Former Imagineer Takes 'One Last Ride"

According to "Inside the Magic", 87-Year-old former Imagineer Bill Watkins, designer of Disneyland's "SPACE MOUNTAIN", recently took his 'Last Ride' on the iconic attraction.
Read the article HERE.

R.I.P. DISNEY Legend Frank Armitage

"Belle's Castle" mural from Beauty & the Beast by FRANK ARMITAGE

Frank Armitage, an Australian-born American painter who created backgrounds for several classic Disney animated films and murals for Disney parks, died January 4 at his home in Paso Robles, California, at age 91. The sad news was announced by Disney Animation Studios’ vice president of communications Howard Green.

Thelma Witmer, Eyvind Earle, Frank Armitage and Walt Peregoy during Sleeping Beauty’s production. Taken from the 1958 book, The Art of Animation by Bob Thomas.

Read the entire article from Animation Magazine HERE .

Legendary "Little Golden Books" Artist Mel Crawford Passes

If you owned or read any picture books when you were a child, or had kids who did from the 1950s on up, you more than likely have seen his work. One of the most prolific children's book artists of all time passed away on Monday, February 23rd. He was 89.
Best-known for his renderings of  numerous Disney and Hanna-Barbera characters such as Yogi Bear, Magilla Gorilla, The Flintsones and more, he rendered hundreds of books, covers, and comic book covers for Whitman Publishing's "Little Golden Books" and the associated "Gold Key Comics".
Many books still in print today contain his work.
Read the article and see more pictures HERE .

‘Paperman’ Director John Kahrs Departs from Disney

Model Sheet for "Meg" from 'Paperman'

The director of  Disney's 2012 Academy-Award-Winning Short "Paperman", John Kahrs
has parted ways with the studio, according to Animation Magazine.
Read the entire article HERE .

Sadly, Now It's Time to Say Goodbye... To ANNETTE FUNICELLO

DISNEY Legend ANNETTE FUNICELLO passed away yesterday due to complications from multiple slerosis. She will be sadly missed.
Read the full article HERE.

Disney Announces "Maleficent" Release

Another "Evil Queen" movie from Disney, updating one of their Animated Classics into a live-action special-effects-laden big-budget feature. Read about it HERE .

This is joining the previously-announced "SNOW WHITE and the HUNTSMAN" from Paramount and starring Charlize Theiron as the Evil Queen, Kristen Stewart (Twilight) as Snow White, and Chris Hemsworth ("THOR") as the Huntsman.
Oh-- and the previously-released "Mirror, Mirror" starring Julia Roberts as the Evil Queen. This movie was produced by Relativity Media in conjunction with.... too many to list.

GLEN KEANE Leaves DISNEY

Longtime DISNEY Animator GLEN KEANE (Son of BIL KEANE- creator of 'Family Circus') announced while I was in Burbank that he is leaving The DISNEY Studios 'to pursue other interests'...!

Read the entire article HERE
...And his entire letter HERE

Disney Songwriter Robert Sherman Dies

From Animation Magazine:
 Prolific Disney songwriter Robert Sherman, who with his  brother Richard penned numerous tunes in their heyday for Disney movies and cartoons, has passed away at age 86. Notable compositions include music from "Mary Poppins" such as Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and Spoonful of Sugar, and the iconic theme "It's a Small World, After All" from the attraction.
 Read the full story HERE .

Strangely Surprised....And Entertained!

I don't know if it was the medication or the ungodly early time of day, but I was strangely surprised this morning by a movie that, when I saw the ads-- and particularly the star-- was initially unappealing to me.

Jax, our Maltese, had climbed on top of my stomach and began licking me in the face to let me know that it was time for me to get up and let him outside. I didn't want to wake my lovely wife Alice, so I turned on the coffee pot, went out and  got the paper, and flipped on the television.

 Based on a video game, filled with special-effects, and starring Jake Gyllenhal (who looks like a 'Bizarro' Toby McGuire!), "PRINCE of PERSIA: The Sands of Time" was actually VERY entertaining.

Once you get past all the Anglo (white) actors playing Arabian characters (and speaking with British accents), the movie IS quite action-packed and entertaining. Combining elements of "Aladdin", "Gladiator", and the swashbuckling of "Pirates of the Caribbean", I found myself interested and actually enjoying this movie! Weird...!

  Later, after watching (between dozing off into cat-naps) the Saints top the Panthers, I flipped over and --to my surprise-- caught the beginning of "The A-Team".

Again, a movie that I never intended to watch turned out to be an adequate homage to the classic 80's television show of the same name. Explosions, stunt driving, fistfights. Betrayed by the covert operatives who hired them. I was reminded of the recent based-on-a-comic book movie "The Losers". Then I remembered that the ORIGINAL A-Team did it FIRST! The only thing I didn't care for was the  standard hollywood "evil CIA-corrupt Army officer" bullcrap. 

All-in-all, though, I actually truly enjoyed both flicks.

DISNEY World Trip a Success!

Well, we accompanied the Ellis family for the twins' first visit to The Magic Kingdom and the other Disney Parks...! I will be posting some pics a bit later!!

"TOY STORY 3" Wins GOLDEN GLOBE

Disney-Pixar's "Toy Story 3" won the Golden Globe Award for "Best Animated Feature Film".

BIG-SCREEN "PHINEAS & FERB"..??!!

From disZine:

"PHINEAS and FERB", the Disney animated series created by Dan Povenmire and Jeff 'Swampy' Marsh, is currently being developed for a big-screen theatrical treatment!

Read the entire article HERE !

