Is EuroDisney Takeover Done By A Bunch of Clowns?

After reading more about the company that is attempting to do a hostile takeover big of EuroDisney, it now doesn't look to be the best move for the company or Disneyland Paris. During the press conference announcing the bid, the "executives" of the company sound utterly clueless on what to do and what the local governence are. It's as if they're going to make things up as they go along!

Oy vey!

Zz.

A Disney Star is Born

Time magazine looks at Disney's star-making machine that made the lead role in Hannah Montana a star.

While I'm not a fan of this type of product out of Disney, I must admit that they have been very successful lately with their original production aimed at pre-teens. They are riding on a string of huge hits, and it seems to be coming continuously.

Zz.

EuroDisney Receives Takeover Bid

It's official! As reported earlier as a possible rumor, EuroDisney has now received a takeover bid from a Swiss company that specializes in running family amusement parks.

Interestingly enough, due to the nature of the company and its bylaws, and the fact that Disney owns a substantial share in the company, a hostile takeover such as this may not be that easy. The Disney Blog has a brief analysis of this takeover bid.

Zz.

Disney Wants YouTube to do More on Piracy

Disney's Anne Sweeney is hinting that they may do more if YouTube does not crack down on illegal upload of their programming.

I'm actually surprised that they have this much patience with it. I expected them to pursue this much earlier. So if you have uploaded Disney's program online, either from the ABC network show or any of the Disney channels, watch out!

Zz.

Disney's True-Life Adventures

For those old enough to remember, the complete Disney's True-Life Adventure series is finally being released on DVD after meticulous restoration. Thanks to Roy E. Disney, the series of wild-life documentary that had won several Academy Awards will finally be seen by a generation that did not even know it existed.

The DVD will be released on Dec. 5 (the same day at Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest).

Zz.

Animal Kingdom Lodge Increased Funds for Conservation

The castmembers at the Zawadi Marketplace at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge have managed to raise over $100,000 this past year for the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund. Well done!!

What is wonderful about this fund is that 100% of the donation goes into the cause, with Disney picking up all the overhead and administrative costs. So it is certainly a very worthy cause to support.

Zz.

35 Magical Years - Mystery Tin Set

OK, this is bad.

I had a friend who went to WDW last week with his family, and they were gracious enough to get me a bunch of pins that I had wanted. One of them was this 35 Magical Years Mystery Tin Set. They bought 9 of these tins for me. Unfortunately, even with all these 9 tins, I didn't get a complete set. I'm missing the Dumbo pin, and the Railroad pin. What I got was multiple pin of everything else except the Barnstormer pin.

So, if you have either the Dumbo pin or the Railroad pin (or maybe even both), and would like to trade with any of the other pins that I have (except for the Barnstormer), please leave a comment on here or e-mail me direct (my e-mail is in my profile).

Zz.

Euro Disney Ripe for a Takeover?

Rumors are going around that Euro Disney, the company that runs Disneyland Paris, might face a hostile takeover, even though the company is reporting that it hasn't been approached.

Considering the tumultuous history of this theme park, I'm not so sure if this takeover is good or bad. They certainly need to do something to make it profitable.

Zz.

Disney Raises Dividends by 15%

Disney boosts its dividends to the shareholders by 15%, the largest increase in 8 years. This comes on the heel of a 4th quarter profit that doubled from last year.

Now let's see if they can keep it up next year. However, if they keep outsourcing various jobs that their guests come in contact with, then who knows what will happen especially to their theme park experience.

Zz.

Disney Has Tough Sell For Gibson Movie

Needless to say, the upcoming Mel Gibson movie will be very difficult to sell for Disney due to 2 separate reasons. The first of course was his racial tirade from a few months ago. The other is the very nature of the movie itself, which is full of unknowns (really not that big of a factor nowadays), of a difficult subject, and not in english (having subtitles).

I have already seen billboards around the expressways advertizing this movie. It remains to be seen if people might be turned off from this movie due to Gibson himself, or the nature of the movie, or both.

Zz.

Army Science?

