Kirby C. Holt’s latest {{link http://www.laughingplace.com/News-PID280070-280070.asp Toon Talk}} column at {{link http://www.laughingplace.com Laughingplace.com}} is a look back at 2003 with “The Year in Review” and a top 10 list of “The Year’s Best Disney Films and Videos”.

{{link http://www.playbill.com/news/article/83566.html Playbill}} reports that “\\Hoopz\\, the Disney stage musical about the Harlem Globetrotters that has been dribbling in development for several years, no longer has composer Jeanine Tesori and librettist Suzan-Lori Parks on board”. Tesori, a Tony Award nominee for \\Thoroughly Modern Millie\\ and the composer of the upcoming direct-to-video sequel of \\Mulan\\, said […]

{{link http://animationhq.net AnimationHQ}} announced that they will be holding an online chat with voice actor Neil Ross. His list of credits include Norman Osborn/Green Goblin in \\Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends\\ and the \\Spider-Man\\ series; Keith, Jeff, Pidge, and Chip in \\Voltron: Defender of the Universe\\; Shipwreck, Buzzer, Dusty, Heavy Metal, and Monkeywrench in \\G.I. […]

{{link http://www.jimhillmedia.com/legacy/index.htm?../articles/01052004.2.htm~contentFrame Jim Hill Media}} will spotlight the situation at Disney Feature Animation – Florida this week, and is hoping to “embarrass Mouse House management into backing down” from shuttering the studio. Today’s installment pulls no punches! “And you know the real beauty part of this plan? Under this scenario, it’s just the artists that […]

Walt Disney’s 1961 live-action feature The Parent Trap (which featured a classic stop-motion animated opening sequence) is being lined up to appear on the Mouse’s ABC Network as a new TV show, produced by the company’s Touchstone Television in association with Smallville production company Tollin/Robbins Productions. The update, which shifts the story’s emphasis away from […]

Orlando Bloom has been speaking about his imminent return to the high seas for the upcoming sequel to this summer’s surprise hit Pirates Of The Caribbean, based on the Walt Disney theme park ride. “I’ll be heading back to film with Johnny Depp soon, which is cool. I have no complaints about working in the […]

According to USA Today, “Vera-Villanueva, the president and CEO of H2V Entertainment, is directing a CGI-animated feature tentatively titled Slinky: The Magic Quilt. ‘We are creating a completely imaginary, full world all based on the Slinky,’ says Vera-Villanueva, who adds that two studios are interested in distributing his film, to be finished in 2005 for […]

The usually quiet Ted Thomas, director of the 1995 documentary Frank And Ollie, recently released on DVD, steps out into the limelight to reflect on making the film and putting together the disc, in an interview posted over at {{link http://www.laughingplace.com/News-PID210230-210232.asp The Laughing Place}}. He also touches on how hard the film has been to […]

Over on his {{link http://www.cartoonresearch.com/reviews.html Cartoon Research}} site, animation historian Jerry Beck takes a look at a new DVD that compiles vintage and recent “produced-in-New York animated short films”. Avoid Eye Contact: The Best Of NYC Independent Animation also includes animators’ “personalized navigational menus, and a few bonus materials (audio track commentaries, behind the scenes […]

The highly anticipated release of Invader Zim to DVD has had fans on tenterhooks for the past couple of months now. {{link http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=98716 Toon Zone}} finally lifts the lid on what to expect from Volume One, which will contain seven episodes and will be issued on May 11th – the first of three volumes that […]

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 […]

Jerry Beck, at his {{link http://www.cartoonresearch.com/ Cartoon Research}} site, links to a story at {{link http://www.adweek.com/aw/national/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=2059770 Adweek}} which reports that Bugs and Daffy are appearing in a new TV commercial for the Aflac insurance co. The spot first aired during college football bowl games yesterday (January 1st) and will now hit rotation on national network […]

Though the future of classically animated films in the US hangs in the balance, the medium is flourishing in Europe, thanks to technology and a boom in talented artists able to lend their expertise to a new breed of feature-length films. Belleville Rendezvous has shown that quality does not have to be sacrificed due to […]

The Ultimate Guide to Disney DVD has menus and pics from the Lion King 1½ DVD, hitting stores on February 10.

