Jim Hill Media has three new articles today ranging from the supremely sad and exquisitely sublime to the almost religious and nearly ridiculous. First is a wonderful article where Jim relates some of his {{link http://www.jimhillmedia.com/articles/01152004.1.htm memories}} and personal experiences with Disney’s Florida animation studio. Second is a {{link http://www.jimhillmedia.com/articles/bookreviews/breview.01152004.1.htm book review}} of Dan Brown’s […]

Both Amid Amidi’s Animation Blast and Jerry Beck’s Cartoon Research alert us to what looks like a great animated short coming our way soon called Boy’s Night Out. The short was produced by husband/wife team Bert Klein (who has worked on Looney Tunes: Back In Action, Fantasia 2000, and The Lord of the Rings: Return […]

Our ever-lovable, dippy dog friend Goofy is only supposed to suffer mishaps in cartoons, not in real life. But, in a WFTV “News of the Strange” article pointed out by Mice Age, we find that a human, Eric Ford, onboard a Disney cruise ship suffered debilitating back injuries while playing the character three years ago […]

The ever ubiquitous Jim Hill Media updates with three great articles of interest to all animation and Disney fans. First off is their latest update on the Florida Disney situation, with actual WDFA-F artists writing in to give their viewpoints on the whole situation (which makes the whole Disney corporate machine appear rather Dilbert-esque). Seems […]

The Fabulous Disney Babe points out that Roy E. Disney and Stanley Gold have commented on Disney CEO Michael Eisner’s recent speech and have posted their comments at their rallying site, SaveDisney.com (which has updated quite a bit itself recently, including some very insightful, prophetic quotes from Walt himself). Also read about what the SEIU […]

Jim Hill Media has a new article written by an anonymous Disney insider giving us a privileged view within the walls of the company. One of the main points is the possible long term benefits of the potential closure of Disney’s animation studio in Florida.

Laughing Place points out a link to a presentation by Michael Eisner, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company, given at the 14th Annual Smith Barney Citigroup Entertainment, Media and Telecommunications Conference. “During the presentation Eisner supported his assertions that the Company’s turnaround is now underway. He announced record attendance at WDW […]

The Big Cartoon DataBase reports on a new development from those ever-imaginative Imagineers at the Epcot Center in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Apparently chefs there are using cucumbers molded into the iconic Mickey shape and serving them in salads at The Garden Grill Restaurant. Follow the link for more details and don’t be surprised if […]

On this day of looking forward with hope and anticipation to what the new year will bring it might also be wise to take a look back to the past and see where we have come from. While not necessarily a news item, I thought it would be helpful to point out a site that […]

Ain’t It Cool News updates with a letter from roving media reporter Jim Hill written to Hollywood sneak peek guru Harry Knowles with more insights into the Roy Disney/Stanley Gold/Michael Eisner situation. Does anyone have an easy, two- or three-word, catchy title for this “situation” yet? Until someone stops me I believe I will refer […]

As if there wasn’t already enough controversy over Simba and Kimba, Toon Zone alerts us to an article at BBC News Online about an author of children’s books in France suing Disney. The author, Franck Le Calvez, claims that many of the characters in Disney/Pixar’s smash hit Finding Nemo are similar to characters in a […]

Kristin points us to an article at the St. Petersburg Times Floridian website for a glimpse of real lives being hit hard by the closure of Disney’s Florida animation studios. There’s also insights into corporate struggles, the “so-called” 2D vs. 3D animation war, fat cat capitalism wherein those who control all the money give themselves […]

Jim Hill Media has a new article in which he compares Disney CEO Michael Eisner to Beauty and the Beast’s Gaston (whose hubris led him to falling from a great height) and to other Disney villains in general in the recent Roy Disney/Stanley Gold controversy yet still holds out hope that Eisner can come down […]

Jim Hill Media has a new “Why For” column where various questions are answered concerning the delay of Aladdin’s IMAX presentation (I was really hoping to see it), the release date of Home on the Range, and more. After reading his answers you may wonder if there’s anything Jim Hill doesn’t know. I think what […]

Disney’s official site for The Lion King 1½ updates with two new trailers, one entitled “Timon’s Proposal” in which Timon makes a weird, semi-musical proposition to Shenzi (and in which we discover what might be Shenzi’s full name), and one entitled “Gotta Go,” which shows what happens when you give your surrogate child too much […]

If you loved Brother Bear in the theater and can’t wait to get a copy of your own for home viewing the good news is that it will be released by Disney to VHS and DVD on March 30, 2004.