Disney's "Tangled": My Opinion

If you are a fan of Classic Disney Animation, this CG ("computer-generated") re-telling of the classic "Rapunzel" is a welcome treat. The graphics are very well-done, and the tale is mildly entertaining. (Think "Shrek Light")

The scenery is beautifully rendered, and the action is nicely-paced and well-timed. I think it will be great for everyone. Disney had recently announced a departure from the whole 'fairy tale' genre, but the unexpected success of this offering may cause them to re-think that strategy.

Two words: See it.

Walt Disney World Opens On This Date in 1971

The Magic Kingdom came to life 39 years ago today. Click on the title of this post for the entire story!

New Game, "EPIC MICKEY", Would Make GREAT Feature or Series

Well, I'm not a big 'gamer' or video-game buff, but I have to say that I'm excited about the upcoming Disney video game "Epic Mickey". In a brilliant use of story, concept, and many obscure 'Disneyverse' characters, the programmers have brought a neat twist to the video game offerings of late.

While "Kingdom Hearts" was clever and popular, "Epic Mickey" explores limitless possibilities of what happened to obscure and forgotten characters and stories. Check out the into in this trailer:

Disney Changing "Rapunzel" Title?

It has been reported that Walt Disney Studios plans to re-name the upcoming "Rapunzel" animated feature to "Tangled!".
What the--?
More on this later as it develops and is confirmed......

Roy E. Disney Dies

Roy Disney, Known as “Soul” of the Studio, Dies at 79

From Animation Magazine:

Wednesday, December 16, 2009By: Ramin Zahed
Roy E. Disney, Walt’s nephew and longtime exec producer and senior exec at the Disney Studio passed away today (Wednesday, Dec. 16) in Newport beach, Calif. after a year-long battle with stomach cancer, reported the Associated Press.
"He was a great man who believed deeply in the art of animation. He put his heart and soul into preserving Disney's legendary past, while helping to move the art of animation into the modern age by embracing new technology," noted John Lasseter, Disney/Pxar’s chief creative officer, who first met Disney while a student at CalArts. “He was a visionary and passionate supporter of the art form."

Disney was a champion of the company’s classic animation and helped bring about the first renaissance of traditional animation in the 1980sa nd 1990s by supporting the animation teams behind classics such as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King. He was also recognized widely as a powerful shareholder in the company who spearheaded two successful campaigns to oust company heads (his cousin-in-law Ron Miller and later on, Michael Eisner) who he believed were taking the company in the wrong direction.
Soft-spoken and unpretentious, Disney was also seen as the “soul” of the company by many insiders. “The thing that distinguishes [Disney] from everybody else, and always has and always will, is our past,” he once said “The goal is to look over our shoulder and see Snow White and Pinocchio and Dumbo standing there, saying, 'Be this good.' We shouldn't be intimidated by them; they're an arrow pointing someplace."
Disney grew up on his uncle’s now-classic retellings of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Pinocchio. He also received a sound education in finance from his father Roy Sr., who oversaw Disney Co.'s business end. Upon graduating from Pomona College in 1951, the younger Disney followed his uncle and father into the entertainment industry, working as an editor, screenwriter and producer on a host of projects, from TV's Dragnet and Zorro to the Oscar-nominated film Mysteries of the Deep.
He would also later produce 2004's acclaimed Destino, using mid-century animation Salvador Dali created for Walt Disney Co., and Fantasia 2000, a sequel to his uncle's 1940 classic.
Disney, who also founded the private equity firm Shamrock Holdings, is survived by his wife, Leslie, four children from a previous marriage —Tim Disney, Roy Patrick Disney, Abigail Disney and Susan Disney Lord—and 16 grandchildren. Following private funeral services and cremation, Disney’s ashes will be scattered at sea. Plans for a memorial will also be announced soon.

Phineas & Ferb Parody

Below is yet ANOTHER Phineas and Ferb knock-off that I drew and sent to Dan Povenmire while the show he co-created with Jeff "Swampy" Marsh was in development.
I was told that many of these can be seen on the studio's office walls....
In this instance, our heroes are rendered as militant Islamic extremists. Note Perry as a wild-eyed scimitar-weilding assassin.....!

D23: Lasseter Promises More Hand-drawn Animation

From Animation Magazine.net:

Monday, September 14, 2009By: Thomas J. Mclean
PIXAR and Disney animation chief John Lasseter has built the studio’s sterling reputation on cutting-edge CG animation, but says Disney fans can expect to see a lot more hand-drawn animation in the future.
Speaking at Disney’s D23 fan expo in Anaheim, Lasseter gave fans a peek at the upcoming hand-drawn film The Princess and the Frog, and a new Winnie the Pooh feature due out in 2011, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He said that studios had made a mistake in focusing solely on CG animation.
“I never quite understood why the studios thought people wouldn’t want to watch it,” Lasseter said, according to a Reuters report. “What audiences didn’t want was bad movies.”
Speaking to press, Lasseter denied there was any truth to the rumor that Pixar was planning an Ant-Man movie as part of Disney’s recently announced plans to buy Marvel Entertainment.
He also announced some casting news for the upcoming Toy Story 3, confirming that John Morris will return as the voice of Andy. Jeff Garliln, Bonnie Hunt, Timothy Dalton and Whoopi Goldberg also will play voices in the film.
In other D23 news, Disney announced plans to revamp the Star Tours attraction to be a 3-D experience, opening in 2011. The company also announced plans to vastly expand its Fantasyland attraction at Walt Disney World, opening in 2012.

Ferb Trek

Here, as promised, is another Phineas & Ferb parody that I had sent a couple of years ago to Dan Povenmire, one of the show's creators, back when the show was in development.
Perry the Platypus is doing a fine job, of course, manning the controls of the transporter...