Welcome to Monday morning! Feeling refreshed? Cool, because we’ve got some good news for you from over the weekend that suggests the Walt Disney Treasures line of exceptional collector’s tin box sets, which had been marked for the chop, look set to continue for at least another couple of waves!

Thanks to our reader Daniel Jake in the Animated News & Views Forum for highlighting that always on-the-ball Bill Hunt and his colleagues over at the excellent The Digital Bits website are reporting this:

“I’ve got GREAT news for you Disney fans. I’ve just confirmed this morning with Buena Vista Home Entertainment that their much loved Walt Disney Treasures line of DVDs has NOT been cancelled. In fact, I’m told that at least a couple more waves of releases in the line are planned, with the next due in time for the holidays this year. We’ll post additional details as they become available, but rest assured this news comes straight from the studio and it’s the real deal. So there you go, folks!”

Although many fans are overjoyed, of course, we must wait and see what those “additional details” will be. The original news of the series’ demise supposedly came from Treasures host Leonard Maltin himself, and The Bits themselves originally confirmed the rumor until their sources told them differently. Personally, I wonder if Maltin’s words were misinterpreted? Perhaps it was announced within BVHE that this year would see the last year of active production on the Treasures? Maybe Maltin is being dropped in favor of original co-initiator of the series, Roy Disney? Or did our “outcry” lead to some late changes in the decision making process?

Who knows, but this is one time I like to think we made a difference!

In international box office news, I’m happy to see that, although it didn’t manage to garner any Oscar nominations (I’d have swapped Superman Returns‘ visual effects contender in a heartbeat), the Ben Stiller-Dick Van Dyke-Mickey Rooney triple-hander Night At The Museum continues to hold the number one position internationally. While the animation link is perhaps tenuous, Night is the most animated fun I’ve had in a movie theater in a long time, and I urge you to check the movie out before it starts to fade away. A fantastic piece of old fashioned, but high-tech, fun that they supposedly don’t make ’em like any more. Go see!

Finally today, a quick note to mention that due to several commitments this week, plus the fact that I still can’t seem to shake my current illness, updates may be a little thin on the ground, but I’ll do my best to clock in on Wednesday for sure. In the meantime, the site is continually being updated with stuff, including our backlog of reviews, and a few new ones too: Rand has just posted his take on Marvel/Lionsgate’s The Invincible Iron Man, just out in stores.

Back soon! – Ben.