Marvel Studios Pumps the Brakes on The Runaways

Deadline.com:

Marvel simply has too much going on at the moment and will take its time on the live action adaptation of the comic hatched by Lost writer Brian K. Vaughan... Director Peter Sollett, who signed up with the idea this would be his followup to Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist, is still attached but has been invited to take another film first.

The film was scheduled to go into production early next year.

John Lasseter Officially Director of Cars 2, Brad Lewis Now Co-Director

Co-Director was the title bestowed on Jan Pinkava after he was removed from Ratatouille.

It's basically a "thanks for your hard work, but we'll take it from here" sort of thing.

First Cars 2 Teaser

Can't be worse than the first.

Confirmed: Brenda Chapman No Longer Director Pixar's Brave

The New York Times confirms, but they report that she remains on staff at Pixar.

I wonder if it's another situation like Jan Pinkava; after being replaced as the director of Ratatouille he took on lesser responsibilities at Pixar and shortly left the company.

I don't have any inside information but it wouldn't surprise me if Ms. Chapman moved on shortly.

Disney and More: Walt Disney, Wernher von Braun and the Space Program

Alain from Disney and More with another fascinating article on a relatively unexplored moment in Disney history.

Carousel of Progress Like You've Never Seen It

More behind-the-scenes pictures from Imagineering Disney, this time from the Carousel of Progress at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World.

Some pretty great pictures of animatronics up close. Cat nip for geeks like me.

One of my favorite bits:

The printed paper props (newspapers, calendar, etc.) are made up of stacks of the exact same print. If the top print wares out or goes missing, the subsequent layers of paper are identical.

Al Lutz: Horsing Around

A new update from the grandfather of internet Disneyland rumormongering.

Neither the Tomorrowland nor the Frontierland expansions are anywhere near moving forward. Mr. Lutz focuses on some of the developments being explored for Frontierland but it wouldn't surprise me if there's some action in Tomorrowland first.

There is a Tron attraction being developed for Disneyland that some folks are quite bullish on. If the film is a big hit this December, the project is guaranteed to gather more steam.

The problem with all of this is that TDA isn't looking to move forward on any major projects in Disneyland Park until after Cars Land is completed in 2012. A lot can change in eighteen months. There are no solid plans right now and many options are being developed and explored.

Cartoon Brew: Brenda Chapman No Longer Directing Pixar's Brave?

Brave has had a somewhat troubled development, so this isn't that surprising.

Cartoon Brew:

Crazy rumors floating into our offices this afternoon from reliable sources. We hear that Brenda Chapman, the first woman director at Pixar, has left the studio and is no longer directing Brave (previously titled The Bear and the Bow). We hear that she was pushed aside from full directing duties a while back, and that story artist Mark Andrews (who also co-directed the Pixar short One Man Band) has taken over directorial duties. We understand that the change officially happened last week, although it had been inevitable for some time.

As mentioned in the article, directors being replaced on animated films is a fairly common occurrence. But this is particularly noteworthy because Brave was to be the first Pixar film directed by a woman.

Iron Man 3 To Be Released 03 May 2013

Speaking of Iron Man 3, Marvel just announced the film will be released 03 May 2013.

No word on a director.

Shanghai Disneyland Construction to Begin in November?

Translated from Cantonese. Take it with a grain of salt.

Disney Buys-Out Paramount's Marvel Contract, Will Release Avengers & Iron Man 3

Disney will pay $115 million to Paramount but avoids having to work with a rival studio to launch major tentpoles. Paramount is still promoting and releasing Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger next summer.

Deadline.com

Paramount had been earning an 8% distribution fee on the Marvel titles like Iron Man. Paramount also put up P&A and got reimbursed over time. The $115 million will be paid in two installments--half when Iron Man 3 is released and the other half when The Avengers is released. One will be released May, 2012 and the other a year later. If those movies perform more strongly than expected, Paramount will earn more than $115 million. I'm told that the studio is actually getting 9% on that third Iron Man movie, a reward for launching one of Hollywood's most valuable franchises.