The Big Cartoon Database has the official synopsis for Mickey’s Three Musketeers: “While pushing a broom in Musketeer Headquarters, Mickey dreams of the ultimate promotion to Musketeer-hood. But he knows that he and his coworkers, Donald and Goofy, have a long way to go. That is until Peg-leg Pete, captain of the Musketeers, and his […]

The website for Disney’s Teacher’s Pet has been updated. Along with the film’s trailer, the website now contains the movie’s synopsis, downloads, image gallery, and Teacher’s Pet creator and executive producer Gary Baseman’s biography. Be sure to check out the image gallery for a look at Spot / Scott in human form (hint: he is […]

The Internet Movie Poster Awards brings us the second teaser poster for Garfield: The Movie.

TV Shows on DVD reports that Warner Home Video is releasing What’s New, Scooby-Doo? Volume 2 – Safari, So Goodi!, the newest Scooby series’ second DVD. The DVD’s four episodes consist of Safari, So Goodi!, Roller Ghoster Ride, It’s Mean, It’s Green, It’s the Mystery Machine and Riva Ras Regas. Hitting stores on March 9, […]

According to the Big Cartoon Database, after seven years of barking on Nickelodeon’s Blue’s Clues, Blue will finally speak to audiences, in the episode Legend of the Blue Puppy, airing February 8, at 8:00 p.m. In the episode, Blue visits a playroom where she is transformed from a cartoon into a puppet who can speak. […]

As the new year chimes in, now is the chance to find a number of discs in those winter sales that Disney plans to discontinue on January 31st. Only a month to go before Sleeping Beauty 2-disc SE, Fantasia (the 1940 original, the 2000 update and the lavish, highly recommended Anthology box set), and the […]

Many happy returns and welcome to 2004! The year promises to be a very interesting one for animation indeed, as the medium continues to redefine exactly what “traditional animation” is, what the future is for 2D and 3D, and where the line between photorealistic characters and exceptional special effects character animation is drawn. The industry […]

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 […]

Thanks to ‘ChayaA’ in the {{link http://animation.skyblueproductions.net/showthread.php?s=&postid=689#post689 AN Forums}} for pointing out a link to Time Magazine’s revealing of their reviewers’ picks for the {{link http://www.time.com/time/bestandworst/2003/story.html best and worst}} films of 2003. Richard Corliss has Nemo and Belleville tied together at the number 2 spot, second only to Return Of The King, while Nemo appears […]

According to the Internet Movie Database, “The Walt Disney Co. was being taken to task Tuesday for its plan to present a float titled the ‘Twilight Zone Tower of Terror’ during the Rose Parade in Pasadena Thursday. The float, which depicts a Disney theme park ride in which a hotel skyscraper is struck by lightning […]

Representing critics in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, the Southeastern Film Critics Association, giving out its 12th annual awards, has placed Finding Nemo in 7th place on its list of 2003’s top 10 films. Thanks to the Big Cartoon Database‘s forum for the heads up!

Jim Hill Media has unveiled its “Person of the Year” for 2003! Who is it? Click here to find out. Also, the website provides “Walt Disney and Harvard,” an intriguing story about when Mr. Disney was given an honorary degree at the prestigous college, and “DoomBuggy Productions presents: An Oogie Boogie Desserta,” a delightful recipe […]

According to the forum at the Big Cartoon Database, the United States Postal Service revealed Tuesday that Disney characters Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio, Bambi, Thumper, Simba, and his father Musafa will be included on 37-cent postage stamps, being released next summer. In regards to the stamps, Disney Consumer Products’ Mary Beech […]

{{link http://www.playbill.com/news/article/83532.html Playbill}} (via Toon Zone) is reporting that Broadway actor Adam Pascal (already known to Disney fans for his role as Radames in Elton John/Tim Rice’s Aida) has been tapped to perform in the next stage of workshops for the upcoming stage translation of Disney’s Tarzan. Pascal says “I’m playing the storyteller, so basically […]

“Did you know at one time Barrie considered writing a sequel to Peter Pan entitled Michael Pan?” Find out more interesting trivia and discover the story behind author James Barrie and his creation of the boy who wouldn’t grow up, in the article “Off to Neverland,” at Jim Hill Media.

USA Today takes a detailed look at what things should change or remain when it comes to DVD releases and packaging in 2004.