Archive for the ‘Disney Corporate’ Category

Disney/Lucasfilm update

Tuesday, October 30th, 2012

Additional information has been made available about Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm. Now that Lucasfilm is a Disney subsidiary, Disney is able to confirm the following as currently in development:

  • The 2015 release of Star Wars Episode VII: Enter the Hutt
  • An American Grafitti overlay of Autopia
  • More emphasis on Howard the Duck in Toontown
  • Tarzan’s Treehouse being replaced by the Kashyyyk Wookie Treehouse
  • Construction of Hong Kong Disneyland’s Fantasyland Labyrinth Labyrinth
  • Replacement of Disney Animal Kingdom’s previously planned Avatar Land with Willow Land
  • Addition of Coruscant to Epcot’s World Showcase
  • Princess Leia to officially become a Disney princess
  • More adventures involving cuddly sidekicks in Star Wars: The Clone Wars
  • The Star Wars Holiday Special joining Song of the South in Disney’s “Vault of Things Nobody Will Ever See Again”

Disney buys Lucasfilm

Tuesday, October 30th, 2012

Today, Disney announced that it has purchased Lucasfilm. Details are still coming in, but a correspondent with the mail room of a legal company that has heard of this issue tells us with some authority that, “This means that Disney will have the full rights to both the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, so they will not have to rip out the attractions based on those properties when their ill-conceived 30-year lease expires in a few years. Disney had already purchased Pixar to settle issues with Bugs Land in California Adventure, and Marvel so that they would not lose the rights to Universal Islands of Adventure, which someone at Disney mistakenly thought the company owned. Now all that remains is for them to purchase the MGM film library, the Aerosmith music catalog, and Rod Serling Enterprises, and they will finally have the ability to keep all of the attractions in all of their theme parks (particularly Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida) open indefinitely.”

Google and Disney

Wednesday, July 27th, 2011

Although some have reacted with surprise at the joint venture between Google and Disney (which we announced yesterday), those who have been keeping a sharp eye on the situation could see it coming. Said an anonymous forum troll speaking with an air of authority, “It’s all so obvious. Just go to Google and search for ‘Disney’ — you get like three-quarters of a billion hits. You think that just happens? Yeah, right. It’s corporate cash flow and paid ad placement all the way, baby.”

Spider-man to join Disney board of directors

Monday, August 31st, 2009

It was announced early today that, under terms of the purchase of Marvel by the Walt Disney Corporation, Marvel spokesperson and masked vigilante Spider-man would become a member of the Disney board of directors.

“He will not be a voting member, but will be present in an advisory capacity,” said a clone of late Marvel spokesperson Gwen Stacy. “And he will be ready to lend a hand if there is an attack by Mysterio, Captain Dreamworks, or any other masked villain.”

Peter Parker, a local freelance news photographer, commented, “Although Spider-man and I have never been seen together, I have photographed him many times and am pleased to hear that he will become a valuable part of the Disney team. Perhaps now they can get rid of that incredibly lame Spider-man imitator that hangs out at Universal and isn’t nearly as handsome or limber as I — I mean, Spider-man — is.”

Comic book fan reaction has been mixed. Said Larry Clark, manager of Realm of the Mega Comics and Collectibles Kingdom, “I’m reserving judgment. So many times in the past, there have been changes like this, but they never last. Spider-man gets a new costume, or new powers, or is married, or opens a chain of restaurants, and it seems like things are going to be cool and different, and then you get some stupid excuse for putting everything back like it was.”

In related news, Toon Town welcoms its new chief of law enforcement, Spider-ham.

Cheetah Cheated?

Tuesday, February 19th, 2008

Deborah Gregory, the author of the “Cheetah Girls” books, claims that Disney has not lived up to its part of the contract signed when she gave the studio the rights to her books. “When they said that they were buying all rights in perpetuity for $14.95, I thought they were kidding,” says Gregory. “Also, I should have looked up what ‘perpetuity’ means.”

Gregory is also irritated that Disney has strayed from the original tone and content of her novels, which are about a clique of teenage lycanthropic girls who date cute guys and then turn into ravenous jungle cats and eat them.

A Billion Oahu Bucks!

Tuesday, November 20th, 2007

Disney has announced that it will be spending some $1 billion on a new resort in Oahu — more than ten times what this Hawaiian island brings in each year in revenue from its two biggest industries, pineapple and corporate luaus. The resort, as yet unnamed, will have a Tiki Room theme, and every stateroom will sport beds with hand-carved chanting bedposts.

A large portion of the expense will be invested in relocating all native wildlife from the resort grounds to make way for animatronic creatures. Said a Disney spokesperson, “If it moves, you’ll be able to talk to it. If it’s got legs or wings, it’ll also have a song in its heart and some kind of funny foreign-sounding accent.”

Don’t Cry for the Mouse, Argentina

Friday, November 9th, 2007

Disney is going to sue “wealthy maniac” Emile Maxim St. Patrick Higgins who recently announced that he and Disney will be partnering to create Disneyland Argentina, a theme park in the Disneyland tradition but with special Argentinean touches (Pirates of the Falkland Islands, Evitaland, etc.). Apparently, Disney is displeased with the announcement in that there is no “truth” in it at all.

On the other hand, rumors of a new park being built in Russia have been confirmed — Krasnoyarsk Disneylancovich will open in 2012. It is expected to particularly popular with those who remember the former Soviet Union, since they are already acclimated to standing in long lines.

Breaking news: Disney has announced that it is putting on hold the ground-breaking ceremony for Walt Disney World Pakistan.

Up in Smoke

Thursday, July 26th, 2007

On Wednesday, Disney Chief Executive Robert “Bob Iger” Iger announced that the company would no longer release Disney-branded films in which smoking was depicted, and that any future DVD rereleases would be edited to eliminate smoking references and images.

This surprise announcement impacts a number of upcoming projects. For example, the animated remake of classic action film “Smokey and the Bandit” and Pixar’s “Nicotina” have both been canceled. Work is underway on a rerelease of “One Hundred and One Dalmatians” in which Cruella De Vil’s signature cigarette holder has been replaced by a ballpark-style hot dog. Disney corporate history is also being rewritten to depict Walt Disney as having died from a stroke instead of cigarette-related cancer.

Although smoking is banned in Disney-branded films, young fans will be pleased to learn that dogs peeing on people and tasteless jokes about bodily functions are still fair game.

Harry Potter Book Spoiler

Monday, July 23rd, 2007

The Walt Disney Company, bitter that it was not able to sign a contract for the building of Harry Potter-themed attractions, had this to say upon the release of the final book in the Potter series: "Harry dies."

A Wild Investment

Tuesday, March 13th, 2007

The Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund has announced the purchase (along with two partners) of some 3,000 acres of land in Brazil. This land is the habitat of the endangered Lear’s macaw, so named for its large eyes and habit of staring at female macaws with its tongue hanging out of its mouth. The land was purchased both for the preservation of the macaw’s habitat and for the construction of Club Macaw, and extensive dining, dancing, and theme park experience planned to encircle the 1,000 acres that will be left undeveloped.