After Three Years, Cowen Reverses Disney View

LOS ANGELES (AFX) – What a difference, um, three years makes? OK, so maybe it took a while, but broker-age SG Cowen finally found a reason to get excited about Walt Disney Co. again. Cowen analyst Lowell Singer on Thursday upped his rating on the entertainment giant to buy after staying neutral on the Burbank, Calif.-based company for more than three years. "Our bullish view is driven by an expected significant year-over-year improvement in studio entertainment operating income in [fiscal 2006] and a still nascent recovery at ABC," Singer wrote in a note to clients. "We expect at least 15% out-performance versus the market over the next 12 months." The ratings upgrade, though it had little effect on slightly down Disney shares Thursday, con-tinues the string of good news the company has had since changing chief executives at the beginning of the month. The company appears to be patching up strained relations with animation partner Pixar and is embark-ing on new strategies to spread its content across a number of platforms. Disney also recently took complete control of Miramax, and plan far fewer releases under the label now that its principals, Harvey and Bob Weinstein, have left and started their own studio. Singer also said ratings at the ABC Television Network will continue to improve as the network still is in the early stages of its recovery. Further, concerns about pro-gramming costs at ESPN and operating margins at its parks already are priced into the company's stock. Singer estimates that the company's fiscal 2006 earnings per share will be $1.53. Analysts polled by Thomson First Call expect earnings will reach $1.48 for the year, which will end Sept. 30.

Hall of Presidents Sign

Hall of Presidents Sign, originally uploaded by yojayy.

You can never have enough pictures of the awesome Disney signage.

Pirates Warning

Pirates Warning, originally uploaded by yojayy.

Pirates of the Caribbean
Sail With the Tide

A Thrilling Adventure through dark and mysterious caverns where "Dead Mean Tell No Tales"

SEE Fun loving Pirates sack and burn a Caribbean seaport

Caribbean Plaza
Walt Disney World

Cinderella Castle 1

Cinderella Castle 1, originally uploaded by yojayy.

Raglan Road Rocks

Last Friday we went to Raglan Road, the new Irish Pub at Downtown Disney's Pleasure Island. I took these snaps of its clean, appealing design. The food was great and the service was top notch. This place should be a huge draw and a welcome addition to the P.I. landscape.

ABC's Latest Hit : 'Freddie'

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) – ABC's "Freddie," the last new series in the door for the fall TV season, debuted in style against competition that included major league baseball playoff games. The Freddie Prinze Jr. comedy, airing at 8:30 p.m. EDT last Wednesday, was the most-watched show among all view-ers in its time period (9.4 million) and among the advertiser-favored adults aged 18 to 49 (5.4 million). It was helped by lead-in "George Lopez," which has been resurgent in its new 8 p.m. EDT Wednesday home, winning in viewers and adults. But "Freddie" did even better than fourth-season "George Lopez," which drew 8.8 million in total viewers and 4.5 million in young adults, according to Nielsen Media Re-search figures released yesterday. For Fox, the baseball postseason has averaged 10.3 million prime-time viewers through last week, down 6 percent compared to 2004. As it has for all of the young TV sea-son, CBS retained its position as the most-watched network for the week ending Sunday and also was No. 1 among 18-to-49 adults, snapping ABC's three-week winning streak with those viewers. CBS aver-aged 13.4 million viewers for the week (8.7 rating, 14 share), ABC had 10.7 million (6.9, 11), Fox 10.5 million (6.9, 11), NBC 9.6 million (6.4, 10), WB 3.8 million (2.5, 4), UPN 3.7 million (2.4, 4) and Pax TV 550,000 (0.4, 1).

