A Night Of Treats...

Happy Halloween to all you Disney Geeks/Fans out there...

I'm off to Santa Monica for the wildest street party you've ever seen if you've ever seen it. A wonderfully fun night of scares and laughter with friends, which is what I like this Holiday to be.

Go enjoy yourself.

Tomorrow is November, which means Thanksgiving is very close and that means "Bolt". And after that film we start getting ready for Christmas. Time flies no matter if you're having fun or just passing through. So better to have fun I say...

Watch out for the tricks and make sure to not eat too many treats.

The Long Journey To Pixie Hollow...

With all the buzz about Tinker Bell going on, I thought we'd take a look at the preliminary plan that the Mouse has in store for her over the next half decade:




TINKER BELL (Formerly "TINKER BELL AND THE RING OF BELIEF")

Disney DVD and Blu-ray Release Date: October 28th, 2008
DisneyToon Studios
Director: Bradley Raymond
Producer: Jeannine Roussel

Enter the magical world of fairies and meet the enchanting creatures of Pixie Hollow, who “nurture nature” and bring about the change of the seasons. Changing the colors of the leaves, moving a sunbeam to melt snow, waking animals from their winter slumber, or giving a patch of sproutlings a sprinkle of water are all within the realm of these seasonal specialists. Tinker Bell thinks her fairy talent as a “tinker” isn’t as special or important as the other fairies’ talents. But when Tink tries to change who she is, she creates nothing but disaster! With encouragement from her friends Rosetta, Silvermist, Fawn and Iridessa, Tink learns the key to solving her problems lies in her unique tinker abilities…and discovers that when she’s true to herself, magical things can happen.




TINKER BELL AND THE LOST TREASURE (Formerly "TINKER BELL NORTH OF NEVER LAND")

Disney DVD and Blu-ray Release Date: Fall 2009
DisneyToon Studios
Director: Klay Hall
Producer: Sean Lurie

In autumn, Tinker Bell is entrusted with crafting a great treasure that can rejuvenate the Pixie Dust Tree. But when her friend Terence offers to help, Tink's temper and stubbornness get the better of her, shattering both her creation and her friendship with Terence. To set things right again, she must embark on a journey far North of Never Land… and along the way, she will discover an even greater treasure.



TINKER BELL A MIDSUMMER STORM (working title)

Disney DVD and Blu-ray Release Date: Fall 2010
DisneyToon Studios
Director: Carolyn Gair
Producer: Margot Pipkin

After being confronted by her antagonist Vidia, an irritated Tinker Bell retaliates by taking a photograph of Vidia…without considering the consequences. Now, the two must set aside their differences and cooperate to prevent evidence of the existence of fairies from falling into human hands.




TINKER BELL A WINTER STORY (working title)

Disney DVD and Blu-ray Release Date: Fall 2011
DisneyToon Studios
Producer: Sean Lurie

The fourth, as-yet-untold story of Tinker Bell and her fairy friends will take place in winter, completing the cycle of the seasons.



TINKER BELL (untitled)

Disney DVD and Blu-ray Release Date: Fall 2012
DisneyToon Studios
Director: Unknown
Producer: Unknown

The fifth and final film in the series. Story ideas are in the very early stage and very much subject to change.

Something Strange Sighted In New York Waterfront...

A version of Imagineering's "Turtle Talk with Crush"(costing a little over 13 million dollars) will be making it to the American Waterfront section of Tokyo DisneySEA about this time next year, located within the S.S. Columbia...

Plan your trip accordingly.

Glago's Guest No Longer Invited To Bolt Premiere...

It appears that at the last moment, WDAS has decided to pull "Glago's Guest" from opening up in front of "Bolt"...

This isn't the first time they've decided to pull a short and place it in front of another film though. Remember last years Goofy short: "How to Hook Up Your Home Theater " was pulled from "Enchanted" and placed in front of "National Treasure 2". No word as to what film it will play in front of as of yet.

Developing...

The End Of The Cheapquels, The Beginning Of The Tinkquells...

Today is the day all those little girls get to go out and buy that new "Tinkerbell" DVD/Blu-Ray Disc...

You get to see how the reworking that Lasseter and Catmull came out. This movie marks the death of the "cheapquels" for Disney Toon Studios and the beginning of a cincology of films about the fairies in Pixie Hollow. Go check it out...

And if you're going to Disneyland you can actually check out "Pixie Hollow" where there's a nice meet-n-greet for the little girl in your family, or the little girl in your heart...

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UPDATE: If you want to see the first six minutes of the film, click here.
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Mission Accomplished...

Well, just a little heads up for you guys...

Walt Disney Animation Studios "Bolt" was completed last Saturday when its final sound mix was done. The picture is a lock, meaning that it's not going to change and what you see is what you get. There was a screening the other night...

It went well. It's good. It's very good.

John Lasseter now has his first film under his belt at Disney and all that awaits is the release next month during Thanksgiving...

Get ready to enjoy your turkey and a little dog.

A Treasure, Unlucky Or Not...

If you've read this blog often enough, you know my love of Carl Barks, Don Rosa, Donald Duck and Scrooge McDuck himself...

Well, you'll be happy to know that Gemstone Publishing is coming out soon with a new paperback collection of stories and artwork about Donald Duck by those I mentioned and others called "Walt Disney Treasures - Donald Duck: 75 Unlucky Years" A joy to look at, a delight to read, a treasure to own...

Get yours when you it comes out, or better yet, pre-order it today!

Toon In Tonight...

Toon in tonight... errr, I mean tune in tonight to "Toon Disney" a few minutes before seven(6:56 pm exactly) to see the first of three new Pixar shorts known as "Car Toons". They're making a collection of three shorts right now, more are scheduled to debut next year as the Mouse makes sure you don't forget those characters from Radiator Springs till 2011 when "Cars 2" premieres and 2012 when "Cars Land" opens up.

