Promotional image for Disney Animation Studio's Wreck-It-Ralph, image copyright Disney

Even since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) defied expectations with its wildly successful theatrical debut, critics have predicted the demise of Disney animated films. Walt Disney Animation Studios has suffered setbacks several times over its 80 year history, from suspended animation during World War II, to the studio’s decline in quality and popularity in the 1970s, to the massive layoff of animation staff in 2000.

But time and time again, the Walt Disney Company has overcome these obstacles, with animated film production re-surging in the 1950s and again in the Disney Renaissance of the ’90s, and then again with the partnership and later purchase of Pixar Animation Studios in the 2000s. And if this year’s release of four commercially successful and critically acclaimed animated features, the Walt Disney Company can look forward to a long and prosperous future in animation, regardless of the medium.

Logos from Various Marvel Superhero Franchises

This summer, Disney released the blockbuster megahit, Marvel’s The Avengers (2012), which grossed more than $1.5 billion worldwide, and the studio has several more Marvel films in production, including Iron Man 3 (2013), sequels to Thor (2013), Captain America (2014), and The Avengers (2015), and Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), a film starring that OTHER team of Marvel superheros: Drax the Destroyer, Groot, Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, and Gamora. Never heard of them? Me either!

But now the entertainment world is buzzing with speculation, worry and excitement over the Walt Disney Company’s newest $4 billion cash-and-stock purchase of another mega-successful entertainment company: George Lucas’s LucasFilm, creator of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises.

Disney has had a partnership with LucasFilms for years, which included the rights to the Star Wars-inspired Star Tours motion simulator rides at Disney Parks worldwide, the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and the thrilling dark ride Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye at Disneyland and its sister ride, Temple of the Crystal Skull at Tokyo DisneySea.

Every spring, Disney’s Hollywood Studios hosts Star Wars Weekends, four consecutive weekends in May and June dedicated to Star Wars fandom and featuring special events, panels, and guest star appearances from the franchise’s most esteemed writers, producers, and celebrities.

When the acquisition of LucasFilm was announced on October 30th, a figurative storm of anxiety started brewing in the geek community, rivaling the ferver of Hurricane Sandy’s aftermath. Many fans are concerned by Disney’s acquisition, fearing the “Disneyfication” of their favorite franchise, continuing a trend that led Star Wars from the much-loved original trilogy to the more kid-friendly prequels and animated series which have failed to live up to fan expectations.

Star Wars Legos react to the news of Disney's acquisition of LucasFilm

The wildly successful Marvel’s The Avengers should assuage fears somewhat, but many fans are still bitter over the sub-par Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and are concerned the quality of the series may further fall under control of the House of Mouse.

George Lucas isn’t concerned and has expressed excitement over the future of his Star Wars franchise:

For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next. It’s now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers. I’ve always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime. I’m confident that with Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy, and having a new home within the Disney organization, Star Wars will certainly live on and flourish for many generations to come. Disney’s reach and experience give Lucasfilm the opportunity to blaze new trails in film, television, interactive media, theme parks, live entertainment, and consumer products.

Disney and Star Wars fans will have to wait more than two years to find out if the studio’s purchase was the right move for the franchise. Disney has scheduled the seventh chapter in the Star Wars franchise (Star Wars Episode VII) for release in 2015 and has announced plans to produce a new Star Wars film every two to three years.

What Else Does Disney Own?

In addition to Marvel Entertainment and LucasFilm, the Walt Disney Company owns a heck-of-a-lot of other entertainment companies that produce media for TV, film, print, and more. A partial list of their most significant holdings are below. (List of Assets Owned by Disney)

Film:
Walt Disney Pictures
Disneynature
Touchstone Pictures
Pixar Animation Studios
The Muppets Studio
It’s a Laugh Productions
Marvel Entertainment
LucasFilm

Music:
Walt Disney Records
Hollywood Records
Radio Disney

Media Networks & TV:
ABC Television
ABC Family
Disney Channel
Disney Cinemagic
Disney Junior
Disney XD
ESPN (80% ownership)
A+E Networks (50% ownership)

Publishing:
Hyperion Books
The Baby Einstein Company

Online:
Hulu (27% ownership)
Playdom
Spoonful
Club Penguin
Take 180

Winnie the Pooh Smackerels play on the big screen at the Disney Store in Times Square

Not long after the grand opening of the flagship Disney Store in Times Square, NYC, I found myself standing in the middle of the busy pedestrian plaza, completely enthralled by the cutest short video ever made – ever – as it played on the gigantic digital screen outside the store.