This has nothing to do with Disney directly, but I too find it rather ... er ... a bit strange that one would have a conference on the future of armed combat near the Happiest Place on Earth.

But then again, considering that Orlando is a major convention center for many organization, why not?

Zz.

Pirates Fastest Sellling Disney DVD in the UK

Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest became the fastest selling Disney DVD in the UK.

I didn't realize this DVD has already been released there. The DVD isn't supposed to be out yet here in the US till Dec. 5th. How much do you want to bet that this DVD will do as well, if not better, when it is finally out?

Zz.

Toddlers at Disney

Not that I'll ever be in such a situation, but this is a terrific article on how to survive when you bring a 1-year old, 2-year olds, and a 4-year old to Walt Disney World. I can certainly imaging going on The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride 4 times in a row! :)

Zz.

A House in the Phillippines Goes Disney

Even in the Phillippines you can get a house decorated for Christmas with Disney theme. Too bad they didn't include any pictures.

Zz.

JC Penny Snowglobes

I mentioned about the JC Penny's Disney snowglobes earlier. Here are the pictures. The first picture shows the snowglobes we collected from 2002 and 2003. The second one are the snowglobes from 2004 and 2005. The last one is the one we just got barely a few days ago.

Does anyone know how far back JC Penny has released these snowglobes?

Zz.

Swiming with the Big Fish

A look at the creative force behind Finding Nemo - The Musical scheduled to open at Disney's Animal Kingdom. So far the reviews of this show has been fantastic. This will certainly something I will try to see on our next trip in June. I also wouldn't be surprise if this eventually becomes a full-blown Broadway musical.

Zz.

Hollywood Holly-Day Parade

Pictures and video of the holiday parade at Disney-MGM Studios. This parade may not be around next year, though. This is the holiday version of the regular Disney Stars and Motor Cars on parade, which is rumored to be changed next year into something else.

Zz.

A Glitch With Disney Online Shopping

Both Walmart and Disney Online shopping had a glitch during Black Friday shopping rush. The high traffic to both sites (and even to Amazon) caused a temporary problem which seems to have been resolved.

Zz.

JC Penney's Disney Snowglobes

OK, so anyone else got up at 5 am in the morning on the day after Thanksgiving to go grab one of these snowglobes?

JC Penney (it's a department store, for those outside N. America and don't know what it is) has been giving out these Disney snowglobes for the past several years to their early customers on Black Friday (the big shopping day after Thanksgiving). We have been collecting them for the past 5 years. We got them again today after driving out to a shopping mall and picking up our free snowglobes. By the time we were done with our shopping through the rest of the mall (and at Penney's also), it was 7:00 am and they have ran out of those snowglobes.

So we're happy. We got the snowglobes, and got some terrific bargains before the huge crowds descend on the mall. Another good day.

Zz.

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party Parade

Pictures and video of Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party parade. This certainly looks like a very special parade during a very special occassion. Hopefully, we'll get to actually do this in a couple of years.

Zz.

Happy Thanksgiving

To everyone who celebrates it in North America, have a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving. May you have plenty to be thankful for.

Zz.

Disney's Toys for Tots

If you are in the Anaheim/LA are, or going to Disneyland this weekend, you could get a commemorative pin for bringing in a toy for donation this Sunday. Even if you don't get the pin, this is a worthwhile cause. As a disneyphille, we are all unoffically given the responsibility to spread the "magic" of Disney, and nothing is more magical than toys and the smile of a child.

Zz.

Holiday Decorations Around Disneyland

Laughing Place has a terrific set of pictures of the holiday decorations around Disneyland. It certainly looks like a magical place to be around this time of the year. Wouldn't it be wonderful to spend a week a at the Disneyland Resort, and then fly off to Orlando and spend another week there during the holidays? We almost did that, except it was this past June.

Expedition Everest Wins THEA Award

Expedition Everest at Disney's Animal Kingdom wins the Outstanding Attraction award from the Theme Entertainment Association.

Disney fans right now are going "Well, duh!"

:)

Zz.