So turn over and tune in tonight...

One House, Many Rooms...

The Walt Disney Company is made up of many divisions. It's a huge company that exist in the 21st Century, a mere eighty-five years after Walt and his brother Roy formed their little animation company...

I figured we would take a moment and look the divisions within the Mouse:

To All Who Come To This Happy Place...

Welcome.

On this day, Fifty-Four years ago, the ABC Television Network premieres a new television show by famed movie producer Walt Disney. It's a cue for the young network. Disney's new show is called "Disneyland" after the new theme park he is building down in the sleepy orange groves of a small southern California town named Anaheim.

The first episode draws almost 31 million people. During the episode, Disney tells the audience of his plans to build the park and opens up his studio for America to see...

Attack Of The Tweens...

Well, it looks like High $chool Musical 3 was the big winner at the box office this weekend...

Duh.


The second sequel to the original “High School Musical pulled in $42 million over the weekend. Can anyone doubt there's going to be a part 4? The tween blockbuster also raked in over $40 million overseas, where it opened up in 22 markets with more yet to come.

That's over 80 million in three days. I guess Iger and company are all smiles right now.

Now, they look toward November and a little movie they hope does just as well, or better...

Preferably better.

April Fools...

Come this next April, we Disney Fans/Geeks will have yet another reason to drool and be jealous of our Japanese Disney Brethren...


That's the day that WDI's latest amazing attraction, "Monsters, Inc. Ride and Go Seek!" appears inside Tokyo Disneyland. Made with the same attention to detail, it's going to invite comparisons to DCA's "Monsters Inc. Mike and Sulley to the Rescue" ride the way TDL's "Pooh's Hunny Hunt" causes comparisons to DL's "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" attraction. Originally budgeted at around 90 million dollars, this attraction will have cost over a hundred million by the time it opens next April.

And it's worth every penny...

If you'd like to see some pictures of the outside of the attraction then head over to "Disney and More" for an article with some nice photos they acquired.

So come next April, guess who gets fooled?

There's a reason that Disney's agreement with the Oriental Land Company limits the advertising they can do outside of Japan. Right now, the internet is the one crack in the door that gives us a glimpse of the Disney wonders that await us there and are deprived from us here.

Exposure is the key.

But with each day that door opens a bit wider. Spread the word. Ask questions of Disney management(Read: Suits at Annual Stock Meetings, interviews, ect.). It's more possible than ever to have these quality attractions with the current management.

Do your part, stop complaining and be part of the solution. There is more power in your voice than you realize.

You can help...

Time For A Fearless Leader...

There's a very nice, very long and extensive article over at the Hollywood Reporter about John Lasseter focusing on his decision making as the new leader of all things animated at the Mouse. Go over and give it a look, it's really quite interesting...

Here's a look at the cover of the magazine in which they honored Uncle John/The Mousetro as The Hollywood Reporter's "Innovator of the Year."

Graduation Day...

Today is the day that tweens all across America have waited for. It's also the day that Bob Iger and his Suits have waited for. This year, unlike last, has been a mostly disappointing box office-wise and they feel it's about to change...

I have a feeling they're right.

So I guess it's time to say goodbye to Troy Bolton, Gabriella Montez, Sharpay Evans and the rest of the seniors in "High School Musical 3: Senior Year". Of course, this doesn't mean we'll be saying goodbye to the Wildcats, they're already prepping HSM 4. It's just not known yet what venue it will appear in. Be it a Disney Channel release or a Walt Disney Pictures release, it appears that the Mouse has got it's head in the game...

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Reality Changed Today...

Ok, seven years ago today at least...

Steve Jobs introduced the iPod to an unsuspecting world and an ambivalent press on this date in 2001. In a small auditorium on Apple's campus, Jobs let the word see what he thought was the next big thing.

They didn't think it was that big and truthfully, neither did he. The iPod along with the iTunes Store has not only changed the face of music, but technology as well. No one could have predicted the cultural shift that this little music device would make. But there were a lot of people that had faith in Steve Jobs. They didn't know where it was going, but they knew that they didn't want to be left behind. One of the earliest supporters of Jobs was Bob Iger. He began cementing the relationship that set up the purchase of Pixar and the ascension of Jobs to a man with heavy influence inside the Mouse in those early days. Just how much influence is debated, but not denied.

Here's wondering what other devices we'll be celebrating in the near future. Not to mention what ideas of his will come to reality at the Walt Disney Company...

That's the most interesting idea of all.

Bedtime Poster Revealed Before Bedtime...

Walt Disney Pictures have released the poster for its new Adam Sandler family comedy, "Bedtime Stories."

Christmas Comes But Once A Year, Sometimes Early...

My, how the year passes so quickly...

It seems like it was yesterday that 2008 began and now Halloween is upon us. Before you know it, Thanksgiving will be here and then the beauty that is Christmas will greet us... My favorite time of the year, btw.

We've always noticed how stores tend to put X-Mas decorations and promotions out earlier and earlier each year... Well, Disney is no different. Actually, Tokyo Disney, to be specific.

The website for the Christmas events at the Tokyo Disney Resort are already up and active. If you've never been, the events are wonderfully entertaining and pure Disney, from TDL's "Christmas Fantasy" to TDS's "Harborside Christmas." And we can't forget Ikspiari's "Pure White Christmas" as well.

Also, if you're interested, the Hong Kong Disneyland website has it's Christmas Holiday Page up as well.

Christmas may come but once a year, but Disney magic around the world lets you experience it many times and in many ways...

You're All A Bunch Of Pigeons...