'The Sky is Falling ... The Sky is Falling ... The Sky is Falling'

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (PRNewswire) – Join Zach Braff (voice ofChicken Little) and Starz Kids & Family to celebrate the theatrical release ofWalt Disney Pictures' new computer animated film Chicken Little on No-vember 4.The 24-hour "Starz Kids & Family Animation Celebration" begins on the same dayat 6:00 a.m. (ET/PT) and features Braff introducing exclusive content from"Chicken Little," plus animated hits including "The Incredibles" and "Home onthe Range." The "Starz Kids & Family Animation Celebration" includes the following programs (all times are ET/PT):

 "Chicken Little" exclusives – Braff introduces an exclusive clip and trailers from "Chicken Little" throughout the marathon, and is featured with Joan Cusack (voice of Abby Mallard a.k.a. "The Ugly Duckling") in "On the Set: Chicken Little," a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the animated film.
 "Disney's Teacher's Pet" (Nov 4 at 6:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m. and Nov 5 at 1:45 a.m.) – This is the story of Spot (voice by Nathan Lane), a dog who is so curious about the world that he sneaks to school with his master, Leonard (voice of Shaun Fleming), where he poses as a human.
 "On the Set: 'The Incredibles'" (Nov 4 at 7:40 a.m. and 1:40 p.m) – A behind-the-scenes look at the making of the animated film "The Incredibles."
 "The Incredibles" (Nov 4 at 8:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.) – In the Oscar-winning feature, a dysfunctional family headed by two former superhero crimefighters (voices of Craig T. Nelson and Holly Hunter) finds itself called back into action after struggling to live an undercover suburban life.
 "Home on the Range" (Nov 4 at 10:00 a.m., 4:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.) – In the Old West, a band of ranch animals, led by newly arrived Maggie the cow (voice of Roseanne), discovers their owner (voice of Judi Dench) can't make the mortgage, so they do everything they can to save their home.
 "Brother Bear" (Nov 4 at 6:00 p.m. and November 5 at 12:15 a.m. and 4:30 a.m.) – A young Native American hunter (voice of Joaquin Phoenix) seeks vengeance against a bear who killed his brother (voice of Jeremy Suarez), but seeks life from the other side when he is magically changed into a bear himself.
 "The Triplets of Belleville" (Nov 4 at 10:50 p.m. and November 5 at 3:05 a.m.) – When her grand-son is kidnapped during the Tour de France, Madame Souza and her beloved dog Bruno team up with the Belleville sisters, three elderly singers, to rescue him.

Film Opens Another Door for 'Narnia' Sales

(USA Today) – The movie version of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe won't be out until Dec. 9, but dozens of books already are spilling out of the cupboard. "Sales since the Wardrobe movie trailer was released in May are three to four times more than last year at this time," says Beth Bingham of Borders bookstores. She expects the movie's release date to drive holiday sales even more. Borders and other stores nationwide are prominently displaying the books. Amazon.com and Ba-rnesandnoble.com have set up special Narnia stores on their sites. Wardrobe, written by theologian C.S. Lewis and first published in 1950, is part of the seven-book Chroniclesof Narnia series and tells the story of four children who help the lion Aslan release the frozen, other-worldly land of Narnia from the White Witch's spell. HarperCollins Children's Books has 25 movie tie-in products, including books, audiobooks and coloring and activity books. HarperCollins publishes 170 titles by or about Lewis; 140 are on or about Narnia. Other publishers are hoping to take advantage of Lewis' growing popularity by releasing biogra-phies, guides and analytical works. "Certain movies, like Lord of the Rings, do send people back to the books," says Charlotte Abbott of Publishers Weekly "For a lot of people, this is a touchstone for a genera-tion. I imagine many people in their 30s will buy the books, especially box sets, as gifts for their children."

Religion sells!

That’s a Lot of Spam

NEW YORK (NY Times) – The producers of "Monty Python's Spamalot" announced yesterday that the Broadway production of the musical had recouped its $12 million investment, six and a half months after opening at the Shubert Theater.



Not so-much a Disney article, but Disney is in the Broadway business.

A Chance to Own a Bit of Real Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo . . .

