Disney World

Having established itself as the dominant player for live-action kids programming with “High School Musical” and “Hannah Montana,” Disney Channel is now challenging Nickelodeon for the crown in animated series. Disney Channel has poached veteran Nickelodeon animation executive Eric Coleman to lead the channel’s aggressive push in the area as senior vp development at Walt Disney Television Animation. Meanwhile, Meredith Roberts, who most recently has shepherded Disney Channel’s animated series development as senior vp creative affairs at Walt Disney TV Animation, is moving to DisneyToon Studios, where she will serve as senior vp and GM. In the newly created position, she will oversee the company’s daily operations, reporting to Walt Disney Animation Studios executive vp production Andrew Millstein. Coleman, who has worked at Nickelodeon for 15 years, overseeing the development and production of such hit shows as “SpongeBob SquarePants” and “Avatar,” will start at Disney on Feb. 4. He will report to Disney Channels Worldwide entertainment president Gary Marsh. “Bringing Eric to Disney is an absolute coup,” Marsh said. “There is no executive in the entire television animation space who has the creative vision, the credibility and the track record that Eric does.” Coleman’s mandate is to spearhead development of animated short-form and long-form series targeting kids 6-11 for Disney Channel, Toon Disney and Jetix platforms, which reach more than 219 million homes worldwide. He also will oversee Walt Disney TV Animation’s casting and music departments. In addition, he will work with Disney Channel and Walt Disney TV Animation’s international partners. “I am thrilled to be joining the Disney team that is revolutionizing the business of television for kids and families,” Coleman said. “What impresses me the most is the enormous commitment and support they are willing to give me to build a world-class slate of animated content for the kids’ global TV platforms.” Disney Channel’s most successful animated series to date is “Kim Possible.” The channel’s brass has high hopes for the upcoming “Phineas and Ferb,” which received great sampling after the premiere of “High School Musical 2.” On the success of “HSM” and “Hannah,” Disney Channel ranked as the most-watched cable network in 2007, a first for any kids channel. Coleman began his career at Nickelodeon in New York, where he worked on the first wave of original Nicktoons: “Rugrats,” “Ren & Stimpy” and “Doug.” He then moved to Los Angeles and, as manager of development, worked on numerous animated pilots, including “Rocko’s Modern Life” and “Hey Arnold!” and served as development exec on the pilots for “SpongeBob” and “The Wild Thornberrys.” In recent years, Coleman served as executive producer on “Avatar,” “Catscratch” and “El Tigre” as well as the executive in charge of production on “Invader Zim,” “CatDog,” and “SpongeBob.” Sources indicated that the recent executive restructuring at Nickelodeon’s animation division that saw Brown Johnson being named president was in part connected to Coleman’s departure.

Mouse house TV sales offshoot, Disney-ABC International Television has inked two separate video-on-demand deals in Korea, with KT Corp. and with Hanaro Telecom. Programming will be seen on KT’s Mega TV Internet Protocol TV network and on Hanaro’s IPTV platform Hana TV.

Deals cover hit TV shows “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Desperate Housewives” and “Lost” as well as on-demand access to blockbuster movies from Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures and Miramax Films stables. These include “Pirates of The Caribbean: At World’s End,” “Ratatouille,” “National Treasure,” “Meet the Robinsons” and older library titles “Finding Nemo,” “Lilo & Stitch” and “Toy Story.”

“We are pleased to provide a variety of high quality content through these digital media deals in Korea, a key strategic market for The Walt Disney Company,” Hyesuk Lim, SVP/Managing Director of The Walt Disney Company Korea, said. “This announcement reflects Disney’s continued commitment to expand the reach of our content to audiences in Korea in flexible and innovative ways.”

In December, Disney announced a subscription-VoD branded channel on Mega TV aimed at preschoolers, kids and families. A Disney-branded S-VoD channel for Disney Channel is also available on HanaTV. In late 2006 Disney struck a VoD movies deal with pay-cabler CGV Choice, a subsidiary of CJ Media.