Another new clip for "Bolt" is online...

Looks very funny.

Expect more... soon.

Thanksgiving will be here before you know it and you'll be able to judge for yourself...

Six For Three And One Twenty Behind...

The guys up at IESB have posted six clips from the new HSM 3 and a 20 minute featurette on the making of the uber-popular cultural phenomenon. If it's your thang to see it, then it's your thang.

Click on the links and go see it...

Jobs Opening...

I know that Steve Jobs is one of several members on the Walt Disney Company's Board, that he's one of the most influential with Iger because of his relationship with Pixar and Lasseter, that him owning six percent of the company makes him the largest single owner of all, but...

Maybe he should be, I don't know, more. I mean, remember when the Mouse bought Pixar, everyone heard the rumors that he was going to mount a takeover like he did at Apple back in the late 90's. There were constant rumors going about that he was going to challenge Iger for the CEO slot. There were a few that he was going to take the position of Chairman of the Board and be the power behind the throne. It all turned out to not be so... except that he is "a" power behind the throne, just not the only one. When you're as successful as he is, with his ability to persuade, with the almost Disney-like fairy tale story of Apple's resurgence, you have to have some influence at the meetings they have. With his power over the music industry, his evangelizing of the iPod and changing the cultural typography of society with "must have" products like the iPhone are all magnetic powers that have people on the Board listening to his suggestions. But...

Shouldn't he be more? Like, maybe he SHOULD be Chairman? Or something else. I mean, have you seen the latest quarterly reports that came out today for his fruit company?

Wow.

Talk about a company that refuses to take part in the recession. Apple, Inc. alone has told the market and the world that: "Thanks, but no thanks" regarding this economic downturn. If only GM and Chrysler had handled their business like Apple then perhaps they wouldn't be talking about a merger right now.

For those of you with a giant question mark over your head saying: "What are you talking about, Honor?"

Well, just take a look at the financial results from earlier today:

- Apple's Q4 profit rose over 26 percent to $1.14 billion for the three-month period ended September 27th, 2008.

- Apple in America shipped 1,121,000 Macs and had $3.572B in revenues. That's are up 16 percent and 22 percent year-over-year, respectively.

- Apple in Europe shipped 611,000 Macs and had $1.723B in revenues. That's up 22 percent and 29 percent year-over-year.

- Apple in Japan shipped 78,000 Macs and had $320M in revenues. That's an increase of 8 and 25 percent year-over-year.

- Apple in the rest of Asia shipped 205,000 Mac shipments and had $562M in revenues. That's up by 32 percent and 27 percent compared to the same period a year ago.

- Apple's "Other Music Related Products and Services" segment earned the company $832M in revenue. A 38 percent increase year-over-year.

- Apple's "Peripherals and Other Hardware" brought in $428M in change... errr, I mean revenue. This was a 24 percent increase year-over-year.

- Apple's "Software, Service and Other Sales" accounted for $549M in revenue. This was a 28 percent increase over the same period in 2007 and a 10 percent over Q3 numbers.

- Apple sold more Macs than they've ever sold in a single quarter of its history.

- Macs actually accounted for less than half of Apple's total revenue with just 45.9 percent of total income.

- Apple sold 6,892,000 iPhones during Q4, earning $806M from these and related products; this is more than all previous quarters combined. They've already passed the 10 million mark that they planned for the entire year and have three more months to go. I'd call that purty successful, wouldn't you?

- Sales of the iPhone actually beat RIM's BlackBerry shipments last quarter; RIM shipped 6.1 million handsets compared to Apple's near 6.9 million. Apple, Inc. is now the third-largest mobile phone supplier in terms of revenue and it only became a phone maker a little more than a year ago.

- and Apple said that they sold more... do I really need to go on?

Actually, I could. There's quite a bit more news pertaining to iPods, Apple Stores and several other things but I think you get the point.

Perhaps we should just turn over the Mouse to Steve? I wonder what would happen if we did? I know that the Walt Disney Company is doing relatively well right now, the financials are pretty solid, but it makes you wonder what would happen if Steve Jobs had a tighter grasp on the reigns of power in Burbank.

With his attention to detail and his ability to make things that the world craves, could he make Disney's world be even more desirable?

Stay tuned...

The Competitors Transformed...

"'Transformers' will be a jewel in our collection of world-class rides based on great movies. - Tom Williams, Chairman and CEO, Universal Parks & Resorts

Competition is good...

It creates a situation where you have to rise above what you know are your limits and work to achieve something you didn't think you were capable of. Athletes deal with this all the time. Businesses deal with it on a daily basis. Disney deals with it too, although much more so now than a decade or two before... at least from the theme parks perspective. I'm not referring to the film division of the company here.

I'm talking about attractions. You've seen in "The Competitors" article that was posted a while ago that the Mouse has some serious competition around the world. Walt Disney has always been the standard bearer, the pinnacle for others to reach for. In theme park design, WDI has always been the big guy that you were competing against. Up until the late 80's/early 90's there wasn't a comparison between other design groups and WED/WDI. I'm not saying there wasn't any competition, I'm simply saying it wasn't competition that was a threat to Disney.

Not anymore...

Universal Studios will be adding some competition over the next few years according to IESB. Shortly, well get that new land based on "Harry Potter" and then later, 2011 to be exact, they'll be opening up a new attraction based on the "Transformers" movie. First it'll come to Universal Studios Singapore and then Universal Studios Hollywood. I'm sure I'll be cloned(Hehe... sorry, couldn't help that) to the other parks in Dubai, Japan and Florida as well once a little time has passed.