BURBANK, Calif. (PRNewswire) – Destined to be collector's items, a one-of-a-kind modern interpretation of Cinderella's gown by Monique Lhuillier and a one-of-a-kind modern interpretation of Cinderella's shoes by Jimmy Choo will be auctioned off to the general public on DisneyAuctions.com from October 17 - 27. Each designer created the fashions in honor of Cinderella's October 4 DVD debut. Kelly Monaco, favorite in TV's "Dancing With The Stars" and "General Hospital," wore the fashions down the red carpet at the October 2 New York DVD Premiere for Walt Disney's original "Cinderella," in order to raise awareness for the auction. The Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund, Kelly Monaco's charity of choice, will receive proceeds from the sale of the unique designer creations.

Disney Launches Vintage Bling for Grown Ups

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The marketing of Mickey Mouse and his friends is getting curiouser and curi-ouser. The Walt Disney Co. is taking consumers down the rabbit hole to a land where crystal-studded Mickey Mouse T-shirts cost $1,400, Tinkerbell earrings run $630, and a Cheshire Cat wrap sells for $500 – and consumers are gladly paying. Disney's consumer division, better known for peddling kid-oriented fashions at Wal-Mart, has been cashing in on a hot trend in haute couture for vintage art. The company has sold $200 million in high-end and adult apparel featuring classic images of Mickey Mouse and his cartoon friends since 2003, and says it sees no sign that interest is flagging. This year, Disney positioned itself for the first time as a fashion player, hosting previews of its "Alice In Wonderland"-inspired lines of clothing, home decor and accessories at two star-studded events during Fashion Week in Los Angeles. Andy Mooney, chairman of consumer products, started Disney couture about five years ago after walking through the company's archives with Disney historian Dave Smith and finding a treasure trove of images. He offered licenses for the classic studio art to fashion designers in hopes of adding vogue to the middle-class brand. The key to Disney's success as a luxury brand comes mainly from its association with brands that already have cachet, said Milton Pedraza, chief executive of the Luxury Institute, a research group that focuses on America's wealthy. "I think it's just a pendulum swinging back to the classics, and Disney is a true American and global classic," Pedraza said. "To the extent they license to other luxury brands they can be successful. Disney alone would not be as powerful."

Designer Jackie Brander was among the first to license vintage Mickey drawings for her chic boutique in the trendy Fred Segal store in Santa Monica, California. Dolce & Gabbana followed with a crystal-studded Mickey T-shirt, which retailed for $1,400 and flew off shelves. Disney moved into home decor and acces-sories this year after seeing references to its 1951 animated classic, "Alice In Wonderland," appear in the pages of fashion magazines and on TV – notably in a Gwen Stefani music video in spring 2005. The tar-gets of the new campaign, said Dennis Green, senior vice president of marketing for consumer products, are luxury-loving teen-agers and young adults in New York, Los Angeles, London and Tokyo who "are driving the fashion industry all over the world." Disney has licensed Alice and other Wonderland charac-ters from studio art done by Mary Blair and David Hall for lines of fabric, tableware, carpet tiles, decorative pillows and throws, jewelry and clothing. It has hired Kidada Jones, daughter of music legend Quincy Jones to design a line of jewelry, cashmere throws and pillows, and to dress her celebrity friends in the posh items. The Alice line will appear in high-end stores such as Fred Segal, Drexel Heritage, Zelen, and specialty retailers starting next spring.

Disney-ABC Realigns Communications Division

(TV Week) – The Disney-ABC communications division has been reorganized along functional roles into six areas reporting to Communications Sr VP Kevin Brockman. The changes include the promotions of:

 Nicole Nichols, former VP of media relations for ABC Family, to senior VP of entertainment communi-cations for the Disney-ABC Television Group. She will oversee communications for ABC Entertain-ment, Touchstone Television, ABC Daytime, ABC Family and SoapNet.
 Sharon Williams, former VP of media relations for ABC Television Network, to senior VP for commu-nications resources for the Disney-ABC Television Group, overseeing photography and new commu-nications media, broadcast and ratings publicity, editorial services, talent relations and business management.
 Patti McTeague, former VP of media relations for the Disney-ABC Cable Networks Group, to VP of kids communications for the Disney-ABC Television Group, including Disney Channel Worldwide, Toon Disney, Jetix, Playhouse Disney, ABC Kids and Walt Disney TV Animation.

