Disney Moving Forward With ‘Matterhorn’ & ‘King of the Elves’ Movies & Disney Sets 'Thor 2' Release Date for July 26, 2013

Walt Disney Pictures has selected to move forward with two fairly different projects: A computer-animated adaptation of author Philip K. Dick’s fantasy short story, King of the Elves, and a movie based on its famous Matterhorn theme park attraction (tentatively titled The Hill).

King of the Elves has been officially on the docket for the Mouse House since 2008, but is now prepped to begin moving forward after a lengthy delay. The Matterhorn film, on the other hand, is just the newest Disney ride-turned-movie project on the horizon.

Variety says that Horrible Bosses co-writer Michael Markowitz has been recruited to scriptKing of the Elves, which tells the tale of how an ordinary man from the Mississippi Delta is chosen as the leader of a group of tiny fantastical creatures – after he rescues them from a vicious troll.
Needless to say, the film will offer a rather different version of elves than the kind glimpsed in the Lord of the Rings trilogy or the upcoming Hobbit movies. Likewise, Dick’s King of the Elves story is a departure from the sort of mind-bending, philosophical sci-fi lore he’s best known for (see: Blade Runner, Minority Report, Total Recall, etc.).
Bolt director/co-writer Chris Williams is “shepherding” the project, which presumably means he’ll be calling the shots on this computer-animated tale as well. Given the source material, there’s good reason to hope that both King of the Elves and next year’s new Disney/Pixar film, Brave, will prove themselves to be smart and sophisticated pieces of fantasy storytelling that offer appeal for moviegoers of all ages.

"Thor 2," a sequel to this year's superhero film from Marvel, will be released July 26, 2013, its distributor, Walt Disney Studios, announced Thursday.

Disney, which purchased Marvel last year, is taking over distribution of the franchise from Paramount.

Like this year's "Thor," it'll star Chris Hemsworth as the disturbingly fit warrior.

But the picture has no director. Branagh, who directed the first installment, reportedly is not returning.

Disney also announced Thursday that its movie "The Help" will be released Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2011, instead of Friday, Aug. 12.

Hemsworth is a busy actor lately: The Aussie stars in Universal's "Snow White and the Huntsman," set for a June 1, 2012 release, as Thor in Marvel's "The Avengers" and as Jed Eckert in this year's Contrafilm remake of "Red Dawn," which MGM is distributing.

Weezer appears on Muppets new tribute album

BURBANK, Calif., June 29 -- OK Go, Weezer and The Fray have recorded tracks for the upcoming tribute CD, "Muppets: The Green Album," America's Walt Disney Records said.

Alkaline Trio, My Morning Jacket, Andrew Bird, Matt Nathanson and Amy Lee also reinterpreted some beloved Muppets songs for the album, which is to be released Aug. 23.

Among the re-made classics are "The Muppet Show Theme," "The Rainbow Connection," "Bein' Green," "Mahna Mahna," "Moving Right Along" and "Halfway Down the Stairs."

"The Muppets," the latest installment in the big-screen comedy series, is to open this Thanksgiving. It stars Jason Segel, Amy Adams and Chris Cooper. The original motion picture soundtrack for "The Muppets" will be released by Walt Disney Records Nov. 22, the label said Monday.

Disney stars go Punk’d on new series "Prank Stars"

Ashton Kutcher has met his tween match!

On “Prank Stars,” a new Disney Channel show set to debut on in July, Disney faves like  Mitchel Musso (“Hannah Montana,” “Phineus and Ferb”), Debby Ryan (“Suite Life On Deck”) and Selena Gomez (“Wizards of Waverly Place”) are in on the joke as they pull pranks on some of their biggest fans.
 You can check out a promo for “Prank Stars” here.
The show is reminiscent of the old “Candid Camera” series, with hidden cameras capturing the shocked reactions of unsuspecting fans, but it will have an MTV “Punk’d” twist with the Disney celeb factor thrown in.
Selena Gomez, whose Disney show, “Wizards of Waverly Place” is slated to end this season, is staying loyal to the network with a cameo appearance on the new show, despite her heavy mall tour and concert schedule (Gomez was in the Philadelphia area last week to promote her new movie, “Monte Carlo.”)

According to the Disney press release for the show, a new lineup of stars will appear on the show each month.

‘Cars 2’ wins weekend with $68M debut & Disney/Pixar “Brave” first teaser trailer officially released online!

Disney and Pixar scored their latest hit with the animated sequel Cars 2, which easily took the top spot at the North American box office this weekend. The critically-reviled animated feature took the top ten pole position while the Cameron Diaz comedy Bad Teacher was anything but bad in second place. Overall, the box office was up a healthy 10% over the top ten films last year at this time. While it delivered the lowest approval ratings (33% on Rotten Tomatoes) of any movie in the 16-year production history of Pixar Pictures, ticket buyers nonetheless lined up en masse to see the latest adventures of Lightning McQueen and Mater this weekend. Arriving on 4,115 screens, Cars 2 earned a muscular $68 million in estimated ticket sales for a great per-screen average of $16,525. Directed by Pixar CEO John Lassiter (his first directorial effort since the first Cars five years ago), the sequel features the voice talents of Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Eddie Izzard and John Turturro and sends a few of the characters from the 2006 original overseas for some international intrigue and laughs.
Cars 2 opened slightly better than the 2006 original, which earned $60.1 million (in pre-inflation dollars) in its debut. The $68 million estimate for Cars 2 ranks fifth among the all-time openings for the successful studio behind Toy Story 3 ($110 million opening), The Incredibles ($70.4 million), Finding Nemo ($70.2 million) and Up ($68.1 million). One could attribute the multitude of 3D and IMAX screens that Cars 2 debuted on. But given the measly 38% contribution to the overall total generated from 3D screenings (getting the hint, Hollywood?), chances are that it is most likely the lucrative family and kiddie markets that helped drive the gross. This would be the same demographic that helped the original earn $246 million at the domestic box office while also contributing a whopping ten billion dollars for film-related merchandise over the last half-decade.

