Calif. man busted after posing as relative of Walt Disney and donating stolen Disneyland tickets!

A California fraudster told people he was an heir to the Disney fortune and gave away stolen passes to its theme park, police said.

Stephen David Urquidez is accused of donating the thieved tickets to a charity auction after telling organizers he was a member of the famous dynasty named Stephen Disney.

But the Canyon County 51-year-old was allegedly busted when the winning bidders were denied entry to Disneyland because the passes had not been activated.

Cops were contacted in January by a 40-year-old student he'd met while volunteering at a charity after she realized the passes were not valid.

Urquidez was arrested on suspicion of felony burglary on Tuesday.

Police raided his home and also found a driver's license with a fake state seal in the name of "Stephen Disney", and W-2 tax forms showing the Disney name.

They believe he stole the tickets from a supermarket.

The Walt Disney Co. confirmed that Urquidez is not affiliated with the corporation or the Disney family, reports CBS.

Urquidez posted a $20,000 bond and was released from Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station.

 

New Disney Frozen artwork showcases Anna, Elsa and Olaf!

New artwork for Disney's Frozen is making the rounds online. The first, most-discussed image is that of a promotional display (seen image below!) for the highly anticipated disney feature. Also a NEW promo display with the rosy-cheeked protagonist Anna in a new pose and possibly the public's first look at the snowman Olaf in his final CGI form. And the picture below also has their same profiles from the character posters that leaked online this past February. Frozen opens November 27th!

(Disneys NEW Frozen promo display)

Disneys ESPN, Despite Growth, Is Cutting 300 to 400 Jobs!

ESPN is cutting 300 to 400 jobs through layoffs and by leaving positions unfilled. The reductions are small in a company with more than 6,500 employees but surprising because ESPN is such a robust part of the Walt Disney Company.

Nonetheless, the company is still growing and will continue to hire people as needed, said two people who had knowledge of its plans but were not authorized to speak publicly.

In a statement Tuesday, ESPN said, “We are implementing changes across the company to enhance our continued growth while smartly managing costs.”

ESPN is expected to cancel “Unite,” a late-night program on ESPNU that started last year.

Four years ago, during the recession, ESPN eliminated 200 positions but shifted many of them to other departments.

Last year, Robert A. Iger and James Rasulo, Disney’s chief executive and chief financial officer, ordered a companywide efficiency review.

Two results include last month’s layoff of 150 people in the studios division and the elimination of several hundred positions in its video game business.

Two weeks ago, Disney announced that its net income for the quarter that ended March 30 had risen 32 percent to $1.5 billion and that the operating income of its cable networks had increased 15 percent because of ESPN.

Still, ESPN’s higher advertising and subscriber revenue was offset by the higher cost of college sports programming.

Earlier this month, ESPN agreed to create and own a new network for the Southeastern Conference. ESPN also extended by 10 years its contract to televise SEC games for more than the $150 million a year it has been paying.

David Fincher’s ’20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’ Delayed Until 2014!

David Fincher was looking to get into family adventure terroritory with a big-budget Disney adaptation of the Jules Verneclassic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Although star Brad Pitt dropped the project earlier this year, things were reportedly moving ahead for an Australian production this summer.

It looks like the project has hit another snag, however, as Sydney Morning Herald reports that the film has temporarily been shelved. Now aiming for a 2014 production start (which means we likely wouldn’t see it hit theaters until 2015 at the earliest), the delays are reportedly due to casting issues.

There was word that Channing Tatum was being eyed to replace Pitt in the lead role, but those rumors have yet to be confirmed. Considering the hefty budget, it makes sense that Disney will wait until they have a bankable star (perhaps learning a lesson after John Carter), so let’s hope that they find one and we can see the next film from Fincher sooner rather than later.

Disney’s ‘Cars’ Spinoff ‘Planes’ Gets A New Musical Trailer & 'Star Wars Rebels': Disney Channel to premiere Lucasfilm pilot!

