Disney's First Black Princess Hits Theaters Christmas 2009

Another Disney princess will soon join the ranks of the eight others (Snow White, Aurora, Ariel, Cinderella, Belle, Jasmine, Pochahontas and Mulan (which I really don't get - how is Mulan a princess?). Returning to hand-drawn animation, the 49th Disney animated feature will be "The Princess and the Frog." Set in New Orleans, "The Princess and the Frog" (first titled "The Frog Princess") is an adapted version of the classic fairy tale, "The Frog Prince." The heroine, Princess Tiana, will be Disney's first Black leading-lady.

The story is about how a prince from a far-away land is transformed into a frog by a voodoo magician. The frog prince asks Tiana to break the spell by kissing him, but the kiss turns Tiana into a frog as well. The two of them try to reach the good voodoo priestess in the Cajun Bayou, befriending other characters along the way.

This film will use cel animation and is a throw back to past animated features (using hand-drawn animation and following a fairy tale). Voices include Anika Noni Rose as Tiana, along with Oprah Winfrey and John Goodman, among others. The score will be composed by Randy Newman, and the film will be directed by "Aladdin" and "Little Mermaid" directors Ron Clements and John Musker.

The film is scheduled to be released December 25, 2009.

Some controversy surrounded the film in its pre-production. The main character was originally going to be named Maddy, but comments flew about underscored racism in the name, so the name was changed to Tiana.

To see a trailer for the film, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBR0XVMPUUs&feature=related

Pinocchio to be Released March 10, 2009

Tis the season for Disney releases. As tradition for the past several years, Disney releases a major title in March and October of every year and several other 'smaller' releases throughout the year. On March 10, 2009, "Pinocchio: 70th Anniversary Edition" will hit shelves. Disney's second animated feature, "Pinocchio" is the story of a wooden puppet on his journey to become "a real boy." Featuring the famous Jiminy Cricket as he sings "When You Wish Upon a Star," this DVD/Blu-Ray release will surely have many special features, probably including a Behind-the-Scenes look at the making of this film, always my favorite part of the bonus material. It's been a long time since I've seen "Pinocchio," but I remember it has some crazy things happening in it - I hate that part where the boys turn into donkeys. And the whale. And the creepy Stromboli fellow. But I do love the Blue Fairy!

Disney Featured Video of the Week

This week:

Everyone's favorite warthog and meerkat sing "Hakuna Matata" from "The Lion King." It's our problem-free philosophy. Click the link below to watch!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejEVczA8PLU

Last week:

Ariel singing "Part of Your World" from "The Little Mermaid." Click the link below to watch the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=773HNqPZ3jo

Disney Animated Feature List and Releases

The following is a list of all Disney's animated features. The preceding dates are the year each date was originally released in theaters. The date following the movie title is the year the movie was released as a special edition DVD. While some movies have been released on DVD, especially in the late '90s or early 2000, I am not counting the movie as 'released' unless it's been as a special edition. The final date is the date the movie went 'back in the vault,' if it has.

Walt Disney Animated Films
1937 –Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Platinum Edition - 2001; vault - 2002; re-release October 2009)
1940 –Pinocchio (70th Anniversary Edition - March 2009)
1940 –Fantasia (Platinum Edition - March 2010)
1941 –Dumbo
1942 –Bambi (Special Edition - 2005; vault 2007)
1943 –Saludos Amigos
1945 –The Three Caballeros
1946 –Make Mine Music
1947 –Fun and Fancy Free
1948 –Melody Time
1949 –The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
1950 –Cinderella (Special Edition - 2005; vault 2008)
1951 –Alice in Wonderland (Masterpiece Edition - 2004)
1953 –Peter Pan (Platinum Edition - 2007; vault 2009)
1955 –Lady and the Tramp (50th Anniversary Edition - 2006; vault 2007)
1959 –Sleeping Beauty (50th Anniversary Edition - 2008)
1961 –101 Dalmatians (Platinum Edition - 2008; vault 2010)
1963 –The Sword and the Stone (45th Anniversary Edition - 2008)
1967 –The Jungle Book (40th Anniversary Edition - 2007; vault 2010)
1970 –The Aristocats (Special Edition - 2008)
1973 –Robin Hood (Most Wanted Edition - 2006)
1977 –The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
1977 –The Rescuers
1981 –The Fox and the Hound (25th Anniversary Edition - 2006)
1985 –The Black Cauldron (expected release June 2009)
1986 –The Great Mouse Detective
1988 –Oliver & Company (20th Anniversary Edition - 2009)
1989 –The Little Mermaid (Special Edition - 2006; vault 2009)
1990 –The Rescuers Down Under
1991 –Beauty and the Beast (Platinum Edition - 2002; vault 2003; expected re-release October 2010)
1992 –Aladdin (Special Edition - 2004; vault 2008)
1994 –The Lion King (Special Edition - 2003; vault 2005)
1995 –Pocahontas (10th Anniversary Edition - 2005)
1996 –The Hunchback of Notre Dame
1997 –Hercules
1998 –Mulan (Special Edition - 2004)
1999 –Tarzan (Special Edition - 2005)
2000 –Fantasia 2000 (expected release March 2010)
2000 –Dinosaur
2001 –The Emperor’s New Groove
2001 –Atlantis: The Lost Empire
2002 –Lilo and Stitch (expected release March 2009)
2002 –Treasure Planet
2003 –Brother Bear
2004 –Home on the Range
2005 –Chicken Little
2007 –Meet the Robinsons
2008 –BOLT

