My Disney Blog

Video:The Muppets Recieve Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

DisneyApprentice here again to share all the latest Disney news. The same day that Disney’s hit new movie the Muppets hits theaters it’s stars receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Muppets were given a star yesterday morning in front of Disney’s theater the El Capitan. The Muppets Star was the 2,466th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The celebration was run by Chamber President and CEO Leron Gubler, with special guest speakers Rich Ross, Chairman, The Walt Disney Studios and Lisa Henson, CEO, The Jim Henson Company.  A few Muppets were on hand to receive the star including Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, Animal, Pepe, Sweetums, and Walter, the newest Muppet.

“Thanks to creative genius Jim Henson and these extraordinary puppeteers, the Muppets are truly worldwide icons and Hollywood stars,” said Ross. “They are a treasured part of the Disney family, and we’re thrilled to see them join so many other luminaries on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.”

Continue reading and watch the video. 

 

Shanghai Disneyland Opening Date Announced

During the Walt Disney Shareholders meeting this morning Bob Iger, the chairman and CEO of the Walt Disney Company discussed Shanghai Disneyland, and mentioned a few facts:

Continue reading to find out the opening date of Shanghai Disneyland>>

 

Retro Disney Project Update 10/8/10

Well, it's been a while since I updated everyone as to the progress of the Retro Disney Channel Project. I'm still waiting to set up a meeting with someone at Disney, but I will continue to push for this until we can get something to happen.

The GOOD NEWS is that we have been successful in one regard! Because of you, we were able to have many of the Disney classic movies added to the Disney.com/MoviesOnline portal. I spoke with Disney and they did confirm that it was because of all of your suggestions that they included the classic movies in the portal. Movies such as "The Adventures of Huck Finn", "True Life Adventures", "Treasure Island", "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", "Davy Crockett and the River Pirates", etc. TO REPEAT - IT WAS BECAUSE OF YOU GUYS THAT THEY DID THIS! Isn't that awesome? We spoke, and they listened!

Anyway, I will update you on the progress with Disney, but until then - I'm SO happy that our outreach has yielded some great results on the moviesonline portal!

--- DisneyDean (@DisneyDean on twitter)

Retro Disney Project highlighted on DAP's Magic!

I was so excited to see that the Retro Disney Project was written about on the totally awesome website DAP's Magic - one of the most awesome Disney websites. I've been a lurker on Mr. Dap's website for a few years now, so it's pretty awesome to have the project highlighted on his site.

For those of you not familiar with the Retro Disney Project - our goal is to have classic/retro Disney content available in some fashion, either online, through a television station, or BOTH! Word is definitely spreading, thanks to Mr. Dap's and all the other folks out there in the blogs and on twitter! We are proving that Disney fans and friends can band together to do nearly ANYTHING, and Disney is definitely listening!This project is not about me - it is OUR project and we can do anything we set our mind to do (think Walt Disney :)

Thanks so much. If you've never been to DAP's Magic (I'm sure most of you have) - you should really spend some time checking it out - there is a WEALTH of content and photos on this great site.

--- DisneyDean (@DisneyDean on twitter)

Retro Disney Channel Update for September 10, 2010

For those of you interested in the Retro Disney Channel project, I thought I would send out a little update to let you know what has been going on. I am still waiting to possibly pitch our ideas to someone at Disney, but the folks I have been talking to STRONGLY suggested that we do the following RIGHT now:

Go to the following website:
http://www.disney.com/moviesonline

Click on the "Share Your Ideas" tab on the left hand side, and let them know what you would like to see on THAT particular site - from a retro/classic standpoint. Would you like to see the Mickey Mouse Club added? Would you like to see "The Wonderful World of Disney"? Let them know specifically, what information you would like to see added to that particular site. This is the website, that will soon become the home to Disney Movies online - and we may be able to have classic content added if there is enough support.

So, what I am asking you all to do - if you haven't done so already - is to go to the above site and let them know your thoughts. I have been told that each and every comment submitted is forwarded to the person responsible for the project, and this is a key moment to see if we could get retro/classic shows and movies added to this BRAND NEW site!

I will keep you posted on the possible conference call with Disney - but until then - this is what they recommend.

Thanks a ton!!! Always looking for your comments - can't wait to hear :)

--- DisneyDean (@DisneyDean on twitter) 

 

Retro Disney Channel Update for August 25, 2010

Well, I have some progressively interesting news regarding the Retro Disney Channel project. I spoke with a friend of mine at Disney, and pitched the idea of starting some kind of Retro Disney Channel (showing the classic shows and movies that many of us grew up watching). The response was EXTREMELY enthusiastic, and they will be trying to find the right person for me to make a "pitch" to via conference call. For now, they suggested a really interesting approach to see if we can make progress on our own, via fan feedback. 