It's going to be interesting to see what they come up with. I've seen and rode "The Simpsons" ride and it's a very good example of design work, but it's not on the scale as something like Harry Potter or Transformers... expect a much more, bigger experience. Please don't think of this as a negative for the Mouse. I want better designed attractions at Universal and every other park. It only increases the pressure on them(Disney Theme Parks/WDI/TWDC) to do better. And they will.

This is great news.

If you want to express yourself then be proactive. Send an e-mail to them(Disney). Buy some stock, even a small share and show up at the annual meetings to voice your opinion. Go to the parks and complain, respectfully of course, that you want more/better attractions. Don't be passive, but don't expect Disney to be either.

Competition is good. Very good.

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UPDATE: More detail available in an article over at Dark Horizons.

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SEAing Is Believing...

Shortly after Tokyo DisneySEA opened up, the Travel Channel broadcast a special on the making of the park entitled: "Disneysea Revealed." It was a very good special that showed the work and love that went into creating this park. It hasn't been broadcast in many years and is unavailable for purchase from their DVD Store so it's been almost impossible for those that haven't seen it to...

Well, see it. For those of us that enjoyed it and wanted to buy it or just see it again, we too have been frustrated at trying to find a copy. Waiting around for the channel to rebroadcast it hasn't really helped either. But now there is help. A couple parts of the special have been up on YouTube for some time now, but the entirety of the program has not. Now it finally is...

If you want to see the entire program you now can find the whole program available on YouTube in five easy to watch parts:


Part One.

Part Two.

Part Three.

Part Four.

Part Five.

Enjoy...

Model Behavior...

Ok guys,

Just a quick update for you here...

I know many of you have seen picks and video of the model that's on display in the Blue Sky Cellar building. Many of you have commented on it, both pro and con, I'm here to clear the air a bit.

The model is the original one that the Imagineers used in their pitch. So not everything you see will show up in the final design... they don't call it "Blue Sky" for nothing now. I've seen many people excited about the "Green Army Men Parachute Drop," but that's not going to happen. This is from the original proposal. The current plan is to keep the Maliboomer until sometime in 2010 when the majority of the pier's construction is done. After that, some of the other plans they have for this helix could be approved, economics pending.

The exterior of the carousel is also not a go yet. If you recall an earlier post, I mentioned that WDI wanted to place an exterior that matched the TSMM attraction since the original look just sticks out so badly compared to the proposed theming of the new pier. The approval hasn't been given yet, but depending on the budget, we may still see this or a variation of it.

As for Mickey's Fun Wheel, well you're going to be seeing what comes of it over the next few months. But when it opens in April don't expect it to look exactly like the model.

That is what the "Princess Palace" will resemble, along with a great deal of more detail around the PP area. Oh, and the games remake should start shortly. By the end of the year, there should be quit a collection of walls down in this area.

I'll try and post some detailed photos later next week. TTFN...

The Making Of A Beginning...

Just so you know...

You can pre-order "The Art Of Bolt" right now over at Amazon, it's filled with beautiful imagery and will be a prized possession I feel once Lasseter's reign as ruler of all Disney animation starts to gather steam.

I look forward to the release of each "Art Of" book during John's early stages here shoring up the Mouse's animation, "The Princess and the Frog," "Rapunzel," and "King of the Elves" will all be great examples of what happened to turn the soul of this company around...

Buy it. Experience it.

Bolt Embargo Ending...

Ok, it's almost been a week since I talked about Dogs...

So I guess it's fine to tell you that Disney and Apple have put up a new clip from the film. Entitled "The Chase," this clip plays off like an episode of a television show that could have been directed by Michael Bay. And it's very entertaining...

Take a look for yourself.

Perspective/Retro-Afterthoughts...

Well now, far be it from me to not say when I'm wrong...

Or when something that I think is going to suck turns out to be good, or not suck. That out of the way, I just want to say that after having viewed the first few "Clone Wars" episodes on Cartoon Network, I must say that they don't suck like the Clone Wars film. I actually liked a couple of them quite a bit. The only exception to them so far is Anakin's new padawan, Hannah Montana... errr I mean, the Miley Cyrus inspired Ahsoka Tano, whom I just can't stand. Sigh... otherwise, it's a pretty fun show.

So far.

I hope that they stay this good and get better. I also hope that it bodes well for the live-action Star Wars television series too.

What Do You Get A Mouse That's 85 Today?

The Walt Disney Company, which was called Walt Disney Productions until the mid-80's and began life as Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio is 85 years old today...

Funny, it doesn't look that old, does it? What do you get it? A revised Second Gate at Disneyland? A Third Gate? A revived Animation Studio? So many things, so little time...

Holy Non-Disney News, Batman!

Not really a Disney related news item, but more of an entertainment related one. And a sad one at that...

I heard yesterday that Neil Hefti, the jazzy musician best known for that catchy and very classic "Batman" theme from the 60's television show passed away on October 11, 2008 as a young sprite of only 85 years.

That show is as much a part of my childhood as anything else and his theme was something I hummed throughout the innocence of my youth. Adam West's campy portrayal and Hefti's wonderfully light jazz tunes influenced me as much as Disney, so I felt it was worth mentioning.

My condolences go out to his friends and family...

Mouse Loses Big Fish...

"It was a tough decision because I love the whole legacy of the Walt Disney Co. ... But when it came down to my final decision, it was about my feeling that it was right to return to the lot that gave me my first chance to be a director." - Steven Spielberg


Bob Iger, Dick Cook and their team at Disney gave a very enticing offer to Spielberg, but alas, loyalty to Universal Studios won out...

Such is life. While it is a deal to distribute up to six films a year, the deal doesn't prevent him from directing films from other studios, meaning that there is a chance the Mouse could still see a film directed by Spielberg over the next few years.

They just have to find the right script...

One Mouse, One Vote...

