Rediscovering (Walt) Disney

From FILM+TV on 5/11/10 And here I was thinking the filmmakers were just writing an homage to the 1964 New York World's Fair. But Disney does sneak into the Marvel Cineverse with a familiar, catchy tune. "Make Way for Tomorrow Today", penned by Disney alum Richard Sherman, is the theme song for the 1974 Stark Expo. "It's very much a Disney-style up-tempo number," says Richard, who confirms the piece gives a wink and a nod to his 1964 composition for the Carousel of Progress. "It's the feel of 'There's A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.' It has the same exciting Disney quality." You can read the entire interview at the D23 site.

From FILM+TV on 8/31/10 Shortly after the release of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" the TV networks rolled out their own Saturday Matinee Serials. On CBS we had "Bring 'Em Back Alive" starring Bruce Boxleitner and Cindy Morgan (That's right, those two good looking programs from TRON). And yes, I watched it, it was good, and who doesn't like Bruce Boxleitner right? But it wasn't as good or as fun as ABC's "Tales of the Gold Monkey". This show had it all for me: Airplanes, dames and one-eyed dogs. I have not seen this show in years and will probably be horrified by how silly it really is (Have you watched "Airwolf" reruns? Hoo-boy!), but coming on the heals of "Raiders" I was thrilled with the pre-WWII setting, the exotic island local, the shady villains, the femme fatales and that awesome Grumman "Goose", I'm a sucker for vintage planes. Stephen Collins starred as the square-jawed, everyman hero Jake Cutter. ...

From FILM+TV on 9/3/10 At least that’s how it would be touted in the funny books if The Rocketeer made an appearance in Captain America. When it was announced that Joe Johnston was going to be directing “ Captain America: The First Avenger ” it rekindled my love affair with his other comic book hero adaptation (for Disney btw, who now owns Marvel): “The Rocketeer”. But it also left me a little worried, as it has many of you, ‘cause Cliff and Peevy didn’t fare so well at the box office and most of the blame of course falls on the director. Of course I loved “The Rocketeer” and having just re-watched it I got to thinking; ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if The Rocketeer made an appearance in Captain America?’ Seriously, think about it. Even though IDW now owns the comic rights to “ The Rocketeer ” I bet Disney still owns the film rights (I’m just guessing) and they now own Marvel Comics and Captain America. Marvel Studios hires former Disney Productions director Joe Johnston (Honey, I Shrunk the Ki...

In 1991 Walt Disney Pictures released what they had hoped would be a summer blockbuster live-action film - “The Rocketeer.” And in the tradition of “Swiss Family Robinson”, “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” and “Treasure Island,” “The Rocketeer” was a family-friendly, effects-filled, period adventure story. Unfortunately for the studio and the fans alike, “The Rocketeer” didn’t live up to its potential as a moneymaker or a franchise launcher. There are legions of us that are fans of this film and hold it in much higher regard than the studio that produced it. But unlike “Tron” the adventures of Cliff Secord have yet to be revisited with a sequel, Blu-ray release, or even a Special Edition DVD. And speaking of which, hey Disney, we are closing in on the 20th anniversary of “The Rocketeer,” this may have been a good time to roll out that DVD upgrade, don’t you think? (You can read my previous post on a DVD Special Edition HERE .) Except for 1999’s less than glorious DVD release our intrepid...

Okay, so I was just getting ready to rip Disney for not acknowledging the 20th Anniversary of "The Rocketeer" when I read this online... ‘The Rocketeer’ returns to El Capitan with cast and crew' Hero Complex just posted an article outlining D23's plans to screen the film at the El Capitan theater followed by a Q&A with the cast and crew. The 20th anniversary of Disney’s serial-spirited adventure ”The Rocketeer” will be celebrated June 21 with a special screening and an exhibit of props and costumes, as well as a cast and creator reunion panel that will be moderated by filmmaker Kevin Smith. The entire program is being staged by D23, the paid-membership club that offers deeper, prestige access and archival-minded events to Disney fans. You can read the entire article HERE . Of course I still think they are missing a great opportunity to release a Special Edition DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack of this long dormant movie. Perhaps, as I have speculated in the past, they ...