A new still from Disney’s upcoming The Lion King 1½ has recently been made available and features the ever-lovable duo of Timon and Pumbaa sleeping on the job but otherwise doing their best to raise the lion cub prince Simba. Follow the “More” link to view the image.

Kristin Cheddar gives us the heads-up about an article on Variety.com regarding an upcoming CGI animated feature starring uber-famous standup comedian Jerry Seinfeld and entitled “Bee Movie.” I wonder if it will have that bee girl from the Blind Melon music videos or if it will be about “nothing” as the “Seinfeld” television series purportedly […]

In keeping with our long-standing tradition of reporting only the hard, solid, verifiable facts we will now begin reporting any dream that anybody connected with the animation industry in any way feels free to relate to others over the Internet. Larry Pontius, author of “Waking Walt,” has contributed a recent article to Jim Hill Media […]

Jerry Beck’s Cartoon Research page points us to a new article at MSN’s Slate all about Carl Stalling, the genius discovered by Walt Disney in the early 1920’s and the man responsible for the musical score for hundreds of Warner Bros. cartoons from 1936 to 1958. As John Williams did for Star Wars, it is […]

If there’s someone on your holiday shopping list who really likes clothes and you can’t figure out what to get them you might want to give MKT’s Swag CafePress page a gander. There’s shirts for men and women, baby items, mousepads, clocks, mugs, etc., with slogans such as “Roy Was Right,” “Bring Back Roy,” “Keep […]

Laughing Place has a new “Disney in the Classroom” article written by Lee Suggs, a history teacher from Northern California, about the educational value that can be found in Disney’s Brother Bear. It’s long been my belief that movies can teach valuable life lessons and do not have to be merely shallow entertainment and it’s […]

If you can’t get enough of the latest developments in the Roy Disney/Stanley Gold shakeout story Toon Zone has added a link to a letter purportedly written by Roy E. Disney to current Walt Disney Company employees in which he charges that “The focus [of the company] has shifted to the chase for the quick […]

Animation World Network updates with a report that three animated titles by Sir Paul McCartney of Beatles fame (“fame” may be too mild of a word) have been acquired by Miramax and are scheduled for a spring 2004 release. The three titles are TROPIC ISLAND HUM, TUESDAY and RUPERT & THE FROG SONG. In his […]

Animation Blast has updated with news of a letter of support for the efforts of Roy E. Disney and Stanley Gold in calling for the ouster of Michael Eisner. The letter was begun by three former Disney employees and can be signed by anyone who wishes to express their support. Will this letter be effective? […]

The forum at the Big Cartoon DataBase reports that The Walt Disney Company has decided to keep Michael Eisner in his position as CEO despite protests from Roy E. Disney and Stanley Gold. Oddly enough, the decision seems to be based primarily on stock value when one of Roy Disney’s complaints was that the company […]

It might seem a little jarring to go from the very serious news of Roy Disney’s resignation to news about the flatulence of a cartoon warthog, but a post by “Kervanna” at the Kiara’s Sahifa Message Board reveals that the “Hot Tub” trailer mentioned at the official Lion King 1½ site is included on the […]

Just a quick heads up that Disney’s official page for The Lion King 1½ has just updated with the sound working now, text clips from movie critics praising the movie (Michael Scheinfeld from TV Guide says it serves up “an irreverent circle of laughs” and Leonard Maltin calls it “an animation extravaganza”), a picture of […]

The official site of ABC is now sporting a page for the upcoming Peanuts special I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown! “It’s Christmas vacation and, as usual, ReRun’s big sister is stressing him out, so he decides to turn to his best friend, Snoopy, for amusement and holiday cheer.” Follow the link for […]

Animation Blast recently posted a link to a New York Times article online in which the future of Mickey Mouse is discussed. While Mickey is certainly an enduring cultural and corporate icon the question is more about whether or not he can remain a viable and entertaining character in animated features. Sales of the upcoming […]