In addition, Siobhan Kenny, VP of branded television communications for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, will assume the role of acting head of international communications. Continuing in their roles are ABC News Communications VP Jeffrey Schneider and Corporate Communications VP Julie Hoover.

Disney World, Universal Theme Parks Close

ORLANDO (Orlando Sentinel) – Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort theme parks are among the businesses that will close today as Wilma threatened to bring tropical-force winds to the Or-lando area. Other major theme parks, including SeaWorld and Discovery Cove, expected to open but were keeping an eye on the storm. Kim Prunty, spokeswoman for Walt Disney World Resort, said the theme parks will open today if weather conditions improve. "We'll re-evaluate after the storm passes," Prunty said. Disney's resort hotels will stay open, but guests at the Fort Wilderness Resort & Camp-ground were relocated to hotels at the resort, the company said in a statement. Universal's CityWalk will open at 6 p.m., a spokeswoman said. Walt Disney World, along with Universal Orlando and SeaWorld, closed for the three hurricanes that hit the area last year.

Disney Backs Anti-Piracy Technology for Oscar DVDs

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Disney on Monday plans to become the first major Hollywood film distributor to back an anti-piracy DVD technology that stirred controversy last year in advance of the important Oscar race. Disney said it would release DVD "screeners" – copies of movies sent to groups that vote on awards – only for DVD players made exclusively by a Dolby Laboratories unit, Cinea, and engineered to thwart illegal copying. "We feel like this is a really strong first step in addition to all the other things we do to combat piracy," said Dennis Rice, who heads Disney's Oscar publicity campaign, which will include films such as "Shopgirl" and "The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." Holly-wood's awards season is of major importance to the studios because awards help lure moviegoers to theaters, but increasingly screeners have been copied illegally and posted on the Internet or sold in street markets before a film hits theaters. Cinea plans to distribute 12,000 players to members of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which awards the Oscars, and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. The DVD players are encoded with recipients' names, and screeners sent to those peo-ple are specifically encrypted so they can be seen only on those particular DVD players. Rice said he hoped other studios would follow Disney's lead, but representatives for Sony Corp.'s Sony Pictures Enter-tainment and General Electric Co.-controlled Universal Pictures said those two studios would not. Others were still considering their options.

"Chicken Little" Critical for Disney Reputation

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Next month Walt Disney hopes to prove the sky is no longer falling. The adorably round-headed star of its computer-animated movie, "Chicken Little," will make the case that the storied studio has moved into the next generation of animation and can produce the type of hit films that once were its signature – and an important profit center. In the works for five years, "Chicken Little" is the first computer-generated feature film created by Disney animators and follows a string of traditionally animated films that failed to perform as well as many computer-made competitors. Disney's new effort follows Chicken Little's travails in middle school a year after his disastrously incorrect observation that the sky was falling. It debuts November 4 in the midst of Disney's talks with Pixar Animation Studios Inc over whether Disney will continue to distribute and share profits from Pixar's computer-generated, or CG, films and could prove an important factor if a deal is struck, analysts said. Disney's studio has had a number of golden ages with hand-drawn animated features centering around hits such as the 1937 film, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," and in 1994 "The Lion King." Partner Pixar has had animated hits since 1995. Ryan Ball, a senior writer for the online Animation magazine said the studio, known for its "Disney Look" and classic story lines, may have to sacrifice both to tap into a more sophisticated audience that now includes young adults.

