Category: Disney

  • In Apple v. Amazon, it’s Disney versus the rest

    Amazon and Apple are poised to launch their online movie stores in the coming weeks, and everyone knows it. Apple's big event is on Tuesday next, while Amazon has yet to tip its hat on a launch date (though we've seen the screenshots). It's not a question of if… only a question of when. In…

  • Apple Movie Store Only Serving Disney Films?

    "Variety has the scoop on Apple and Amazon's forthcoming movie download services. Apple's will launch with only Disney as a partner. Amazon will have most, and possibly all, of the major studios on board. The reason comes down to price, insiders said. Amazon.com will launch its movie download service later this week, numerous sources confirmed,…

  • Hong Kong Disneyland likely to fall short of attendance target

    Hong Kong Disneyland likely to fall short of attendance target

    BANGKOK (MarketWatch) — Attendance at Hong Kong Disneyland may fall short of first-year targets, comments by the park's top official suggested. Bill Ernest, managing director of the theme park, said at a press conference that the first-year attendance target of 5.6 million visitors was being approached and would be reached later in September or in…

  • Smash Hit #1 Animated Movie of the Year!

    BURBANK, CA–(MARKET WIRE)–Sep 5, 2006 — From the Winning Team of Disney and Pixar CARS Racing to DVD in Time for the Holidays — November 7! Loaded With Bonus Materials Including an All-New Exclusive Short Film "Mater and The Ghostlight," Deleted Scenes, Behind-the-Scenes and More The high-octane Disney/Pixar team announce the DVD debut of the…

  • Disney perfect cure for golfers suffering from the winter blues

    Admit it. Labor Day, the unofficial end of golf season in the area, is just hours in the rear-view mirror, and already you feel the itch. It won’t be long until some golfers set their clubs aside in favor of little surfing — Web surfing, to be precise, in an effort to put that nagging…

  • Zhang Ziyi confirms role in remake of ‘Mulan’ tale done by Disney

    HONG KONG (AP) – Zhang Ziyi has confirmed she will appear in an upcoming movie revolving around Hua Mulan, the Chinese folk heroine that inspired the Disney animated film by the same name. She told the Chinese news website Sina.com at the Venice Film Festival that " 'Hua Mulan' has basically been confirmed, but it…

  • New at Disney World: Comedy club, wish-granting and Nemo musical

    ORLANDO (AP) — Disney World is launching a new program called The Year of a Million Dreams— but you'll have to luck out to take advantage of it. Starting Oct. 1, Disney cast members will be empowered to grant wishes big and small to guests — including free dining, ticket upgrades, FastPasses that allow entry…

  • What’s new at Disney World

    ORLANDO, Fla. – Disney World is launching a new program called "The Year of a Million Dreams" — but you'll have to luck out to take advantage of it. Starting Oct. 1, Disney cast members will be empowered to grant wishes big and small to guests — including free dining, ticket upgrades, FastPasses that allow…

  • H.K. Disneyland to miss one-year attendance target

    (Kyodo) _ Hong Kong Disneyland will miss its target of 5.6 million visitors in its first year of operation, with its managing director saying Monday it will take time for the venture to "catch up" with the changing behavior of Chinese travelers. Bill Ernest said at a press conference a week before the park's anniversary…

  • Hong Kong Disneyland attracts over 5 million visitors

    HONG KONG, Sept 4 (Reuters) – More than 5 million people have visited Hong Kong Disneyland since it opened last September, despite a slow start and a slew of negative publicity, Disneyland's top manager in Hong Kong said on Monday. Hong Kong Disneyland, the first Disney theme park to be built in China, has had…

  • Kobe Bryant joins Hong Kong Disneyland to make magic for children

    Hong Kong, September 4, 2006 (AP) – All-Star basketball player Kobe Bryant is going to visit Hong Kong Disneyland Resort on September 5 to enjoy the theme park and join Disney officials in announcing plans to send children from Hong Kong to the United States to live theirbasketball dreams with the international sports superstar.      Bryant,…

