Burbank, CA (October 14, 2009) – Christmas chaos ensues for the Bannister family when they adopt a misguided guard dog, Zeus, to try and keep their home safe from neighborhood prowlers in the new ABC Family holiday movie, “The Dog Who Saved Christmas,” premiering on Sunday, November 29th (8:00-10:00Pm ET/PT). The two-hour film, premiering as part of the network’s annual “Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas” programming event, stars Dean Cain, Gary Valentine, Elisa Donovan, Joey Diaz, Mindy Sterling, Adrienne Barbeau and Mario Lopez as the voice of Zeus.
‘Lanny and Wayne, the Christmas Elves in Prep & Landing’ Premieres December 1 on ABC
“Lanny and Wayne the Christmas Elves in Prep & Landing,” ABC’s first television special produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, will air TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1 (8:30-9:00 p.m. ET) on the ABC Television Network.
The half-hour holiday special reveals the never-before-told tale of an elite unit of Elves known as Prep & Landing. Every Christmas Eve this high-tech organization ensures that homes around the world are properly prepared for the yearly visit from The Big Guy, their code name for Santa Claus.
Eight Teaser Posters for Toy Story 3 Generate a Lot of Buzz… and Woody… and Rex… and…
If a picture says a thousand words, here’s eight thousand, all touting the return of the Toy Story franchise to the big screen in Toy Story 3, slated to be released on June 18, 2010.
With love from Walt Disney Studios and Disney/Pixar, here’s the entire collection of recently released Toy Story 3 teaser posters, each (save for one) featuring a different character (Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, Hamm, Mr. Potato Head, Slinky and Rex). I must confess that Disney sent them to us as 6 MegaPixels each and the detail is amazing. We had to shrink them down a bit to get them to fit into the blog, but you can still catch some of the amazing detail and textures, particularly on Woody, where you can see where the vinyl of his hat has been subject to a lot of wear and tear and love.
Children’s Miracle Network Classic Creates Innovative Wine & Dine Walk Along Walt Disney World Fairways
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (Oct. 13, 2009) – This year’s Children’s Miracle Network Classic at Walt Disney World Resort is sure to leave fans with a good taste in their mouths.
Literally.
The 2009 Classic, taking place Nov. 12-15, will feature a culinary twist distinctive among PGA TOUR events. In addition to watching exciting golf action, spectators can sip, sample and savor elaborate dishes, unique wines and select beers along the fairways of Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course.
The Wine & Dine Walk runs Friday through Sunday of tournament week, with food, beer and wine stations positioned on key holes along the back nine of the Magnolia course offering fans the best flavors of New England, Africa and India. Cuisine from some of Disney’s newest and most popular restaurants will be featured, including The Wave (Disney’s ContemporaryResort), Sanaa (Kidani Village at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge) and The Turf Club Bar & Grill (Disney’s Saratoga SpringsResort & Spa). The wine, beer and cuisine offerings will range from $3.25 to $7.50. For more information, visit www.childrensmiraclenetworkclassic.com.
“The Wine & Dine Walk will offer fans an enhanced golf experience that makes enjoying the tournament as easy as a ‘walk in the park,’” tournament director Kevin Weickel said. “We are bringing together the culinary expertise of our various Disney resorts to create a potpourri of cultural experiences intertwined with the drama of the final PGA TOUR Fall Series event.”
ESPN, Paramount, NASCAR Join Forces in the Ultimate Street Battle of Good Vs. Evil with the Transformers
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. and BRISTOL, Conn., Oct. 13 — NASCAR fans will have the chance to choose their side in the battle to control the planet when Paramount Home Entertainment and ESPN launch a unique promotional campaign in support of the October 20 debut of TRANSFORMERS: Revenge of the Fallen on DVD and Blu-ray. Paramount Home Entertainment will sponsor not one, but two of the vehicles taking part in the October 17 “NASCAR Banking 500 only from Bank of America Race” at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina, a first for any film property.
The cars will be driven by rising star and 2008 Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman and 4-time Sprint Cup Series Jeff Gordon. Newman’s car, uniform and pit crew all will be branded with images of OPTIMUS PRIME, the heroic leader of the peace-loving AUTOBOTS. Gordon’s car, uniform and crew will sport graphics of MEGATRON, the malevolent leader of the DECEPTICONS. Michael Bay, the director of the TRANSFORMERS megahits, will be the official pace car driver for the 50th running of the NASCAR Banking 500 only from Bank of America at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Saturday night, Oct. 17. The race will air on ABC at 7 p.m. ET.