Analysts said the film must open big and perform well overseas for Disney to be considered a player in the new world of animation, where DreamWorks Animation SKG's "Antz" was not considered a success despite $170 million in worldwide ticket sales. "My gut instinct is they need to do something in the $350 million range to be seen as 'Disney's on its way back in animation,"' Rich Greenfield, an analyst at Fulcrum Global Partners, said. "If it does $200 million or $250 million worldwide, it will not be seen as the way to replace Pixar." Although about 150 animators had to be trained in CG to make "Chicken Little," the studio says it has closed the gap and is on track to release one CG animated film for each of the next three years: "Meet the Robinsons" in 2006, "American Dog" in 2007 and "Rapunzel Unbraided" in 2008. Time magazine writer Richard Corliss, one of the first critics to review the film, praised it as "a genuine Disney cartoon" and "one of the funniest, most charming and most exhilarating movie in years." "Chicken Little" director Mark Dindal, who watched the transition from hand-drawn to CG animation at Disney during the making of his film, said studio founder Walt Disney, who championed new technology, would have been proud. "It was like horses at the starting gate waiting to get their chance," Dindal said of the animators. "We just caught a wave of all this pent up excitement of people saying, 'We'll show you what we can do."'

Disneyland Thanks Australia for Support

(AAP) – He claims to have the best job in the corporate world and the president of America's Disneyland Re-sort said it's Australians who have helped make his theme park a global success. Matt Ouimet is in Australia to meet with various local travel companies to discuss deals for Australians wanting to visit Disneyland during its current 50th birthday celebrations. It is his first visit here and he is quick to boast how no other job in the world stacks up to his. "I have one of the best jobs in the world, there is no doubt about it," he told AAP. "From my office I can see Space Mountain, I can see the Matterhorn and I can see Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, what kid in American wouldn't want that," he said. Mr Ouimet said it was important for him to visit Australia as it had long been a lucrative market for his theme park. "North American markets are our biggest markets, but other than that, Australia is right on top." But despite the popularity of the brand in markets like Australia and New Zealand, Mr Ouimet cannot see a time where there would be a Disney-theme park on every continent. "No I wouldn't think it would be an immediate thing," he said. "(But we do) have a group that continues to study where we belong internationally and what the products should look like internationally."

Eisner to Helm 'Lagoon' Redo for Universal

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – “Creature From the Black Lagoon" will surface again, this time with Breck Eisner at the helm for Universal Pictures. Part of Universal's rich legacy of black-and-white monster movies, the original "Lagoon" followed a scientific expedition searching for fossils in the Amazon that discovers a prehistoric creature able to breathe underwater. The creature, named Gill-Man, terrorizes the group and falls in love with the fiance of a member of the expedition. The studio began developing updates of its creature features after the success of 1999's "The Mummy." Gary Ross, whose father, Arthur Ross, was a writer on the 1954 original, is producing the remake via his Larger Than Life banner. Ross – writer-director of "Seabiscuit" and "Pleasantville" – wrote the current draft of the "Creature" screenplay. Eisner, son of longtime Disney CEO Michael Eisner, met Ross at a dinner party. After some conversations, Ross sent Eisner the script to "Lagoon," and he wanted in. "I've always been a fan of the original, but for this I would love to just update and modernize the film," Eisner said in an interview. "We see it as an aggressive sci-fi horror film in the vein of 'Alien' or like John Carpenter's 'The Thing.' We want to elevate the source material." The studio will use a combination of CGI and practical effects for the monster. Design of the creature is under way.

Parents Group Warns Against 4 Fox Shows

NEW YORK (AP) – Four Fox network programs, led by the comedies "The War at Home," "Family Guy" and "American Dad," topped a parents group's annual listing of the worst prime-time shows for family viewing. The Parents Television Council rated two aspirational reality shows, ABC's "Extreme Make-over: Home Edition" and NBC's new "Three Wishes," as the best programs for family viewing. The group's president, L. Brent Bozell, said he was alarmed that the three Fox Sunday night comedies are being marketed as family friendly. "Families should not be deceived," he said. "The top three worst shows all contain crude and raunchy dialogue with sex-themed jokes and foul language. Even worse is the fact that Hollywood is peddling its filth to families with cartoons." The Fox drama "The O.C." was fourth on the PTC's list of worst prime-time shows for families. Television's two most popular programs – CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and ABC's "Desperate Housewives – are also cited as bad family viewing. So were "Two and a Half Men" and "Cold Case" on CBS. The group said it makes its determinations based on the amount of bad language and sexual and violent content, giving more weight to shows that appear earlier in the evening when children are likely to be awake, said Melissa Caldwell, its research director. Fox's "American Idol," which returns in January, made the group's list of best family viewing ex-periences. Two new shows, CBS' "The Ghost Whisperer" and UPN's "Everybody Hates Chris," also made it. Bozell said the group couldn't even come up with 10 prime-time shows it would recommend for family viewing. Its list stops at nine.