WDW Cast Members Vote Down Proposed Contract

Orlando Sentinel:

The proposed contract would have guaranteed a one-time $550 bonus plus three 3 percent raises during the course of the 42-month contract for full-time workers not already at the top of their pay scale.

If you are a full-time Cast Member in a front-lines job like merchandise or attractions, and you are at the top of your pay scale, you are bringing in at most ~$25,000 a year. You would not be eligible for the proposed raises.

Lost Disney Laugh-O-Grams at Museum of Modern Art

Cartoon Brew:

Cole Johnson located Goldie Locks and The Three Bears at MoMA under a 1929 sound reissue title “The Peroxide Kid” and Gerstein recently identified the lost Jack The Giant Killer, which the Museum had under the name “The K-O Kid”.

In addition to the two new discoveries, newly preserved and restored prints of Little Red Riding Hood, Puss In Boots and The Four Musicians Of Bremen will be screened at MoMA along with Disney’s original 1921 Laugh-O-Gram sample reel and several Ub Iwerks cartoons – Flip the Frog in Techno-Cracked (1933) and the ComicColor Don Quixote (1934).

For Disney enthusiasts, this is a huge find.

This means that all seven 1922 Disney Laugh-O-Grams fairy tales – Holy Grails to Disney historians – are now known to exist.

The Telegraph Interviews Euro Disney Chief Philippe Gas

Some highlights:

“We still have 26 years of payments, but I don’t think it matters to have everything paid off. I think you want to be able to look at the sustained profitability – for me, this is the goal.”

Euro Disney plans to be debt free in 2036 but they will pay down 25% of the current debt by 2013.

High on Mr Gas’s agenda are the development of the Disney Studios, where he plans more attractions and restaurants with the intention of turning it into a “one-day experience”. New Disney characters he is keen to feature at the park include Disney’s Cars and Ratatouille.

“Ratatouille is perfect, as it is set in Paris,” he said, pointing to a large wall poster of the film in his office.

Wink.

Pirates of the Caribbean Video Game Scheduled for 2011 Cancelled; Developer Hit With Layoffs

Bold moves by the new management team at Disney Interactive.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned was in development at Propaganda Games. The entire team working on the game has been laid off.

You can watch a trailer released last June for the now-cancelled game here.

WDWMagic.com: Panoramic Photo of Fantasyland Construction Work

Massive.

That's the Little Mermaid show building rising back on the right by the indestructible Toontown Fair tents. The Beast's castle and the Be Our Guest restaurant are rising on the left.

The plans have been significantly improved since the original "color with the Princesses" announcement, but it's still no Harry Potter-killer.

(56k internet connections will weep.)

Disney and More: Disneyland Paris - The 20th Anniversary Projects

Updated effects for Big Thunder Mountain, finally adding the movie tie-in to Pirates of the Caribbean and updated effects (and story changes?) for Phantom Manor.

And if I were a betting man, I'd put money on Star Tours 2.

On the Set of Star Tours 2 With C-3PO

New post from Imagineer Tom Fitzgerald on the official Disney Parks Blog.

Al Lutz on Cars Land Master Planning

Over at MiceAge, Al Lutz gives a detailed rundown of the shops and restaurants coming to Cars Land. A few of the finer points are still in flux, but for the most part you can count on what he details.

But what I found the most informative was what he has to say about master planning the mix of offerings in the new land:

The huge mistake that DCA's original planners and executives made (most of whom have since left Disney and are not on the invite list for any of the DCA grand opening ceremonies in 2011 and 2012) back when the park was in final design and construction in 1998-2001 are still fresh in people's minds. After TDA took a second look at the plans, WDI purposely scaled back the dining and merchandise from Phase One of Cars Land. Sarge's Surplus Hut, for instance, will sit empty on opening day, and the walkways leading in and out of Cars Land are designed to lead to future park expansion pads.

There's a lot more and it's well worth reading.

Meet the People Behind the Pixels

Not your typical behind-the-scenes look at the making of Tangled. Made by the animation department for the animation department.

Seems like a fun place to work.