Rounding out the top ten were Universal's sleeper hit Bridesmaids in eighth place with $5.5 million on 2,031 screens for a new to-date haul of $147 million, followed in ninth place by Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides with $4.7 million in ticket sales and a new to-date domestic haul of $229 million. The Johnny Depp-starrer has now surpassed the previous chapter in the Pirates saga globally with $971 million in overall sales. The one billion dollar mark should be passed within the next week or so. Rounding out the top ten was Sony Pictures Classics' Woody Allen hit Midnight In Paris, which snared $4.2 million on 1,038 screens to bring its overall total thus far to $28.4 million.
Starting on Tuesday, Paramount's Transformers: Dark of the Moon begins its campaign to own the Fourth of July weekend. Universal Studios and Fox will offer counter-programming starting on Friday with the new Tom Hanks/Julia Roberts comedy Larry Crowne and the romantic comedy chick flick Monte Carlo starring Selena Gomez and Leighton Meester.

 

Also ahead of 3D showings of Cars 2, which opened at the box office this weekend, Disney/Pixar has treated audiences to a teaser trailer for its 2012 film, Brave. But today online audiences can now enjoy the full official teaser trailer for this highly-anticipated animated movie:

1,000 + Disney Fan's on OUR Facebook...THANK YOU!

Today we'd like to share some exciting news for us! We now have 1,000 + (plus) Disney fans on our Facebook page and we would like to say thank you, to you! With out YOU we would not be able to spreed the daily updated Disney News! So, again THANK YOU! and lets make it another 1,000 + more Disney fans on our facebook page! 

Vinylmation - Disney Afternoon: Doug

OH..MY...GOODNESS!!! We could not wait to post this for tomorrow's Disney News but, currently scheduled for release will be a Vinylmation of Disney's Doug. Here's a sneak peek at the artwork. I'm deff BUYING this one folks!

Muppets: The Green Album (formerly known as Muppets: Revisited) is finally coming!

Muppets: The Green Album (formerly known as "Muppets: Revisited" in 2009) is finally coming! It looks like it’ll be a great mix of artists and classic Muppet songs. The CD will be released on August 23, 2011! below is track listing and cover art of the album:

1. OK Go: “Muppet Show Theme”
2. Weezer and Paramore’s Hayley Williams: “Rainbow Connection”
3. The Fray: “Mahna Mahna”
4. Alkaline Trio: “Moving Right Along”
5. My Morning Jacket: “Our World”
6. Amy Lee: “Halfway Down the Stairs”
7. Sondre Lerche: “Mr. Bassman”
8. The Airborne Toxic Event: “Wishing Song”
9. Atreyu’s Brandon Saller and Good Charlotte’s Billy Martin: “Night Life”
10. Andrew Bird: “Bein’ Green”
11. Matt Nathanson: “I Hope That Something Better Comes Along”
12. Rachael Yamagata: “I’m Going to Go Back There Someday”

Info& cover art are courtesy of MuppetCentral.com & ToughPigs.com

Disney/PIXAR's CARS 2 opens today

Disney/Pixar's Cars 2 opens today in 4,115 theatres according to Box Office Mojo. For the first time in their history Pixar is not feeling the love of the critics, with the film only mustering a 35% on Rotten Tomatoes. Still it is easily expected to win the weekend, with Box Office Prophets projecting $68.6 million and Box Office Mojo predicting $59 million.

New Pictures, Interviews, and More on The Muppets & PIXAR's Brave poster revealed

Collider.com posted nine new pictures from the newest Muppet movie starring everyone’s favorite puppets and interviews with Amy Adams, Jason Segal, and on set video blog here.  (a VERY COOL video you must check out!) Plot details are revealed along with a scoop on behind the scenes and much more Muppet fun! 

 

And lastly we have the first poster for Disney & Pixar's upcoming Brave has made its way online yesterday. A teaser trailer for the film is supposed to play in theaters this weekend with Cars 2. The first ever fairy tale from Pixar, Brave comes to theaters everywhere on June 22, 2012.

Disney Co. says The Avengers Won't Be at Comic-Con 2011!

Marvel Studios has confirmed what we've been hearing: There will be no Hall H presentation for The Avengers at this year's Comic-Con 2011.

The Avengers is currently filming in New Mexico, and because of this, studio leaders at both Marvel and Walt Disney Pictures decided that they weren't equipped to meet fan expectations at this point. It was deemed detrimental to promote the film, and too costly to shut down production for a week.

