Archive for the “History” Category

The Lion King Roars Out of the Vault

The Lion King Roars Out of the Vault

The Lion King, Disney’s most successful traditionally animated film, winner of two Academy Awards, and currently ranked 33rd in the All Time Worldwide Box Office, will finally make it to Blu-ray in 2011. The Lion King was previously released from the Disney Vault as a Platinum Special Edition VHS and DVD in 2003, before being locked away again in January, 2005. And now, Disney has announced that after almost six years in Moratorium, The Lion King will roar out of the Vault once again in Fall 2011.

8-Disc and 4-Disc Blu-ray/DVD packaging for The Lion King

Even bigger news: On September 16th, 17 years after its original 1994 release, The Lion King will return to theaters nationwide in Disney Digital 3D. The two-week limited engagement is the first time The Lion King has appeared in theaters since the 2002 IMAX release which featured a brand-new musical sequence, “Morning Report”. The film’s return to the big screen will allow a whole new generation of children to fall in love with the Hamlet-inspired tale of the lion cub who is destined to be king.

Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=1220

June 16, 2011 Post Under History, Latest News, Movies - Read More

Disney Childhood Memories

Disney Childhood Memories

I have been to Walt Disney World five times in 25 years, from my first visit at age four to my Disney honeymoon last fall. Five visits isn’t much to brag about, and that number is easily eclipsed – yearly – by Florida locals with season passes and Disney fanatics with frequent flier miles. I’ve been to all four resort parks, but there’s still a lot of Disney World that I’ve never experienced, including Epcot’s International Flower & Garden/Food & Wine Festivals, the Disney marathon, and the spectacular holiday lights.

A view of Cinderella's Castle at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, photograph by Valerie Champagne

Although I occasionally suffer Disney withdrawal symptoms, I’m happy with the infrequency of my park visits. Other than saving $$, the greatest advantage to visiting the parks every few years is that the magic never gets old (even when you do!), and there’s always something new to see.

I don’t remember much about my first visit to Disney World, other than watching my two-year-old brother transform into a hitchhiking ghost at the end of the Haunted Mansion ride. There were four of us squeezed into the Doom Buggies: my parents on the ends and my brother and I in the center where the ghosts are projected. The Haunted Mansion was my first Disney memory and it’s still one of my absolute favorite Disney attractions that only gets better with age.

Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=840

May 8, 2011 Post Under History, Latest News, Theme Parks - Read More

Disney Princesses: To Be or Not To Be

Disney Princesses: To Be or Not To Be

The Disney Princess franchise, which features a line-up of Disney’s most beloved heroines, is one of Disney Consumer Products’ most successful campaigns, helping raise product sales from $300 million in 2001 to $3 billion in 2005. The success of the line is far from surprising; after all, what little girl doesn’t fantasize about growing up to be a beautiful princess like Cinderella or a kick-ass warrior like Mulan? Disney Princess merchandise makes the fantasy come alive through costumes, clothes, dolls, tea party sets, sing-along CDs, bedding, accessories, castle play sets, books, figurines, and more.

Seven of the princesses featured in the current Disney Princess line, copyright Disney

Officially, the current line includes nine “princesses”: Snow White, Pocahontas, Aurora, Ariel, Tiana, Cinderella, Jasmine, Belle, and Mulan. In the past decade other characters have made unofficial appearances in the line, and recently Rapunzel from Disney’s Tangled has been featured in a number of Disney Princess sets. Given Tangled‘s enormous success at the box office, it is likely that Rapunzel will soon join the ranks as an official Disney Princess.

Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=814

May 1, 2011 Post Under History, Latest News, Movies - Read More

Disney Classics: Back in the Vault

Disney Classics: Back in the Vault

On April 30th, the current Blu-ray and DVD releases of three animated classics: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition, Pinocchio: 70th Anniversary Edition, and Fantasia/Fantasia 2000: 2 Movie Collection Special Edition are going back in the Disney Vault.

On April 30th, 2011, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, and Fantasia/Fantasia 2000 return to the Disney Vault

In the 1940s, the Walt Disney Company began to theatrically re-release its animated features every few years as a way to introduce these beloved classics to new generations of children. The re-issued films performed well at the box office, earning hundreds of millions of dollars while helping to recoup losses from some of the company’s less successful films. The re-issues also helped several Disney films climb the ranks of the All Time Domestic Box Office Chart (Adjusted for Inflation), including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (#10), One Hundred and One Dalmatians (#11), and Fantasia (#21).

Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=719

April 23, 2011 Post Under History, Latest News, Movies - Read More

Radio Disney Celebrates 15 Years

Radio Disney Celebrates 15 Years

Fifteen years ago when Radio Disney first debuted, Selena Gomez was in preschool, Justin Bieber was in diapers, and Willow Smith hadn’t even been born. Back then there were no iPods, iPhones, or iTunes, and streaming music online and through mobile applications was inconceivable. In the late ’90s, the Dallas-based network and its affiliates played the latest hits from fresh-faced former Mickey Mouse Club stars Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Christina Aguilera, as well as pop sensations the Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, and Hanson.

Now that Radio Disney is celebrating its 15th birthday, the technology and celebrities may have changed, but Radio Disney’s core mission to promote Disney-approved performers and properties through kid-friendly, contemporary mass market music remains the same.

Selena Gomez, Ernie D, and Jake Whetter kick off Radio Disney's 15th Birthday celebration (DISNEY CHANNEL/RICK ROWELL)

Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=644

April 5, 2011 Post Under Disney Channel, History, Latest News - Read More