disney fan obsessions do pay off. When EPCOT Center opened in 1982, Steve Hansen was already an accomplished puppeteer and performer, working as the PuppetMan in World Showcase. Someone as talented & versatile as Steve was bound to go far in the Walt Disney world. In...

Who is Hans Bacher ? Trust me, folks. If you're a Disneyana fan, you know this man's work. If you were creeped out by the look of the Beast's lair in " Beauty & the Beast " ... Copyright 2007 Disney Enterprises. All Rights Reserved ... or ever marveled at the clean, crisp design of the logo for the...

You have to admit that it's a pretty amazing time to be an animation fan. By that I mean: The best reviewed film of 2007 was " Ratatouille ." With " Enchanted " and "How to Hook Up Your Home Theater," we're getting our very first glimpses of the revival of hand-drawn animation at Walt Disney Animation...

In response to this week's Toon Tuesday column , CC writes in to say: " Pixar wanted to produce a holiday special back in the 1980s?! Come on, Jim. You've GOT TO write an article about that." Ask and ye shall receive. But please keep in mind that the Pixar that I'll be writing about will not be the great...

It's okay. You can admit it. As the camera pulled back at the end of " Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End ," leaving Captain Jack Sparrow just as we'd found him at the start of " The Curse of the Black Pearl " (i.e alone in a small boat in the middle of this empty huge sea), you felt a little blue...

Are you a Disneyana enthusiast who likes to collect the signatures of your favorite authors, artists and/or filmmakers? Well, have I got good news for you? Over the next eight days, there's going to be a variety of events held all over the country that will give you the chance to get up-close-and-personal...

How's this for a somewhat cruel irony? On the very first day that "How Does the Show Go On? An Introduction to the Theater" (Disney Editions, November 2007) was officially available for purchase (i.e. November 27th), the show was NOT going on. As in: 28 of Broadway's theaters were still dark due to Local...

There's this genuinely eerie passage in Karen Paik 's " To Infinity and Beyond! The Story of Pixar Animation Studios " ( Chronicle Books , November 2007), which talks about how a single book basically changed the course of John Lasseter 's life. In ninth grade, Lasseter was searching the art section...

Boy, I wish that I could be less wishy-washy when it comes to deciding how I feel about " Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography " (Harper, October 2007). I mean, when I originally read David Michaelis's 672-page opus, I have to admit that I enjoyed the hell out of this hardcover. All of the great insights...

This is probably going to seem like a very weird request. But -- if you could -- I'd really like it if you guys could buy up a bunch of copies of " Walt Disney's Cinderella " (Disney Press, August 2007) Copyright 2007 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved "And why should we do that?," you ask...

Given that the Disney theme parks are now home to a plethora of peaks (i.e. The Matterhorn , Space Mountain , Big Thunder Mountain , Splash Mountain , Mt. Mayday , Summit Plummit , Grizzly Peak , Mt. Prometheus and Forbidden Mountain ), it may seem somewhat bizarre to hear that there was actually a time...

Are you familiar with the old adage that "Good things come to those who wait"? Well, Disneyana fans have been waiting a long time for " Walt Disney's Legends of Imagineering and the Genesis of the Disney Theme Park ." And a lot of folks are now wondering why it's taking so long for this Disney Editions...

I know, I know. You people just love behind-the-scenes tales about the Walt Disney Company. Articles that take you behind closed doors in Burbank to reveal how the magic is really made at the Mouse House. Well, if those are the sort of stories that you really do enjoy, have I got a book for you. Jeffrey...

It's almost been two years since Gail Carson Levine first introduced the world to Fairy Haven (i.e. The secret home of Tinker Bell and all the other Never Land fairies) through her best seller, " Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg ." Now Ms. Carson takes her readers back to Never Land with the stylish...