Visiting US Among the Worst Process

Considering how much places such as WDW depends on international tourists, it is difficult to know why this remains such a tedious process, even years after Sept. 11. A survey of international visitors indicated that the process of getting into the US was one of the worst experience, including rude and arrogant officials. That is hard to comprehend. While it is difficult to change the process itself, that last part on the attitude of US visa and immigration officials, either at the various US consulates and at entry points, should be corrected immediately.

It is interesting to note that once these visitors got past their bad introduction, their experience improved considerably. It's too bad that many simply would not even attempt to apply for a visit simply because of the hassle of the process.

Zz.

Topiary Contest

Who would have thought? I certainly didn't!

I frequently enter a picture in a weekly contest at one of the Disney fan website (WDWMagic.com). Usually, my picture doesn't even come close to all the other amazing pictures that many Disney fan took. I'm continually astounded at some of the quality of the pictures. So obviously, my pictures often do not even make it to the final round of voting - I consider it an accomplishment if I even get that far.

So far, I think only one of my pictures ever made it into the winners list, coming in tied for 2nd with two other pictures in a Fantasyland contest. I entered the contest from 2 weeks ago on topiaries around WDW with this picture. I thought "it's interesting, but I'd be lucky if this thing made it to the final voting". Well, it made it to the final round of voting, coming in not 1st, not 2nd, but 3rd in that group during the initial voting. So the prospect looked bleak going into the final round of voting since pictures from the other group looked very strong too.

Well lo and behold, I woke up one morning to find that I was tied for 1st place in the final vote! How did THAT happen? Of course, I'm pretty pleased with the result, my first win, even though it was a tie for 1st Place. All with a picture that I didn't think would make it very far.

Can never predict how one of these things will go.....

The picture, btw, is a topiary they put up in front of the China pavilion at Epcot several years ago (I think it was in 2003) during the annual Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival. They haven't put this up again since.

Zz.

Monsters Inc. Comedy Club

If you happen to be at the Magic Kingdom, keep an eye out in Tomorrowland around the old Timekeeper theater. They might just let people in unannounced for a preview of this new attraction.

Also in that news article is the report on Southwest Airlines surpassing American Airlines for the first time as the carrier with the largest number of airline passengers. It is interesting to note that Southwest is also the largest carrier at Orlando International airport.

Zz.

Hong Kong Disneyland's Bumpy Ride

A more recent recap of the problems (and successes) of Hong Kong Disneyland. Let's hope that the report at the end of their 2nd year isn't as bad. The stream of bad news and bad publicity seems to have dwindle down recently, so no news is good news I suppose.

Zz.

Country Bears Jamboree

I have uploaded a video of Country Bears Jamboree, taped at The Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World. It was videotaped in Sept. 2005.

This is actually the 2nd Country Bears Jamboree in my uploaded video collection. The first one was taped a while back. The new one has a better video quality, is in widescreen, and you get to see a bit more, especially the sides.

Enjoy!

Zz.

Update on the Injured Acrobat

Good news on the injured acrobat reported earlier during a Disney On Ice show. He is expected to make a full recovery, but will sit out the rest of the performance run.

Zz.

Target Tries to Mess With the Mouse

Target tried to stare down at the Walt Disney Company, and it blinked first. Disney threatened to not ship Pirates of the Caribban - Dead Man's Chest, and Target knew better than that.

People never listen. Don't mess with The Mouse!

:)

Zz.

Disney Outsourcing More Jobs

Disney is planning on outsourcing bell, valet, and baggage handlers at the WDW resorts! Unbelievable! And this is after posting record profits for the 4th quarter.

I find it highly ming-boggling that major corporations would put people who actually come in contact with their paying customers with such low pay or even people who are not actually working for them directly! Just think about it. It's not just the Disney company that does this. You have your customers, who are actually paying money that your company depends on, and who do you put to interact with them? People that you pay very little or people you have outsourced from another company that have no vested interest in your company. I don't get it!

And they wonder why they can't retain the good employees....

Zz.