While I realize it's important for people to exercise their right to vote, I really have to draw the line at registering Mickey Mouse to vote. It appears that the nonprofit group ACORN has signed Walt Disney's famous creation up to vote in the coming election...

Florida has had problems counting hanging chads before, do we really want to see them counting characters too? No matter who you vote for in November, I think we can all agree that Mickey shouldn't be allowed to vote.

Mediocrity: Special Edition...

The colossal disappointment that was "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" comes out on DVD today...

Rent it, or purchase it at your own risk. Me? I've seen George Lucas take my childhood hero into the temple of inept screenplays once.

I don't plan on it again...

Looking Up...

The first teaser poster for Pixar's "Up" has been released by the Mouse...

The Metamorpheus...

Steve Jobs, Apple CEO and the largest single shareholder in the Walt Disney Company is a man that has undergone quite a change since his youthful days back in that garage with Steve Wozniak. His company has almost mirrored his changes as well, the company that he co-founded, was thrown out of and came back to rescue has had a storied history as colorful as Jobs' own past. I remember hearing him speak in an interview one time, around the time that the first iPod came out. He was talking about the kind of company Apple should be. He said it should be: "The Sony of computer companies." It's become pretty clear over the last couple of years that that has been achieved, but...

It appears now, he actually wants to BE Sony. Or to more directly challenge it as a technology maker and not just a computer maker. Oh sure, the iPod really is the successor the Walkman, but never before now did it seem like Apple was moving into the consumer electronics part of entertainment. I mean, around a year ago they stepped up to the plate and gave us a home run with the iPhone and now it appears that Jobs and his fruit company want to move into another area to control your living room...

Apple may start selling televisions. TV's. There's a rumor going around from several reliable sources that early next year we could see the introduction of a truly "Apple TV"... not just the little box that they sell that lets you download and rent films or music. Although from what we hear it'll have the functions an Apple TV has, plus more.

What it'll look like exactly isn't yet known, but if Apple can do for television sets what it's done for phones, then TV makers are going to be quaking in their boots...

I'll be keeping an eye on this years Macworld event just to see if that announcement is sooner rather than later.

Very interesting...

The Sun Sets On The Wheel...

Today is the last chance you're going to have to ride DCA's Sun Wheel...

It goes down tomorrow and in April when it reopens, "Mickey's Fun Wheel" will rise from its ashes.

Let it begin...

Talking About Not Talking About It...

I made a vow to not talk about dogs for an entire week, so I couldn't mention to you that you could see another clip over at YouTube if you clicked here.

I mean, I could tell you about it, but then I'd be talking about it...

Which I won't.

Over A Barrel...

Over at the Los Angeles Times Travel Blog, Brady McDonald has a couple more pieces the of artwork the Mouse is about to put on display in the wine cellar or Blue Sky Cellar as it'll be known now(The name "blue sky" is sooo overused lately, don't you think?) a week from Monday...

World Gone Wild...

Well, it's been an interesting past couple of weeks. I've had many readers give me grief for always saying in my Blue Sky Buzz reports: "if the economy stays healthy".

THIS is exactly why I always made that statement. Not because I was trying to have an out if some of the projects I've talked about don't happen. As the title of the blog says, everything discussed here is from the "Blue Sky" phase that WDI goes through. Everything that's been talked about has been proposed, but not everything that's been proposed will get built.

Now, we're at a time where the economy is going in the tank. We've had a slowdown over the past two years. It's not like we've not been through this before though... if you look over the past quarter of a century you'd notice that this type of situation has happened four times. The first was back in 1987 when the stock market lost twenty-five percent of its value in one day. The second was the "Dot-Com" bubble at the end of the 90's. The third was after 911. And now we come to the fourth, with this economic downturn that's more than likely going to be a recession by the end of the year. It's happened before, it'll happen again, and America will come out of it. Such is life that when there are good times, they won't always last. The biggest problem right now is a lack of confidence in the markets. There isn't a lack of money. The money is out there... with an estimated four trillion dollars waiting to be spent. The world market has the jitters right now, and given some time it'll settle down. Sadly, that always happens. It's not fair and it's painful, but if you follow history you'll notice that life is cyclical.

So it's with that statement that I mention what some of you have already heard as rumor...

Changes are in the works. Thankfully, for the time being, we here in Southern California haven't had our projects changed. It doesn't mean it won't happen, but as of right now the DCA Extreme Makeover is still on. Much of the budget was already approved on this before many of the other Mouse projects around the world were...

Of course, not everything here has gone untouched. There will be some blowback from the economic bad news. The hotel projects at the Disneyland Resort have been put on hold with the exception of the Grand Californian expansion which is already underway. The additional hotel that was going forward, as well as the situation with the hotels at the Garden Walk have been put in a holding pattern while the Mouse assesses the need for these expenditures over the next year or so. It's going to depend on how much demand for rooms there is over the next few months to see how the downturn has effected the resort. So, ironically, if you want to see those new hotels in a few years then perhaps you should go stay at the old ones to show your support. Just a suggestion...

All those changes we talked about for WDW have been put on hold indefinitely. The face lift that we mentioned for Tomorrowland months ago has been set aside while the situation with the economy is the way it is. That doesn't mean these projects have been canceled, they haven't. They've just been put in a holding pattern. If the economy settles down and we start to grow by the end of 2009, then more than likely they'll go forward. Unfortunately, that makes the completion dates in 2011/2012 move as well. If everything goes well, you're now looking at more of new date of 2014/2015. Not that you won't see a new face on some or many of the attractions, you'll just have to wait a couple years more. Remember when I always say patience? Well, this is why...