This year's Comic-Con motto amongst all of the major studios has become "Go big or stay home!" Warner Bros. has also decided to steer clear of the event, which means that The Dark Knight Rises and Man of Steel will be sitting this one out.

Walt Disney Pictures, who is producing The Avengers with Marvel Studios, is withholding its upcoming slate, which includes both John Carter and Lone Ranger, in anticipation of their self-centered rival convention later in the year called D23. The Avengers is expected to have a huge presence at this program, as well, which occurs this August in Anaheim.

Sony Pictures isn't shying away from Comic-Con 2011, though. They are planning to launch a hefty Hall H presentation for their Peter Parker reboot The Amazing Spider-Man.

One contributing factor that is keeping some studios away from Comic-Con this year is the hotel situation, which is currently seeing major stars and their projects being turned away simply because San Diego can't house everybody. Including the cast of The Avengers. The Comic-Con 2011 housing reservations are on a first come, first served basis, and its sounds like, from a couple of well-placed insiders, that the fans came first, and the studios arrived late at the reservation window. There seems to be no favoritism evolved, which means the obese juice chuggler from Minnesota may be the only Captain America you'll be seeing in San Diego this summer.

The Avengers comes to theaters May 4th, 2012 and stars Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Samuel L. Jackson, Don Cheadle, Clark Gregg, Tom Hiddleston. The film is directed by Joss Whedon.

Jason Segel, Amy Adams Talk 'The Muppets,' Kermit Invitation & fansite ToughPigs.com video!

There is no question as to who the most important stars of the upcoming "The Muppets" are -- it's all in the name. But a decade removed from their last film and, in all honesty, even further from true prominence in the unending Hollywood buzz cycle, the importance of the architect of their revival can not be understated.
Still, writer/star Jason Segel insists that he's just a vessel for the great Muppet tradition.
"We have some mention of the standard Rich and Famous contract from the original Muppet movie. We have a lot of things like that in there," he told a group of reporters recently on the set of the film. "To me, I just really wanted to pay homage to those movies that meant so much to me growing up. I wanted the experience, like we talked about, where parents... Our generation of kids, we'll remember those great movies, those great moments. And then also being able to have our age introduce our kids to the Muppets. So yeah, that was my goal."
Segel has a willing, excited partner and co-star in the revival of the beloved franchise: co-star Amy Adams, a long-time fan of the Muppets.
"It is awesome. I have been lucky to be a part of a lot of family films that have a great lineage with 'Enchanted,' 'Night at the Museum,' and now to be a part of this," she told the same group of reporters (via PopSugar). "This is something I grew up with and was in love with. When I heard they were doing a new one I was really excited. Jason sent me a DVD where he and Kermit were inviting me to be part of The Muppets. It was really cool. Once Kermit asks you to do something it is really hard to look at him and say, 'No.' So I was hooked!"
It's a good thing the gesture from Kermit worked, because Segel was dead set on getting Adams into the cast.
"I wrote it for her. She was in my mind from the beginning," Segel said. "I mean this woman can do anything. But she's able to do this wide-eyed naivety that is not part of her personality in real life. She's one of the most smart, on top of it women I've ever met. But she can do this kind of thing that was really... my character, her character, and Walter are true innocence. She's able to do that. She channels it through her eyes, and she can sing. She is totally game. She's up for it. She also really gets the joke. So she was just the perfect choice right from the start. I don't know what I would have done if we hadn't gotten her."

While the film doesn't hit theaters until November, Segel and Disney have done a masterful job teasing the movie and getting fans excited about the Muppets' comeback. They've put together three spoof trailers, goofing on the romantic comedy, creating their own "Hangover" and casting Kermit as the Green Lantern.
Finally, they released their first true trailer over the weekend, which you can watch below.

 Also on a side note, Muppet fansite ToughPigs.com got to sit and interview a few Muppeteers that included a nice talk with Steve Whitmire (Kermit the Frog, Rizzo, etc.), Eric Jacobson (Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Animal, Sam, etc.), and Matt Vogel (Floyd, Uncle Deadly, etc.) check it out below...

 

please note that i DO NOT own the ToughPigs.com video interview, we just added it to expose it to MORE fans! Video courtesy of www.ToughPigs.com

Disney/ PIXAR's 'Cars 2' a Hit Already—in Stores

From WSJ.com

As Walt Disney Co. prepares for this week's release of "Cars 2," the entertainment giant is betting the movie's main character, Lightning McQueen, can race for years into the play rooms, lunch boxes and even the bathtubs of young boys around the world.

Disney's 'Cars' characters are sold not just as toys but licensed for crackers, tissues, shampoos and a guitar.

Disney says "Cars 2" is on track to sell more tie-in goods than any single previous film, surpassing by a wide margin the current record holder, "Toy Story 3," which last year sold $2.8 billion of merchandise. That's on top of the average $2 billion of "Cars" merchandise sold annually since 2006. Both "Cars" and "Toy Story" are products of Disney's Pixar Animation Studios.
As the production cost of big movies skyrockets and DVD sales plunge, Hollywood studios want to spread their risk by focusing on those films with the potential to generate sequels and spin offs, as well as consumer products, games and theme-park attractions.
Disney has been especially aggressive, and this year is allocating 80% of its production budget to such films, up from 40% in 2010. The strategy has found its fullest expression yet in the sequel to 2006's "Cars," due this Friday.