Earlier this week Sony Pictures Television Int’l signed a VoD to mobile phone deal with KT’s rival SK Telecom, additional to its multiple deals with Hana TV

The president of the union that represents workers at three Disneyland hotels criticized Disney’s contract negotiation efforts in front of Anaheim City Council on Tuesday, accusing Disney of trying to exact “political payback.” Ada Briceño, the president of UNITE HERE 681, said the union provides a voice for the resort’s hotel workers and that “Disney wants to stifle that voice.” “Disney’s stance could actually lead to unrest in Anaheim,” Briceño said. The current contract expires at 12 a.m. Friday. A Disneyland spokesman denied the company had done anything out of the ordinary during talks, saying that Disney management had been making overtures to union officials since early December and had involved a federal labor mediator in talks. “We’re disappointed the leadership of 681 is trying to negotiate this contract in the media and at a City Council meeting,” said Rob Doughty, Disneyland’s vice president of communication, in a phone interview. The union, one of 24 at the park, represents about 2,300 room attendants, cooks and dishwashers at Disneyland’s Grand California, Paradise Pier and Disneyland Hotel in-park lodgings. Negotiations are usually finished months in advance of contract expiration, Disney officials said. Briceño also said that the contract negotiations are being held off-site at venues with limited parking and other drawbacks that make it hard for rank-and-file members to attend. “It’s not uncommon for negotiations to be held at a neutral site,” Doughty countered. Briceño also claimed that because the union sided with housing advocates in the drawn-out resort housing debate last year, Disney was punishing union members. She said what she sees as reluctance by Disney contract negotiators amounts to “political payback.” Developer SunCal wanted to put a housing development in the resort-zoned area near Disneyland, a proposal Disneyland fought strongly. The dispute has died down lately, considering SunCal has ceased its attempts to develop the area. Doughty said, however, that the current dispute has nothing to do with the union’s political stance. “This is only about the negotiations, and that’s all it’s about,” he said.

THE two films vying for first place at the weekend box office both have deadly stares at their centers. In the horror movie “The Eye,” a blind Jessica Alba receives a corneal transplant enabling her to see the departed. And in “Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour,” the lethal glances will come from 10-year-old girls whose parents refuse to fork out as much as $20 for tickets to the 3-D music movie.

That these two films and Eva Longoria Parker’s “Over Her Dead Body,” which is also opening in wide release Friday, are expected to appeal to female viewers is no coincidence. With many American men ready to pack as much five-layer dip into their coronary arteries as possible on Super Bowl Sunday, movie studios plan to turn the football championship weekend into a mini chick-flick film festival.

At the same time last year, Screen Gems released its horror movie “The Messengers” to a moderately strong first-place opening of $14.7 million, while Universal’s romantic comedy “Because I Said So” premiered in second place with $13.1 million.
“The reason we picked this weekend is for that exact reason,” said Steve Rothenberg, the theatrical distribution chief for “The Eye’s” Lionsgate Films. “We hope that females will say, ‘You guys stay home and eat the chips, but we’re going out to see a movie.’ ”

Even though most horror movies focus on (usually underdressed) women in sexual and violent peril, girls and women younger than 25 flock to such movies — sometimes with boyfriends in tow, and just as often with a group of like-minded girlfriends. The audience for a typical genre film is about 60% female, and some movies draw an even greater percentage of young women. Research experts say “The Eye” shows signs of healthy young male appeal too, because Alba is such a fantasy figure.

“The Eye” will also offer a test of the allure of a scary movie rated PG-13. A number of recent high-profile genre films — last weekend’s Diane Lane movie “Untraceable” and last year’s “Hostel: Part II” among them — were in part undone by their relentlessly R-rated, stomach-turning violence. While some preview audience members may say they want rape and dismemberment, moviegoers are angling in the opposite direction.

“From the very beginning, our goal was to create a classy horror thriller, not a movie that relied on gore and exploitative shock,” says Don Granger, a producer of “The Eye.”

The shock for “Hannah Montana” is different. Rather than charge the usual $8 or so for admission into Disney’s concert movie, a number of movie theaters have nearly tripled the tariff to as much as $20, which Los Angeles’ the Bridge Cinema De Lux is charging. They are able to extract so much in part because the movie will be in theaters only for a week (although Disney may extend the run by a week if the film opens strongly) and because it’s in 3-D.