Over in the land of the rising sun projects have been affected too. That massive project that the Oriental Land Company was going forward with that was supposed to open around 2011. It's been canceled. When the Suits at the OLC got a look at the price tag for this little project they had to justify the expense of building this quasi/mini-resort and when the economic turmoil happened a couple weeks ago, the company decided that it just didn't meet the criteria for profitability that it had set... and it was gone. At least for now. It could show up again, maybe a year or so later or more likely a project like this will wind up in Singapore or somewhere else in Asia. But as of now, this Disney project is gone... not postponed, but actually gone.

It's not known yet how this has affected the redo of Tokyo Disneyland's Tomorrowland that WDI is working on. When I last talked with my Bothans that was still on. The project that Imagineers have been working on for the redo of TL was/is a welcome thing. It was originally going to be done back in the late 90's when the remake would be known as "Sci-Fi City", but because of the OLC deciding to spend that money on Tokyo DisneySEA, those funds were diverted to the expansion of the park in general. Hopefully, this project hasn't died because WDI was going to use all the R & D from this to justify the makeover here in Anaheim. This was going to make it easier to justify the large redo of TL in Disneyland as the development cost would have been subsidized by our partners in Japan. The status of this project is unknown as of yet.

Other projects around the world may be slowed as well, but don't expect expansion to stop. The plans in Hong Kong have been moving forward and as of the last I heard, they haven't been put on hold. We'll find out between the holiday season and early next year as that was the actual time period when the expansion was to be announced. It's also the time period within which we would finally hear about that new resort in Shanghai that Disney was working on...

Time will tell.

As for Europe and Disneyland Paris? Well, from what I've been told, the projected expansion of Walt Disney Studios is under review. No final word is in until they figure out how the economy is going to affect the resort. Much of Europe has been hit by this tide of economic turmoil as well and the Suits are waiting to see how the situation in the resort is by the end of the year. So far, for the last two years at least, the Paris Resort has been doing fantastic. If the situation doesn't change drastically, then the plans won't change drastically... but we'll have to wait and find out as we weather this storm over the next few months.

By the holiday season next year, we'll have a clearer picture of what to expect. But remember, on many of these projects, the pause button has been punched, not the delete button. You will seen many of these attractions/rides in the future...

It's just more than likely that it'll be a few years further out than many of us had hoped or expected.

Patience...

A Pirates Life For He?

The next Pirates film won't be happening for a while, but already, the rumors are starting to spread...

One of the most interesting is that since Gore Verbinski is busy directing two different projects right now, Disney is going to turn to another veteran director that's worked with Johnny Depp quite a bit...

Time Burton.

A very interesting choice if it's true. You don't really know for sure, after all, you can't really trust the word of a pirate...

Even if you say parlay.

Mouse Expecting (V)isitors...

We are not alone, or won't be very soon...

The 80's television mini-series/series, "V" is getting remade for the Alphabet Network. Scott Peters(The 4400), is developing the series along with Jace Hall(former head of Warner Bros. Videogame Division).

The new show will be "based" on the original idea, but will not follow Marc Singers and his motley Lott's original characters. Instead, the story will center around a woman named Erica Evans, a Homeland Security agent with an rebellious son who’s got problems(who doesn't?). When the Visitors arrive, her son becomes drawn to them and this causes tension within the Evans family. That's all they've let out and it's really in the early stages. Don't expect to here much before next year as we get closer to the shows launch.

For those that are 80's Pop-Culture illiterate, the original series, an allegory to Nazi occupation of Europe, was about an armada of spacecrafts that came to earth, moving into major cities, these human looking aliens tell the earth that they're here to help our planet. As events unfold, people begin to find out that the "Visitors" aren't here to help, they're here to take the earth's water for their own dying planet. They also aren't human, more like upright walking reptilian creatures disguised as humans. Slowly they take over the governments through aliens pretending to be world leaders and sympathisers that share their cause or beliefs. The show followed a small group of freedom fighters that were trying to liberate the earth from the aliens... I mean, Visitors.

Stay tuned...

The Shuffle...

While I've always been excited about seeing "The Princess and the Frog", I've looked even more forward to seeing "Rapunzel", not only because of the beautiful style of it's design or the good vibes I was getting from people that have seen it, but also because it was a labor of love for co-director(and my favorite living animator) Glen Keane.

Well...

No more.

He has left the project as director. His co-director, Dean Wellins has left the project as well. Nathan Greno(head of story on "Bolt") & Byron Howard(co-director of "Bolt") are the new duo in charge of bringing all that hair to the screen. Glen will stay on as an executive producer, while Wellins will be working on directing a short and several pitches for a future Disney animated film.

Don't take this as a disaster. If they've left the project, it's a reflection of where Lasseter wants to take the story and it apparently wasn't going there based on the last story reel he watched. While I regret the loss of seeing Keane get to direct his first film, I realize that for the film to succeed Lasseter has make sure the film is proceeding ahead in a direction he believes in. There is over two years before the film comes out and that's more time than an obscure director named Brad Bird had on a little film called "Ratatouille." It boils down to my faith in John Lasseter. I still believe in him and his decision making. We'll get our first look at his work for the Mouse on Thanksgiving weekend...

Developing...

Making Magic...

If you are an animation lover like myself, this is a book(by Don Hahn no less) you cannot do without. The artwork is captivatingly beautiful and the understanding of how a film goes through the process from concept to finished film is compelling entertainment for every Disney Geek/Fan...

What are you waiting for? Get one now.

Sleeping Beauty Awakens...

Today Walt Disney's classic, "Sleeping Beauty" becomes available on DVD and Blu-Ray. When it came out at the time, it was a very expensive and ambitious project, yet it failed to make a profit for decades. It's a film that had Walt wondering if he was going to be able to keep making animated films...