  • Privacy groups knock Disney fingerprinting

    ORLANDO — The nation's most popular tourist attraction is beginning to scan your fingerprint information.For years, Disney has recorded onto tickets the geometry and shape of visitors' fingers to prevent ticket fraud or resale, as an alternative to time-consuming photo identification checks.By the end of September, all of the geometry readers at Disney's four Orlando…

  • HK Disney faces legal action over “naked” firings

    HONG KONG (AFP) – Four Hong Kong Disneyland staff members are taking legal action against the resort after they were fired for cavorting naked in the changing rooms in an incident captured on video, a union spokeswoman has said. The Hong Kong Disneyland Cast Members Union said Monday it had reported the American company to…

  • Disney and Infomedia India join hands to launch kids

    Walt Disney India has tied up with Infomedia India to launch a magazine for children. The magazine, called ‘Disney Adventures’, will be launched by October. ‘Disney Adventures’ is currently present in markets such as Australia and the US. The Indian version has been adapted to meet the requirements of Indian kids in the age group of…

  • ‘Invincible’ repeats as No. 1 movie

    LOS ANGELES – Mark Wahlberg remained invincible at the box office over the long Labor Day weekend. Disney's "Invincible," with Wahlberg as a pro football rookie who makes the team in open tryouts, was the No. 1 movie for the second straight weekend, taking in $15.2 million from Friday through Monday, according to studio estimates.…

  • GROWING THE TEENS TOO FAST

    Something's happening at Walt Disney Pictures. After years spent ruining its brand, the company seems determined to regain its position as the standard-bearer for family movies, recently with one winner after another. Think "Cars," "The Chronicles of Narnia" and "Pirates of the Caribbean." Now add to that list Disney's newest offering, "Invincible," the story of…

  • Waller played part for Papale

    DOWNSTATE — It was a scene straight out of a Disney football movie.Here is Vince Papale, a blue-collar guy from Philly, at an open tryout for a pro team.But when they time him in the 40-yard dash, he’s not fast enough and gets cut. Wide receivers have to do it in 4.5 seconds and Papale…

  • Feel-Good sports movie is invincible

    Disney's biographical sports saga "Invincible" has lead the weekend's US box office. Mark Wahlberg stars as a Philadelphia Eagles fan who never played college ball. He has just lost his wife and his teaching job. He decides one day to show up for an open tryout for his favorite American football team, only to see…

  • Joanette Dancers Compete In Starpower Talent Competition

       Soon after commemorating Joanette Dance Studio’s 40th anniversary, Joanette and her team headed for Disney World for the Starpower National Talent Competition. The competition was held at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel in Orl   A special congratulations goes to Kareem Hills for not only being a title winner at the Starpower and headliners regional competition,…

  • Florida visitors take hurricanes in stride

    VALERIE STRYKER, HER husband and their three kids watched as Hurricane Frances bore down on Florida and their Walt Disney World vacation in September 2004. The family spent most of those nervous hours in their Orlando hotel with drawn shades and storm reports from Disney staff slipped under their door or by voicemail. When it…

  • Disney dream comes true for Deer Creek student

    EDMOND — Like many second-grade students, Whitney Hamilton just wanted to go to Walt Disney World. Her wish came true Friday, when she won a trip for four to Walt Disney World as part of the American Heart Association’s “Jump Rope for Heart” program. “We couldn’t have afforded to go without this,” said Mike Hamilton,…

  • Weak Branding in Cell Phones

    Brands can be powerful assets. Just think of Disney movies, for example. If you're going to take the kids to a movie, odds are, you'll give more consideration to a new Disney feature than features put out by unfamiliar names. If you're in the market for a new car, you'll likely have some strong and…

  • More studios are opting for Blu-ray format

    TOKYO — About 75 movie titles, including The Da Vinci Code and Chicken Little, will go on sale in Japan this year using the next-generation Blu-ray DVD format. More than a dozen Hollywood studios announced the Blu-ray offerings Tuesday, giving the format another boost as it competes with HD DVD to become the choice for…

  • Disney’s finger scanners worry privacy advocates

    LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Walt Disney World, which bills itself as one of the happiest and most magical places anywhere, also may be one of the most closely watched and secure. The nation's most popular tourist attraction is beginning to scan guests' fingerprint information. For years, Disney has recorded onto tickets the geometry and…