Tom Staggs, senior executive vice president and chief financial officer, The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS), will participate in a question-and-answer session at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2009 Media, Communications and Entertainment Conference on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at 3:15 p.m. PDT / 6:15 p.m. EDT. To listen to a live Webcast of the session, please point your browser to www.disney.com/investors approximately five minutes prior to the start time. A re-play will be provided through Wednesday, September 23, 2009 at 4:00 p.m. PDT.
D23 Expo Update: Camera Policies, Celebrities, ABC, DCL, Fine Art and More
- Additional photography/recording restrictions have been laid down. In addition to no photography of the Treasures of the Archives exhibit, all cameras (and perhaps all electronics/bags) must be checked prior to entering the Arena for the Bob Iger presentation, the 2009 Disney Legends Ceremony on Thursday and the Dick Cook presentation on Friday. Additional panels and screenings also specficially prohibit photography. The D23 Expo schedule has been updated to reflect at least some of these changes.
- The Treasures of the Archive Exhibit will have a delayed opening on Thursday only. The exhibit will open at 12 pm, following the Disney Legends Ceremony
Preview First Six Minutes of Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure Today!
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment would like to invite you to a sneak peek at the upcoming Disney Fairies Blu-ray and DVD release, Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure. You can read all about the upcoming release which debuts October 27 here.
Attendees of the D23 Expo will also have an opportunity to experience the film in its entirety on Sunday, September 13 at 4 pm in the Walt Disney Studios Theater.
Disney Channel Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month Beginning September 15
Disney Channel will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with programming events for preschoolers, kids, tweens and families beginning TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15. Included is a Playhouse Disney mini-marathon and new episode of its Emmy and Imagen Award-nominated series “Handy Manny.”
Wilmer Valderrama of “Handy Manny” and Maria Canals-Barrera of the hit Emmy-nominated series “Wizards of Waverly Place” will host interstitials highlighting Hispanic traditions. The interstitials will also feature kids from around the nation sharing cultural traditions such as La Arana, Los Pollitos, salsa dancing and Quinceañeras.
The programming line-up includes:
Fabulous Fantasmic! Facts About the New Maleficent Dragon at Disneyland; ‘Magical’ Fireworks Extended
A spectacular new dragon joins “Fantasmic!,” stretching as high as 45 feet tall and breathing great plumes of fire on the Rivers of America at Disneyland. Performances of the show have been extended nightly through Sept. 7, and will continue weekends – Friday, Saturday, Sunday – as well as during holiday periods through the end of 2009. Nighttime Disneyland guests can also enjoy the “Magical” fireworks show, which has been extended through Labor Day and weekends thereafter through Sept. 20. Both Tinker Bell and Dumbo the Flying Elephant make special appearances in “Magical.”
Disneyland’s Dragon Debutante Debuts Dtuesday (the d is silent) (Video)
Not the first miss of the summer in theme park news, but the Maleficent Dragon from Disneyland’s Fantasmic is finally ready to make her onstage debut at tonight’s performance as per this article in the LA Times.
Below is video footage of the Dragon in action courtesy of the Disneyland Resort:
Chilling Halloween Changes at Space Mountain, Spooky New Fireworks Plus Favorite Halloween Traditions Create Fun for Everyone at Disneyland Resort
ANAHEIM, Calif. (Sept. 1, 2009) – Spooky new fireworks and ghoulish screams at Space Mountain add to the fun when Halloween Time returns to Disneyland Resort Sept. 25-Nov. 1. Halloween Time offers families a chance to celebrate the season as they interact with some of Disney’s most beloved characters decked out in seasonal costumes at Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure parks. Guests will also enjoy a unique opportunity to experience some spooky fun with Disney’s more sinister characters, the Disney villains. In addition, Mickey’s Trick-or-Treat Party returns for 12 special nights in October.
For older kids and adults, Halloween Time offers a new attraction: Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy in Tomorrowland at Disneyland. The scary new experience will begin as a typical Space Mountain adventure, but will suddenly launch voyagers into an uncharted and haunted section of the universe. Ghosts appear out of the starry darkness and swirling galaxies of Space Mountain, reaching out as if to grab guests as they speed through space. The exhilarating drops and curves of the journey are punctuated by piercing screams, creepy sound effects and haunting music. The Halloween transformation occurs outside the mountain as well, as frightening images, audio and lights illuminate the Space Mountain exterior.
