Tag Archives: mickey mouse

Captain America: The Noblest Avenger

“Avengers, Assemble!” With these words, Captain America calls together the many scattered members of Marvel Comics’ crime-fighting squad. It’s appropriate, then, that Captain America is the subject of Marvel Studios’ last superhero flick before next summer’s “Avengers” ensemble piece. When first perusing the list of this summer’s comic book films I figured I’d give “Captain America” a pass. The straight-laced always-been-a-do-gooder Steve Rogers (the Captain’s alter ego) has less character development than some of his more conflicted counterparts, and thanks to an overabundance of History Channel specials on the topic I’m currently experiencing a little of World War II-era ennui. … Continue reading →

A Study in Princesses: Rapunzel and Beyond

Today we come to the last of Disney’s Princesses, at least those who exist so far. With “Tangled” our lead is yet again a princess, but as in the previous movie it’s ancillary. Like many other Disney heroines before her Rapunzel just wants to experience new things in the world, though she has the greatest justification for her desires. Her goal develops along the way; once she learns the truth of her past she wants to reunite with her parents, and not because they’re royalty. Rapunzel wasn’t a little girl who grew up hating her circumstances and wishing that secretly, … Continue reading →

Disney at E3 and Other Video Games Update

A Kinect demo booth at this year’s E3 The E3 Video Game exhibition might be over now, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to stop talking about all we learned about upcoming video games. Put E3 up there for me with other conventions, like Comic Con and the D23 Expo, that I’d love to attend one day. Disney didn’t dominate E3, as the company isn’t really known for putting out much more than thrown-together movie tie-in games. Titles like “Epic Mickey” and “Kingdom Hearts” are the exceptions to the rule, though the latter doesn’t quite count because it was a … Continue reading →

“Thor” A Mighty Addition to the Marvel Lineup

“Thor” officially kicked off the blockbuster season this past weekend. Its status as a comic book film qualifies it as the first of the summer’s big-budget, big-hype movies, and its place in the series of Marvel flicks leading up to the superpower-packed, Joss Whedon (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”)-helmed “Avengers” movie only heightened the anticipation. Here’s the rub: as my husband said to me as we exited the theater, “Thor” didn’t feel like a typical comic book movie. Unlike infamous flops “Jonah Hex” and the Ang Lee “Hulk,” however, with “Thor,” this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. There are two reasons … Continue reading →

Princess Tricycle Recall

Unfortunately, today I’ve got to announce another Disney products recall here on the Disney blog. This time the item in question is being recalled not just by one but by two governments, the United States and Canada. The Consumer Products Safety Division and Health Canada are recalling the Disney Princess Plastic Racing Trikes. These bright pink child-sized tricycles were produced by Kiddieland Toys Limited and sold at Target, JC Penny, Meijer, and H.E.B. stores. They could also be obtained on target.com After receiving reports of children suffering facial lacerations from the trikes, the safety institutions determined that the toys posed … Continue reading →

Monsters, Marple, and Merida

Earlier this week saw the announcement of saw the announcement of two new Disney movies, one that was already rumored in production, and the first stills from another highly anticipated film. The first is Pixar’s next sequel, the previously titled “Monster’s Inc. 2.” NME Movie News revealed that Pixar didn’t say much about the film, merely that it would again star John Goodman as Sully and Billy Crystal as Mike. We do, however, have a title for the movie, and it is the most creative yet. Rather than just adding another number to the end, the new “Monster’s Inc.” film … Continue reading →

FASTPASS to Meet Mickey Mouse

If you head down to Disney World during tourist season, you’re bound to spend a significant portion of your vacation waiting in lines. In recognition of this problem Disney has introduced a couple different solutions: queue-less waiting systems currently being tested at the Hollywood Studios and soon to come to the Magic Kingdom with the Fantasyland expansion, and the more pervasive FASTPASS. Introduced in 1999, the FASTPASS system allows Disney guests who pay a little extra to skip the line for rides. FASTPASS holders are given a designated time at which to arrive at rides, and if they show up … Continue reading →

Disney PhotoPass

It’s time for another edition of “What Is This Disney Feature?” In February I learned of all the many places money on a Disney gift card might be spent, but two of the names were unfamiliar. I’ve since examined Club Penguin, and today I’ll look at the second title I didn’t recognize: Disney PhotoPass. Disney’s all about creating lasting memories. That’s even the latest theme at the Disney parks. Because a primary way people make and preserve memories on vacations and throughout their lives is through photography, Disney decided to get in on the action. PhotoPass has existed for years … Continue reading →

Club Penguin

In 2007 Disney bought out a website called Club Penguin. The site had been gaining popularity as a popular online destination for kids, so of course Disney couldn’t resist that siren’s call. Club Penguin is a MMORG, or “massive multiplayer online role-playing game,” for children. Users play online with others from around the world, controlling characters they design themselves. Because Club Penguin is meant for children between the ages of 6 and 14, large emphasis has been placed on keeping the game safe. The creators of Club Penguin have taken several measures to keep children safe in an online community … Continue reading →

Infants: The Hottest New Market

We all know that Disney will market to absolutely anyone it thinks it can get to buy its merchandise. We also know that Disney will pursue its advertising targets till the ends of the earth, producing any conceivable product (and some hitherto inconceivable) to ridiculous and often extreme ends. So really, Disney ought not to surprise anyone with whatever new marketing schemes it rolls out. Despite all of that, I just can’t help it; Disney’s got my eyebrows raised with this one. What’s the Mouse House’s latest marketing target? Infants. Pushing products towards the just-out-of-the-womb isn’t entirely new territory for … Continue reading →