For those with no pre-pubescent girls around the house, 15-year-old Miley Cyrus is the real-life equivalent of a Wii video game console: There’s just not enough of her to go around.

When tickets for a national Cyrus concert tour went on sale last fall, they sold out in minutes. Some parents paid thousands of dollars for scalped admissions, and state attorneys general opened investigations into how ticket brokers landed so many seats.

Disney, whose cable channel launched Cyrus’ “Hannah Montana” television franchise, is banking that the demand for her country-tinged music will translate into a filmgoer stampede. But the company is entering largely untested waters. While most multiplexes can add auditoriums to accommodate demand, “Hannah Montana” can’t expand beyond its 684 screens because the film is shown only in theaters equipped for 3-D.

That said, Disney was able to get theater owners to commit to the film two months ago, meaning that advance-sale movie tickets, which were available starting Dec.1, could be given as holiday presents. The studio isn’t saying how many pre-sale dollars it has banked so far, but it can’t be insignificant. Online ticket seller Fandango reported that more than 1,000 “Hannah Montana” showtimes were already sold out as of Wednesday.

Because of the novelty of the “Hannah Montana” release plan and the young age of its target audience, tracking surveys have struggled to estimate an opening weekend gross for the film. But look for “HannahMontana” to win the weekend with as much as $26 million in receipts, with “The Eye” in second with returns of about $17 million.

 A new production of Disney’s all-American smash hit High School Musical is heading for the London stage, it was announced yesterday.

The production, which is yet to be cast, will begin a 10-week run at the Hammersmith Apollo in June. The show’s storyline will be based on the original High School Musical television movie, which was first broadcast on the Disney Channel in 2006. The film starred Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens as star-crossed pupils trying to win parts in the end-of-term musical. Article continues
News of the production came as the current High School Musical stage show kicked off a 31-date UK tour in Bromley yesterday. The tour has already taken around £9m in advance sales - one of the biggest advances in British theatre touring history - and is expected to be seen by 600,000 people. The Hammersmith Apollo show will differ from the production that is currently on tour.

Around 200 million people have seen the original High School Musical film, which won an Emmy for its choreography and spawned a monster franchise for Disney. A sequel was broadcast on the Disney Channel in 2007 and a third film is slated for general release in cinemas in the UK and the US in October 2008. The DVD was a chart-topper, the soundtrack has reached quadruple-platinum sales and there is also a best-selling book and a karaoke. An ice dance show based on the first two High School Musical films was performed at the O2 arena in London shortly after Christmas last year and is currently on tour.

Thomas Schumacher, president of Disney Theatrical Group, said: “This show has been responsible for introducing millions of children to the joys of theatre and live performance. Whether they are participating in a school production or going to a professional theatre for the very first time, High School Musical has been the gateway into an entirely new world.”

Disney has enjoyed sustained success around the world, and in London’s West End, with stage versions of the film musicals Mary Poppins and The Lion King. Earlier this month, a new stage show based on Disney’s 1989 film The Little Mermaid opened on Broadway.

