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Those of you who were so quick to dismiss Robert Zemeckis ’ “ A Christmas Carol ” as a cinematic lump of coal in Disney’s corporate stocking may want to take another look at the grosses for this performance capture picture. As Bob Iger admitted during last week’s quarterly earnings conference call :...

The Philadelphia Inquirer said that it “ … succeeded in generating more warmth and sentiment than have flesh-and-blood actors in several previous … ‘Christmas Carols’ “ The Chicago Daily News that “ … it really was a remarkable job.” More importantly that this production “ … undoubtedly will become one...

In honor of Columbus Day, I thought that we’d spend today peeking over the horizon. Discovering what new worlds possibly awaits us by checking out some of the domain names The Walt Disney Company has registered over the past few weeks. All of you athletic-types who enjoy taking part in endurance events...

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...

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...

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...

No one mourns the Wicked. No one cries “They won’t return!” No one lays a lily on their grave Ah, but as “Wicked” (i.e. Gregory Maguire ’s best-selling book as well as the long-running stage musical ) proves, it is actually possible to feel sadness & sympathy for a character that’s been labeled Wicked...

We're still six weeks out from the release of the diamond edition of " Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ." But some of the merchandise that's supposed to piggyback on the hi-def Blu-ray version of this Disney Classic is already starting to show up in stores. With Cynthia Rylant & Gustaf Tenggren ...

He’s ba-a-ack. After taking a six month sabbatical from the Mouse House, master animator Glen Keane is back. Keane – who stepped down from his directorial position on “ Rapunzel ” last October due to health-related reasons – is now back supervising animation on that project. Master animator Glen Keane...

Boys and girls of every age, Would you like to see something strange? Copyright 2009 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved Okay. I know. It’s July. Which is not exactly when people start thinking about Halloween and/or Christmas. But a book just hit store shelves that I know that Disneyana fans...

I’m almost afraid to say this, given that there are still two installments of the “Harry Potter” film franchise yet to come (i.e. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One,” which is currently slated to hit theaters in November of 2010. While “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two” will...

30 years ago this month, I made my very first trip to Walt Disney World . And for 25 years now, I’ve been writing about Central Florida’s Vacation Kingdom. I offer this info up not because I want to impress JHM readers with my advanced age. But – rather – to give you some idea of how long I’ve actually...

Over the years, I have heard a lot of stories from Disney insiders that I’ve been lucky enough to interview. Like how Alice Davis once told me that she knew that Mary Blair must be dealing with some horrific personal problems. Given that – in the early 1970s – this Disney Legend’s acclaimed sense of...

In honor of the 20 th anniversary of Disney’s Hollywood Studios (Which The Walt Disney World Resort will be celebrating this Friday with a variety of events at that theme park), I thought it might be interesting today to explore one of the great “What If” moments in Hollywood history. As in: What would...

In response to last week's review of Jeff Kurtti 's newest book , " Walt Disney's Imagineering Legends and the Genesis of the Disney Theme Park ," I got the following e-mail: Not everyone who reads JimHillMedia is interested in the Disney theme parks. Some of us come to your site because we want to learn...

"There can be only one ..." And -- no -- I'm not channeling for the Highlander here. I'm talking about the real budgetary challenge that many consumers are facing this holiday season. Where -- instead of heaving multiple presents at friends & family as they have in years past -- they can now afford...

A word of warning before you head home for Thanksgiving: Be careful what you place in your mouth this holiday season. For that hors d'oeuvre might just be an author. Don't believe me? Okay. Then let us consider Pepe the King Prawn . With the help of Jim Lewis , this Muppet just turned out his first tome;...

There are many things that you expect to find at the World of Disney at WDW's Downtown Disney . Mountains of Plush. Shelves piled high with Pirates of the Caribbean stuff. Way too much Disney Princess Merchandise. But Pulitzer Prize -winning authors? And yet this was where Dave Barry spent yesterday...

When it comes to putting together a good "Art of" book, especially one that covers the creation of a new animated feature ... Well, it's a lot harder than it looks. Sometimes the authors of these over-sized coffee table books take themselves a bit too seriously. Which is why they then make the mistake...

How many of you have fond memories of "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and "Xena: Warrior Princess" ? You know, those syndicated action-adventure shows that were shot on location in New Zealand back in the 1990s? Well, the folks at ABC Studios are hoping that there's an awful lot of you out there who...