Here is what she suggested:

Sometime in September, Disney Online will start the following website:
http://www.disney.com/moviesonline

This will soon become your home for your digital movies. I was able to log in with my Disney Movie Rewards username and password, and my online movies were on there. It also gave me the option to buy the digital rights to other movies that I've entered codes for - at a low price of $5.99. Basically, once you have the digital rights, you would be able to watch them on your computer, through a link to your HD televisions, on many Smart Phones, etc. etc.

HERE IS WHAT THEY SUGGESTED to get the ball rolling. They would like everyone to use the "Share Your Ideas" link on that page to make the suggestion to add Disney classic television shows and movies. You can use specifics, such as "The Hardy Boys", "Zorro", specific films, shows, etc. She said that it hasn't been officially launched yet, so NOW IS THE TIME to see if we can influence this! It would not exactly be a 'channel', but it is one way to get classic content in a way we can watch whenever we'd like - over and over again - and only pay for the content that you'd like. I would FLIP to be able to watch The Hardy Boys, The Mickey Mouse Club, the Wonderful World of Disney episodes, WHENEVER I WANT on my iPhone, iPad, laptop, computer, or HDTV.

Anyway, this is in addition to trying to find a person to pitch the idea to at Disney. Things are happening with this, and hopefully we can at LEAST get classic content added to the moviesonline portal!

Can I count on you guys to do this? I'll be doing it tonight - she STRONGLY HINTED to me that we may be able to influence the direction of this new page by doing what I'm suggesting to do.

Thanks in advance, and I'll keep ya posted!

--- DisneyDean (@DisneyDean on twitter)

Mickey Mouse Club: The Annette Sound

OK, so I had always liked the Mickey Mouse Club, but it wasn't until recently buying Walt Disney Treasures: Annette that I knew what a special and amazing actress Annette Funicello is. The Annette serial was just plain awesome, and we watched the entire thing over two nights recently when we rented a cabin for a week. Our kids were absolutely transfixed on the show and could not WAIT to watch disc 2 of the series. I honestly don't know if they spoke one WORD during the 4 1/2 hours that we watched the Annette serial.

I found this great clip of Annette talking about how the "Annette Sound" was created. I thought it was so interesting and I thought others might think so as well. Annette, we love you! Thanks for all the great memories over the years.

--- DisneyDean (@DisneyDean on twitter)

Retro Disney Channel - What do You Think?

About a week ago, my friend Diana (@Mulan_1998 on twitter and a COOL person) mentioned how much she would love to see a Retro Disney Channel, or something like it. We got to talking, and then I mentioned it on twitter. It seems that there is potentially HUGE support for a Retro Disney Channel. A lot of us grew up watching the classic Disney shows and movies, and have a strong affinity to the older Disney material. A lot of TV networks have a classic channel now, tailored to the powerful baby boomer generation. I remember watching the "Wonderful World of Disney" as a child, and I had NO clue that Walt Disney was no longer alive (in the 70s). All I knew was that he seemed just plain AWESOME and I looked forward to every Sunday evening when the show was on. I remember getting excited to hear what would be on that week, and watching it from start to finish and being upset when it was over.

So, I got to thinking (this is typically DANGEROUS!) - what would happen if we had a show of support for such a network? I think the support is there for a viable network, but if not, I would love an online network. It could be the Retro or Classic Disney Channel, available via online subscription, and able to be viewed on iPhones, iPods, iPads, android devices, other smart phones, or via computer. I would TOTALLY subscribe to this online network, and I had a LOT of people tell me on twitter that they were whipping their credit cards out right NOW! :-)

So, here is what I would like to know! Do you support a Retro or Classic Disney Channel - either network or via online subscription? I would love to get your thoughts on this in the comments section. If there is sufficient support, I will launch a campaign to see if we can make it happen! How fun! Many of the greatest things come from an interested public showing support for something. This is part of the reason D23 is so successful, and I believe we can make it happen with this as well. We could see the old Mickey Mouse Club shows, Annette, the Hardy Boys, Spin and Marty, nature shows and movies, classic Disney movies, and more!

Thanks so much for taking your time to read this, and for showing your support!

--- DisneyDean (@DisneyDean on twitter)

Donald Duck Short - Spare The Rod

On this date in Disney History (January 15, 1954), the Disney Donald Duck short entitled "Spare The Rod" was released. I just want to say...right here and now...that Donald Duck ROCKS!! This was directed by Jack Hannah, who became a Disney Legend in 1992, just before his death in 1994.
 

Information received from "This Day in Disney History" - an awesome website with daily historical information regarding anything Disney

--- Disney Dean

Pueblo Pluto

On this date in Disney History (January 14, 1949), the Disney short entitled "Pueblo Pluto" was released.

Information received from "This Day in Disney History" - an awesome website with daily historical information regarding anything Disney. 

--- Disney Dean