"It has been a company wide initiative," said Disney Chief Executive Robert Iger. "Everyone recognizes the value here."
In recent months, Disney and its licensees have packed the shelves of Target Corp., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Toy R Us Inc. with "Cars" Kleenex, shampoo, juice boxes, sleeping bags, kids' furniture and a half-size acoustic guitar emblazoned with the image of Lightning McQueen, a red race car with a friendly smile.
Beyond that, Disney Interactive Studios on Tuesday is releasing "Cars 2: the Videogame," for major console systems, including a 3-D version for PlayStation 3.
The company next year will open a 12-acre "Cars" area of its California Adventure theme park. Cars Land is to be the centerpiece of a $1 billion expansion designed to enhance the appeal of Disneyland's less-known neighbor.
Disney doesn't disclose the royalties charged for use of its characters. The average royalty rate for all products licensed from entertainment properties last year was 9.4%, according to the Licensing Letter, a trade publication. Licensing Letter publisher Ira Mayer said that a successful film like "Cars" commands two or three percentage points more than an average movie or TV show.
The most technically ambitious Pixar production yet, "Cars 2" is estimated to have cost slightly less than the $200 million production cost of "Toy Story 3."
Among other challenges, "Cars 2" features numerous, highly complex settings, including several foreign cities and offshore oil rigs, set on a backdrop of roiling ocean waves. On top of that Mr. Lasseter took over as director only last year, far along in the making of the movie, and reworked major elements of the plot and characters.

"They're not getting easier to make," said Pixar's president and cofounder, Ed Catmull, adding that the visuals in "Cars 2" involved "far greater complexity than anything we've done before."
To achieve better than break-even results on its massively expensive productions, Pixar counts on a sizable share of its films to generate merchandise tie-in, Mr. Catmull said.
To be sure, not every promotional effort succeeds. "World of Cars Online," an online role-playing game that launched last year, has yielded mixed results. Mr. Iger said it needs "retooling."
Disney Consumer Products Chairman Andy Mooney said his division approached "Cars" as a "lifestyle brand for young boys"—the male answer to the Disney Princess marketing push that highlighted characters including Snow White and Ariel, the mermaid.
Disney executives believe "Cars," set in a world populated by anthropomorphic vehicles, is an especially powerful brand because it combines two elements that separately tend to drive sales: toy vehicles and beloved movie characters.
"It is very, very potent in terms of its appeal to kids," Mr. Iger said.
Mr. Mooney said that after asking themselves what everyday products for boys could be "Cars" branded, Disney executives concluded the answer was: "All of them."
Disney's financial structure encourages such cross-division collaboration. When Disney's toy division makes money from a product derived from a particular film, the movie studio books a percentage of that revenue. Executives' bonuses are tied to the performance of their own operating divisions and of the company overall, giving them a personal incentive to cooperate with other units.
Executives at Disney and Pixar acknowledge that the commercial power of "Cars" helped convince them to make the forthcoming sequel, though they stress that it was far from the only consideration.
"The decision about making the sequel was very much an extension of the franchise discussion," Mr. Iger said. "But it wasn't mandating a sequel to be made."
"We only do sequels at Pixar if we've come up with a story that's as good or better than the original," said Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter, who directed both "Cars" movies.
The animation studio's first 15 years saw just one sequel, 1999's "Toy Story 2." That was in part because of the terms of Pixar's distribution agreement with Disney, which changed when Disney bought the studio in 2006. Today, in addition to last year's "Toy Story 3" and "Cars 2," Pixar is readying a "Monsters Inc." prequel for 2013.
The company doesn't have a policy on how many of its movies need to have consumer-products potential, but Mr. Catmull said it works out to around one in three.
Some other Pixar titles have had little merchandise-spinoff potential. Those include "Up," about a dyspeptic retired balloon vendor, and "Ratatouille," about a rodent haute-cuisine chef.
The DisneyToon animation studio, which makes direct-to-DVD films, is at work on a "Cars" spinoff, "Planes," due for release in 2013.
Mr. Lasseter, who also oversees DisneyToon, said that if "Planes" is successful, he may build additional titles around boats, trains and other vehicles.
"It's a bigger idea that can be expanded," he said.

Happy Father's Day from "TDDF" ....He-Yuck!

THE MUPPETS - Full Trailer 2011

There's NO MOVIE like a Muppet Movie, and Disney has just released THE FULL trailer for the upcoming Muppet film and late last night it happened! I'm STILL just blown away by this and watched it about 20+ times just today alone. The world is READY for a new muppet movie and the muppets are to ready and no doubt this will be a BIG hit this thanksgiving! So watch it and...well, watch it again! TELL YOUR FRIENDS TELL YOUR FAMILY...ok I'll shut up now and... enJoy!