The "Parents Television Council"? Interesting. I'm a parent and, well, Family Guy rocks. How self-righteous does a 'group' need to be to label their narrow-minded views with a sweeping generalization? I hereby declare myself the 'Parents Television Council 2' and endorse every show in this article!

ABC Losing Interest in Alias?

(TV Squad) – Seems that ABC sends out a press release every week, talking about which shows are do-ing well, which shows have buzz, which shows they want to plug, etc. And this past week they talked about Supernanny, they talked about Commander-in-Chief, and they talked about Freddie (!), but they didn't mention Alias at all. Alias was ranked 70th last week, and in its time slot was beaten by Joey. Yikes.


Go Ben Affleck!

Former Employee Threatens Suicide Atop Space Mountain

HONG KONG (AP) – A former Disney worker climbed to the roof of the Hong Kong park's most popular attraction and threatened to kill himself to protest his dismissal, a Disney spokeswoman and newspaper reports said Wednesday. The 48-year-old man, a former security guard at the theme park, climbed to the top of the building housing the Space Mountain roller coaster on Tuesday and remained there for two hours, Hong Kong Disneyland spokeswoman Esther Wong said. Photographs published in the Apple Daily newspaper showed the man sporting a white T-shirt with the words "reveal the truth" and "SOS" written in red paint. The man was unhappy that he was fired three months ago for allegedly violating park rules, including using obscene language during working hours, the paper said. He climbed down unhurt after a two-hour negotiation with police and fire fighters, Wong confirmed.

Happy Hallo-Wishes

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (Reuters) – Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World gets into the seasonal spirit with a brand-new fireworks display called 'Happy HalloWishes,' a Halloween-themed show featuring music from Disney attractions like The Haunted Mansion and films like 'The Nightmare Before Christmas,' in this photo taken on October 6, 2005. The new fireworks show is presented dur-ing a separate admission special event in the theme park called 'Mickey's Not-So-Scary Hallow-een Party,' which is held select nights through Oc-tober 31, 2005.

'Lost' in Sales

(NY Post) – Forget Oprah Winfrey – ABC's "Lost" could be the new minter of best-selling books. On last week's episode, Flann O'Brien's book, "The Third Policeman," was flashed on-screen for an instant. Well, that instant, seen by 21 million viewers, translated into immediate sales on amazon.com – with the book climbing 420 percent on Amazon from the time "Lost" ended Wednesday to Thursday morning.

Disney's Magical Express Positively Impacts

New service creates 600 jobs and reduces airport wait times, traffic congestion

(LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2005) - After only five months of operation, Disney's Magical Express has set new travel industry service standards, created more than 600 new jobs in Central Florida, reduced crowding and wait times throughout Orlando International Airport (OIA) and cut down on area roadway congestion by efficiently transporting up to 21,000 passengers per day.

Disney's Magical Express reduces overall congestion for everyone at the airport by moving 15 to 20 percent of OIA's arriving passengers. Less than 10 percent of all ground transportation curb space is needed, leaving the remaining 90 percent for other transportation services.

Prior to the introduction of Disney's Magical Express, all passengers waited an average of 25 to 30 minutes for luggage at the baggage claim area before seeking ground transportation. Today, Disney's Magical Express guests bypass baggage claim, thereby reducing the wait time for other passengers.

