Walt Disney World 40th Anniversary Quiz

Walt Disney World 40th Anniversary Quiz

Walt Disney World recently celebrated its 40th anniversary, and every Disney milestone deserves a Disney quiz! Test your Walt Disney World knowledge with this 15 question quiz based on the attractions of Disney World’s four major theme parks: The Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and the Animal Kingdom.

The four theme parks of Walt Disney World, photographs by Valerie Champagne

This quiz is challenging! How well do you know your Walt Disney World history?

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October 23, 2011 Posted Under: History, Latest News, Theme Parks   Read More

Congratulations, AKsquared!

Congratulations, AKsquared!

The Make Your Mark: Ultimate Dance Off ‘Shake It Up’ Edition was a wild success for the Disney Channel. When the competition first began in July, Disney received more than 28,000 online audition videos and selected six semi-finalist dance acts (AKsquared, Jade, Amir, Casey and Sam, Arjang, Christine and June) to compete in the premiere televised event of the Ultimate Dance Off on the Disney Channel.

Screenshot from the Make Your Mark: Ultimate Dance Off website, image copyright Disney

The competition aired on Friday, October 14th, followed by a Sunday night results show, drawing 4.2 and 4.0 million total viewers, respectively. Both the Friday and the Sunday telecasts were tops in their time slots for Kids 6-11 (2.0/2.2 million) and Tweens 9-14 (1.6/1.8 million).

Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=2389

October 22, 2011 Posted Under: Disney Channel, Latest News, Online   Read More

Google Celebrates Artist Mary Blair

Google Celebrates Artist Mary Blair

In 2009, I visited the New Orleans Museum of Art during a wonderful special exhibit: Dreams Come True: Art of the Classic Fairy Tales from the Walt Disney Studio. The exhibit was timed to coincide with the theatrical release of Disney’s 49th animated feature, The Princess and the Frog (2009), which is set in 1920s New Orleans.

New Orleans Museum of Art: Disney's Fairy Tales Exhibit, photograph by Valerie Champagne

The exhibit featured concept art, designs, and animation cels from Disney’s The Three Little Pigs (1933), Snow White and the Seventh Dwarfs (1937), The Ugly Duckling (1939), Fun and Fancy Free (1947), Cinderella (1950), Sleeping Beauty (1959), The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), and The Princess and the Frog (2009). I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibit, and I credit it as my first introduction to the wonderfully talented art director, color stylist, and designer Mary Blair.

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October 22, 2011 Posted Under: History, Latest News, Movies, Theme Parks   Read More

The Lion King in 3D is a Big Success

The Lion King in 3D is a Big Success

17 years after Disney’s The Lion King hit theaters in 1994 and nine years after the IMAX re-release in 2002, The Lion King returned to theaters last month on September 16th – and this time it came in 3D.

Originally heralded as a limited 2-week release, more than 2,000 theaters have carried The Lion King in 3D for more than 5 weeks, and the film has earned $87 million at the box office to date, including the $52 million it made from two consecutive weeks at the top of the domestic box office.

Logo for The Lion King in 3D, image copyright Disney

Converting a traditionally 2D movie to 3D is an expensive process, but The Lion King‘s 3D run has been a smashing success, far out-grossing the $15.6 million earned by the 2002 IMAX release and bringing the film’s total worldwide lifetime box office gross to more than $900 million. When adjusted for ticket price inflation, The Lion King is currently ranked #18 in the all time domestic box office. Only two other traditionally animated films have grossed more: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and 101 Dalmatians (1961).

Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=2225

October 15, 2011 Posted Under: Latest News, Movies   Read More

Who Will Win the Ultimate Dance Off?

Who Will Win the Ultimate Dance Off?

Earlier tonight the Disney Channel aired the premiere of Make Your Mark: The Ultimate Dance Off ‘Shake It Up’ Edition. The six semi-finalists (Amir, Arjang, Jade, AKsquared, Christine and June, and Casey and Sam) showed off their best dance moves for celebrity judges Selena Gomez, Sean Kingston, Rosero McCoy, and millions of Disney Channel viewers.

For two hours after the event, fans were able to vote up to 5 times by text and 5 times online for their favorite contestants. I have had trouble getting onto the official Make Your Mark website to cast my vote, which makes me think that Disney’s website wasn’t prepared to handle a huge jump in traffic from excited fans eager to vote online.

Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=2236

October 15, 2011 Posted Under: Disney Channel, Latest News, Online   Read More