Search Results for: blog the disney institute

Disney’s Recent Racial Controversies

Disney might be considered a family-friendly company, but that doesn’t mean it’s free from all controversy.  When it comes to its own properties, Disney is far from perfect, and there have been some big examples in the past year. The first has to do with “Princess Sofia,” and it’s not over whether or not she’s teaching princess obsession to toddlers.  I didn’t comment on the story for a while because the details kept changing, but things have seemed to settle down.  In the fall, promotional images of the film were released.  They revealed that Sofia’s mother had darker skin, eyes, … Continue reading →

Disney Ditches Junk Food

The House of Mouse is going healthy… what’s a parent to do? Now where I am going to find out which toys are being featured in McDonald’s Happy Meals? Apparently, not the the Disney Channel. Newsflash: Walt Disney is banning all junk food ads on programs that target children. According to reports, Disney has become the first major media company to nix ads for unhealthy food and beverages on Disney XD and during Saturday morning programs on Disney-owned ABC television stations. The company’s push to support nutritional options for kids will also be implemented on Disney Channel and Disney Junior, … Continue reading →

Honoring Alice Davis: Legendary Disney Costume Designer

Costumes designed by Alice Davis This year I missed out on my annual tradition of profiling important women in Disney history for Women’s History Month. My March was very busy this year so I just didn’t have time to do the necessary research. Luckily, the perfect profile has fallen into my lap. This month costume designer Alice Davis was honored on Disneyland’s Main Street, USA, as a new window in her honor was unveiled. Alice Davis isn’t a name you’ll hear much when talking about the movies; she only had involvement in a couple, including, “Sleeping Beauty.” Her stamp is … Continue reading →

The Surprisingly Strict Disney Dress Code

Is Pluto properly groomed? Just about everyone has a dress code at work. Some are more lax than others, but few work places don’t have any requirements for dress or grooming. One of the few establishments I’d think of that wouldn’t have much in the way of a dress code would be an amusement park. I picture teenagers in t-shirts, baseball caps, and torn jeans when I think of amusement park employees. But the Disney Parks, as they are for many things, are an exception. The Disney Parks follow a dress code that originated in the 1950s. Its rules are … Continue reading →

One More Day at Disneyland Too

When I wrote about One More Disney Day I made an oversight: I didn’t check to see if the event was exclusive to Disney World or if it’s happening at Disneyland as well. My article on the subject only mentions the Orlando park. Thanks to The Orange County Register I’ve found out that Disneyland is also celebrating Leap Year by keeping its gates open for a full 24 hours. In fact, the event is going to be basically the same as in Orlando: the fun starts at 6 a.m. on the 29th and will continue to that same early hour … Continue reading →

One More Disney Day Leap Year Extravaganza

It’s every kid’s dream: getting locked into Disney World overnight. While other Disney events have come close, notably Senior Trips/Grad Nites and New Year’s Eve parties, no one’s ever been allowed in a Disney Park in the middle of the night before. Or at least, a park has never been open to guests for a full 24 hours before. But now, both Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom will be. One More Disney Day is how the Disney Parks have chosen to honor Leap Year. It’s an event that only comes around every four years, so execs wanted to celebrate it … Continue reading →

The NFL Goes to the Disney Institute

It’s not been a good year for the National Football League. I don’t follow the sport at all, but even I know they faced a players’ strike just before the 2011 season was supposed to launch, and that anything to do with the Super Bowl, besides the football itself, has been under fire recently. Who do you call when you want to revamp your image and better organize events for giant crowds? Disney, apparently. USA Today reports that the NFL has signed up for some training with the Disney Institute. If you don’t remember, the Disney Institute is part of … Continue reading →

Disney Receives Jane Goodall Leadership Award

In late September the Walt Disney Company received what I would consider one of the highest possible honors: the Jane Goodall Institute Global Leadership Award. This might not be a trophy for anything related to movies, and I’ve always said I wish that the company’s main focus was movies, but like it or not Disney’s a global conglomerate now. If they must be so, then at least they’re the type getting one of the top tributes a big company can get. The Jane Goodall Institute Global Leadership Awards are given out to people and companies whom the Institute, including its … Continue reading →

Mary Blair’s Disney Legacy

Last year for Women’s History Month I introduced the women of the Pen and Ink Department in the Golden Era of Walt Disney Animation. Today, on the 100th anniversary of Women’s History Day, his year I want to take a look at a woman who stands out in the following generation of Disney work in the 1940s. One of the most notable of these female Disney animation trailblazers is Mary Blair. Inducted into the Disney Legends Hall in 1991, Mary Blair revolutionized the artistry of the Disney Company. Her biography on the Legends website has the scoop on Mary Blair’s … Continue reading →

Disney a Most Trusted Company

Last week I mentioned that Forbes Magazine named the Walt Disney Corporation as the world’s third most trusted company. I promised I’d elucidate the idea further. The parameters of the study, which was actually carried out by the Reputation Institute (a company which “helps corporate clients manage their images”), declared these companies the ones that “consumers like, trust, and respect the most.” Disney, following Google and Sony, earned a global reputation score of 77.97. Unfortunately the study doesn’t specify what that’s out of; I’m assuming out of 100 but list topper Google only ranked a 78.62 so it might be … Continue reading →