The Muppets - Being Green Teaser Trailer #3

The new Mupppet movie called The Muppets has a new parody trailer. This time they spoof Green Lantern with the usual puns on Kermit's trademark song. It still doesn't hint at anything plot wise, Jason Segal even comments in the trailer that maybe the Muppets and cast should start advertising for the "real movie." They're building anticipation! The Muppets will be in US theaters Thanksgiving 2011. and Muppet Fansite ToughPigs.com breaks down the NEWEST Muppet movie trailer piece by piece and finds a few suprises too! ToughPigs link HERE.

2011 Disney Legends Award Honorees to be Celebrated During D23 EXPO in Anaheim

Regis Philbin, Jim Henson, Disney Princesses Jodi Benson, Paige O'Hara, Lea Salonga, Anika Noni Rose, and Other Talented Contributors to Disney History Take the Spotlight at a Special Ceremony on Friday, August 19 2011.

BURBANK, Calif., June 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Television icon Regis Philbin, Muppets creator Jim Henson, the extraordinary actresses who vocally brought to life many modern-day Disney Princesses including Jodi Benson (Ariel from The Little Mermaid), Paige O'Hara (Belle from Beauty and the Beast), Lea Salonga (singing voices of Jasmine from Aladdin and Mulan from Mulan), Linda Larkin (speaking voice of Jasmine from Aladdin), and Anika Noni Rose (Princess Tiana from The Princess and the Frog) plus other equally impressive contributors to the Disney legacy will be named and honored as official Disney Legends during the D23 EXPO at 11 a.m. on Friday, August 19, in the Anaheim Convention Center Arena.

The Disney Legends Awards program is a 24-year tradition of The Walt Disney Company, and the three-day D23 EXPOprovides a rare opportunity for the public to be a part of the always touching and memorable presentation.  The awards ceremony will kick off the first day of the D23 EXPO, hosted by noted television personality Tom Bergeron (host of ABC'sDancing with the Stars and America's Funniest Home Videos), and will take place at 11 a.m. on Friday, August 19, in theAnaheim Convention Center Arena.

"From giving voice to some of our most iconic and beloved Disney princesses to bringing a smile to millions of television viewers every morning for two decades, we are proud to present these 12 men and women with our highest, most coveted honor, The Disney Legends Award," said Disney President and CEO Bob Iger.  "Our newest honorees now join this unique and prestigious circle, which recognizes those whose incredible talents and outstanding contributions have had a lasting, meaningful impact on Disney's great legacy."

The 2011 Disney Legends Award honorees (listed alphabetically) are:

JODI BENSON is an acclaimed voice actress and soprano singer who provided both the singing and speaking voices for Disney's Princess Ariel in The Little Mermaid and its sequels. For more than 20 years, Benson has voiced Ariel in film, television, video games, toys and at Disney Parks. She also starred as Sam in Disney's Enchanted and voiced Barbie in the hit Disney/Pixar films Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3, plus Weebo in the film comedy Flubber.  

BARTON "BO" BOYD began his career at Disney 1968 as an Assistant Merchandise Supervisor at Disneyland. Continually advancing over the course of his 33-years with the company, Boyd was an integral part of the team creating merchandise specifically for Disneyland and Walt Disney World and held positions including Merchandise Division Director and Vice President, Retail Merchandising. In 1997, he was named Chairman of Disney Consumer Products where he oversaw one of the longest periods of sustained growth in the history of Disney merchandising with such initiatives as Licensed Merchandise,Walt Disney Records, the start of Hyperion Press, the entire line of Disney magazine products, Disney Catalog, Disney Interactive for computer games and educational software, ESPN—The Store, Walt Disney Classics Collection, Walt Disney Collectors Society and the establishment of the first Disney Store outside the grounds of the Disney Parks.

JIM HENSON, an Emmy Award-winning television producer and Oscar-nominated film director, was an American puppeteer and the creator of global phenomenon, The Muppets. The cross-cultural appeal of The Muppets propelled television shows likeSesame Street, The Muppet Show, and Fraggle Rock to new heights. The success of these series led Henson to explore feature films including The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper and The Muppets Take Manhattan, as well as the technologically ground-breaking fantasy classics The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. The Muppet legacy continued with popular Disney films such as The Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island, as well as the upcoming The Muppets, premiering this November.

LINDA LARKIN is a celebrated actress and popular voice performer best known for providing the voice of Princess Jasmine in the Disney animated feature Aladdin, its sequels, spin-offs and television specials. She has also been vocally featured in the Disney animated television series House of Mouse and the popular Kingdom Hearts video game.

PAIGE O'HARA is a Broadway actress and singer best known for providing the voice of Belle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast, its sequels, series and games. She also starred as Angela in the Disney film hit Enchanted. O'Hara has also been vocally featured in the Disney video game Kingdom Hearts and as Belle on the 64th Annual Academy Awards.

REGIS PHILBIN is an Emmy Award-winning, cultural icon who has entertained millions of people through talk shows, game shows, books and albums for more than 50 years. For the past 23 years, Americans have woken up to Philbin, thanks to the nationally syndicated hit talk show LIVE! with Regis and Kelly which originated in 1983 when Philbin created The Morning Showfor WABC in New York. In addition to his daytime success, Philbin launched ABC's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire into a primetime powerhouse and hosted a variety of shows including NBC's America's Got Talent, CBS' Million Dollar Password, and the 37th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards.