Holiday Wishes

More pictures and video of the holiday festivities at WDW. This time, it is the video and pictures of Holiday Wishes at The Magic Kingdom.

I don't mean to brag, but this is where a wide-angle, widescreen camcorder would have been useful. One can see that a lot of the fireworks on either side were missed, and a few of the high shots. Compare this with the regular Wishes fireworks that I videotaped and uploaded earlier.

I also think that replacing the live sound with the actual music makes it a better viewing. True, you do not get the sound of the explosions, but I'd rather not have that and have a clear, clean sound of the music rather than all those background noise.

Oh well, maybe one of these days, we'll make it there during this time of the year, and I can put my money where my mouth is and videotape this thing to my satisfaction. Till then, enjoy the pictures and video.

Zz.

Zagat Survey on WDW Experience

Zagat Survey is conducting a survey on Walt Disney World. If you are a subscriber or a registered users (free to register), you can participate in the survey.

I'm looking forward to reading the outcome of the survey. This should be very interesting.

Zz.

Mary Poppins on Broadway

A thorough review of Disney's Mary Poppins on Broadway, still under previews. Sounds like this will be a very difficult show to get tickets for.

Zz.

Accident During Disney Show

A performer fell and crashed head first during a performance of Disney on Ice at the Nassau Coliseum, Long Island, NY, stunning the crowd of families attending the show.

The report said that the injuries are non-life threatening. We all hope for the best!

Zz.

Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

For those of us who won't make it this holiday season to Walt Disney World, we can only sit back and look at what we're missing with the new Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. It looks truly spectacular, and this is simply from a hand-held camcorder and pictures that, I'm sure, do not do it justice.

I just hope it is even more spectacular next year and we plan on going back for the 2007-2008 holiday season.

Zz.

Where in Walt Disney World?

Where in Walt Disney World can you find this?

Zz.

Hong Kong Disneyland Uses Biometric ID

Hong Kong Disneyland has started to use the same technology introduced at the Walt Disney World theme parks this year. The single-finger biometric identification will be implimented for the Hong Kong Disneyland passholder (it is done for all guests at WDW).

Zz.

High School Musical a Big Hit in Asia

There are no cultural boundaries here. Disney's High School Musical, which was the big unexpected hit for Disney in North America, is repeating its unbelievable success in Asia, especially in Asia-Pacific region.


Original programming on the Disney Channel has been doing extremely well. You have High School Musical, which is showing a lot of legs and stamina as a hit. You have The Cheetah Girls being a big hit over the summer. And now you have Hannah Montana, with the soundtrack reaching #1 on the Billboard charts. Someone over there at the Disney Channel is definitely doing something right to attract the right crowd.

Zz.

Future Stay Package at WDW

Disney is trying a new vacation package. This time, you can "lock in" a very low rate to a future WDW holiday. It does sounds very enticing, and the rate is very low indeed. Too bad they're limiting it to only the Value resorts (not that there's anything wrong with that).

So far it is only a trial program. Maybe they'll expand this even more if it attracts enough people.

Zz.

Top 500 Supercomputers

This website lists the Top 500 Supercomputer sites around the world (thanks Chuckie!). It's a very impressive list. And no, you have not found yourself in the wrong Blog. It is still the Disney blog. Why? Because look who is at #197! The Walt Disney Feature Animation!

Zz.

Disney Holidays

The Disney Insider talks turkey and all about the holiday festivities at Walt Disney World this year.

Zz.

I'll Trade For These Pins

These are the pins that I'm looking for to trade. They are mostly pins that I need to complete the various sets that I'm collecting. All of them are from various cast lanyard series. So if you have any of these and are willing to trade, please contact me. I can list for you the pins that I have to trade.

Zz.

Chip 'N' Dale: Rescue Rangers Vol. 2

IGN has a review of the Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers Vol. 2 DVD. I thought it was right on, especially the comment towards the end:

A sad sign that Disney's focus is on a new market of kids and not those of us who've been with it the whole time.

I'm surprised that Disney still doesn't get this. Are they forgetting all those adults that grew up with Walt Disney, the Disney TV shows, and being there at the opening of Disneyland?

