Welcome to Jim Hill Media - Entertainment News : Theme Parks Movies Television

Browse By Tags

  • Blog Post: "Be Our Guest" features an unvarnished take on Disney Company history

    I have to admit that It's been kind of amusing to watch the reaction (both here and elsewhere around the Web) that Tuesday's "What's really behind the sudden change in Disney Parks & Resorts' facial hair policy" story has been getting. With all sorts of would-be Disney scholars...
  • Blog Post: How a Toon Elevator helped Mickey Mouse learn how to talk

    By now, you’ve no doubt seen those online videos that made many a theme park fan go gaga. Where a few lucky Guests – as they were making a stop at Mickey’s House at Disneyland earlier this week – suddenly found themselves face-to-face with a NextGen walkaround character. A Mickey Mouse who not only addressed...
  • Blog Post: Pook-A-Looz give classic Disney characters a quirky new look

    From the people who brought you Passamaquoddy , Heffalumps and Woozles as well as Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo , now come Disney Pook-A-Looz . The official tagline for this quirky new line of plush is “Too cute for their own good.” But these classic Disney characters didn’t get that way all by themselves. They...
  • Blog Post: Further info on Fantasyland Forest, additional details on the Disney Dream Home

    Alec M. writes in to say: I’ve really been enjoying all of these stories that you’ve been running lately that tie back to the D23 EXPO . As someone who wasn’t able to get out to the Anaheim Convention Center last September in order to experience this Disneyana fan event in person, I have to admit that...
  • Blog Post: Why For did Sony Pictures decide not to go forward with production of “Spider-Man 4” ?

    Ask and ye shall receive. When I asked you guys for some new Why For questions last week, I had hoped that I might get a few. But given the dozens of great Disney-related questions that have come pouring over the past seven days, it’s clear that you folks really missed this particular JHM column. Thanks...
  • Blog Post: Monday Mouse Watch : Get ready for WDW's monstrous new coaster

    Judging by the long lines at " Toy Story Mania " as well as the brisk business that "Hey Howdy Hey!" & the gift shop across the way have been doing, it would appear that Pixar Place has already proven to be a very popular addition to Disney's Hollywood Studios . The only problem with the studio theme...
  • Blog Post: Look for Mickey to get Shanghai-ed in September

    Did you catch that story late last month about Shanghai Disneyland? Wen Wei Po , a Hong Kong-based newspaper, reported that " ... after 10 years of tough negotiations ..." the Walt Disney Company had finally cut a deal to build a theme park in China's business hub. What was fascinating about this particular...
  • Blog Post: Still can't find Nemo? Then try looking inside of your room the next time you stay at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort

    First they conquered Hollywood. Then the Disney theme parks. But are you ready for Pixar-themed elements to start popping at WDW's resorts? And -- no -- we're not just talking about enormous decorative elements like you find over at Disney's All-Star Movies . Copyright Disney / Pixar. All Rights Reserved...
  • Blog Post: Monday Mouse Watch : Has WDI solved all of "Toy Story Mania" 's problems? Not Yeti

    By now, you've probably heard about the Mr. Potato Head that's been installed in the queue area of " Toy Story Mania ." How this 5 foot, 2 inch AA figure (Which reportedly cost a million dollars to build) will actually address individual quests as they stand there, waiting in the attraction's queue area...
  • Blog Post: Toon Tuesday: Disney's "The Aristocats" ... The Animated Series ?!

    Today, the "Special Edition" version of " The Aristocats " DVD goes on sale. Copyright 2008 Disney. All Rights Reserved And while it's hard to find fault with this 1970 Walt Disney Productions release itself (Which remains just as charming as ever. With Duchess the filthy rich feline falling for Thomas...
  • Blog Post: Wanna make the holidays a bit more magical for one deserving family?

    Over the past week or so, I must have received a dozen or more e-mails just like this one from Disney Defender: Photo by Jeff Lange Jim, Have you heard about the revamped version of Spaceship Earth that just soft-opened at Epcot ? The Imagineers have absolutely ruined this classic Future World attraction...
  • Blog Post: Monday Mouse Watch: Is there really such a thing as putting too much Walt into a Disney theme park?

    Last month, theme park fans the world over rejoiced at the news that the Walt Disney Company would be spending more than a billion dollars to redo DCA . With a large chunk of this cash being committed toward the retheming of the entrance portion of this troubled theme park . Which will soon be turned...
  • Blog Post: Toon Tuesday : A Disney kind of guy

    It's been a little over a week and I'm still trying to deal with reality. Sometimes, reality is hard to take. Although much has already been said and written , I feel there is still a little more to say about the loss of Disney Imagineer Bruce Gordon . It's difficult to believe that only two weeks ago...
  • Blog Post: A special "Toon Much of a Good Thing" edition of Why For

    First up, Danny writes in to ask: Jim, Any reason that you know of why Pixar started skimping on their DVD packages? Up to and including " The Incredibles ," no company did the medium justice better than Pixar. But the discs for " Cars " and " Rataouille " (which I have an advanced copy of) are pathetic...