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Disney Buys Lucasfilm, Now Owns Star Wars

This is probably the hugest and craziest Disney news story I’ve ever heard, and possibly ever will, I can’t think of anything bigger: this week, Walt Disney Company announced that it is buying Lucasfilm for about $4 billion dollars. That’s right: Disney will own Star Wars. The news is entirely shocking. In the past year George Lucas has announced his intention to retire from film making, or at least big-budget film making, instead focusing on smaller projects. But no one expected him to sell his company (Lucas is the sole owner), and certainly not to Disney. When one thinks about … Continue reading →

Fall Disney Cruise Special Offers

The Disney Parks aren’t the only Disney vacation destinations that give discounts from time to time. The Disney Cruise line has its own special offers page, so today we’ll check out the upcoming deals. One special deal was actually just announced on the official Disney Parks blog. Want to have a unique Halloween that you’ve never experienced before? Take a Disney cruise over the holiday. Cruise ships transform for Halloween (and, presumably, allow all of their passengers to wear costumes). If you travel aboard a Disney ship over Halloween, expect to find: Disney characters dressed up in special seasonal duds, … Continue reading →

How Disney Chooses Park Attractions

After reading my posts on Disneyland California Adventure’s now-open Cars Land, a close friend and loyal reader (hi, Becca!) asked me what I really thought about the park. She knows my feelings on the “Cars” franchise, and thought that maybe I’m feeling more negative about it than I let on in my articles. I admitted that while I’m not super excited that Disney keeps choosing to promote “Cars” in the parks, I don’t really mind. I’d rather them open another “Cars Land” at Disney World, for example, than make a “Cars 3.” That led me to wonder about the process … Continue reading →

State Farm Makes Deal With Disney/Pixar

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The State Farm Insurance company has made a marketing deal with Disney/Pixar. The deal involves characters from the “Cars 2” movie. The deal connects State Farm’s “Agents on a Mission” sweepstakes with costumed characters from the movie making appearances in 30 cites. The movie called “Cars 2” is a sequel to the movie “Cars”, (which was released in 2006). Both movies were made by Disney/Pixar. Each of these animated movies was a big hit with children, families, and people who really enjoy watching Disney/Pixar movies. “Cars 2” was the top-grossing movie in theaters the weekend of Saturday, June 25, and … Continue reading →

Upcoming Disney Flicks

Because it’s the first month of the year I thought I’d take a look at some of Disney’s upcoming movies for 2011. I’m going to skip over highly anticipated films like the fourth “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Cars 2,” because I’ve posted about them before, and more general knowledge is known about them. Instead, I want to feature lower-key Disney movies, ones that are perhaps more bubbly fare than blockbuster bait, but should be enjoyable nonetheless. At the moment Disney’s got three such movies announced: “Prom,” “Mars Needs Moms,” and “Winnie the Pooh.” The first, “Prom,” is a blend … Continue reading →

“Cars 2” Trailer Released

I’ve possibly been a bit unfair towards “Cars” in complaining that it gets a sequel, the forthcoming “Cars 2,” when it’s my least favorite Pixar film. I know “Toy Story 3” was fantastic, but I just wasn’t as excited for it or into it as I have been for years about Pixar, because I’m sad that they’re not being encouraged to further innovation. Unfortunately for it, “Cars 2” has borne the brunt of my disgruntlement over the whole issue. Its existence incorporates all the things I don’t like about the direction in which Walt Disney Corp. CEO Bob Iger is … Continue reading →

Miyazaki: Master of Animation, Pt. 2

“Each cell of (Miyazaki’s) movies is a painting you’d want to hang on the wall.” –Kathleen Kennedy, Executive Producer, “Ponyo” English language version Today I’ll conclude my look at Miyazaki’s films, and consider what makes him such a great animator. Whisper of the Heart (1995; adapted by Miyazaki). Based on a comic by Aoi Hiragi, “Whisper of the Heart” is unique for Miyazaki in that it’s set in modern-day Tokyo and is not a fantasy. This is another coming of age story with some Germanic influences and a gorgeous violin soundtrack. It follows teens Shizuku and Seiji as they determine … Continue reading →

“Princess and the Frog” Hints at New Era for Disney

For the past decade, Disney Animation has meant little without Pixar. All of the sharp storytelling and visual artistry that made Walt Disney famous came not from the studio he started, but from a company originally founded by George Lucas. Some movies made in that time stood out, such as “Lilo and Stitch” and “Enchanted.” But they never quite achieved the magic Disney had lost. By 2004, Disney altogether stopped making hand-drawn animated movies. “Princess and the Frog” restores the glimmer of Disney’s previous glory to a respectable glow. The movie isn’t perfect, but the studio’s finally returning to form. … Continue reading →

Disney Fostering Holiday Greed?

At the beginning of November Disney announced its 2009 “Most Wanted Holiday Toys,” including 12 reasonably-priced toys, labeled “A Dozen Deals Under $25.” The dozen deals list is as follows: *Disney Fairies Tink’s Balloon Playset *Disney Fairies Secret Jewelry Box *Handy Manny Flicker The Flashlight *Mickey’s Mouse-Ke-Tag Game *Minnie Mouse Cupcake Set (Disney Store exclusive) *Disney Princess: The Princess and the Frog Princess Tiana Cooking Set (Disney Store exclusive) *Disney Princess Tiana Classic Doll (Disney Store exclusive) *Disney Princess Tiana Just One Kiss Doll *Disney-Pixar’s Cars Die-Cast: Neon Light up and Lenticular collections *Disney-Pixar’s Cars Toons assortment *Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story … Continue reading →

Movies Week in Review June 30th-July 5th

Are you looking for something good to throw in your DVD player this week? We just might have something that will fill the bill. We started out our week with a look at “The Magic School Bus: Creepy, Crawly Fun,” which teaches children some basic principles of science in a fun, entertaining way. I always learn something myself when I watch these shows with my children. Then we learned about “Wall-E,” the phenomenal new film by Disney Pixar. You’ll be blown away by the effects and the charm of this film that blogger Heather Long called “Quite simply the best … Continue reading →