A new trailer for the upcoming animated feature Planes has been released by Disney. The movie is a spinoff of Pixar’s Cars movies, but instead of owning the streets this movie of course takes to the skies.

The trailer is a musical trailer, without any dialogue or story and set to some of the film’s score by composer Mark Mancina as visuals from the movie play.

You can check out the new Planes musical trailer below!

And - The Jedi Knights, Darth Vader and the Galactic Empire are getting animated.

“Star Wars” will be turned into a new cartoon series for the Disney channel, which is set to premiere in fall 2014. News of the show was announced on Monday via the official “Star Wars” Twitter account.  

“Production has begun on Star Wars Rebels, an all-new animated series set between the events of Episode III and IV,” the message read.

The show will launch with a one-hour TV special, which will be followed by a series on Disney XD channels.

"The entire team at Lucasfilm has provided extraordinary creativity and innovation for over three decades, and we're thrilled to be bringing the expansive and imaginative world of ‘Star Wars’ to Disney XD's viewers,” Gary Marsh, president and chief creative officer, Disney Channels Worldwide, said in a statement.

President of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy added that the new show, though on Disney, isn’t just for kids.  

"I think ‘Star Wars Rebels’ will capture the look, feel and fun that both kids and their parents love about ‘Star Wars,’” she said.

This isn’t the first time “Star Wars” has gone cartoon. The franchise became an animated show in 2008 with five seasons of “The Clone Wars.”

And “Star Wars” fans have more than just the cartoon series to look forward to.

In April, Walt Disney Co. chairman Alan Horn announced that the studio would release films set in a galaxy far, far away every year starting in 2015.

The parade of films will start with "Star Wars: Episode VII," directed by J.J. Abrams.

Wart, Robin Hood, Oliver and more Peter Pan come to Disney Blu-ray!

In what is shaping up to be an exciting (and expensive!) summer for high-def Disney fans, the Studio has just announced new additions to its already busy Blu-ray catalog releases. Joining the June 11th release of Atlantis: The Lost Empire, The Emperor's New Groove and Lilo & Stitch, and the August 27th release of The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh, Disney has now added some anniversary editions of a further handful of classics: The Sword In The Stone: 50th Anniversary, Robin Hood: 40th Anniversary and Oliver & Company: 25th Anniversary, all due August 6th, plus a special edition for the Peter Pan sequel Return To Never-Land on August 20th.

 

The Muppet Movie: The Nearly 35th Anniversary Edition on Disney Bluray August 13th!

Amazon.com is now taking pre-orders for the the 1979 classic, The Muppet Movie: The Nearly 35th Anniversary Edition on Blu-ray from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment with a release date of August 13, 2013.

Celebrate The Nearly 35th Anniversary of the ultimate frogs-to-riches story with the one that started it all — The Muppet Movie. Laugh along with the mostly-true story of how the Muppets got their start, now for the first time ever in vibrant Blu-ray hi-def picture and sound.

From the very first ‘plunk!’ of Kermit’s banjo playing ‘The Rainbow Connection’ (Oscar nominee, Best Original Song, 1979), to the hysterical road trip that brings our fearless frog together with Fozzie, Gonzo, Animal and most importantly of all, Miss Piggy, join the jam-packed heartwarming hilarity, outrageous antics and big-shot Hollywood cameos. It’s bursting with hilarious bonus extras including an all-new Frog-E-Oke sing-along with your favorite Muppet songs.

As Kermit and the gang sing — ‘Life’s like a movie!’ Make The Muppet Movie part of your family, and have the time of your life as the Muppets share laughter and fun with ‘the Lovers, the Dreamers…and You.’

D23 reimagines website & Hong Kong Disneyland to unveil Mystic Point today!

