Mickey Mouse is Back: New Shorts to Air on TV

Mickey Mouse is back.  Whether this is the reinvention that Disney execs promised years ago remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: Disney’s most famous character is going to be a star yet again.  Mickey’s returning to his roots, in a series of animated shorts to debut on the Disney Channel and Disney Online this June.  Entertainment Weekly has the details. Disney Television Animation has been hard at work creating 19 new shorts starring the famous mouse, his girlfriend Minnie, and surely many of his other most popular cohorts, all to reintroduce Mickey to fans young and old.  … Continue reading

Considering Pixie Hollow

Of the few women in the Peter Pan story, I always liked Tinker Bell the best. Mrs. Darling had a one-dimensional role and Wendy came across as simple and boring (why would she want to be the mother, of all things, when she’s in the middle of a fairy tale world?). Tiger Lily had a lot of potential and I wouldn’t have minded if we’d followed her adventures on Never Land rather than Peter Pan’s; even as a child I thought she must have gotten up to more than Peter realized, but he, selfishly of course, only thought of her … Continue reading

Selena Gomez to Star in New Prank Show?

This spring is full of news about the Disney Channel. Coming off both the return of the Disney Channel Games and the announcement of a new television series, Hollywood Life published rumors of a new show for the channel starring Selena Gomez. ‘Wait,’ you might say. ‘Isn’t this the sort of thing Disney Channel execs should avoid?’ Sure, they always try to milk their stars for all they’re worth, but the network is already under fire for overworking Demi Lovato. Why would they go and make the same mistake with Gomez? First off, “Wizards of Waverley Place” wraps up its … Continue reading

“Suite” Star to Helm New Series

Say what you might about the Disney Channel, but it’s excellent at renewing its popular properties. As its stars grow up and want to move on to other material, it often manages to spin new shows out of the ones coming to an end. It also usually gets a movie or two, sometimes even for the big screen, out of its shows. Many times the Disney Channel creates spin-offs of its already existing shows. Even if it doesn’t manage that, it will take a popular secondary character and base a new program around that actor or actress. Popular program “The … Continue reading

Disney Channel Friends for Change Games

“High School Musical” star Corbin Bleu at a prior Disney Games event In 2007 and 2008 the Disney Channel’s then-stars such as Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers competed in a series of gladiator-style games for charity. The event was filmed and called the Disney Channel Games. The Orlando Sentinel has the scoop that after a two-year break the games return in 2011, albeit with some changes. This time, in keeping with the theme “Friends for Change” that the Disney Channel’s developed for its Project Green program, the event’s called the Disney Channel Friends for Change Games. Rather than filming … Continue reading

Disney Jr. – Live on Stage!

It’s certainly a time of change at Disney, and last week the latest took place: the switch from Playhouse Disney to Disney Jr. Thanks to Michele for pointing it out to me; I wasn’t sure if Disney Jr. was indeed the replacement for Playhouse Disney, or just an additional feature. Despite discussing it, we’re not really sure of the motivation for the name change. The most likely candidate is that Disney’s trying to compete with Nick Jr., but having names so similar seems like it will just cause more confusion than competition. I also thought that perhaps execs thought kids … Continue reading

Disney Sing It: Family Hits

My husband and I are video game addicts. Console or computer, it doesn’t matter; we own a bunch of games and have played even more that we’ve borrowed from friends or swapped for others at GameSpot. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone here that my favorite game of all time is Kingdom Hearts. The super-popular Japanese franchise blends the action-RPG style of the Legend of Zelda games with an original and epic story line, one that includes character cameos from Final Fantasy (one of the most popular series of video games). But most importantly, the story revolves around … Continue reading

Miley Cyrus’ New Direction

It’s looking like Miley Cyrus will only be safe for her young fans as long as she’s donning the blonde Hannah Montana wig. While the super-popular Disney Channel show will return this summer, the rest of Cyrus’ material is no longer necessarily suitable for mass consumption by all of her fans. I stumbled across the music video for Miley Cyrus’ latest single “Can’t Be Tamed” on a Washington Post article comparing her career to former Mickey Mouse club starlets Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. A viewing of the video certainly makes it look like Cyrus is eager to follow in … Continue reading

Will High School Musical Continue?

Parents, you might need to console your tweens and teens: it’s a bittersweet day for fans of Disney’s mammoth “High School Musical” franchise. After two Disney Channel movies, one silver screen flick, and countless albums, merchandise, theater and international spin-offs, the era of the Wildcats as we know it is over. But the story isn’t entirely finished, thus the silver lining to the cloud. Ashley Tisdale, who played the drama queen antagonist of the series, signed on to star in the spin-off tv movie “Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure.” The movie starts filming this summer for a 2011 release on the Disney … Continue reading

The Return of the Jonas Brothers

If you have tween or teen girls in your house, you’d better plug your ears: the Disney channel has renewed both of the Jonas Brothers’ television series. “JONAS,” the hit sibling band’s sitcom-style series, will return mid-2010. Meanwhile, season 2 of “Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream,” will debut earlier in 2010. “Living the Dream,” the Jonas Brothers’ short-form reality series, is likely returning earlier because it can be filmed while the brothers focus on other projects, such as their current European tour. Gary Marsh, President of Entertainment of Disney Channels Worldwide, says of the show, “We can deliver something to … Continue reading