JACK AND BONITA WRATHER struck a deal with their friend Walt Disney in 1954 to build a luxury family hotel on property adjacent to Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Ground was broken on March 18, 1955, and the hotel opened six and a half months later—104 rooms in five two-story buildings at a starting room rate of $15. The Disneyland Hotel, originally conceived as simply lodging, presaged future developments in how Americans entertained themselves, pioneering, as Jack's son Chris wrote, "new forms of dining as entertainment, shopping as entertainment and the use of a waterfront setting" in an urban environment. The Disneyland Hotel has since played host to kings, queens, presidents, entertainment and sports legends and families from around the world.

ANIKA NONI ROSE is a renowned actress and singer who provided the voice of Princess Tiana in Disney's The Princess and the Frog. In addition, some of her Broadway, television and film credits include her Tony Award-winning performance inCaroline, or Change, the blockbuster feature film Dreamgirls, and television series including The Starter Wife and The Good Wife.

LEA SALONGA is a celebrated actress and singer who provided the singing voice for two Disney Princesses: Jasmine inAladdin, and Fa Mulan in Mulan and Mulan II. In addition to her recording and television career, Salonga's vast Broadway credits are highlighted by her performance as Kim in Miss Saigon which garnered her numerous awards including a Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics' Circle and Theater World Awards.  

RAY WATSON was President of The Irvine Company when he was asked to join the Board of Directors for Walt Disney Productions in 1973. Watson's early tenure on the Board saw the expansion of Walt Disney World, the 1976 opening of River Country—Disney's first water park, and the opening of EPCOT Center, in 1982, which at a cost of $1 billion was the largest private land development project ever at that time. In 1983, Watson was elected as Chairman of the Board and after stepping down as chairman 1984, remained on the Board until he retired in 2004 after serving the Company for 30 years and establishing a worldwide reputation as a real estate development visionary.

GUY WILLIAMS was an acclaimed actor who starred in the hit Disney television series Zorro and two feature films, The Sign of Zorro and Zorro the Avenger. Williams' charming portrayal of Zorro helped galvanized the character in the public's imagination and made the series a favorite among the Baby Boomer generation and beyond. His other popular television credits include the hit series Bonanza and Lost in Space.

Each honoree receives a two-foot-tall bronze Disney Legends sculpture that signifies the imagination, creativity and magic they have brought to the Company. Disney Legends Award recipients also participate in a handprint ceremony, and their bronzed prints will be displayed in the Disney Legends Plaza at the Company's Burbank headquarters.

The first Disney Legend, actor Fred MacMurray (The Shaggy Dog, The Absent-Minded Professor, The Happiest Millionaire), was named in 1987.  Including this year's honorees, a total of 237 Disney Legends have been named.  Past Disney Legends include Tim Allen, Robin Williams, Julie Andrews, Howard Ashman, Annette Funicello, Peter Jennings, Angela Lansbury, Steve Martin, Alan Menken, Hayley Mills, Fess Parker, Sir Tim Rice, Dick Van Dyke and Barbara Walters.  At the inaugural D23 Expo in 2009, the Legends Awards ceremony, which honored Robin Williams, Beatrice Arthur, Estelle Getty, Rue McLanahan, Betty White, Tony Anselmo, Bill Farmer, Harry Archinal, Don Iwerks and Leota Toombs Thomas, was presented to thousands of Disney fans for the first time. 

Tickets to the D23 EXPO are available at http://www.D23Expo.com.  Admission includes access to all experiences and entertainment at the D23 EXPO, including the Disney Legends Ceremony, and can be purchased for single days or for the full three days of festivities. Admission is $42 for a one-day adult ticket and $32 for children 3-12.  Three-day passes are $121 for adults and $91 for children. Members of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club will receive a discount for up to four admissions, as well as early entry to each day of the D23 EXPO for themselves and their guests.

About D23 Expo 2011

The D23 Expo—The Ultimate Disney Event for Fans and Families—brings the entire world of Disney under one roof, providing guests with unprecedented access to Disney films, television and theme parks.

About D23

The name "D23" pays homage to the wonder and excitement that began in 1923 when Walt Disney opened his fledgling studio in Hollywood.  D23 is the first official community for fans in Disney's 88-year history. D23 gives its members a greater connection to the entire world of Disney by placing them in the middle of the magic through its quarterly publication Disney twenty-three; a rich website at www.Disney.com/D23; a collectibles line, The Walt Disney Archives Collection; and special events for D23 Members throughout the year, highlighted by the D23 Expo in Anaheim, California, August 19-21, 2011.

Fans can join D23 at www.Disney.com/D23, select shops at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort andwww.DisneyStore.com/D23. To keep up with all the latest D23 news and events, follow us "DisneyD23" on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.

SOURCE Disney D23 Expo

Is David O. Russell Circling Disney’s ‘Maleficent’ movie?

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - David O. Russell has surfaced as one of the directors circling Disney's fantasy "Maleficent," a live-action version of the "Sleeping Beauty" story starring Angelina Jolie as the evil witch.
Tim Burton exited the project earlier this year, opening up the director's spot. Russell is among those now being considered for the job, but insiders stressed there are other names in the mix as well.
"Maleficent" is told from the witch's point of view.
Russell's calendar opened up when he parted ways last month with Columbia Pictures, where he was attached to direct "Unchartered Drake's Fortune," based on the popular video game. He was last in theaters with the Oscar-winning drama "The Fighter."

