Search Results for: blog disneys project green

Snow White’s Secret Green Streak

For my wrap-up to environmental week, I’m going to explore whether or not Walt Disney was, in part, responsible for the modern environmental movement. According to a book by a Cambridge University scholar, Disney films, particularly those produced between 1937 and 1967 and 1984 and 2005, are responsible for making viewers respond to and care more for the natural world. “The Idea of Nature in Disney Animation” by Dr. David Whitley, an English literature professor, argues that the eras of Walt Disney and Michael Eisner produced films which made young viewers in particular aware of nature and the issues surrounding … Continue reading →

New Disney World Attraction: The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow

The cycle is complete: “Pirates of the Caribbean” was a movie based on a classic Disney World ride.  Now there’s a new Disney World attraction based on the movie that was based on the ride.  The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow is a new immersive walk-through at Disney World that opened on December 6.  The Disney Parks released a behind-the-scenes video with the Imagineers detailing the attraction, and the famous talent that helped bring it to life. The centerpiece of the attraction is the virtual image projected onto the deck of a pirate’s ship: that of Captain Jack Sparrow.  But … Continue reading →

Escape into Nature at “Villages Natures”

We’ve been looking so much at the new construction at the domestic Disney parks, why don’t we take a look at an exciting new project at one of the international parks? Disneyland Paris announces plans to begin work on Villages Natures, an eco-tourism site built just under four miles outside of Disneyland Paris. Villages Natures is a lot more than a giant park along the lines of Disney World’s Wilderness Preserve. Eco-tourism means destinations designed to let guests commune with nature, where the focus of the vacation is being in and learning more about the natural world. The crowning center … Continue reading →

Celebs React to Dick Clark’s Death – Part 2

It almost seems as if every celebrity in the world either knew Dick Clark or was influence by him. Here’s a few more reactions to his death: I don’t think Snoop Dogg ever appeared on “American Bandstand,” but he had nothing but love for Dick Clark, tweeting, “REST IN PEACE to the DICK CLARK!! U were pioneer n a good man!! Thank u sir.” Hip hop mogul Russell Simmons said, “Dick Clark was eternally young. No matter what culturally phenomenon was happening, he always embraced it. RIP…” The Jonas Brothers, who aren’t even old enough to have lived through Dick … Continue reading →

Star with Surprising Pasts

Everyone has a story or so Jon Favreau said in Swingers. Celebrities are no different, but some have pasts you may find hard to believe. In my last pop culture blog, I wrote about celebrities who tried to pass themselves off as Native Americans when they weren’t. Today, I am going to talk about celebrities that don’t try to hide from their past, but you just might find it interesting. First of all, there are the preacher’s kids. You might have heard that Katy Perry’s father is a preacher after there was a lot of press about both her parent’s … Continue reading →

The Two Bambi’s

“Bambi, A Life in the Woods” was published by Austrian Felix Salten in 1923. It topped bestseller lists in Europe and received an English translation five years later. In 1933 MGM studios purchased the film rights to the book, hoping to make a live-action version. They decided that the logistics for such a production were insurmountable, however, so they sold the rights to Walt Disney in 1937. Disney loved the book. He was excited to make his first adaptation of a recent work, and had plans to turn the novel into his second feature length animated film. However, he realized … Continue reading →

Disney Channel Friends for Change Games

“High School Musical” star Corbin Bleu at a prior Disney Games event In 2007 and 2008 the Disney Channel’s then-stars such as Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers competed in a series of gladiator-style games for charity. The event was filmed and called the Disney Channel Games. The Orlando Sentinel has the scoop that after a two-year break the games return in 2011, albeit with some changes. This time, in keeping with the theme “Friends for Change” that the Disney Channel’s developed for its Project Green program, the event’s called the Disney Channel Friends for Change Games. Rather than filming … Continue reading →

Conservation at the Animal Kingdom

One of the Animal Kingdom’s bats For all my from-childhood into-adulthood love of the fantasy worlds of Disney, the Animal Kingdom is rapidly becoming my favorite Disney World park. I know I haven’t actually visited Disney World yet, but just based on the things I’m learning about the Animal Kingdom’s dedication to conversation, the environmental and animal activist in me joins with my love of Disney to make me a huge fan of the Animal Kingdom. Recently the official Disney parks blog posted a round-up of all the ways the Animal Kingdom has in the past year promoted conservation, education, … Continue reading →

Disney Scientists Learn the Language of Elephants

I expect a lot of things from Disney, but science isn’t one of them. Well, I should amend that statement. Disney’s known for innovation in artistic fields, and sometimes that bleeds into the sciences with the architectural and other advances made by the Imagineers or at Pixar/the Animation Studio. But I never expect to hear of new scientific discoveries made, and published in professional scientific journals, by Disney employees. That’s just what happened this past year, however, as scientists from Disney’s Animal Kingdom teamed up with Oxford University and the zoological group Save the Elephants to study a herd of … Continue reading →

Miley Cyrus’ New Direction

It’s looking like Miley Cyrus will only be safe for her young fans as long as she’s donning the blonde Hannah Montana wig. While the super-popular Disney Channel show will return this summer, the rest of Cyrus’ material is no longer necessarily suitable for mass consumption by all of her fans. I stumbled across the music video for Miley Cyrus’ latest single “Can’t Be Tamed” on a Washington Post article comparing her career to former Mickey Mouse club starlets Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. A viewing of the video certainly makes it look like Cyrus is eager to follow in … Continue reading →