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From Brandon Peat Design, LLC

Another good day on eBay and we have some more amateur shots of the 20k ride, I've also included three Disney press photos of the ride under construction, so enjoy! The first two photos were shot in 1974. This photo was taken in 1985 from the Skyway ride. Here's an overhead shot of the ride, you can see the layout of the track for the subs to follow and the building that housed the dark portion of the ride. Its interesting to note that this building shares a very similar footprint to the one that was contructed for the Ariel/Little Mermaid ride in the Fantasyland expansion. Check it out HERE . Here an Imagineer is applying gold leaf to one of the underwater sculpture pieces. Interior work on one of the Nautilus submarines.

Click HERE to Enlarge. Meet the artist Wayne Dorrington .

I only rode this ride a handful of times, on one visit to WDW, in the late '70's. But the skill of Disney's Imagineers, the magic of the Disney film and the Victorian steampunk sci-fi of Jules Verne has left a lasting impression. I am (almost) heart broken that Maddy will never get to experience the mysteries of the deep or the thrill of a giant squid attack for herself, good thing we have the movie for her to watch! Anyway, I made a couple of purchases on eBay this week and picked up some great vintage photos of Walt Disney World. Among them are a Disney publicity shot of the 20k lagoon and one of the Nautilus subs... I love the crew members in costume walking her deck, as if preparing to set sail from Vulcania! These next pix are by the gentleman I purchased the photos from - Bill Cotter. check out his website for more great vintage photos on sale: World's Fair Photos And here are some aerial views, shot during helicopter tours of the Magic Kingdom (I've highlight...

Today I stumbled across a VERY cool online gallery. Planet-Pulp.com has an impressive line-up of artists submitting artwork based on a Planet's theme. Here is a sample from this month's 25 years of Pixar gallery... The Legends by Adam Lambert Here's a word (or two) from Planet-Pulp: PLANET-PULP is only 5 month old and we’re trying to get the word out about what a great site we are. We’re just wrapping up our PIXAR 25th Anniversary Celebration Show and encourage you to visit the art and consider writing a little about us to help spread the word. We celebrate a new theme every month so were sure to be a anticipated destination in any Pop-Culture fans browser bookmarks. Be sure to follow us in April as we celebrate Saturday Morning TV and then Star Wars following in May.

Here is an eight-minute documentary short from Walt Disney Studios. The subject is the creation of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and played theatrically before feature films. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" was Walt Disney's first full-length, animated feature film and in 1989 was added to the United States National Film Registry.

1942. Boxoffice Magazine Der Fuehrer's Face is a 1943 animated cartoon by the Walt Disney Studios, starring Donald Duck. It was directed by Jack Kinney and released on January 1, 1943 as an anti-Nazi propaganda movie for the American war effort. The film won the 1943 Academy Award for Animated Short Film, and was the only Donald Duck cartoon to win an Oscar. In 1994, it was voted #22 of "the 50 Greatest Cartoons" of all time by members of the animation field. ~ Wikipedia Der Fuehrer's Face is available on DVD: Walt Disney Treasures: On The Front Lines

1941. Boxoffice Magazine 1941. Boxoffice Magazine 1941. Boxoffice Magazine Dumbo is a 1941 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released on October 23, 1941, by RKO Radio Pictures. The fourth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, Dumbo is based upon the storyline written by Helen Aberson and illustrated by Harold Pearl for the prototype of a novelty toy ("Roll-a-Book").[1] The main character is Jumbo Jr., a semi-anthropomorphic elephant who is cruelly nicknamed "Dumbo". He is ridiculed for his big ears, but in fact he is capable of flying by using his ears as wings. Throughout most of the film, his only true friend, aside from his mother, is the mouse, Timothy — a relationship parodying the stereotypical animosity between mice and elephants. Dumbo was made to recoup the financial losses of Fantasia. It was a deliberate pursuit of simplicity and economy for the Disney studio, and at 64 minutes, it is one of Disney's shortest animated fe...

1941. Boxoffice Magazine 1941. Boxoffice Magazine The Reluctant Dragon is a 1941 American combined live action and animated film produced by Walt Disney, directed by Alfred Werker, and released by RKO Radio Pictures on June 20, 1941. Essentially a tour of the then-new Walt Disney Studios facility in Burbank, California, the film stars radio comedian Robert Benchley and many Disney staffers such as Ward Kimball, Fred Moore, Norman Ferguson, Clarence Nash, and Walt Disney, all as themselves. ~ Wikipedia Disney Animation Collection Volume 6: The Reluctant Dragon on DVD