Zz.

Celebrating Mickey's Birthday

A terrific article (if accurate) about how Disney celebrates Mickey's Birthdays throughout the years. It includes an essay attributed to Walt on what Mickey meant to him.

At least we now have an idea on what Disney considers as Mickey's official birthdate.

Zz.

Braving Disney's College Internship Program

This is a news report of a college student who took up the Disney college internship program and enjoying herself.

I've hear from several college students who took up this program, and so far all of them thought that it was the most fun and valuable experience that they've ever had during their undergraduate years. I guess it's a win-win situation. The students get "real life" experience of work, Disney gets cheap labor!

:)

Zz.

Building A Better Mouse

The Hollywood Reporter has a rather careful look at Robert Iger's first year as the Disney Co. CEO, including a number of bold moves. In the end, Iger has positioned the company on a more secure ground for a very properious future.

I am most excited by the Animation division that has been given a new life, and a new lease on creativity. One can hope the current trend at keeping both the CGI Pixar-type animation and the 2D hand-drawn animation continues. There's room for both certainly.

Zz.

A Night In Cinderella's Castle

This is of course one of the prizes that is being given to some lucky guests during the Year of a Million Dreams. As far as I know, no one has been awarded this yet, and it has become one of the most highly anticipated prizes. Orlando Sentinel has an article on what it could be to spend a night of magic in here.

Zz.

Shooting Begins on New Pirates Movie

Jerry Bruckheimer has started shooting on the next Pirates movie. I think that parts of this new movie were also shot earlier during the filming of Dead Man's Chest. In any case, I can't wait for this one. Dead Man's Chest was the "Empire Strikes Back" of the series that left fans hanging.

Zz.

Spaceship Earth and the Monorail

One of my most favorite shot that I took at WDW. This was during the Epcot Flower and Garden festival a few years ago.

Zz.

Disney Gone Bananas?

This report, from London-based Financial Times, seems to indicate that Disney is branching (no pun intended) into licensing fresh fruit in European supermarkets! Really now!

It looks like that have licensed other food products before. Have they done something similar within the US? If they have, I certainly haven't seen it other than the occassional cookies and candies at my local supermarket. What is being reported here appears to be regular, day-to-day items.

Zz.

5 Teacheriffic Awards

Disney awarded 5 teachers with its annual Teacherrific Awards. Way to go, Teachers! And a hats off to Disney for continuing to support such worthwhile causes.

Zz.

Cars Sold 5 Million in 2 Days?

It has been reported that since its release on DVD this past week, Cars has sold 5 millions in just 2 days. This is astounding if true.

It is amazing that some people are categorizing Cars as a disappointment or even (horrors) a failure. Any studio would give up an executive to get Cars' numbers.

Zz.

Il Etait Une Fois Walt Disney

Or "Once Upon A Time — Walt Disney". With that, Disney has landed in the high-art palace of Paris, the Grand Palais, near the Champs-Élysées.

Any Parisian here? Have you made your way to the exhibition?

Zz.

Disney the First Star on Walk of Stars

Walt Disney received the first star on the newly-created Aneheim/Orange County Walk of Star. Obviously, this is a no-brainer selection.

Zz.

10-Year Celebration

Celebration, the town that Disney created, is celebrating its 10-year Anniversary.

I had always wanted to visit this place whenever we're in WDW, but somehow never got around to it. As a Disney fanatic, having a home here would almost be a dream come true. Of course, real life is different than what we fantasize, as one can read from the Orlando Sentinel article. Still, I would love to live there.

Zz.

Half a Million Sold

Disney announced that 500,000 Disney movies have sold on iTunes. Not bad for an initial launch. Wait till Dead Man's Chest appears in the next few weeks.

For me, I don't get the attraction in viewing a movie on an iPod, at least not until the screen size becomes larger, and in widescreen.

Zz.

Disney Stock Falls After Record Profit?

Sometime the stock market appears to be more of a voodoo science than anything rational.