On the heels of the sold-out 56-city concert tour comes the latest DVD from Disney Channel’s wildly popular comedy series, HANNAH MONTANA: ONE IN A MILLION, available from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on January 29, 2008.
HANNAH MONTANA: ONE IN A MILLION finds Miley in some hilariously unexpected situations that offer her once in lifetime opportunities…or do they? Miley and Lilly have tween heartthrobs the Jonas Brothers in their sights, but the boys are more interested in talking business with Robbie Ray. Lilly and Miley think they’re as close as sisters, but they find out what real sisterhood could be like when Robbie and Lilly’s mom go out on a dinner date. The feud between Miley’s Mamaw (Vicky Lawrence) and Aunt Dolly (Dolly Parton) threatens to sink an important celebration and an old rivalry could have some embarrassing consequences. HANNAH MONTANA: ONE IN A MILLION features four laugh packed episodes filled with (mis)adventures, seriously cool music and exclusive behind-the-scenes bonus material. High wattage guest stars including Dolly Parton, Heather Locklear, Vicky Lawrence, Selena Gomez and The Jonas Brothers make HANNAH MONTANA: ONE IN A MILLION an absolute can’tmiss gift this Valentine’s Day.
If Miley’s classmates knew her secret, they’d be green with envy! When she’s not attending Malibu High, she’s selling out concerts around the world as Hannah Montana, international pop superstar—and only her family and very best friends know the truth. Emily Osment and Mitchel Musso star as Miley’s pals Lilly and Oliver, with Jason Earles as her brother Jackson and Miley’s real life dad and country music legend Billy Ray Cyrus as her father and manager Robby.
HANNAH MONTANA was named Choice TV Show in the 2007 Teen Choice Awards and star Miley Cyrus earned the Best Actress Comedy Award. The show reigns as the #1 cable program and delivered cable’s highest series telecast ever in total viewers.
Girls 8-12 named HANNAH MONTANA a TV Favorite, Favorite TV Rerun and Newest TV Show You’re Watching/Hearing About. Star Miley Cyrus was identified as a Favorite Actress, Favorite Music Performer, and “a person I’d most like to meet.” (Source: Zandl Hotsheet, Feb 2007)
Available on January 29, 2008, HANNAH MONTANA ONE IN A MILLION is priced at U.S. $19.99 (SRP) and Canada $24.99 (SRP) from Walt Disney Home Entertainment.

Twin witches Alex Fielding and Camryn Barnes are back for double the fun, magic and suspense in TWITCHES TOO, coming to DVD from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on January 29, 2008. The spooky sequel to the popular Disney Channel Original Movie Twitches once again features real life twins Tia and Tamera Mowry (stars of Disney Channel’s highly rated comedy series “Sister, Sister”) as a pair of magical princesses separated at birth to protect them from a mysterious evil force.
Raised by adoptive families and kept unaware of each other and their magical gifts until they first meet on their 21st birthday, Alex (Tia) and Camryn (Tamera) are the only hope of survival for their birthplace, the magical land of Coventry. After vanquishing the maleficent warlock who threatened them in Twitches, the girls focus on harnessing their magical powers, getting to know each other and reuniting with their birth mother, a powerful witch named Miranda. When a shadowy underworld presence seeks to destroy them, their family and their world, Alex and Camryn have to learn to combine their strengths to ward off complete disaster. TWITCHES TOO was inspired by the popular supernatural book series T*witches by H. B. Gilmour and Randi Reisfeld.
Available on January 29, 2008, TWITCHES 2 is priced at U.S. $26.99 (SRP) and Canada $29.99 (SRP) from Walt Disney Home Entertainment.