This information is from http://www.disneyanimation.com/aboutus/history.html.

Seek and Ye Shall Find

So, we've all heard that several Disney movies have subliminal erotic messages. Do they or don't they? Some of the easiest to spot include:


* The cover of the original release of "The Little Mermaid" pictures King Triton's palace. However, one of the towers (in the middle under the tallest tower) is shaped like a penis. And not by accident. According to sources at TheStraightDope.com, the artist who designed the cover intentionally drew the tower as a penis, but upon completing it, realized the image was a little too obvious. However, he had to turn it in for deadline before he could fix it and no one ever called him about it, so he figured the execs liked the subliminal image, or just never noticed. But, you can definitely notice! Check out the picture I found that 'points' it out.



* In "The Lion King," the word SEX is supposedly formed in the clouds above Simba's head after he watches his father die and falls to the ground, sending dust into the clouds. This one you can really only see if you're watching for it, and some people say the word is SFX (special effects department). But if it does say sex, than Disney had to have done it intentionally because it takes dozens of designers, directors and animators to produces a scene, and everyone would have had to know about it in order for it be completed.



* The animators sure had fun with "The Little Mermaid," because they made the priest who marries Ursula and Eric at the end look like he has an erection. And it really does look like it. Turns out, if you look hard enough, pun intended, it's acutally his knee, but that's not as much fun.


* In "Aladdin," it's rumored that you can hear Aladdin say "good teenagers take off their clothes" when he's Prince Ali and talking to Jasmine on her balcony and the tiger Rajah is climbing up on him. If you listen for it, it does sound like that 's true. If you don't listen for that phrase exactly, it probably doesn't sound like anything.


* In the theatrical release of "The Rescuers," there are couple frames of a topless model seen when Bianca and Bernard are flying on the albatross, gliding down into the city. Apparently everyone knew it was there and it was taken out for the first home release of the film. However, according to TheStraightDope.com, the 1999/2000 re-release of the film had the two frames in it, meaning someone forgot about it or the re-release was made from a different cut. Disney recalled that release (putting it back in the vault) and released another version without the nude model a few months after that.



Know any other erotic subliminal messages? Another post will list movies and scenes where you can see former Disney characters, which is a lot, but the erotic subliminal elements are a little more fun to try and catch just because it's Disney, you know, a children's empire. If you do know something else, let me know!

Oliver & Company released for 20th anniversary

Disney's all about the anniversaries. Remember Oliver & Co.? Little orphan kitten follows Charles Dicken's classic tale, "Oliver Twist," with Billy Joel and Bette Midler. Technically, Oliver & Co. was originally released in 1988, but '19th anniversary' sounds weird, so Disney stretched it out a little big, releasing the new edition on Feb. 3, 2009. This edition also has special features including a sing-a-long, which is impossible not to do with "Why Should I Worry," scrapbook, publicity media, and a making-of short documentary. The 27th animated feature released by Disney, Oliver & Co. definitely isn't as high on the all-time list as the Howard Ashman era or classic disney features, but it's still a cute film with memorable characters.

Mary Poppins celebrates 45th anniversary

Disney released the 45th anniversary edition of its 1964 film, Mary Poppins on Jan. 27, 2009. Following a 40th anniversary special edition back in 2004, this restored and remastered version features more behind-the-scenes bonus features and scenes from the Broadway musical version of Mary Poppins. It's kind of odd that Disney would release the same film so close together, but with the popularity of Blu Ray format and the popularity of the Broadway musical, I guess it makes sense. Similarly, there has been rumor of re-releasing both Beauty and the Beast and Snow White, both released for special edition back in 2002 and 2001, respectively. Hopefully, though, Disney continues to release editions of animated features yet to be released on special edition, or I may never complete my collection.