A day after reporting record profits for the fiscal 4th quarter, Disney stocks fall! People are worried that the company cannot maintain the growth.

Yowzah! If you report below what they expect, even when you are making a profit, the stock falls. If you report ABOVE what they expect, your stocks also fall because they don't know if you can repeat it.

Oh well, if the Disney stocks drop even more, maybe its time for me to buy more Disney stocks!

Zz.

Finding Nemo - The Musical

John Frost has a very detailed review of the Finding Nemo musical at Disney's Animal Kingdom, now in preview. So far, all the reviews on this new musical have been rather impressive. Looks like this will be a must-see show when it officially opens early next year.

Zz.

Buzz Boost Attendence at Disneyland Paris

The opening of Buzz Lightyear attraction seems to have boosted the attendence at Disneyland Paris. It is certainly one of the few good news at that theme park that still needs to make money.

Zz.

Disney Doubled Fourth Quarter Profit

As expected, the Walt Disney Co. announced a healthy 4th quarter profit. The doubling of the profit when compared to a year ago is attributed to the very strong performance of the movie division (duh!).

Now, can we finally get some relief on the high prices we have to pay at the parks, Mr. Iger? What about better pay and benefits to the hard-working cast members that are the ones responsible for the Magic?

Zz.

Three Reasons To Get On A Disney Cruise

Three? Just three?

Well, as if *I* need any extra incentive or excuse to want to go on a Disney cruise, here are three reasons to go for those of you who are not convinced!

:)

Zz.

Governor, You Had Just Won An Election, What Are You Doing Next?

"Why, I'm going to Disney World!"

If athletes can do that, why not politicians? The governor of Oklahoma is wraping up his election business after winning his re-election bid. And then, he's heading to Walt Disney World!

Zz.

Disney's World

This is a bit of a trivial gossip. I suppose it doesn't suck to be a Disney, especially not when you can afford a 6 bedroom, 6 bathroom sprawl on the West Side of Manhattan for $11 million.

Of course, I probably contribute to that wealth since I can't stop myself from coming back each year, and from buying all of those irresistable Disney merchandise! :)

Zz.

Disney's Fourth Quarter Profit May Soar

Disney's Fourth Quarter financial report is due today, and by most account, the profit is predicted to soar due to the amazing sucess of Pirates of the Caribbean sequel and Cars.

Zz.

Walt Disney Legacy Collection

The Walt Disney Co. has announced the lauch of a new series of DVD of films that had Walt Disney's personal involvement. Each volume will have an introduction from Roy E. Disney.

I'm excited to hear this because I've never seen a lot of the old films that are no longer available anywhere. I'm just surprised that it is taking them this long to issue such a compilation.

Zz.

Pre-Illuminations Music

If you have seen this spectacular nighttime show at Epcot, you would have heard the music they play about half an hour before the show starts. It is a combination of many different types of world music, and many people have asked if Disney has the CD of those music - it doesn't!

Instead, what we have is a list of the titles and artists being played during that pre-show. This list was obtained by scouring the internet, so it isn't something I came up myself (thanks to whoever compiled this). There are two lists. One was for the pre-Illuminations music before, I think, 2004, while the other is the current one since then. You can probably find the individual music on CDs from Amazon.

Old Pre-Illumination music

1. “They Were Dancing Barefoot” by Yehuda Poliker (from the CD “For Your Blue Eyes”, NMC Music 20835-2, 1992)

2. “Superwasp/Along The Coast Of Norway/Neckbuster” by Seelyhoo (from the CD “The First Caul”, Greentrax CDTRAX 102, 1996)

3. “Native Funk” by Burning Sky (from the CD “Blood of the Land”, Canyon Records CR-7026, 1995)

4. “Flute Battle” by Cusco (from the CD “Apurimac”, Higher Octave, 1988)

5. “The Concertina Set” by Bùrach (from the CD “The Weird Set”, Greentrax CDTRAX 093, 1995)

6. “Imeland” by Groupa (from the CD “Imeland”, Amigo Music AMCD 730, 1995, reissued on the US compilation “Fifteen Years”, Northside Records, 1998)