"Disney's Magical Express is a 100 percent privately-funded, industry-leading and innovative program that has injected tens of millions of dollars into the local economy while significantly increasing the capacity of our airport and improving the airport experience for all passengers," said Jerry Montgomery, Walt Disney World senior vice president of public affairs.

The benefits of Disney's Magical Express include:

Ø More than 600 new jobs in Central Florida
Ø Reduced roadway congestion, specifically along the I-4 tourism corridor
Ø Efficient transport of 15-20 percent of all OIA arriving passengers, while utilizing less than 10 percent of OIA's ground transportation curb space
Ø Enhanced airline efficiency - check-in and luggage handling
Ø Improved TSA security screening process (off-terminal)
Ø Increased food and beverage, retail and transportation concession income to OIA

Additionally, Disney's Magical Express already has received numerous accolades:

Ø Congressman John Mica (FL-7), chairman of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Aviation, recently applauded Disney's Magical Express, which enables departing guests on certain airlines to check their luggage and receive a boarding pass before ever leaving their Disney hotel. "Not only does resort airline check-in provide a convenience for travelers, it also helps to expedite and improve security checks by reducing congestion during the busiest times. A new industry model has been established," Mica said.

Ø Airline partners of Disney's Magical Express also have expressed their support for the service. "Delta's Disney customers can now enjoy more convenient flight and baggage check-in right from their resort. As the largest air carrier of passengers into Orlando International Airport, making this service available to customers is right in line with Delta's focus on making travel simple, convenient and reliable," Josh Weiss, Delta Air Line's director of customer-service operations and strategy, said.

Ø Arthur Frommer's widely read Budget Travel magazine recently honored Disney's Magical Express with its 2005 "Extra Mile Award," which recognizes "forward-looking companies that have demonstrated real innovation" and made "travel easier, more affordable or simply more enjoyable."

Raglan Road is now confirmed to officially open on October 21st 2005.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Irish hospitality and a bit of blarney come to Downtown Disney at Walt Disney World Resort when Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant officially opens Oct. 21. Raglan Road delivers an experience immersed in genuine Irish atmosphere -- from food and drink to live music and entertainment.

Traditional and contemporary Irish music, storytelling and dance help create a spirited social ambience and the friendly pub staff brings Emerald Isle charm to Downtown Disney. Irish musicians entertain nightly and guests are encouraged to sing, clap and dance along to the lively performances.

The Raglan Road menu blends traditional Irish fare and fresh ingredients, all with a modern flair. Natural tastes, flavor and quality prevail in dishes such as Raglan Rack (rack of lamb on a delicate Irish stew consommé), Sea Leek (oven-baked fillet of sea bass served on a fondue of leeks) and Kevin's Kudos (oven-roasted loin of bacon served with braised cabbage and creamed potato).

With capacity for 600 guests, Raglan Road is warm and welcoming with custom furnishings, lighting and wall coverings -- all designed and built in Ireland by Irish craftspeople. Irish antiques, ornamentation and bric-a-brac complete the authentic décor.

Raglan Road is owned and operated by Great Irish Pubs Florida, Inc., the Irish-owned company that previously created Nine Fine Irishmen at the New York-New York Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

Pleasure Island club admission will not be required for entrance to Raglan Road.

Big City Mouse - Kelly Ripa

Big City Mouse - Kelly Ripa, originally uploaded by Christopher Proudlove.

From the Sotheby's auction.

Love All - Andre Agassi

Love All - Andre Agassi, originally uploaded by Christopher Proudlove.

From the Sotheby's auction

Music Royalty - Sir Elton John

Music Royalty - Sir Elton John, originally uploaded by Christopher Proudlove.

From the Sotheby's auction.

Space Mouse - Tom Hanks

Space Mouse - Tom Hanks, originally uploaded by Christopher Proudlove.

From the Sotheby's auction.

Tuxedo - Lenox

Tuxedo - Lenox, originally uploaded by Christopher Proudlove.

From the Sotheby's auction.

Home Run Hero - Ben Affleck

Home Run Hero - Ben Affleck, originally uploaded by Christopher Proudlove.

