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A month of Halloween-themed episodes of popular series will form a mega “Monstober,”
Disney Channel’s annual programming event for kids and families.
Beginning today, Thursday, October 2, Austin & Ally stars Raini Rodriguez and Calum Worthy return as “Monstober” hosts to deliver this year’s highlights, which include the premiere of the mystery-adventure special Evermoor, a one-hour episode of Phineas and Ferb, and an animated version of the Jessie cast in a crossover episode of Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man: Web-Warriors. Disney Channel series Girl Meets World, Jessie, Dog With A Blog, Liv and Maddie, Austin & Ally and I Didn’t Do It, along with Disney Television Animation’s Mickey Mouse, Gravity Falls and Wander Over Yonder, will also premiere all-new episodes.
Disney Junior programming block will present new Halloween-themed episodes of the award-winning series Sofia the First, Doc McStuffins and Jake and the Never Land Pirates, beginning Friday, October 3.
Fan-favorite Halloween movies will air throughout the month, including Girl vs. Monster, Toy Story of TERROR!, The Little Vampire, Halloweentown, Twitches and the “Monstober” movie premieres of Wreck-It Ralph, Casper, The Pirate Fairy, Mostly Ghostly: Have You Met My Ghoulfriend? and more.
Disney XD will also host all-new Halloween-themed episodes of its popular animated and live-action shows, including Lab Rats, Mighty Med, The 7D, Marvel’s Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja and the upcoming new series Kirby Buckets, beginning Friday, October 17.
The playful puppy Scamp tugs at Jock’s holiday sweater in the film Lady and the Tramp.
From the heart-wrenching story of Old Yeller and the whimsical transformation tale of Shaggy Dog to their animated cousins such as the thunderous Bolt, the caregiving Nana from Peter Pan, and the beloved talking Dug from Up—squirrel!—Disney has litters of furry sidekicks and stars that have stayed loyally by our sides for decades. In celebration of American Humane Association’s Adopt-A-Dog Month and to give our Disney dog friends some special attention, D23 is paying tribute to Disney dogs all October.
Stay tuned as we invite you to share photos of your canine companions on D23’s Twitter and Facebook pages and celebrate some of Disney’s most famous dogs. And if you don’t already have a four-legged friend at home, then get out there and adopt one!
Of course, probably the most famous Disney dog to come to mind is Mickey’s pal Pluto. One of his first on-screen appearances, where he was referred to as Rover, actually had him as Minnie’s pet. It wasn’t until the third cartoon where he received the name Pluto that his friendship with Mickey was forged in The Moose Hunt. Since then, Pluto has come to be everyone’s loyal friend, greeting us at theme parks and in cartoons, films, and on television. He’ll always be Mickey’s dog, but that doesn’t mean we can’t all take him for a walk every once in a while.
Speaking of taking a walk, we invite you to take a walk through these 23 dogs moments from Disney films, shorts, and television shows.
Bolt (Bolt)Trusty (Lady and the Tramp)Nana (Peter Pan)Tramp (Lady and the Tramp)Dug (Up)Peg (Lady and the Tramp)Max (The Little Mermaid)Old Yeller (Old Yeller)Slinky (Toy Story)Chiffon (Shaggy Dog)Percy (Pocahontas)GoofyBruno (Cinderella)Copper (The Fox and the Hound)Jock (Lady and the Tramp)Lady (Lady and the Tramp)Dodger (Oliver and Company)Doctor Doppler (Treasure Planet)Footstool (Beauty and the Beast)Pongo, Perdita, and Their 101 Pups (One Hundred and One Dalmatians)Toby (The Great Mouse Detective)Benji (Benji the Hunted)
Hong Kong Disneyland will dazzle guests with a totally new nighttime spectacular experience, Disney Paint the Night. The parade features seven original floats that contain more than 740,000 individual lights and will bring favorite Disney and Disney∙Pixar stories in magical, luminescent worlds to life every night.
