Disney animated sequels are generally considered to be inferior to the originals (some substantially so), and most go straight to home video instead of receiving theatrical releases. In the past fifteen years, Disney has produced sequels to Pocahontas (1995), The Lion King (1994), Fantasia (1940), The Little Mermaid (1989), Lady and the Tramp (1955), Cinderella (1950), 101 Dalmatians (1961), Peter Pan (1953), The Jungle Book (1967), Mulan (1998), The Fox and the Hound (1981), Bambi (1942), and even a planned sequel to Dumbo (1941) that was later scraped.
Screenshot from Bambi II, image copyright Disney
Bambi II was first released on home video in the United States in February, 2006, 64 years after the original Bambi (1942) premiered in theaters. The film is actually a midquel, meaning that the events of the story take place within the timeline of the original film, in this case when the young, newly motherless Bambi is getting to know his father, the Great Prince of the Forest.
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When I was in high school, I loved to collect Tinker Bell merchandise (mugs, snowglobes, stickers, etc.), but Tinker Bell wasn’t nearly as popular as the Disney Princesses at the time, and it was hard to come by quality products.
The Fairies of Pixie Hollow, image copyright Disney
Now ten years later, thanks in part to a series of direct-to-DVD movies that focus on Tinker Bell’s adventures in Pixie Hollow with her fairy friends (Tinker Bell, Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure, Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue, Tinker Bell and the Pixie Hollow Games), Tinker Bell is more popular than ever.
The first direct-to-DVD release, Tinker Bell, came out in 2008, followed by three sequels released over the next three years, and a fourth sequel, Tinker Bell and the Mysterious Winter Woods, due in 2012. The Tinker Bell series is the first of the Disney films to feature Tinker Bell as a computer animated character who speaks, as Disney’s traditionally animated Peter Pan (1953) and Return to Neverland (2002) had the fairy communicate entirely with churlish expressions and pouty body language.
Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=1826
Promotional image for Jake and the Never Land Pirates, image copyright Disney
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides may have grossed more than $1 billion worldwide, but Jack Sparrow is not the only Disney pirate making waves this year. The fearsome Captain Hook from 1953’s Peter Pan has returned in a gentler form in Jake and the Never Land Pirates, a preschool-friendly animated hit on the recently launched Disney Junior (formerly Playhouse Disney).
Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=1794
The five week audition period for Disney Channel’s Make Your Mark: Ultimate Dance Off ‘Shake It Up’ Edition came to an end on August 3rd. More than 28,000 videos were submitted online showcasing talented young dancers from all over the United States. And now the real contest begins.
Screenshot from the Make Your Mark: Ultimate Dance Off website, image copyright Disney
It’s time for Make Your Mark fans to make their voices heard by voting online for their favorite videos as the most liked auditions of the day. Videos with a STAR under them have been chosen as featured videos by a Disney.com editor, while videos with THUMBS UP have been chosen by fans as the most liked videos of the day. Videos with the STAR and THUMBS UP are the best of the best, as voted by Disney and Make Your Mark fans!
Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=1740
The Disney Friends for Change Games, a five week multiplatform event, officially culminated on Sunday, July 31st with a finale that drew 3.6 million total viewers (with 1.9 million K6-11 and 1.6 million Tweens 9-14), making it the top show on cable in its time slot.
Overall, the event was a huge success with a series of shorts that aired on the Disney Channel and Disney XD, reaching more than 37 million viewers. As reported by Cynopsis, the Disney Friends for Change website had more than 22 million page views and almost 4 million game starts of three featured games which kids can plan to donate points to one of four charities.
Disney Friends for Change, image from disney.go.com/projectgreen/
Over four weeks in July, Disney Channel stars from around the world competed in the Friends for Change Games, a competitive sporting event with an eco-friendly twist, which aired on the Disney Channel. The final on-air score had the Red Team (World Wildlife Fund) decimating the competition with 1025 points, compared to the Blue Team’s (Ocean Conservatory) 700 points, the Yellow Team’s (UNICEF) 550 points, and the Green Team’s (Fauna and Flora International) 500 points.
Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=1558