7. “Montezuma” by Cusco (from the CD “Apurimac, Vol. 2: Return To Ancient America”, Higher Octave, 1994)

8. “30-års Jiggen (Thirty-Year Jig)” by Väsen (from the CD “Whirled”, Northside Records NSD-6006, 1997 - U.S. release of the original Swedish CD “Världens Väsen”, Xource XOUCD 118, 1997)

9. “Inca Dance” by Cusco (from the CD “Apurimac”, Higher Octave, 1988)

10. “Appalachian Morning” by John Williams & The Boston Pops (from the CD “The Green Album”, Sony Classical SK 48224, 1992)


New Pre-Illuminations music

1. Jalan Kopo - Artist: Jalan Kopo from Indonesia

2. Falling Through a Cloud - Artist: East Wind Uttara-Kuru from Japan

3. Busindre Reel - Artist: Hevia from Spain

4. Gaviotes - Artist: Hevia

5. Tula - Artist: Cusco from South America

6. Our Life - Artist: East Wind Uttara-Kuru from Japan

7. The Bear - Artist: Nordic Roots from Scandinavia

8. Red Skies - Artist: Omar Faruk Tetbilek

9. Texas - Artist: Nordic Roots from Scandinavia

Zz.

EuroDisney Posted Full Year Net Loss

Euro Disney posted a full year net loss for 2005-2006. Still, it appears that the theme park revenue and attendance are up. This troubled theme park may make it after all if the trend continues.

Now let's see Hong Kong Disneyland can do the same. The least they could do is stop the constant stream of bad publicity that has plague that park since before opening.

Zz.

Another Downtown Disney?

Kevin Yee at MiceAge has a scoop on Disney's new plan right by the new Western Way entrance to WDW. This sounds HUGE if it turns out this way.

Zz.

Dave Smith on Disney Insider

Dave Smith, the official Disney Archivist, is interviwed for the current issue of Disney Insider.

Zz.

Projected Disney's Fourth Quarter Earnings

The Walt Disney Co. reports on its Fourth Quarter earnings on Thursday. So far, analysts are expecting solid numbers in all sectors of the company, especially the movie division.

Zz.

Chocolate Carousel

They had this chocolate carousel at Disney's Beach Club resort last year during the holidays. I'm guessing that they'll have it again this year, unless someone ate all the chocolate!

I just wish they let us know when they take down one of these things and if we can gobble them up!

Zz.

Disney to Produce Nintendo Games

Disney will be producing game content for the Nintendo consoles.

Looks like Disney is going into the gaming business big time, with its recent acquisition and start-up companies. I just can see games such as Disney Auto Theft or Chip 'N Dale Brothers coming out soon! :)

Zz.

Dates Set for Upcoming Disney Movies

The dates for several upcoming Disney movies have been set.

National Treasures 2 - Dec. 21 2007
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - May 16, 2008
The new mysterious Pixar movie Wall-E - June 2008.

Zz.

Cars and Dead Man's Chest Available on iTunes

The two biggest hits of the year are coming to iTunes. Cars is available on iTunes starting Nov. 7 while Pirates of the Caribbean will be available starting Dec. 5.

Zz.

More Dreams Coming True

The Disney Dream Squad has strike again, and this time it was at Disneyland!

This Year of a Million Dreams is promising to be a wonderful promotion and, not to mention, a terrific public relations.

Zz.

Meet The Robinsons

Rotten Tomatoes already has info and a trailer of the next Disney CGI animation movie Meet The Robinsons. It is scheduled to be released March 2007. I can't wait!

Zz.

Illuminations - Reflections of Earth

I reported earlier that when we taped Illuminations during our last Sept. trip to WDW, the last part of the show was about 1 second longer (not 3 seconds). However, this was enough to throw out the timing of our video because I like to replace the live sound with the actual music. While it worked in the earlier version that I taped and uploaded (it had no inferno barge since that was under repairs), this slightly longer version will of course throw off the timing right at the very end.