Disney Paint the Night is also the first-ever fully LED parade created by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.
The creative team spent more than two years developing over 1,000 scenic and lighting designs.
The seven creative floats include Tinker Bell Opening Unit, Monsters, Inc. Unit, Cars Unit, The Little Mermaid Unit, Belle Candlelight Unit, Toy Story Unit, and the Mickey and Friends Finale Unit. The parade follows Mickey as he “paints the night” in dazzling Disney dreams of light with the scintillating powers of Tinker Bell’s pixie dust.
The vibrant lights are not only featured on the floats, but also on Disney characters, dancers and props. More than 80 cast members are involved in presenting Disney Paint the Night.
For its costumes, more than 25 outfits were designed especially for this parade. Each ensemble has its own very sophisticated system of lighting controls, and the talented Cosmetology team at Hong Kong Disneyland developed a new technique to create fiber-optic wigs that can be styled to create a beautiful glowing effect. The team also designed fiber-optic eyelashes that can change color.
During two show-stopping moments in the Disney Paint the Night parade, guests can “paint the night” with the all-new Mickey Magic Paint Brush, which changes the colors on select costumes at the touch of a button. The floats can also sync with the new collection of Made with Magic merchandise, which includes the Mickey Glow Mitt and Minnie Glow Bow, and the colors of each item change so guests can be a part of the parade.
The Park has also prepared a variety of specialty food and beverage options with a glowing and glittering theme to further complement this brilliant nighttime experience. And to further celebrate the vibrant spirit of Disney Paint the Night, guests can visit the Tomorrowland Bootique to be painted in colorful make-up before joining the parade or enjoying the Park’s all-new illuminated stage performances at the Tomorrowland Party Zone.
Back in July, Disney Store introduced a Limited Edition Sleeping Beauty doll clad in her signature pink gown. And now, thankfully, they’ve announced the upcoming release of a new Limited Edition Sleeping Beauty doll, dressed in her signature blue gown. Disney fans no longer have to agonize over the age-old question, “Pink or blue?” Disney Store will also release two additional Limited Edition Dolls: the gallant Prince Phillip and the wickedly iconic villain, Malificent. The dolls will be available in select North American Disney Stores, beginning Tuesday, October 7 and at DisneyStore.com beginning Wednesday, October 8. European Guests can find release information and pricing by visiting their local Disney Store Facebook page.
Save the Date!
Be sure to mark these upcoming Disney events on your calendar:
D23 and Walt Disney Archives October 11
From the Vaults: Sleeping Beauty November 8
Walt Disney Studios and Archives Tour November 11
The Hunchback of Notre Dame VIP Experience November 22-23 Destination D: Attraction Rewind at Disney’s Contemporary Resort in Walt Disney World Through January 4, 2015
Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives, presented by D23: The Official Disney Fan Club at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago August 14-16, 2015
D23 Expo 2015 returns to Anaheim, California Television October 13 Star Wars Rebels premieres on Disney XD at 9 p.m. ET/PT. October 20 Kirby Buckets debuts on Disney XD at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Parks September 1, 9, 12, 14, 16, 19, 21, 23, 26, and 28; and October 2, 3, 5, 9, 10, 13, 16, 17, 19, 21, 23, 24, 26, 28, 30, and 31 Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Parties at Magic Kingdom Park September 26, 30; October 3, 6, 8, 10, 14, 17, 20, 22, 24, 27, 29, and 31 Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland Resort November 7, 10, 13, 14, 16, 20, 21, and 30; and December 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, and 19 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Parties at Magic Kingdom Park Studios October 10 Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day opens in theaters. November 7 Big Hero 6 opens in theaters. December 25, 2014 Into the Woods opens in theaters. March 13, 2015 Cinderella opens in theaters. June 19, 2015 Inside Out opens in theaters (along with the short Lava).