DisneyToon Studio's PIXAR's Planes teaser flies online

UPDATE: 6/15/11 - Some of you have emailed me letting me know the link hasn't been working. well here is a website WITH the PLANES teaser Trailer! click here.

The first trailer for Disney's upcoming Planes film has just been posted on their official YouTube page. Taking place in the same world as Pixar's Cars, the film comes from Disney Toon Studios, which is also responsible for the company's current Tinker Bell series. Planes is the first movie in what Disney hopes will become a new franchise. It is set to land on DVD and Blu-Ray in the spring of 2013.

Disney Announces CG Comedy Adventure Wreck-It Ralph

Walt Disney Animation Studios today announced the CG comedy adventure "Reboot Ralph" will now be titled Wreck-It Ralph. The film is directed by Rich Moore and features the voices of John C. Reilly , Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer and Jane Lynch:

Some of us are born to be bad, but that doesn’t mean we have to like it. Walt Disney Animation Studios and Emmy®-winning director Rich Moore (TV’s “The Simpsons,” “Futurama”) take moviegoers on a hilarious, video-game-hopping journey in “Wreck-It Ralph,” the story of an arcade game Bad Guy determined to prove he can be a Good Guy. Produced by Clark Spencer (“Lilo & Stitch,” “Bolt”) and featuring the voices of John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer and Jane Lynch, the CG comedy adventure will hit theaters on Nov. 12, 2012, and will be presented in Disney Digital 3D™ in select theaters.

Says Moore, “I love the idea of a very simple 8-bit video game character struggling with the complex question: ‘isn't there more to life than the role I've been assigned?’ In his quest for the answer, we journey with our hero through three visually distinct video game worlds. It's unlike anything anyone's seen before, and I'm thrilled to be to creating it here at Walt Disney Animation Studios.”

Wreck-It Ralph (voice of Reilly) longs to be as beloved as his game’s perfect Good Guy, Fix-It Felix (voice of McBrayer). Problem is, nobody loves a Bad Guy. But they do love heroes… so when a modern, first-person shooter game arrives featuring tough-as-nails Sergeant Calhoun (voice of Lynch), Ralph sees it as his ticket to heroism and happiness. He sneaks into the game with a simple plan—win a medal—but soon wrecks everything, and accidently unleashes a deadly enemy that threatens every game in the arcade. Ralph’s only hope? Vanellope von Schweetz (voice of Silverman), a young troublemaking “glitch” from a candy-coated cart racing game who might just be the one to teach Ralph what it means to be a Good Guy. But will he realize he is good enough to become a hero before it’s “Game Over” for the entire arcade?

 

B.E.N the robot from Disney's animated film "Treasure Planet"

Disney's Lone Ranger gets a release date

Disney's upcoming live-action movie The Lone Ranger will ride off into the sunset just before the Christmas of 2012, Deadline is reporting. That currently puts it up against such high profile releases as Zack Snyder's Superman reboot and Peter Jackson's first Hobbit movie. The update of the classic TV series will star The Social Network's Armie Hammer as the title character, while Johnny Depp will possibly steal the show as his sidekick Tonto. The movie is from director Gore Verbinski, who recently took audiences to an animated version of the old west in the critically acclaimed Paramount's Rango, which also starred Depp.

Disney to open Disney Baby stores

From LA Times - As part of its efforts to capture future Disney enthusiasts while they're still in the cradle, the Walt Disney Co. will open its first Disney Baby store next year at the Americana in Glendale. 

Disney Consumer Products Chairman Andy Mooney said the company plans to open two such stores -- one on each coast -- to display the best of its new infant line, a category that the licensing juggernaut does not currently dominate.

The retail stores, particularly the one near its Glendale headquarters, would give Disney executives the opportunity to interact with the parents of newborns and refine product offerings that span apparel, nursery items and products for the bath. It's one of "a number of key initiatives to build Disney Baby as brand and business," Mooney said in a conference call before next week's Licensing International Expo in Last Vegas.

Disney Consumer Products has worked with a company called Our365 to gain access to new mothers and their infants in maternity wards and provide a free sample of the Disney Cuddly Bodysuit as part of samples they receive in the hospital.

Disney has made a concerted corporate effort to reach younger children.

Disney Channel offers about 60 hours a week of programming aimed at preschoolers, and earlier this year the channel debuted new series that introduce classic Disney characters in a new way -- including a youthful exploration of the Peter Pan story in "Jake and the Never Land Pirates." Next year, Disney Junior debuts as a stand alone, 24-hour cable channel.

TIME.com Exclusive: On the Set of the New Muppets Movie

TIME.com's exclusive "On the Set of the New Muppet Movie" takes the opportunity to chat with many of the people who have helped in this NEW Muppets movie including Miss Piggy, some Muppets and namely Mr. Jason Segel.


read it HERE.

Kinect Disneyland Adventures game

Exclusively from E3 2011: coming soon exclusively to Kinect for Xbox 360: Kinect Disneyland Adventures game! NOW i NEED to buy an xbox with a kinect! I bought a PS2 just for "Kingdom hearts", and a Wii just for "Epic Mickey"...now, a Kinect!

enJoy!