I Googled the video and discovered that it is one in a series of “Smackerels” shorts featuring the silly old bear, Eeyore, Tigger, Piglet, Kanga and Roo coming magically to life in the Hundred Acre Woods.

Disney had this to say about the Smackerel shorts:

“Realizing A A Milnes enduring vision of a little boy’s cuddly toys coming to life in an English wood, Smackerels are visual treats presenting Pooh and friends in a magical new way.”

The Winnie the Pooh Smackerels are available to view on DisneyLiving’s Youtube Channel and in the embedded links below. Prepare to be charmed.

If these adorable videos inspire you to make your own (or if you just want to snuggle with your very own Pooh Bear), visit the Disney Store website to buy the plushies featured in the shorts. These “Movie Edition” plushies are priced between $12.50 (Piglet) and $29.50 (Kanga and Roo).

Dolls in the Disney Villains Designer Collection by artist Steve Thompson, image copyright Disney

The Walt Disney Company may be most famous for a friendly talking mouse and fairy tale princesses, but Disney has its fair share of villains too. Largely ignored in most merchandise, these evil-doers are finally getting their due in the exclusive Disney Villains Designer Collection.

Artist Steve Thompson took on the task of transforming six of Disney’s greatest female villains into designer dolls and apparel, glamorous enough to rival the princesses they so deeply loathe. Included in the collection are Maleficent (from Sleeping Beauty), Ursula (The Little Mermaid), The Evil Queen (Snow White), Cruella DeVil (101 Dalmatians), The Queen of Hearts (Alice in Wonderland), and Mother Gothel from Disney’s Tangled.

Disney Villains Designer Collection journals, image copyright Disney

The Disney Villains Designer Collection is headlined by six gorgeous, limited edition collectable dolls, each priced at $79.50. Other items in the collection that bear Thompson’s designs are t-shirts, journals, tote bags, makeup compacts, scarves, notecards, mugs, and more. There are even villain-inspired nail polishes and lip glosses for wannabe-villains looking for that final, perfect touch to their Halloween ensembles.

Last year, the Disney Store released ten limited edition dolls in the Disney Princess Designer Collection. The dolls, each priced at $59.50, were announced in early August, and a new doll was released every Monday beginning August 22nd, exclusively at the Disney Store. The collection quickly sold out, and the only dolls available now are on Amazon and Ebay at a substantial markup, with most resellers asking for $200 or more per doll.

Disney Princess Designer Collection dolls, image copyright Disney

Disney Villain fans should take note: if you want to collect all six dolls, you better act fast! The Maleficent doll is already sold out, but the other five dolls are still available (as of October 26th, 2012). Visit the Disney Villains Designer Collection online at the Disney Store’s official website.

Congratulations to DJ's Mix, winners of the 2012 Make Your Mark competition, image copyright Disney

Based on Blogging Disney’s completely unofficial (and completely unscientific) poll results, DJ’s Mix were the clear favorites following Friday night’s competition. They had a commanding lead over the other competitors with 72% of the votes, much like last year’s poll winners, AKSquared (45% of the votes), who also won the first-ever Make Your Mark competition.

Winning isn’t all that AKSquared and DJ’s Mix have in common. Like last year’s winners, DJ’s Mix features spunky, flexible female dancers who spiced up their dance routines with gymnastics moves (aerial cartwheels and walkovers) to show off the full range of their acrobatic abilities. What nine-year-old dancers Jaycee and Dylynn lacked in polish and originality, they made up for in personality and charismatic smiles that lit up the stage. They were clearly having the time of their lives.

DJ's Mix performs in the 2012 Make Your Mark: Shake It Up Dance Off, image copyright Disney

Some Disney Channel fans were disappointed that the Make Your Mark winners were once again flexible girls whose performances were more like gymnastics floor routines than dance routines. In both years, Make Your Mark voters ultimately favored showy, acrobatic moves over the more stylized and choreographed performances by finalists Starley and Chris and Team Identity.

