In Disney News...

It's time for a Disney news roundup!

...The Fall 2014 issue of Disney Twenty-three magazine is now available. Article topics include the new Ratatouille ride at Disneyland Paris, the art of 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA (1954), and a look at a Disney Archives exhibit touring Japan.

...DVR Alert: ABC is airing a special, THE STORY OF FROZEN: MAKING A DISNEY ANIMATED CLASSIC, on September 2nd.

...Disney has applied for patents for drones it envisions using as part of a fireworks spectacular at Disneyland.

...Earlier this year Oswald the Lucky Rabbit began greeting guests at Tokyo DisneySea. As I commented at that time, "Oswald belongs at Oswald's Gas Station on Buena Vista Street in Disney California Adventure." Fantastic news from MiceAge: Oswald will be on Buena Vista Street beginning September 14th! For those who aren't yet familiar with Oswald, he was created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks for Universal Studios. When Disney quit his job with Universal -- after which he promptly created Mickey Mouse -- he lost the rights to Oswald. Disney regained the Oswald rights in 2006 in a unique trade for sportscaster Al Michaels.

...MiceAge also reports that the Fantasy in the Sky fireworks, last seen in Disneyland in 1999, will return to the park after the holidays, running until the 60th Anniversary fireworks show begins later in 2015.

...The dates for the 2015 D23 Expo have been announced. It will be held August 14-16, 2015, at the Anaheim Convention Center.

...Matt Ouimet, who was very respected when he ran Disneyland, is now the CEO of Cedar Fair, the company that owns Knott's Berry Farm. He was recently interviewed by Jim Hill.

...If you can't find pre-order pages for Disney DVDs on Amazon at present, there's a reason: Amazon and Disney are in the midst of a pricing dispute and Amazon has apparently removed the pages until the dispute is resolved. Films already in release may still be ordered.

...I love this poster for the upcoming Pixar short LAVA (2015).

...Pixar is said to have made extensive changes to the upcoming film THE GOOD DINOSAUR (2015).

...There's terrific new Cars Land merchandise at Disney California Adventure.

...Eye candy: Here's a whole lotta covers of Disney film art books.

...The Disney Insider shared Mary Blair concept art for ALICE IN WONDERLAND (1951), and Eat Drink Films has even more on Mary.

...MALEFICENT (2014) comes to DVD and Blu-ray November 4, 2014.

...There was recently an interesting rumor that Disney intends to release the original theatrical versions of the original STAR WARS trilogy to Blu-ray. It has not yet been confirmed.

...Kevin Costner's Disney sports film McFARLAND USA (2015) has been moved from a November 2014 opening to February 20, 2015. Speculation is it's to keep it from being trounced by the new HUNGER GAMES movie.

...When James Garner passed away this summer, the Disney Parks Blog reminisced about his visits to the Disneyland Resort.

...PBS has announced that a four-hour documentary on Walt Disney will air in the fall of 2015 on AMERICAN EXPERIENCE.

...The next Throwback Thursday event at Disney's El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood will be a screening of THE PARENT TRAP (1961) on October 9, 2014. (I won't be able to attend as I'll be at the Lone Pine Film Festival.) Ticket information is here. The reduced $10 ticket price for Throwback Thursday screenings includes popcorn and a Coke.

...I'm very excited that the El Capitan also announced that they will show SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON (1960) in a Throwback Thursday screening on December 11th. That's on my calendar to attend! I have fond memories of seeing it in a theater when Disney reissued it when I was a child. (Based on the reissue dates listed here I'm guessing I saw it in 1972.)

...A FROZEN (2013) Sing-A-Long plays at the El Capitan through September 7th, followed by the return of TANGLED (2010) from September 12th through October 8th. Kristen Bell, the voice of FROZEN's Anna, recently surprised the audience at an El Capitan screening.

...A FROZEN Sing-Along DVD is due out November 18th.

...Here are some of the latest park photos posted in the Dateline Disneyland column at MiceChat. Dateline Disney also has photos of the new Haunted Mansion 45th Anniversary exhibit at Disneyland, Ghostly Materials.

...And please visit my photo post from this year's Labor Day weekend visit to Disneyland!

...The next MouseAdventure game, titled Sugar Rush, is scheduled for Sunday, October 26, 2014, at Disneyland.

For more recent Disney links, please visit the Disney News post for July.