Check Out the New Big Hero 6 Trailer–Plus See a Sneak Peek of the Film at Disneyland
The new trailer for Walt Disney Animation Studios’ upcoming Big Hero 6 shines a light on the special bond between prodigy Hiro Hamada and the adorable plus-sized inflatable robot Baymax. The action-packed comedy-adventure hits theaters November 7. And in the meantime, Disneyland Park guests can now, for a limited time, see an exclusive sneak peek of the film, presented in 4-D with special in-theater effects, at Tomorrowland’s Magic Eye Theater.
Danny Elfman Visits Haunted Mansion Holiday
Last week, the Disney Parks Blog featured Danny Elfman, composer of the soundtrack for Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas—as well as the singing voice for the movie’s Jack Skellington—recording a special reading for Haunted Mansion Holiday. This week they’ve shared a clip of Elfman speaking of his love for the attraction and his reaction to seeing the holiday-enhanced version for the first time.
See What the “Coolest” Princesses on Once Upon a Time are Wearing This Season
Disney Style took us into the Once Upon a Time costume department this week, and gave us an up-close look at the detail you’ll see on Anna and Elsa’s dresses this season on the show.
Disney Channel Kicks Off Monstober on October 2
Monstober—Disney Channel’s month-long Halloween fest—returns this year with Halloween-themed episodes of popular series and specials, running from October 2 through October 31. This year’s lineup includes a one-hour Phineas and Ferb episode, an animated version of the Jessie cast in a crossover episode of Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man: Web-Warriors, and the premiere of the mystery-adventure special Evermoor. Austin & Ally stars Raini Rodriguez and Calum Worthy will serve as Monstober hosts again this year.
Aladdin‘s First International Product to Debut in Tokyo
Disney Theatrical Productions and Shiki Theatre Company have announced that the first international stage production of Disney’s Aladdin will make its debut in May 2015 at the Dentsu Shiki Theatre Umi in Tokyo, Japan. Visit D23.com to learn more.
It’s Another Boy at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Disney’s Animal Kingdom welcomed its second gorilla—in the past month—when a baby boy was born to mother Kashata and father Gino on September 3. Another male gorilla was born to Azizi and Gino on August 7. The newest arrival is the fifth baby gorilla born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom—the first occurred in 1997 before the park opened to the public—as part of a program through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Their Species Survival Plan manages genetic diversity among species, and Disney also participates in AZA Species Survival Plans for elephants, cotton-top tamarins, and okapi.
Watch and Share With Next Generation of WATCH ABC Services
Disney/ABC Television Group has re-launched its WATCH ABC services with new social features. FastShare lets you share clips of your favorite shows while you watch, Social Lens helps you connect with friends via Facebook and Twitter while you’re viewing, and Multi-Cam will offer exclusive insider access during live events. The WATCH ABC app is available in the App Store, Google Play, and the Amazon Appstore.
Disney Consumer Products has unveiled an intergalactic assortment of products celebrating the release of Star Wars Rebels, the new Disney XD animated television series which debuts October 3 on Disney Channel and continues on Disney XD starting October 13. With exciting adventures and memorable new characters, Star Wars Rebels will introduce a new generation of fans to the Star Wars galaxy, inspiring new lines of figures, spaceships, lightsabers, apparel and accessories, home décor, books and more from best-in-class licensees, including Hasbro, LEGO, Mad Engine, Rubies and Jay Franco.
Disney Publishing Worldwide will also support Star Wars Rebels with a new book program and series of interactive mobile apps from Disney Lucasfilm Press, which expand upon the series. The first wave of Star Wars Rebels books includes Star Wars Rebels: A New Hero by Pablo Hidalgo, an action-packed picture book that uses dynamic concept art from the show, and Star Wars Rebels: Servants of the Empire, an original chapter book series written by Jason Fry. Star Wars Journeys, an episodic series of apps from Disney Publishing, will be updated this October to include the stories that lead up to the action-packed adventures in Star Wars Rebels. In early 2015, Star Wars Scene Maker: Rebels will launch to feature the locations and characters from the series, giving fans an unrivaled user-generated storytelling experience that allows them to re-imagine and re-create scenes from Star Wars Rebels.