Walt Disney Records Proudly Presents ‘The Sherman Brothers Songbook Music Retrospective’ – Now Available
BURBANK, Calif. — On October 13, 2009 Walt Disney Records releases a two-disc retrospective collection of music by award-winning songwriting team, Robert Sherman and Richard Sherman. Hired by Walt Disney himself as his first and only staff songwriters, the Sherman Brothers music has been an important part of motion pictures, theme park attractions, television productions, records, compact discs, and Broadway shows – entertaining millions of people all over the world.
The two-disc set includes 59 songs highlighting the Sherman Brothers’ incredibly prolific Disney years – from Annette’s 1959 hit “Tall Paul” to their work from The Tigger Movie in 2000. Newly restored with the latest digital technology, this collection features not only their landmark hits from Mary Poppins, Winnie the Pooh, The Jungle Book, and “it’s a small world,” but a number of their other classics – many available for the first time on CD.
Tough Jobs: Taking the Store out of ‘The Disney Store’
With an economy in the red, The Disney Store appears to have carte blanche with a blue sky concept in which new and existing Disney Stores will feel less like a store and more like a miniature Walt Disney World. The New York Times recently explored some of the potential of the new retail-less shops as provoked by Apple co-founder and Disney board member Steve Jobs.
At a proposed cost of nearly $1M per store for the makeover, innovations include embedded chips in products that invoke interaction with the store’s environment. A concept that’s not too entirely off given the pending reality of RFID chips being introduced en mass to the retail market for inventory control and quick checkouts.
THQ Goes Full Throttle with the Launch of Disney/Pixar’s Cars Race-O-Rama
AGOURA HILLS, Calif. — THQ Inc. (NASDAQ:THQI) today announced that Disney•Pixar’s Cars Race-O-Rama, the company’s third installment in the highly successful Cars video game franchise, has shipped to retail outlets throughout North America across six game systems, including the Wii™ video game system, Nintendo DS™, the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, PlayStation® 2 computer entertainment system and PSP® (PlayStation® Portable) system. Cars Race-O-Rama is now available for the suggested retail prices of $39.99 (Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation3 system), $29.99 (PSP and DS) and $19.99 (PlayStation 2). The game is rated E for Everyone.
Mickey Mouse Unveils Latest Train to Join Disney History, Mickey’s Magic Choo Choo, in Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Mickey Mouse paid a visit to Kansas City this weekend, Walt Disney’s hometown, as he celebrated the unveiling of a traveling art exhibit that pays homage to Walt’s lifelong love of trains. He also unveiled the latest Mickey Mouse-inspired toy train set, Mickey’s Magic Choo Choo, releasing in time for the holidays. Local preschoolers along with Kansas City officials and hundreds of fans saw Mickey off as he kicked off his virtual train tour departing Union Station for Los Angeles, where he will arrive just in time for a viewing party showcasing the upcoming Disney Channel primetime special, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Choo Choo Express airing Sunday, October 25th (7:00-7:45 p.m. ET/PT).
Families and their kids can track Mickey’s travels online at www.YouTube.com/DisneyLiving, where they can now view the debut of “Mickey’s Evolution,” a video retrospective that reminds us why Mickey Mouse is a bona fide global icon. Fans can also follow Mickey’s virtual train tour on www.Twitter.com/DisneyLiving, and on Facebook, search word: Disney Living, as he makes his way to the Travel Town Railroad Museum in Los Angeles.
The Art Exhibit
The exhibit captures the history of Walt’s and Mickey’s love of trains with a nod to life on the railroad in the early 20th century. Introducing visitors to rare animation art, historic photography and some of Walt’s personal train-related artifacts, the gallery tells the story of a simpler time when Mickey and friends traveled by rail and Walt himself was building one-of-a-kind miniature railroads in his backyard for friends and family. Including photographs of Walt riding the “Lilly Belle” or Mickey rushing to catch a train in an early animation sketch from Mr. Mouse Takes A Trip, this unique art collection comprised of nearly two dozen pieces, will be on display at Union Station from October 10-11, 2009; select images will then move to the Travel Town Railroad Museum in Los Angeles, Calif.
Toy Story 3 Director Lee Unkrich Announces TS and TS2 3D Extension, TS3 Casting News
In a video message released today, Pixar director Lee Unkrich has announced that the limited double-feature release of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 has been extended beyond October 2, although no specific date was given.
Lee also mentioned that a new, unnamed character in Toy Story 3 will be voiced by Kristen Schaal, who is known primarily for her roles on HBO’s Flight of the Conchords as well as a contributor to The Daily Show. Unkrich also announced that comedian and character actor Blake Clark will be stepping in for the role of Slinky.