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- On June 17, D23: The Official Disney Fan Club, will launch a massive reimagining of its D23.com website, opening up the wonderful worlds of Disney like never before to its members. The site will provide access to newly digitized content that delves deeply into The Walt Disney Company’s vault of material, past and present, along with exclusive glimpses of the future. The new gated content will be free to current D23 Members; plus D23 is launching a new free level of membership, which will include access to this incredible content. D23.com will continue to offer the latest Disney news free to all guests who visit the site. But D23 Members can unlock even more magic in each section by logging in and accessing content whenever a golden key is shown.

“We’re creating a unique destination that celebrates, in all respects, the essence of Disney,” says Steven Clark, head of D23. “We believe the new site will offer one of the most engaging Disney experiences yet — with even more to come in the future. We look forward to debuting the new D23.com to our current members as well as to new ones from around the world.”

The reimagined D23.com will feature exclusive celebrity interviews; vintage film clips; rarely seen artwork and photography; treasures from the Walt Disney Archives; behind-the-scenes previews of new movies and theme park attractions; and more.

Website highlights at launch will include:

• 23 Questions – We enhance our popular feature with audio interviews with Once Upon A Time star Ginnifer Goodwin, who reveals her Disney favorites — and what she’s looking forward to in the next season of the hit ABC show. Plus an exclusive with Phineas and Ferb’s popular “evil mastermind” Dr. Heinz Doofenschmirtz, who talks about his truly devious plans… and Christmas.

• D’scovered – Treasures unearthed by the Walt Disney Archives. In the coming weeks the Archives will share extremely rare imagery from the proposed Mickey Mouse Park, a concept which evolved into Disneyland; spine-tingling alternative dialogue for the Haunted Mansion penned by Disney Legend X. Atencio; the illustrated story script for “The Karnival Kid,” the 1929 short in which Mickey Mouse first speaks; and a very special memento created for Walt by legendary artist Salvador Dalí.
• Disney A to Z – A complete and newly updated electronic version of the definitive Disney encyclopedia with more than 7,000 entries written by Dave Smith, founder and Chief Archivist Emeritus of the Walt Disney Archives.
• D23 Presents– A deeper dive into all parts of Disney from the opening of Mystic Manor
   in Hong Kong Disneyland to rarely seen footage of the former Disney Studio on Hyperion Avenue.
• Disney Legends and the Walt Disney Archives – Two new microsites; Disney Legends will provide a deeper look at those who’ve made significant contributions to the Disney legacy, and the Archives site will open up the doors of this venerable institution so D23 can share more of The Walt Disney Company’s expansive collections.

In addition, new departments and sections include: Weird Disney, looking at some of the more unusual and outrageous pieces of Disney’s past; Characters, profiling the most beloved characters from television, film and comics with concept art and complete biographies; The Quotable Walt Disney, a digitized version of the out-of-print book featuring some of Walt’s most enduring words; Ask a Legend, a video feature in which Disney Legends like Marty Sklar answer fans’ questions; First Look, which gives members a glimpse into what’s new and what’s next including Monsters University; Attraction Rewind, celebrating the beloved attractions of Disney’s past which once delighted theme park guests; and Muppetology, which opens up the Muppet-acular universe of our fuzzy friends. D23’s popular video series Armchair Archivist and Disney Geek will also return with all-new episodes.

And - Mystic Point, the final chapter of Hong Kong Disneyland’s current expansion project, will officially open today, May 17, 2013. This final chapter of the current expansion project comprises the iconic Mystic Manor, which features one of the most sophisticated systems ever built by Disney, and a themed photo area called Garden of Wonders. The story of Mystic Point follows the adventures of eccentric explorer and art collector Lord Henry Mystic, who invites guests to board the Mystic Magneto-Electric Carriage for a tour of his private museum located within his Victorian manor house, a release stated.

The opening operation team started the testing and training since last year to ensure smooth operation for the opening of Mystic Point. Launching after the popular Toy Story Land and Grizzly Gulch, Mystic Point will continue to bring even more entertainment and exciting experiences to guests.

Other attractions at the Mystic Point include the Mystic Point Freight Depot, the Explorer’s Club Restaurant, and the Archive Shop is a must.