In addition to the collection of Star Wars Rebels products available at Disney Store locations nationwide, DisneyStore.com will feature a “Create Your Own” tab that allows fans to personalize a variety of items, from tech accessories and school supplies to apparel and party invitations, that feature their favorite characters from Star Wars Rebels.
Social media superstar Eliza Dooley (Karen Gillan) has 263,000 followers who hang on to her every post, tweet and selfie. But after a workplace mishap goes viral, she quickly realizes that being “instafamous” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and being friended is not the same as having actual friends. Eliza enlists her co-worker and marketing guru Henry (John Cho) to rebrand her self-obsessed reputation and teach her how to connect with people in the real world—whether she likes it or not.
Manhattan Love Story (8:30 p.m. ET)
The innovative new romantic comedy is based on a simple premise: The way to maintain relationships—with a lover, a spouse, a co-worker, a friend or a family—is by keeping a majority of thoughts to one’s self. Dana (Analeigh Tipton) and Peter (Jake McDorman), who navigate the complicated terrain of building and maintaining a relationship, are the heart of the story. Throughout the series, the audience will hear Dana and Peter’s inner thoughts, offering a fun and revealing look at the differences of men and women as this couple traverse the highs and lows of dating.
Disney Theatrical Productions and Shiki Theatre Company announce the first international production of Disney’s Aladdin, the smash Broadway musical comedy. Performances will begin in May 2015 at The Dentsu Shiki Theatre Umi in Tokyo.
“The heart and wit of the timeless tale of Aladdin, the Genie and those three wishes are beloved by cultures across the globe,”
said Thomas Schumacher, president and producer, Disney Theatrical Productions. “We look forward to bringing Casey Nicholaw’s joyous, spectacular production to Japan in partnership with our valued friends at Shiki.”
Produced on Broadway by Disney Theatrical Productions, Aladdin opened to critical acclaim at the New Amsterdam Theatre on March 20, 2014. The show features music by Tony Award® and eight-time Oscar® winner Alan Menken, lyrics by two-time Oscar winner Howard Ashman, three-time Tony Award and three-time Oscar winner Tim Rice and two-time Tony Award nominee Chad Beguelin, with a book by Beguelin, and is directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw. Lyrics will be translated into Japanese by Ms. Chikae Takahashi, who worked on the Japanese translation for Disney’s Frozen. The Tokyo production will be cast locally in Japan and will be performed in Japanese.
Aladdin will mark the fifth collaboration between Disney Theatrical Productions and Shiki Theatre Company following the successful and current runs of Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, AIDA and The Little Mermaid. Sixteen million people have seen a Disney musical produced by Shiki, resulting in cumulative runs of nearly 5,000 performances for Beauty and the Beast and a staggering 9,000 performances for their two concurrent productions of The Lion King.
A mysterious locked capsule falls into Phineas and Ferb’s back yard and they struggle to open it, only to discover they have unleashed something they cannot control.
Meanwhile, Perry learns that Dr. Doofenshmirtz has been abducted and tracks him to Seattle where another evil scientist, Professor Mystery, has his own sinister plan.
You might not learn the secrets behind Lost‘s smoke monster or find out who in the heck built the island’s giant four-toed statue when you watch “Lost in Danville,” but this special episode of Phineas and Ferb features a story by Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof. And it does answer one very important question: Who is Peter the Panda’s nemesis?
