In Disney News...

It's been a while since the last Disney News roundup, so there's lots to catch up on!

...Pixar deserves some sort of prize for sheer genius publicizing the upcoming MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (2013): They've created a full-scale university website with features familiar to any prospective or current college students. There's even an operational college store selling school spirit items such as t-shirts and caps. Meanwhile, the original MONSTERS, INC. (2001) will be in theaters in 3D on December 19th; the trailer is here.

...There are two new books coming from Disney historian J.B. Kaufman: THE FAIREST ONE OF ALL: THE MAKING OF WALT DISNEY'S SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS, an expensive coffee table book, and the more affordable SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS: THE ART AND CREATION OF WALT DISNEY'S CLASSIC FILM. They'll both be out October 16th. Kaufman's previous Disney histories include the excellent SOUTH OF THE BORDER WITH DISNEY: WALT DISNEY AND THE GOOD NEIGHBOR PROGRAM, 1941-1948.

...I love the photos at Andreas Deja's blog of animator Marc Davis with Mary Costa, the voice of Sleeping Beauty, and Ilene Woods, the voice of Cinderella.

...Disney World's New Fantasyland will open December 6th. They've recently started doing soft openings and previews. The Disney Food Blog, for example, previews the new Be Our Guest restaurant.

...D23 has an informational video on one of my favorite spots at Walt Disney World, the Wilderness Lodge. I love the Electrical Water Pageant. I wanna go back...!

...New book coming in May 2013: FULL STEAM AHEAD! THE LIFE AND ART OF WARD KIMBALL by Amid Amidi.

...Disney fans might also enjoy the new A MARY BLAIR TREASURY OF GOLDEN BOOKS, featuring children's books illustrated by the famed Disney artist.

...For those who missed it, the big red, green, and white balls recently disappeared from Luigi's Flying Tires in Cars Land.

...The Walt Disney Company recently started a blog, the Disney Post. I've added it to the Disney links blogrolled in the lefthand column.

...Coming from DisneyNature in the spring of 2014: BEARS (2014).

...The Disney Food Blog takes a closeup look at the model of Rock Candy Mountain on Buena Vista Street in California Adventure, inspired by the design of legendary Imagineer Claude Coats.

...I had no idea, until I saw a story on the Disney Parks Blog, that the "Voice of Disneyland," Bill Rogers, is married to Camille Dixon, whose voice can be heard at California Adventure.

...Disneyland has expanded the Candlelight Procession from a weekend with two performances to an unheard-of 20 performances. I'm a bit baffled by the extreme change and will be curious how it goes.

...Glenn Erickson reviews the Diamond Blu-ray edition of CINDERELLA (1950) at DVD Savant.

...Have you seen the new Pixar short PAURTYSAURUS REX (2012) yet? It's available online at First Showing.

...The Buena Vista Bugle newspaper in Cars Land has been such a success that publication has been extended at least through a Christmas edition.

...A month ago the beautiful period-decorated windows along Buena Vista Street were bizarrely flooded, and then some, with merchandise. Fortunately it's been pulled back to some extent, but one has to wonder what those responsible were and are thinking.

...Notable Passing: Jeanette Thomas, the widow of famed Disney animator Frank Thomas, has passed on at the age of 91. The Thomases were married for 58 years and had four children. Mrs. Thomas was an expert on the Gamble House in Pasadena and wrote the book IMAGES OF THE GAMBLE HOUSE: MASTERWORK OF GREENE & GREENE.

...Another Notable Passing: Jeffrey Stone, a model for Prince Charming in CINDERELLA (1950), passed away in late August. He also did voice work on the film.

...Although I wasn't able to play this time around, my children participated in the MouseAdventure: Road Trip game in California Adventure a couple weeks ago, and I'm proud to say that their team, Skippers in De Nile, placed 65th out of roughly 190 teams.

...For more recent Disney links, please visit the August roundup. For anyone who missed them, in August I also posted reports on my visits to Destination D: 75 Years of Animation at the Disneyland Hotel, CINDERELLA (1950) at Hollywood's El Capitan Theatre, and the Crowning Achievements exhibit at the Disney Gallery in Disneyland.