Category: Entertainment

Lawsuit alleges the theme park skimped on safety to cut costs. The family of Disney ride-accident victim Marcelo Torres filed a wrongful death lawsuit Tuesday, alleging that poor maintenance by Disneyland mechanics caused the accident that killed their 22-year-old son last year. Torres was killed on Sept. 5, 2003, when the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad…

The latest target of Walt Disney World's array of specially-arranged, high-dollar private parties is a lineup of quinceañera events, a traditional Latin coming-of-age celebrations. The resort already offers specially-planned functions such as weddings, held in their own private pavilion and accompanied by a lavish selection of options. Quinceañera events are a tradition in many Latin…

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Walt Disney Co. unveiled a program on Tuesday to let preteens create personal mini Web sites like MySpace's very popular social networking site for older teens and young adults, with parental controls it hopes will create a safe haven. The Disney feature, called Disney Xtreme Digital, or Disney XD, is aimed…

The past two years, Brad Bird, the Oscar-winning director of Pixar Animation's "The Incredibles," has been watching as one talking-animal animated movie after another has come and gone in theaters. Frankly, he's a little annoyed because he knows you're thinking his new film, "Ratatouille," is just another "wisecracking critters movie." Yes, "Ratatouille" does follow a…

TheMagical has created ride-simulators for four of the best rides at Disneyland Paris. These aren't 3D ride-throughs — they're simulators for the control-systems for the rides! You are the god of the ride, in charge of opening the doors to different load-systems, dispatching maintenance personnel, and operating the lights and so forth. The sims are…

War epic 300 and sequel PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST are leading the nominations for the 2007 MTV Movie Awards with five and four nods apiece. Both films have been nominated for the Best Movie award, alongside Blades of Glory, Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan and…

THE BUZZ around Novato's Hamilton Field is that Disney is about to move into town, opening a large 3-D animation division in one of the old airfield's hangars and turning the old air force base into an entertainment hub. Even before the Navy moved out, Hamilton's hangars were envisioned as a likely site for Marin…

In what company officials are calling the largest single-site resort complex to institute such smoking restrictions, Walt Disney World announced today it will ban smoking in all guest rooms, indoor public areas, balconies and other locations at all company-owned and -operated hotels, and all Disney Vacation Club resorts at Disney World. That is 20 properties…

LAS VEGAS — Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Robert Iger unveiled an overhauled company website Monday that will greet its 25 million monthly Internet visitors with a broader array of rich videos, music and games, but limited means of self expression.Iger had identified the new Disney.com as one of the company's most important initiatives to…

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) – Walt Disney Co. sees launching more online so-called massively multiplayer games as part of a strategy to entertain kids wherever they go, Chief Executive Bob Iger said on Monday. Disney, whose Mickey Mouse brand is a household name around the world, aims to reach a new generation of kids and young…

LAS VEGAS, United States (AFP) – Family entertainment conglomerate Walt Disney Corporation has introduced a revamped website which they say is a one-stop portal to online games, information on films and Disney characters, and product sales. Disney's Chief Executive Officer Robert Iger made the presentation late Monday along with stars from the popular television series…

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A family claiming the "Tigger'' character hit their son at a Disney theme park wants an apology. That's according to their attorney, Mark Morsch, who tells "The Early Show'' on CBS the Monaco family "doesn't want to be made the perpetrator'' in this case. Jerry Monaco and his son also appeared…

It's been the worst kept secret in dot-com land of late. The Walt Disney Co., after nearly a year of rethinking its flagship Disney (NYSE: DIS – news) .com site, will soon unveil a major overhaul in an effort to make it less of a promotional site and more of a social-networking site for kids and…

Continuing its "Where Dreams Come True" initiative, the Walt Disney Co. will be rolling out new features and attractions at its theme parks worldwide in the coming year. Among some of the new features at various theme parks: The Cinderella Castle Suite at Walt Disney World, where a randomly chosen guest and family will be…

Disney is expanding its selection of guided tours for families with 12 itineraries for 2007. Among the Adventures by Disney tours are trips to Wyoming, including whitewater rafting on the Snake River; the American Southwest; the mid-Atlantic, including a tour of Colonial Williamsburg; Costa Rica, including a zip-line tour of a rainforest; England and France;…

LAKE BUENA VISTA — Adriano Bastos was the only person on the Walt Disney World estate with enough star power to rival Mickey Mouse Sunday. Children waited outside of a gate to shake his hand. Spectators shouted their congratulations. Photographers, it seemed, couldn't snap enough photos of the flashy Brazilian runner with the green and…

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – "Yin Yang Yo!" — the highest-rated animated series on Toon Disney's "Jetix" programming block — has been picked up for a second season. The network has ordered 26 half-hour episodes for its comedy/action/adventure programming block. In its second season, "Yin Yang Yo!" will expand the entire world of the series:…

The stakes could scarcely be bigger for Walt Disney Co. as it unveils a revamped flagship website today. Reversing the company's past Internet stumbles is a top priority for Disney Chief Executive Robert Iger, whose reputation as a new-media leader in an old-media business could be tarnished if the site fails to attract more viewers.Disney.com…

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Disney World events for the first half of 2007 range from themed children's parties to annual events showcasing flowers and sports. The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival unfolds over two glorious months of spring, from April 5 to June 3, with topiaries, flower beds, water gardens and many other…

BURBANK, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–After a momentous 2006, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts is poised to unveil a full slate of exciting new attractions and entertainment in the coming year, highlighted by the continued rollout around the world of its groundbreaking Where Dreams Come True initiative. "As proud as we are of all that we accomplished in…

CBS Corp. and Walt Disney Co. will use next week's Consumer Electronics Show to expand efforts to get more of their movies and television shows onto the Web and mobile devices. Disney Chief Executive Officer Robert Iger will announce an overhaul of the company's Web site at the Las Vegas event, which kicks off Jan.…

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 5 (UPI) — The Walt Disney Co. settled a suit with heirs of a Spanish woman who had a brain hemorrhage after riding Disneyland's Indiana Jones Adventure in California. Cristina Moreno, 23, of Barcelona was on her honeymoon in June, 2000, when she rode the "thrill ride," the Los Angeles Times reported…

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – The Walt Disney Co. confirmed Thursday the new attractions that are headed to its theme parks this year and, to no surprise, many are Pixar-themed. "Finding Nemo — the Musical" and the Seas With Nemo & Friends are headed for Walt Disney World Resort outside Orlando. The latter is billed…