With two successful competitions behind them, it is likely that Disney Channel will sponsor another Make Your Mark next year. In the past two competitions, the selection of the semi-finalists has been at the Make Your Mark producers’ discretion. Will they once again choose finalists with gymnastics-heavy routines, or will next year’s competition focus more on choreography and raw, self-trained talent?

Who will win the second annual Make Your Mark: Shake It Up Dance Off competition?

When the performances were over, three finalists were eliminated (Urban Xtreme, Bx5 Crew and Ashley) and Disney Channel viewers had two hours to vote online, by text, or by phone for their favorite dancers of the three remaining competitors – DJ’s Mix, Team Identity and Starley and Chris. Voting closed late Friday night and anticipation has run high ever since.

This weekend, Blogging Disney fans have posted hundreds of shout-outs and messages of support to their favorite competitors. An earlier (unofficial) site poll had the spunky duo of DJ’s Mix in the lead, but we won’t know who will win until Sunday night’s results show.

Tune in Sunday, October 21st at 8pm/7c to see who will win the second-ever Make Your Mark competition and a coveted spotlight dancer performance on Disney Channel’s Shake It Up.

Vote now for the Make Your Mark 2012 Finalists!

The 2012 edition of the Make Your Mark: Shake It Up Dance Off is underway and now it’s YOUR turn to cast your vote! Did you love the way DJ’s Mix mixed it up, or are you a fan of the funky sister-brother duo Starley and Chris? Are you rooting for the talented Ashley or for the hip hop stylings of Bx5, Team Identity, and Urban Xtreme?

Make your voice heard and VOTE NOW!

THREE WAYS TO VOTE:

1. VOTE ONLINE

Go to the Make Your Mark 2012 website to vote online. You have to be a registered user of disney.go.com, and then all it takes is a click of the mouse! You can vote up to FIVE times per user/email address.

2. VOTE BY TEXT

Visit the Make Your Mark 2012 website for the codes that you can text to vote for your favorite dancers. You can vote up to FIVE times by text – message and data rates may apply.

3. VOTE BY PHONE

Visit the Make Your Mark 2012 website for the phone numbers assigned to the dancers of your choice. All calls are TOLL FREE and limited to FIVE calls per phone number.

The 2012 Make Your Mark: Shake It Up Dance Off airs on Friday, October 19th

On Friday, October 19th, the six finalist dance acts will compete in a televised event on the Disney Channel at 8pm/7 central. Following their performances, Disney Channel fans will be able to vote by phone, text, and online for their favorite performers, and the Make Your Mark: Shake It Up Dance Off winner will be announced on the Disney Channel on Sunday, October 21st.

With more than a week before the 2 Night Television Event, there’s plenty of time to check out the finalists and get ready to cheer for your favorites on the 19th. Find out more about this year’s competitors at Make Your Mark: Shake It Up Dance Off Finalists and tell us who you’re going to vote for when the Make Your Mark: Shake It Up Dance Off airs!

2012 Make Your Mark: Shake It Up Dance Off – Finalists
	DJ’S MIX Dancers: Jaycee (9), Dylynn (10) Jaycee and Dylynn of DJ’s Mix combine extreme flexibility and gymnastics moves in their dance routines, much like last year’s winners, AKSquared. But can they top this year’s competition?
	URBAN XTREME Dancers: Star (13), Cori (13), Regan (13), Alisson (13), Ryan (14) Urban Xtreme is a dance team of five best friends from California. These girls know how to rock and their hip hop dance moves are sure to impress.
	TEAM IDENTITY Dancers: Jay (15), Faustino (16), Xavier (15) The Team Identity trio knows how to work a stage, and their slick style is inspired by the late, great Michael Jackson.
	ASHLEY Dancers: Ashley (15) Classically trained ballerina Ashley is unique as the only solo performer in this year’s competition. From her audition video, it’s clear she can dance circles around the other dancers – literally.
	STARLEY AND CHRIS Dancers: Starley (14), Chris (16) Last year, sisters Christine and June proved that siblings can do more than just rival, and this year Starley and Chris are a sister-brother duo bringing a funky, fun dance style into the mix.
	BX5 CREW Dancers: Levi (10), Brady (13), Jalen (12), Anthony (10), Marcus (11) The counterpart of Urban Xtreme’s five female dancers is Bx5 Crew’s five guys, and they are just as talented. Five has been a magic number for boy groups in the past – will it work for Bx5?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Promotional image for The Odd Life of Timothy Green, image copyright Disney

The Odd Life of Timothy Green tells the story of a childless couple whose lives are charmed when a mysterious little boy materializes in their garden. The film has been panned by critics (38% on Rotten Tomatoes) who have called it “schmaltzy”, “manufactured” and “shellacked with sticky sentimentality”.

