101 Dalmatians Book and Movie: Always Charming

The 1956 book “The Hundred and One Dalmatians” by Dodie Smith is a very English, very droll story of married Dalmatians Pongo and Missis, and their also-married pets, Mr. & Mrs. Dearly.  You read that right: Missis.  Perhaps the biggest surprise (to me) reading the novel on which the Disney film was based, was to discover that Pongo’s wife was not called Perdita, but Missis.  Even stranger is when a dog named Perdita appears.  She’s a liver (brown)-spotted Dalmatian that serves as a wet nurse for Missis, who cannot handle the milk load required by 15 puppies. Perdita’s own pups … Continue reading

Disney as Christmas Americana

What is it about Disney and Christmas? The two just seem to go together. I was at the post office last week, and while waiting in line I noticed that I could purchase two holiday-designed wrapping paper sets. One of them featured Disney characters. I can’t think of any other brand for which it wouldn’t seem weird to see its characters plastered all over Christmas-themed items. Yet the more I think about it, the more instances I recall of Disney and Christmas intersecting. For years we had Disney ornaments on our tree; some of them were actually thematically-appropriate, with Goofy … Continue reading

The NFL Goes to the Disney Institute

It’s not been a good year for the National Football League. I don’t follow the sport at all, but even I know they faced a players’ strike just before the 2011 season was supposed to launch, and that anything to do with the Super Bowl, besides the football itself, has been under fire recently. Who do you call when you want to revamp your image and better organize events for giant crowds? Disney, apparently. USA Today reports that the NFL has signed up for some training with the Disney Institute. If you don’t remember, the Disney Institute is part of … Continue reading

Disney D23 Expo Report

D23 has come and gone, and with it all the latest news of Disney’s upcoming features. As I anticipated, despite not announcing anything about them very far in advance, D23 offered some fantastic sneak peak at the Mouse House’s most anticipated upcoming films. Entertainment Weekly has the scoop on the new films. The Expo was packed with Pixar previews. We got tidbits of what to expect from “Monsters University”: expect Mike and Sully to be a little thinner, less shaggy, and with some orthodontia. The movie focuses on how the two form their friendship. They’ve actually known each other all … Continue reading

Disney D23 Expo 2011

The time has arrived: with the D23 Disney Expo just around the corner on August 19-21, the full schedule of events has finally been released. Chances are you know by now whether or not you’re going, but just in case I’ll go over the highlights of the Expo today. I wanted to present the details sooner, but unfortunately Disney didn’t release them until now. Each day is absolutely packed, so if you want to view the entire schedule visit the official D23 Expo website. I’ll present the best looking options for each day here. 2011 is the year for Disney … Continue reading

Fun for Grown-Ups at Disney: The BoardWalk

It’s been awhile since I’ve written one of these, so I thought I’d introduce the column again. In this recurring feature, I like to put a spotlight on activities at one or more of the Disney parks that are perfect for adults adventuring at Disney sans kids. I realize that my pick for this month’s column on fun for grown-ups at Disney might seem a little strange. When I was younger my family went to the beach nearly every year, sometimes on our own and sometimes as a part of a group trip. A tour around the boardwalk was always … Continue reading

Hints of More Disney on Broadway

Music makes Disney great. Who could imagine wishing for a star, longing for a prince to come, or wanting to be a part of a new world without the uplifting swell of the famous scores accompanying those stories? As I’ve implied before, part of Disney’s magic comes from its music, and when that music isn’t strong the movie’s better off not trying to be a musical. It’s no surprise that, given the high quality of most of Disney’s musical movies, many of them have migrated to Broadway. While “The Lion King” continues its reign as Disney’s most popular musical theater … Continue reading

Disney’s Project Green

This Thursday, April 22, is the fortieth anniversary of Earth Day. In honor of that I’m making it Earth Week on the Disney blog, and I’m going to explore ways in which the Walt Disney Corporation contributes to ecological causes. Now that green is hip and mega global conglomerates like Disney are getting in on the environmental action, I start to wonder if the trendiness of green initiatives doesn’t sometimes overshadow or outweigh actual conservation efforts. Take Disney’s Project Green, for example. The House of Mouse throws together a splashy website, herds Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato out of the … Continue reading

The Disney Blog Week In Review for the Week Ending June 6

Disney offers a little something for every in the family and this week’s articles reflect the multiple levels of interest that Disney fulfills. We’re going back a bit further into the end of May before diving into our first week of June. So let’s take a look at articles you may have missed this week. Toy Story Mania examines one of the latest attractions to open at Disney World and Disney’s California Adventure. Whether you’re a fan of Toy Story or not this attraction is more than enough to attract repeat visitors. In 5 Great Disney World Shows for Kids … Continue reading

10 Great Disney Songs

While writing up the best animated and non-animated lists, it occurred to me that what makes many of the films so attractive is the brilliant use of music. When Walt Disney began his studios so many decades ago, he recognized that movies with good acting, fantastic stories and memorable music would be hits. The majority of animated films that are successful feature soundtracks and scores that people hum years after their release. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious anyone? 10 Great Disney Songs To construct this list, I used the noggin. If the first few bars catapulted me back into the film’s moments as well … Continue reading