Lindelof, a longtime fan of Phineas and Ferb, brought this mystery to the show’s creators and executive producers, Dan Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh, who thought it wasn’t just a provocative question but a story that Lindelof should help craft. Lindelof began watching Phineas and Ferb at the recommendation of his wife and son. “The show invites in newcomers, but it also rewards the people looking at the details. There are just so many Easter eggs packed into each one,” Damon points out, adding, “As a writer, I became totally enraptured in it to the point that I was watching episodes and my son would say, ‘I’ve already seen this one,’ and I was like, ‘I’ll watch it!'”
Writing an episode of Phineas and Ferb most assuredly upped Lindelof’s street cred with his son, but Povenmire and Marsh confess that they felt a bit of a boost from working with the man who introduced Hurley and the Dharma Initiative to the world. “Damon actually came to Comic-Con with us two years ago and moderated our panel, which we sort of kept as a secret because we felt it would be a really fun surprise,” Povenmire explains. “At Comic-Con, that’s quite a get, to have Damon show up for something like that and he was just there asking us questions and stuff. It was really fun.”
“It was just a fancy way to get my questions answered,” Lindelof jokes.
The team behind “Lost in Danville,” Phineas, Dan Povenmire, Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof, Jeff “Swampy” Marsh, and Ferb, poses for a picture.
Once Lindelof agreed to come on board, Povenmire and Marsh led him through their process. “He came in and brainstormed with us and we sent him off to do an outline,” Povenmire recalls.
“I think that one of the most exciting times in my career was being in a place where I felt slightly uncomfortable and had to please my bosses,” Lindelof remembers. “I think that when you’re running your own show you sort of lose the thrill of the pitch and you’re just being pitched to.” Lindelof unabashedly credits the Phineas and Ferb writers with doing all of the “heavy lifting” and making all of his jokes funnier, confessing, “I felt like it was going to be really important to be able to laugh at myself and understand that I have a great profound pride in Lost, but to sort of wink a little and have this guy [Peter the Panda’s mysterious nemesis] embody the idea of what are the effects of not revealing your master plan to people was something that we felt was a very rich vein for comedy.”
Lost fans will find much to laugh at in the 11-minute story. “Lost in Danville” includes time travel, a giant polar bear, and an unopenable hatch. Povenmire acknowledges, “We sort of assumed there would be people who watch the episode specifically because of Damon, thinking, ‘Oh, I’ll watch this because I liked Lost.’ And so we put the capsule in. There’s a lot that [Damon] threw in to let us have fun with that.” And in return, Povenmire and Marsh allowed Lindelof to help reveal a key piece of his favorite character’s backstory.
So, while the special episode may not feature the Oceanic 6, the Danville 2 will be front and center when “Lost in Danville” premieres Monday, September 29, at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on Disney XD.
Follow my lead and you’ll sniff out the reasons I think this classic Disney film is spot-on.
A self-professed dog lover, Walt Disney naturally came up with a doggoned good film when making a movie all about his beloved mutts. On more than one occasion, Walt appeared on his TV show with a canine co-star, and on the February 12, 1961 installment of his Walt Disney Presents series, Walt charmingly related the story of the film to a Dalmatian puppy with whom he had a purebred dog lover’s rapport. Like Walt himself, I’m a “dog person” and in a film entitled One Hundred and One Dalmatians you can be sure there are plenty of pooches for pooch lovers to love. Beyond stalwart Pongo, sweet and sensible Perdita and their 99 pups, the film boasts a cavalcade of canines, especially in the sensational Twilight Bark sequence. In fact, don’t blink (or bark) or you might miss several stars from another Disney dog-and-puppy show, Lady and the Tramp (1955), making cameo appearances, including Lady herself. But One Hundred and One Dalmatians doesn’t disappoint even if you are a cat person, thanks to the stalwart Sergeant Tibbs, who happens to be at the center of my favorite sight gag in the whole film: one skinny tabby trying to hide 99 dogs behind his back!
“In fact, don’t blink (or bark) or you might miss several stars from another Disney dog-and-puppy show, Lady and the Tramp.” (1955).