SPOILER ALERT!!!

What the professional critics haven’t called Timothy Green is “supeeeer saaaad!!!” while crying hysterically in the car long after the movie is over. For an impassioned review of the film from two young boys who saw it (and were reduced to tears while their parents can hardly surpress their laughter from the front seat), click the link below. WARNING! The end of the film is spoiled ten seconds into the video.

The Odd Life of Timothy Green is hardly the first Disney film to be billed as the “feel good movie of the season”, only to shock and devastate the audience when the story doesn’t end quite so happily-ever-after. Like when Bambi’s mother dies. Or Simba’s father. Or Old Yeller. In Up, Carl’s wife Ellie dies after the most heartbreaking 15 minutes in Disney/Pixar history – unless you count when the toys are almost incinerated and then given away in Toy Story 3.

There’s a lot of abandonment, betrayal, and death in Disney films – and more orphans than the cast of “Annie”. There’s so much sadness, in fact, that it’s hard to choose an answer to the poll “What’s the Saddest Disney Film Ever?” You decide!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Are there any other films that deserve a nomination?

The Cast of The Avengers Assembles

The Dark Knight Rises is on its way to a $500 million domestic box office gross, but it is unlikely to surpass this summer’s truly heroic feature: Marvel’s The Avengers (92%) which stars not one but six Marvel superheroes and has grossed more than $617 million domestically and $1.49 billion worldwide, securing third place in the All Time Worldwide Box Office.

The Avengers was such a smashing success that Disney has already announced a sequel which is scheduled for release on May 1st, 2015. Like the first film, the sequel will be co-written and directed by Joss Whedon, a master writer-director of big budget and small screen ensemble casts, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s Scooby Gang, Serenity‘s rag-tag crew, and Marvel’s superheroes.

Promotional image for the Disney XD Marvel Universe Block

During the three-year wait for The Avengers II, Disney is continuing to cash in on The Avengers‘ success in other platforms. Earlier this month, Disney XD UK launched The Marvel Universe Block which will air on Disney XD in the UK every Friday at 3:30pm. The programming block features three Marvel animated series: Ultimate Spider-Man, The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and Iron Man: Armored Adventures.

On September 25th, Marvel Entertainment will release six episodes of the second season of Iron Man: Armored Adventures on DVD as Season 2: Volume 2. The 3-D animated series (which airs in the US on Nicktoons and the CW) follows the adventures of teenage inventor Tony Stark and his friends as they battle villains intent on using stolen Iron Man technology for nefarious purposes.

Promotional image for Ironman: Armored Adventures

In 2013, Marvel Studios is set to release Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World, a sequel to 2011′s Thor. The next Avenger to return to the big screen is Captain America in 2014′s Captain America: The Winter Warrior. If the largely-ignored Marvel superhero Ant-Man doesn’t appear in The Avengers sequel, he will make his big screen debut in a 2016 eponymous feature film.

And finally, the Marvel Adventures Theme Park, originally announced in 2007, broke ground on June 26th, 2012 in Dubai. Marvel Adventures is a planned 350,000 indoor entertainment destination located inside a 1.2 million family attraction center in the City of Arabia, Dubai. Construction on the theme park was delayed because of Dubai’s financial crisis during the global recession and the Walt Disney Company’s takeover of Marvel Entertainment. It’s an ambitious undertaking as super as the heroes it features.

EDIT (8/31/12): Even More Marvel News!

According to Cynopsis Media,

“ABC gave a pilot order to S.H.I.E.L.D from Joss Whedon who will co-write the project that is based on the Marvel comic, per THR. The project will be produced by ABC Studios and is based on the long-running comic created by Jack Kirby and is about the secret military law enforcement agency named S.H.I.E.L.D which translates to Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistic Directorate.”

Joss Whedon back on TV? Sounds great to me!