From the Sotheby's auction.

Now listen up boy

Now listen up boy, originally uploaded by Brave Heart.

From Flickr Disneyland group

Hey Kid, over here

Hey Kid, over here, originally uploaded by Brave Heart.

HOPPER.

From the Disneyland Flickr group

Great Make-up

Great Make-up, originally uploaded by Brave Heart.

From the Disneyland Flickr group

I can live with movie fame

I can live with movie fame, originally uploaded by Brave Heart.

Nightmare Before Christmas, Tim Burton

What, Yellow Teeth

What, Yellow Teeth, originally uploaded by Brave Heart.

Sad Indian

Sad Indian, originally uploaded by Brave Heart.

From the Disneyland Flickr group

Disney's Auction of Mickey Statues at Sotheby's Raises Money for Charity

NEW YORK (Business Wire) -- Tuesday afternoon at Sotheby's, Disney raised $614,500 when 75 unique Mickey Mouse statues, designed by artists, athletes and celebrities for the celebration of Mickey's 75th anniversary, were sold at auction. A total of 50 charities will benefit from the sale, including Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Children Affected by AIDS Foundation, James Birrell Neuroblastoma Research Fund, Make-A-Wish Foundation of America and the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation. Artists whose statues brought premium prices for the charities they selected included Sir Elton John ($52,000 for "Music Royalty"), Michelle Kwan ($20,000 for "Peace & Love") and Tom Hanks ($15,000 for "Space Mouse"). A number of statues designed by Disney legends were also favorites, including those created by Al Konetzni ($45,000 for "Back to School"), Lori Tyminski of Disney Publishing ($29,000 for "Funny Pages") and Tuck Morgan of Disney Consumer Products ($21,000 for "Mickey Through the Years"). Since Mickey Mouse's 75th Anniversary on November 18, 2003, the 6-feet-tall, 700 pound statues have traveled 700,000 miles across the country as the "Celebrate Mickey: 75 InspEARations" tour. The one-of-a-kind tributes to Mickey visited 14 cities and brought smiles to over 20 million people during the celebration

I spent a lot of time with these statues. I even made a video of them when I stumbled across them in Washington, D.C. this spring. I wonder how much the

Disney Donates African Art

WASHINGTON (LA Times) – In a move to close his leadership of the Walt Disney Co. with a philanthropic flourish, Chief Executive Michael Eisner announced Thursday that the company would donate its African art collection, hailed by experts as one of the most important such collections in private hands in the United States, to the Smithsonian Institution. In making the gift – 525 objects, spanning five centuries and valued at $20 million to $40 million – Disney turned away suitors including the French government and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and solved a quandary that Eisner said had vexed him for 20 years. "A lot of museums contacted me," said Eisner, noting that French President Jacques Chirac "made several calls . . . and became increasingly aggressive." But Eisner said he wanted to place the collection with a museum that charged no admission fee, and "there's only one Smithsonian, only one museum for all Americans." The gift will become part of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art, which plans a debut exhibition in 2007. Eisner's wife, Jane, has served on the Smithsonian National Board since 1998 and is currently vice chair. Under terms of the gift, said Sharon F. Patton, director of the National Museum of African Art, at least 60 items from the collection are to be labeled the Walt Disney-Tishman African Art Collection and be displayed in the institution for at least the next three decades. The list of items includes Nigerian masks made of wood and antelope skin, a carved ivory-and-metal hunting horn from the area now known as Sierra Leone, intricately carved ivory armlets made for Yoruban kings and Shona stone carvings from the area now known as Zimbabwe. Dozens of wooden carvings range from delicate mother-and-child figures to rough-hewn ceremonial swords. The pieces were first collected by New York real-estate developer Paul Tishman and his wife, Ruth, beginning in the 1960s. Paul Tishman, whose company served as contractor in the construction of Epcot, had been courted by New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, which staged a special exhibition of Tishman holdings in the early 1980s. Instead, the Tishmans sold the collection to Disney in 1984 for an undisclosed amount.