The cost had just gotten so high and he was making a great deal of money just churning out cheaper live-action fare. Although the story isn't the best Disney produced, the production values are spectacular here. Of particular note is the backgrounds which are arguably the best of any animated film, Disney or otherwise. Add to that, the most iconic and greatest Disney villain ever created, Maleficent, and you've got one heck of a reason to grab a snack, a drink, settle down in a comfy chair and pop this little gem in your player.

Go out and get a copy today. And may I suggest you get the Blu-Ray even if you don't own it. Why? Because it comes with a copy of the DVD as well, so you'll have a copy to watch now, and in the near future when you buy a new Blu-Ray player you won't have to repurchase another copy just to experience the stunning beauty of Sleeping Beauty in hi-def...

Loyal Members Of The Mickey Mouse Club...

Over the decades there have been many people that have worked frequently with the Walt Disney Company, from the beginnings as a small studio, many artist worked their entire lives with the Mouse...

So it got me thinking about such loyalty today. While it's almost unheard of to spend your entire life at one job, particularly with Disney... several well known people have spent a good deal of time with Disney. Well, you say: "Like who?"

Johnny Depp - The most recent example of working continually with Disney. His work on Ed Wood and then his trilogy of Pirate movies weren't enough and now he's signed for a part in the live-action "Alice" film, the new "Lone Ranger" film and a fourth "Pirates" film. Who knows what he'll attach himself to next?

Jon Turteltaub - Turteltaub has been a very loyal member of the Disney family. With all the films he's done for the Mouse, you'd think he sleeps on the lot... a lot. As director of movies such as "National Treasure", "National Treasure 2", "The Kid", "Phenomenon", "Cool Runnings" and "3 Ninjas". Whew... loyalty like that is unheard of in modern Hollywood. Really, no kidding.

Tim Burton - The famed, electic and somewhat demented director has a nice history with the company as well... having directed such classics as "Frankenweenie", which is in pre-production, "Alice in Wonderland", which is filming as I write this, "Ed Wood", my personal favorite of his work, and the holiday classic "The Nightmare Before Christmas". With his two latest films, it looks like Burton will be a member of the club till at least 2011.

Jonathan Mostow - Mostow's also been with the Mouse on several films like his current film, "The Surrogates", after which he's supposed(again, that's supposed) to film a new adaption of Disney's "Swiss Family Robinson", which I believe is going to still be set in the original period, although who knows what braindead ideas of Suits will prevail. Mostow's a relativly new member, but a welcome one non-the-less. I'll forgive him for T3, Arnold is to blame as much if not more than he...

Jerry Bruckheimer - Bruckheimer, or as Disney should refer to him, "The Breadwinner" isn't just a producer, he's his own studio. Having produced such films as "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time", "G-Force", "National Treasure 1 and 2", the "Pirates" series, "Deja Vu", "Glory Road", "King Arthur", "Pearl Harbor"(I'll forgive him for that one), "Remember the Titans", "Gone in Sixty Seconds", "The Rock", "Crimson Tide", "Crimson Tide"... breath... breath. Whoah. That's a lot. The only sad thing here is Disney lost out on his television productions like "CSI, CSI Miami, CSI New York and Cold Case which would have filled Disney's coffers even more. Jerry gets the gold star as a loyal member of the club! Whatever Suit chose not to secure Bruckheimer's television deal deserves a dunce hat and a pink slip...

Miley Cyrus - The girl responsible for the "Hannah Montana" Disney Channel television series and the "Best of Both Worlds" film is now planning to go into a more mature direction with the new untitled film that Disney is prepping for her.

Ashley Tisdale - The star of "High School Musical 1 and 2, the theatrical HSM 3, and guesting on several Disney Channel shows has had a long history with the Mouse in her very short career and will most likely have much more association with the club...

Raven-Symoné - With the popular tween show, "That's So Raven" and the college, uhm... comedy(?) "College Road Trip" and several other Disney Channel shows have made sure that Raven is a member in good standing right up there with Ashley...

Dwayne Johnson - One of the newest members has started making a series of films for the Mouse. Next year he'll be in the remake of a a Disney classic with "Race to Witch Mountain", and last years "The Game Plan" make him a member with a lot of potential...

Paul Newman - With sadness, this member is no longer around. Newman, known for iconic roles over the past generation has been in several Mouse films, from "Cars", "Blaze" and "The Color of Money". A great talent that will truly be missed. I don't think that we'll be seeing Doc in the sequel to Cars, although he may make an appearance of somekind, possibly being dedicated to him...

Well, that all for now.

An incomplete list for sure, but just a sampling of some of the many club members of the Mouse...

Meeting adjourned.

Box Office Good For Chihuahuas...

As in Beverly Hills, that is...

What next? Manhattan Poodles: Beveryly Hills Chihuahua 2? Who knows.

One thing is certain. The little dog cleaned up at the box office this weekend, and that's got to be good news for the Mouse. This year the cash registers haven't been nearly as good to Disney. With no mega-blockbuster like Pirates leading the way, WDP has had one disappointment after another.

So I guess it's good news(financially speaking) that Beverly Hills Chihuahua opened at number one. The canine comedy scored 29 million dollars for the best October opening for Walt Disney Pictures...

Congratulations go out to the top dog, Oren Aviv for his visionary development of this project. Apparently he knows what audiences want more than people think. Now, I'm getting a little... ok, more than that, but I'm just tired of everything being about dogs("Bolt","BHC", ect.), so I'm going to make this a No "doggie talk zone" for at least a week.

Sigh...

Bess Pawty Eva...

Well tonight is Miley Cyrus' "Sweet 16 Birthay" at Disneyland, even though it's actually next month when she turns it...