We've now spent some time adding the missing 1 second to the music and make it flow smoothly. We now have a new version of Illuminations with the correct length of music. This is a very difficult show to videotape with a fixed view because things occur low to the ground with the globe, and very high up in the air with the fireworks. While I'm not 100% happy with it, it is the best one we currently have. I intend to videotape this with two different camcorders next time, one with a tight shot of the globe, while the other the more higher, panoramic view of the fireworks.

Till then, enjoy this one.

Zz.

Disney's Wonderful World of Pixar

An account of the situation after the marriage between Disney and Pixar. While Cars was released after the merger, it was actually developed before the Disney buyout and was meant as the last film under the Disney distribution agreement. Ratatouille, to be released next year, would be the first movie under the current Disney-Pixar empire.

Zz.

Anaheim and Disney

The city of Anaheim and Disney are at odds over the city's plan to develop a 25 acre land just beyond Disney's California Adventure into a condo/low-income housing. This disagreement highlights the city's relationship with its Number 1 source of revenue.

Most Disneyphilles look at that parcel of land as the last chance for Disney to expand the Disneyland Resort and build the 3rd theme park. If this land is gone, there's almost no chance of expanding the Disneyland Resort from its current configuration.

Zz.

Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights

The first of the videos for this year's Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights are online. They look awesome! I just wish this guy learns to not have the autofocus on his camcorder on when shooting stuff like this.

For those of you, like me, who won't be going to WDW this year, this is the closest we'll get at seeing this spectacle. Oh well, here's looking to the 2007/2008 holiday season.

Zz.

Where In WDW?

Where in Walt Disney World can you find this?

Zz.

Walt Disney and World War II

This is a rather fascinating article on how the US Govt. recruited the Walt Disney Co. during World War II. There are some terrific illustrations that I haven't seen before.

Zz.

Disney DVDs Going Back Into The Vault

Time is running out if you plan on buying any of these Disney DVDs. They will be no longer for sale after January 31, 2007.

* Bambi Special Edition
* Lady and The Tramp: 50th Anniversary Edition
* Lady and The Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure
* Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (4 Disc Edition)

So get them now if you want them. There's no telling when Disney will put them back out for sale.

Zz.

Epcot's Wand Coming Down?

Rumors like this seem to make their appearences every so often. However, it seems that this one seems to be picking up steam. It has been reported in a few places (such as Laughing Place) that enginners have been instructed to find ways for the removal of the Epcot want in 2007.

I know many Disney fans who are not very fond of the want. I frankly don't mind it, and don't know what the big deal is with the wand being there. I'm sure I'll be sorry to see it go.

Zz.

Disney's Halloween Treats

The latest edition of Disney Insider offers a history of Disney's Halloween Treats, all originating from the main himself, Walt Disney.

Zz.

Midway Madness?

The latest juicy rumor surrounding the possible new attraction at Disney-MGM Studios. Supposedly, it is going to occupy a huge area, including the old Who Wants To Be A Millionaire building.

I'd say anything is better than what was there before. Disney-MGM Studios is in dire need of a major E-ticket attraction beyond Tower of Terror and Rock 'N Roller Coaster. Maybe this might not be it, but sounds like it might be something that would attract a lot of traffic to that part of the park.

Zz.

Halloween Celebration in Disneyland Paris

I posted a link earlier on the Halloween Celebration in Tokyo Disneyland. It appears that the one in Disneyland Paris is equally astounding. This blog, while not in English, has a wealth of pictures from the Halloween decorations at the Paris theme park.

Zz.

Tokyo Disneyland's 400,000th Visitor

While we are on Tokyo Disneyland, it received its 400,000th visitor on Wednesday (it is already almost the end of Wednesday over there even though this blog is posted early Wednesday in the US).

Tokyo Disneyland continues to be the most successful and popular Disney theme park outside of the US.

Zz.

Halloween Celebration in Japan

A news report on the Halloween celebration in Japan, something that was not known about 2 decades ago. This introduction of this celebration is "credited" to Tokyo Disneyland.

Zz.