As fur-raising as so many elements of the film are — the suspense, the British spy thriller sensibility, and Marc Davis’s brilliant Cruella De Vil — I also love the film for its charm and that most elusive quality: “heart.” Best example (and certainly one of my best-loved scenes): the “Pongos” (as the Dalmatian clan is called by other critters) cozily watching TV, brilliantly observed by directing animator Eric Larson. “I just thought of what regular kids would do as they watched TV and took it from there,” Eric said. “One of the pups sits directly in front of the set blocking every else’s view. Another is constantly hungry. Their emotional attitudes were the attitudes of youngsters. With the parents, I tried to reflect back on how my parents treated me. It was a lot of fun doing that scene.”
One of the true joys of this sure-footed film is savoring the outstanding work of Eric and other members of that elite animation team known as the Nine Old Men. Milt Kahl was specifically assigned by Walt Disney to both redesign and animate Dalmatian devotee Anita, and the master animator based his design in part on Julie Andrews, then-famed as the star of Broadway’s My Fair Lady, little realizing that in just a few years Julie would be at the Disney Studios herself, starring in Mary Poppins (1964). Milt also used his fellow Nine Old Men team member, piano playing Frank Thomas, as a model for songwriter Roger Radcliff.
“Milt [Kahl] also used his fellow Nine Old Men team member, piano playing Frank Thomas (pictured above) as a model for songwriter Roger Radcliff,” Jim says.There can be no denying that I am 101 percent in love with One Hundred and One Dalmatians. A large part of my admiration goes to the artisans who painstakingly positioned all those spots on all those Dalmatians. “Each dog’s spots were thought of like a constellation of stars,” explained art director and production designer Ken Anderson. “There was a pattern on each side of the dog and it had to be anchored by a key spot. It was like applying a moving decal that would fit the perspective changes as the animal moved. But by working out a constellation, something that looked good in every position, we’d pick out one that would be a focal point. We’d know that this one spot always goes here. Then this next one is only so far from it, and the next is only so far from it, and the next is only so far from that and so on. It was an enormous job!” According to Disney publicity, there is a total 6,469,952 spots on the Dalmatians in all 113,760 frames of the film. It all adds up to why this canine caper is so special to me (and so many others) — and one instance in which seeing spots never looked so good!
. . . but he’s not green and he’s not a frog. He’s brown, furry and a dog—Rowlf the Dog.
The pun-loving pooch, sometimes known as “Ol’ Brown Ears,” was the very first Muppet to break into big-time primetime TV. In 1962, he made his debut as the star in a series of dog food commercials, followed by a stint as the wisecracking canine sidekick to country singer Jimmy Dean on the ABC variety series, The Jimmy Dean Show. The floppy-eared Muppet was so popular that he received more fan mail than the show’s star.
Rowlf was designed by Jim Henson, who considered calling the character Barkley, Woofington and Beowolf before deciding on Rowlf. In early sketches, Rowlf even had a lower set of pointy canine teeth. But since his creation, Rowlf has not changed a bit; he’s still the same old hound we know and love today.
Following his successful run with Jimmy Dean, Rowlf went on to host his own summer variety show on CBS in 1967, stealing scenes from such stars as Woody Allen and Carol Burnett. As a regular on The Muppet Show, Rowlf first demonstrated his incredible piano playing prowess, performing with the likes of Liberace and Victor Borge. More recently, he jammed on the keyboards with The Roots on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and has even tickled the off-key ivories of Ma Bear’s antique upright (“I love out of tune pianos!”).
Friendly, furry, and very much his own man uh, mutt, Rowlf can speak dog (“yeah, bark, bark”) as well as human, and is the founder and president of the OMD (Organization of Muppet Dogs). Back in 1973, when the lovable pooch guest-starred on ABC’s The Julie Andrews Hour, Jim Henson told Julie that Rowlf was one of his favorite Muppets. Ours too.