So five thousand people(along with a thousand of Miley's own invited "friends") willing to fork over $250 bucks get to spend quality time with her and the Jonas Brothers and a few other surprises.

Woo hoo! Yayyy! Now excuse me, I've got to go take my Medimusal...

More Indian Roots For Mickey...

Yet another example of Bob Iger's strategy of the international market as Disney expands in the East...

The Mouse is ramping up production in India with a slate of four new films added to its commitment to that country's film taste. Under the moniker "Walt Disney Pictures India", the Walt Disney Company's first two projects of the four will be:

"The 19th Step" - Starring top South Indian actor Kamal Hassan and featuring Japanese star Asano Tadanabo as well as Indian actress Asin, will be directed by Bharat Bala. The story revolves around the ancient Indian martial arts form Kalarippayattu and will be a multilingual Indian release.

"Zokkomon" - Starring top Indian child actor Darsheel Safari and directed by Satyajit Bhatkal. The story is known to be an imaginative, children's tale, but other than that, little is known about it.

The other two features have yet to be determined.

Bollywood appears to be a critical audience for Hollywood, and clearly Disney realizes this with its focus on region-specific content. Expect more territorial agreements like this over the next few years as the foreign market matures.

Developing...

Insights Into A Princess...

Continuing to expand the new Disney website, the section focused on "The Princess and the Frog" has now added interviews with directors Ron Clements and John Musker. Also, interviews with animators Bruce Smith and Andreas Deja.

Expect more of these as we get closer to release of these film, they don't film interviews where they only talk to these talented artist for just a minute.

More fun to come...

Boy's Town...

This is going to be a great gaming sight for young boys when it opens in 2009...

I have a feeling it's going to be more successful than even the Pirates Online game(whose graphics quality remind me more of PS2 than PS3 really), but they're designed for a bit younger age group...

Get ready to start your engines, guys.

Canine Howlings, Doggie Minutes...

Lots and lots of stories about dogs lately for Disney, eh?

The Mouse has put up small interviews with "Bolt" Directors Chris Williams and Byron Howard and Head of Story, Nathan Greno.

Enjoy...

Dog Day Afternoon...

Opening today...

This.

It speaks for itself. If you want to go see it, then go see it... and if you don't?

Then wait for another dog named "Bolt" that's going to show up around Thanksgiving. Your money, your choice. I know where mine's going...

Let it begin.

Bits Of Bolt...

Massawyrm over at Ain't It Cool News has seen several scenes from "Bolt" recently and is very excited by what he's looked at. Take a look at what he feels about the upcoming debut of John Lasseter's: "Disney, His Way".

Coming Soon to you...

The Third Golden Age. Yup, I said it.

Clone Wars Debuts...

Today the animated series "The Clone Wars" debuts on the Cartoon Network...

Let's hope that the series is a step above the theatrical release of this Lucasfilm project.


Although, I don't have much hope in "The Force" behind this project anymore. Time to sell? Time to let your baby leave the home, fly the coup? What do you think, George? Or do you even care?

As for the series?

May the Force be with it. Because I feel it's going to need it...

Confessions Of A New Poster...

Touchstone's new film "Confessions of a Shopaholic" has a new poster out for you "Sex and the City" and "The Devil Wears Prada" fans that are facing withdraw at this particular time...

A Rebirth Began...

Two years ago today, the Walt Disney Company emerged from denial that it had made a mistake in the conception and construction of "Disney's California Adventure" and broke ground on a new attraction known as "Toy Story Midway Mania"...

While they didn't come out and literally say: "We were wrong, we screwed up", the actions that they did and the budget approved for it said it without any words being necessary.

I know many people are impatient with the speed of the Extreme Makeover, but I'd rather have it done cautiously and right, than quickly and wrong...

October is here and the signs of change will start to appear as we get near the middle of the month.

Patience.

Same Bolt, New Poster...

Walt Disney Pictures has released a new "Bolt" poster...

Walt Created The World Today...

Thirty-seven years ago today, actually...

The very first guest descend on a new plot of land outside Orlando, Florida for the grand opening of Walt Disney World. The new park, the Magic Kingdom, the first since Walt Disney's original Disneyland is built on land that is twice the size of Manhattan, with its own police force, its own fire department and its own working government. The Walt Disney World Resort as it will be called, opens up with two hotels, the Contemporary and the Polynesian and a world of possibilities...

It's still is so today.

It's just a wee bit bigger is all...

Happy Birthday, Disney World! I'm looking forward to that Fortyieth anniversary you've got coming up. I have a feeling it's going to be very memorable.

The Las Vegas King...

The Walt Disney Company, specifically Walt Disney Theatrical Productions is moving into interesting and risky territory by bringing its hit musical "The Lion King" to the Las Vegas strip next spring. The box office hit will play for crowds at the Mandalay Bay in May.

Unlike most Broadway musicals that play in Vegas, "King" will be seen in its full-length, original version rather than a 90-minute cut. Show is set to occupy the Madalay Bay's theater as soon as vacated by "Mamma Mia!" ends its run on January 4, 2009.

It'll be interesting seeing how the family production will play in a decidedly "Adult" city... remember the old saying that: "Vegas is Disneyland for adults".

We'll soon know if it's also for families...

Cirque Comes To Town...

Cirque du Soleil premieres "ZED" tonight at the brand new Cirque du Soleil Theater(catchy name, eh?) built in the Tokyo Disney Resort. This is the second theater build on a Disney property to hold a show by the Cirque(the other being at WDW).

So you haven't bought your tickets yet? Airline tickets I mean...

You have to start somewhere and a plane flight seems about as good as any other place to start.

Seriously, expect them to put on a great show. It is Tokyo Disney, right?


UPDATE: If you want to see what all the fuss is about, click here and here.