Disney Studios to cut up to 250 jobs globally

Walt Disney Studios plans to cut as much as 5% of its worldwide workforce as early as next week, according to people familiar with the matter.

The movie studio would eliminate as many as 250 jobs from its staff of about 5,000 people globally, said the people, who did not want to be identified because they had not been authorized to discuss the matter. Several Disney insiders say the bulk of the cuts will be in Burbank. The reductions are expected to hit hardest in the studio's distribution operation, reflecting fundamental changes in the movie business.

A constellation of factors are squeezing the industry, including falling DVD sales, flat theater attendance and concerns that one of the biggest technological boons to hit the megaplex, 3-D, may have peaked. Meanwhile, new forms of digital distribution, including Amazon.com's video streaming service and Apple Inc.'s iTunes download store, have yet to contribute significantly to the studios' bottom lines.

The decline in home entertainment revenue has been particularly problematic for the studios, prompting industrywide layoffs. Sales of DVDs, Blu-ray discs and digital movies fell 18% in the first quarter compared with a year earlier, according to industry trade organization Digital Entertainment Group. Disney, for the three months that ended April 2, reported a 14% drop in home entertainment revenue.

"When you see these kinds of trends, frankly, you don't need as many people in the companies," longtime media analyst Harold Vogel said.

Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Robert A. Iger has lead a restructuring of the studio to reflect these new business realities, scaling back the number of movies it produces and releases. Disney sold off its Miramax Films specialty movie label last year and consolidated the Burbank studio's marketing and distribution operations.

Helping lower its risk on the production side, the studio now relies more heavily on movies supplied by Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks (live action movies only, not the animation unit of it) Studios, which pays Disney a fee for releasing its films, and Marvel Entertainment, which it acquired two years ago for $4 billion.

Disney also gets a steady stream of big family movies from its Pixar Animation Studios unit, which it bought for $7.4 billion in 2006.

Since he was named to the post in 2009, Disney Studios chief Rich Ross has been reorganizing and streamlining the studio's marketing and distribution operations in response to falling DVD sales amid changing consumer habits.

Last November, he consolidated the distribution units of theatrical, home entertainment and pay television into a single group headed by Bob Chapek, the studio's former executive in charge of home entertainment.

Disney isn't alone in making staff reductions in response to the tougher business climate. Sony Pictures laid off 450 people last year, citing changing consumption patterns. More recently, Santa Monica-based independent studio Lionsgate laid off 17 people in its home entertainment division, though it hired several in its digital division. Paramount Pictures also is expected to cut costs in its home entertainment division.

Cincinnati family thrilled with HGTV Disney yard makeover

CINCINNATI -- It's a small world, after all.

Only one spinning Mad Hatter tea cup was installed for the Williams family for HGTV's "My Yard Goes Disney" makeover show.

But it's the only one in this neighborhood north of Cincinnati -- or the nation. It sits by an "It's A Small World" play area, Chip 'n' Dale playhouse and Alice in Wonderland clock garden and tea party set.

"It's amazing. You only see these things in Disneyland -- and it's in my backyard!" said Zuri Williams, 10.

"This is the perfect place to play. It's awesome," said her sister, Zoe, 7.

The girls saw their Disney-inspired yard in May as cameras captured their excitement. They also were thrilled to meet R. Brandon Johnson, the Disney Channel star ("Shake It Up") who will host the HGTV summer series premiering at 8 p.m. June 6. The Williams' "Small World" episode airs July 4.

The Williams family was one of six selected -- from more than 500 -- because of their love for all things Disney, said executive producer Jay Shatz, whose JayTV in nearby Covington, Ky., produces "Desperate Landscapes" for the DIY Network.

Until 2010, Maronica and Larry Williams had taken their daughters and both sets of grandparents on Christmas vacations to Disney World or Disneyland.

But they couldn't go in December because Larry had been unemployed for several months, and the couple faced big medical bills after the premature birth of their third child, Lawrence General, now 18 months old.

"We're able to create long-lasting memories, a real gift to people who had such hardships. There's no price tag for that," said Johnson, who also has appeared on "Hannah Montana" and hosted HGTV's "Get Out, Way Out" yard makeover show.

In two days, crews removed trees and an old wooden swing set. Then they installed mulch, flowers, shrubs and the one-of-a-kind Disney-inspired pieces made by Cincinnati companies.

The Mad Hatter tea cups are the girls' favorite Disney ride, said their father, an account executive for Quest Diagnostics since October.

"This is pretty amazing," said neighbor Melissa Prohaska, who watched the construction with her daughters this week from an upstairs bedroom.

Cincinnati firms also created a "Princess Dot Puddle Park" wet play area installed at another suburban Cincinnati home, and a miniature Magic Kingdom train ride, Animal King safari play set and "Pirates of the Caribbean" ship for Orland homes, Shatz said. "My Yard Goes Disney" debuts with the hand-operated train ride show.

Maronica Williams, a human resources officer, said the new play area more than made up for her daughters missing a few days at Disney World last year.

"This is Disney in my backyard every day," she said. "...I'm sure this will be the place where all the kids in the neighborhood come to play."