Disney’s California Food and Wine Festival presents the magic of cooking and the artistry of fine wine at the Disneyland Resort this spring, part of the Resort’s celebration of the “Year of a Million Dreams.”
Now in its third year, Disney’s California Food and Wine Festival will be held April 11 through May 5, 2008, with daily complimentary demonstrations and premiere ticketed events. The four-week festival will include the popular “Taste of California” Marketplace at Disney’s California Adventure park, along with exclusive cooking courses at the Napa Rose restaurant and expert wine instruction from a master sommelier.
Nearly 100 Disneyland Resort chefs will present cooking demonstrations and guests can learn more about their favorite beverages at the wine, beer and spirit tasting programs held throughout the festival. Culinary demonstrations and seminars are included with admission to Disney’s California Adventure park. Guests can also experience a dash of magic at these Disney’s California Food and Wine Festival events:
* Master Sommelier Michael Jordan, of the award-winning Napa Rose restaurant, will share his passion for wine in the “Taste Wine Like an Expert” class that introduces guests to the joys of wine tasting. For a fee and with advanced registration, each class will offer a basic training in the different types, varietals and blends, taste, structure, and characteristics found in wine servings.
* “Festival Wine Receptions” will offer guests an opportunity to enjoy a beautiful sunset and evening under the stars on the patio of the Golden Vine Winery inside Disney’s California Adventure. While sampling from a variety of selected wines and enjoying hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, guests will also be treated to a sparkling way to end the evening – a special viewing of Disney’s Electrical Parade.
* Disneyland Resort chefs will partner with premiere California Winemakers to prepare outstanding culinary delights at the exclusive “Winemaker Dinners.” Each chef will prepare a Festival meal and pair it with award-winning vintages.
* Executive Chef Andrew Sutton will lead the hands-on “Napa Rose Cooking School.” Each class will create a themed meal paired with wines, and at the conclusion of the course, each guest will receive a Napa Rose Cooking School chef coat to commemorate the experience. Tickets for the cooking school and other signature events are limited and go on sale beginning Feb. 15, at www.disneyland.com/foodandwine.
* At the “Taste of California Marketplace,” guests will enjoy festival foods created especially for the event. Delicious tapas-sized tastings, along with expertly paired wines and beers, will be available in the Pacific Wharf area.
* The new “Sparkling Bar,” located in the upper terrace of Golden Vine Winery, will feature champagne and sparkling wines by the glass, paired with wine country tapas.
* The Festival’s grand finale, “Taste – Food, Wine, Life,” will be held Saturday, May 3, offering guests a delicious celebration of the culinary talents of numerous chefs. “Taste” will also feature specially selected beer, wine, and spirits, along with entertainment throughout the evening.
Disney’s California Food and Wine Festival is part of Disneyland Resort’s “Year of a Million Dreams” celebration. The Resort features two theme parks – Disneyland (the original Disney theme park) and Disney’s California Adventure park – plus the Downtown Disney District comprised of unique dining, entertainment and shopping experiences. The Resort’s three guest-welcoming hotels are the luxurious 745-room Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, the magical 988-room Disneyland Hotel and the “day-at-the-beach” fun of the 489-room Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel. For information on new attractions, the Year of a Million Dreams celebration and vacations at Disneyland Resort, visit www.disneyland.com, call 866-60-DISNEY or contact local travel agents. For more information about Disney’s California Food and Wine Festival, visit www.disneyland.com/foodandwine.

The Mouse House is extending its charitable operations to Hong Kong, where it built its most recent theme park.
Hong Kong Disneyland Monday announced the creation of The Disney Children’s Fund, which will give grants to local non-profit organizations working with kids.
Backed by the Disney Worldwide Outreach arm, the fund will provide HK1 million ($128,000) in its first year. This follows the Hong Kong park’s recent launch of a VoluntEARS program by “cast members” — the park’s staffers.
“The fund continues our company’s longstanding tradition of helping children in the communities we call home throughout the world,” said Jennifer Anopolsky, Disney’s senior VP, corporate responsibility.

People who watch “The View” or any of three soap operas on ABC are going to hear a lot about women and heart disease - and Campbell Soup - in February.
ABC and Campbell Soup Co. have a deal for an integrated campaign to promote heart health and the soup in both programs and commercials through February, which is American Heart Month. The companies are not disclosing the cost of the deal, which is the first ABC has ever made to have all its daytime shows focus on a single issue.
The heart-related story lines will surface in different ways. On “General Hospital,” one nurse will have a heart attack; on “All My Children,” characters will plan a charity event sponsored by Campbell’s to benefit the American Heart Association. On the talk show “The View,” the hosts will wear red on Friday to promote the cause.
“The more women are really aware of how to make heart-healthy choices from the get-go, it’s really, really important,” said Brian Frons, president of the daytime TV at Disney-ABC Television Group. “Heart disease is the number one killer of women today.”
Camden-based Campbell’s has also bought a number of commercial slots during the lineup. Some will focus on heart issues and others will be conventional ads for the company’s products.
“It gives us the opportunity to create frequency of the message throughout the day and throughout the month,” said Colleen Milway, the global media director at Campbell.
Issue advocacy and in-show product placements have become a bigger part of television lately. Last fall, NBC promoted environmental causes with its “Green is Universal” week of programs.
Campbell’s products have previously been part of the story in such shows as “American Dreams” and last year had a heart-related promotion on “Deal or No Deal.”