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There's really no polite way to say this. So I'm just going to say it: " A Jetson Christmas Carol " is lousy. I don't know how familiar you folks are with this animated sitcom, so let me give you a quick history of the show: " The Jetsons " was produced by Hanna-Barbera with the hopes that this program...

You want to hear something ironic? It was an act of generosity that -- in a roundabout way -- led to Alan Young being cast as the world's most miserly duck. Copyright 2004 Disney Enterprises, Inc. I'm serious, folks. Back in the 1960s, this " Mr. Ed " star helped a young man who was just getting started...

Earlier today, Mark S. sent me an e-mail asked: Dear Jim: Today's "Scrooge U" article compelled me to pull out my old VHS copy of " Mickey's Christmas Carol ." And you're right. It is fun spotting all of those characters from earlier Disney films that pop up in the picture. In addition to those " Mr...

Okay. I know. We all love those moments in "A Christmas Carol" after Scrooge has been redeemed. When the old skinflint tries to make amends to all those he's wronged over the years. That's when Dickens' classic holiday tale becomes truly heart-warming. But -- prior to this point...

So here I was yesterday, talking about how the Mouse is growing frustrated with the on-line Disneyana community . Reportedly because us dweebs are so quick to condemn anything new that Walt Disney Imagineering proposes for the parks. But now comes word that WDI is actually thinking of using us weenies...

Remember how I talked yesterday about how the CBS " Shower of Stars " version of " Scrooge " should have worked? What with a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright handling the adaptation of Dickens' classic holiday tale, a two-time Academy Award-winner performing the title role and...

John S. writes in to ask: Jim -- My son and I recently discovered your website and we've really been enjoyed digging through all of your old stories. Since my son is now showing such a keen interest in the history of the Walt Disney Company, I thought that I might give him a Disney history book as a...

I was just watching the news. And they had on another one of those stories about Black Friday . You know, the day after Thanksgiving? Which is supposedly the busiest shopping day of the year. Anyway ... This reporter was going on and on about the sales that the big boxes will be holding this Friday....

The order reportedly came down on November 1st. Target employees around the country were given very specific instructions about what they were supposed to do. Which involved pulling down in-store signage that promoted most Disney products. Mind you, this order didn't just go out to a handful of Target...

If you're a Disney history buff, you've undoubtedly seen this photograph before ... Copyright 2006 University Press of Kentucky It's from the infamous strike of 1941. When hundreds of artists & animators picketed right outside of the Buena Vista Street entrance to the studio. With the hope that Walt...

Yesterday's announcement that DreamWorks Animation SKG will be producing "Shrek the Halls," a new holiday special for ABC, caught a number of animation professionals by surprise. Not so much because this Glendale-based animation company was looking to move into television. As DreamWorks Animation's 2004...

Perhaps some of you are knowledgeable about Disney's first female animator, Retta Scott . Ms Scott has a credit on the Disney feature, " Bambi ." And I'm willing to bet she has been an inspiration for a lot of young women hoping for a career in animation. Unfortunately, I never met Retta Scott. But I...

It was 50 years ago tonight that the 1939 version of " The Wizard of Oz " was first shown on television. Copyright 2005 Warner Home Video The first-ever telecast of this Victor Fleming film was a rating smash. Over 44 million people tuned in to catch this broadcast (Which was hosted by the...

Let's cut to the chase, shall we? The Walt Disney biography that all of us dweebs have been waiting for (Some of us, for decades now) ... is finally here . While there may have been other fine books written about the founder of the Walt Disney Company (Bob Thomas' " Walt Disney: An American Original...

You'd think that -- what with it being October 31st and all -- that " Runaway Brain " would at least be shown once today on Toon Disney . But no. This hilarious Chris Bailey short remains tucked away in the Disney vault. Mostly because the suits don't exactly like the way that Mickey Mouse is portrayed...

This past Tuesday afternoon, a group of artists gathered on the patio of Disney's new Consumer Products building in Glendale for a book signing. The artists were all participants in a new Disney book entitled " The Art of Winnie the Pooh: Disney Artists Celebrate the Silly Old Bear ." Photo by Floyd...

It's what every good Disney dweeb dreams of. Someday getting into the ARL. As in: WDFA's Animation Research Library . You see, the ARL is the place where -- once production is completed on a particular animated feature -- all the artwork is then sent. Both the finished animation drawings as well as the...

Let's clear up the confusion right from the start, shall we? That " Sister Act: The Musical " that's holding its world premiere at the Pasadena Playhouse tonight ... Copyright SisActs, Limited Liability Company ... is based on the Whoopi Goldberg movie that Walt Disney Studios released through its Touchstone...

First up, George S. writes to say: My family and I were visiting Disney-MGM earlier this year. And while I was at that park, I got talking with a cast member who was working at the " Great Movie Ride. " He met our car as we rolled back in that attraction's exit area and asked us what we had all thought...

You wanna know what's kind of ironic? One of the most memorable moments from the " Meet the Robinsons " trailer is when that film's villain -- the Bowler Hat Guy -- is tossed out in the street. With all of his belongings soon following after him ... Copyright 2007 Disney Enterprises, Inc. "So what's...