Lightning McQueen at Hollywood Studios

Lightning McQueen at Hollywood Studios

At the box office, Cars 2 is far from Pixar’s most well-received film, being ranked dead-last in critical appeal (37% on Rotten Tomatoes), and performing sluggishly both domestically and worldwide, with a current total haul of $317.3M, as compared with mega-hits like Up ($731.3M), Finding Nemo ($867.8M), and Toy Story 3 ($1,063.1M). But Cars merchandise continue to be some of Disney’s best-selling, and the characters are featured in a multitude of new products that can be found in bedrooms, bathrooms, and classrooms around the globe.

Lightning McQueen speeds through the flowerbeds at the 2011 Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival. Photograph by Mandy Chorman

Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=1560

July 24, 2011 Posted Under: Latest News, Theme Parks   Read More

Classic Mickey Mouse Cartoons on DVD

Classic Mickey Mouse Cartoons on DVD

Thanks in part to its place in history as the very first Mickey Mouse cartoon and its appearance in the Walt Disney Animation Studios logo, most people are at least passingly familiar with Steamboat Willie, which debuted more than 80 years ago on November 18th, 1928. Steamboat Willie features Mickey Mouse as a sailor on a ship captained by the villainous Peg-Leg Pete, with Minnie Mouse as one of the ship’s passengers. The short’s most iconic shot is of Mickey whistling cheerfully while at the helm of the ship, and this shot can be seen in the Walt Disney Animation Studios logo as an artist’s flipbook transforms into the animated clip.

If you’re a fan of Steamboat Willie or any of the hundreds of Mickey Mouse cartoons that have come along since, then it’s high time that you add them to your home video collection. From now through September 14th, Disney Movie Rewards is offering a discount on the Have a Laugh DVDs, a collection of four DVDs featuring classic Mickey Mouse cartoons.

Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=1519

July 22, 2011 Posted Under: History, Latest News, Movies   Read More

Animated Movies NOT By Disney

Animated Movies NOT By Disney

During the Disney Renaissance, Walt Disney Animation Studios dominated the box office with a decade of high-quality, animated super hits of the late ’80s (The Little Mermaid, 1989) through the late ’90s (Tarzan, 1999). Before computer animated sensations (the Toy Story trilogy, Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon) made Pixar Animation Studio and DreamWorks Animation household names, Disney was the only company whose name was really synonymous with animated features, although many other studios were active at the time.

Below are a number of traditionally animated features of the ’80s and ’90s which are commonly mistaken for Disney films. The films may be fairy tales and epic adventures, but they’re not animated by Disney. Which ones are you surprised to discover aren’t Disney films?

Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=1500

July 17, 2011 Posted Under: History, Latest News, Movies   Read More

Pirates 4: Mermaids and Money

Pirates 4: Mermaids and Money

Anyone concerned that poor critical reviews (33% rotten on Rotten Tomatoes) or the absence of franchise stars Kiera Knightly and Orlando Bloom would keep Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides from being a mega hit can rest easy.

Promotional image for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, image copyright Disney

The fourth installment in the Pirates franchise may have performed weakly by domestic standards (only $236 million to date as compared to $305 million for The Curse of the Black Pearl, $309 million for At World’s End, and a whopping $423 million for Dead Man’s Chest), but it was only the second Pirates film to break the $1 billion mark worldwide, and only the eighth film overall, including three others by Disney: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006), Alice in Wonderland (2010), and Toy Story 3 (2010). On Stranger Tides was the first of the franchise to be shot and screened in 3D, and the film’s considerable box office success was helped by 3D and IMAX premium ticket prices.

Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=1491

July 16, 2011 Posted Under: Latest News, Movies   Read More

The Return of Winnie the Pooh

The Return of Winnie the Pooh

July 15th is sure to be a day of nostalgia for movie goers, thanks to two major releases from family-friendly franchises.

This Friday marks the end of an era when the eighth and final Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011), makes its theatrical debut almost ten years after the magical trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione (played by Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson) first journeyed to Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s [Philosopher’s] Stone (2001).

Screenshot from Winnie the Pooh (2011), copyright Disney

While Harry Potter‘s epic showdown between good and evil is sure to wow the millions of fans who grew up with the beloved children’s series, movie goers looking to revisit their childhoods in a more mellow fashion can mosey on over to the theater next door for another visit to the charming Hundred Acre Wood, home of Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, and Tigger too.

Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=1481

July 15, 2011 Posted Under: Games, Latest News, Movies, Theme Parks   Read More
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