Also new this year is “Halloween Screams – A Villainous Surprise in the Skies.” The new fireworks spectacular will haunt the nighttime sky throughout the Halloween season. To start the show, “Master of Scare-omonies” Jack Skellington appears in a flash of fire above Sleeping Beauty Castle. Thanks to Jack’s ghoulish charm, haunting melodies fill the air and a Halloween pyrotechnics extravaganza explodes into the night. Such classic Disney villains as Maleficent, Ursula the Sea Witch and Oogie Boogie join in the “spirit” of the celebration, and even Zero, Jack’s faithful ghost dog, will make an appearance. Spectators in Disneyland are encouraged to participate in a bone-chilling Halloween Scream-Along during the show.
2009 Disney Legends Award Recipients to Be Honored During D23 Expo in Anaheim
BURBANK, Calif., Sept. 1 — Oscar(TM)-winning actor Robin Williams, the extraordinary actresses of The Golden Girls, the voices of Donald Duck and Goofy, and other incomparable contributors to the Disney legacy will be honored on Sept. 10 at the 2009 Disney Legends Awards during the D23 EXPO at the Anaheim Convention Center.
The Disney Legends Awards are a 22-year tradition of The Walt Disney Company, and the four-day D23 EXPO provides a rare opportunity for the public to watch the awards presentation. The awards ceremony, hosted by ABC personality Tom Bergeron, will take place at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10, in the Anaheim Convention Center Arena. It directly follows a special, one-hour presentation by Walt Disney Company President and CEO Bob Iger that kicks off the first day of the D23 EXPO – which promises to be the ultimate Disney fan event.
“This year’s recipients have had truly indelible influence on the Disney legacy,” Iger said. “Whether on screen or behind the scenes, these 10 men and women have contributed their talents in countless ways, and we are very honored to name them as Disney Legends.”
The 2009 Disney Legends Award honorees (listed alphabetically) are:
The Disney/ABC Television Group (DATG) Scores 19 Daytime Emmy Awards
The Disney/ABC Television Group received 19 Daytime Emmy Awards at the 36th Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy Awards presented this weekend, August 29th and 30th.
ABC’s “The View” received four Daytime Emmy Awards and made history when the honor of Outstanding Talk Show Host was bestowed on Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Sherri Shepherd. It was the first time in the 36 year history of NATAS that multiple talk show hosts were bestowed this honor. The women of “The View” have been nominated for 12 consecutive years in this category; this was their first win.
Other wins for ABC’s “The View” include Outstanding Directing in a Talk Show/Morning Program for Director, Mark Gentile; Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling and “Outstanding Achievement in Makeup.
Wizards of Waverly Place Kicks off Season 3 on October 9; Wiz-tober Returns!
Wiztober returns for the second year with a new Halloween and wizard-themed programming lineup hosted by the stars of the Emmy-nominated hit series “Wizards of Waverly Place” — Selena Gomez, David Henrie, Jake T. Austin and Jennifer Stone. The month is highlighted by the Season Three premiere of “Wizards of Waverly Place” on FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9 (8:00 p.m., ET/PT).
Last year’s Wiztober delivered TV’s No. 1 rank in Total Day among Tweens 9-14.
“Wiz-tober” kicks off with a special encore presentation of “Wizards of Waverly Place The Movie” on THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1 (8:00 p.m., ET/PT), leading into an entire month of magic-filled movies, including the popular Disney Channel Original Movies “Halloweentown” and “Twitches” (and their sequels), and two installments from the popular “Harry Potter” feature film series, among others. The month also delivers the premiere of a brand new Halloween-themed episode of Disney Channel’s “JONAS” and spooky episodes of “The Suite Life On Deck” and “Wizards of Waverly Place.”
Beginning Wednesday, September 16, kids can log on to DisneyChannel.com and get printable instructions for “Call in Your Haunt,” where fans can record their own spooky haunted house sound effects. Select entries can be heard online in the Wizards of Waverly Place Haunted House, and will air on Disney Channel during the programming event.
Following the premiere episode of the new season of “Wizards of Waverly Place,” new episodes will air Friday nights throughout October. In the new season, Alex’s best friend, Harper, moves in with the Russos.
Meanwhile, Alex pursues her dream of becoming an artist and designs her own art studio inside a miniature dollhouse. Justin, in his last year of high school, plans to savor every senior year moment and to try his hand at monster hunting, and Max hones his wizard skills and becomes a serious contender in the Russo kids’ quest to become the sole heir of the family’s wizard powers.
The schedule is as follows:
