Category: Disney News

It seems Quentin Tarantino’s anger has not cooled over his public fracas with Disney in December 2015.

The writer-director claims that his recent film ‘The Hateful Eight’ had been scheduled to screen at Hollywood’s illustrious Cinerama Dome cinema at the end of last year.

However, the Dome instead hosted mega-blockbuster ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ at the Dome, and Tarantino – never one to hold his tongue – has claimed this was due to pressure from Disney.

Subsequent reports have claimed Tarantino got his facts wrong, and ‘The Force Awakens’ had always been scheduled to screen at the Dome, but the filmmaker is having none of it.

Tarantino tells the NY Daily News, “They f***ed me over. I would never work (with Disney) in any way, shape or form after what they did to me…

“I made them a lot of money for ‘Pulp Fiction,’ and that really is a bad way to treat a former employee who has worked very well for them.“

Disney owns Miramax, the film label previously run by producers Harvey and Bob Weinstein, for whom Tarantino produced his first four films, including his Oscar-winning 1994 hit ‘Pulp Fiction.’

The producers have subsequently formed The Weinstein Company, for whom Tarantino made ‘The Hateful Eight.’

The filmmaker had previously claimed in an interview with Howard Stern that Disney had pressured Arclight – the cinema chain who own the Cinerama Dome – into dropping ‘The Hateful Eight’ by threatening to pull ‘The Force Awakens’ from its entire chain.

Tarantino also claims had made his 70mm western “for the Dome.”

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Disney has hired writers Tim Rasmussen and Vince Di Meglio for “It’s a Small World,” its movie project based on the theme park ride.

The “It’s a Small World” movie has been in development for the past two years with Jon Turteltaub directing. Jared Stern wrote a treatment.

Producers are Turteltaub and “The Lego Movie” producer Dan Lin. Jonathan Eirich is exec producing.

The ride was created by WED Enterprises and debuted at the New York World’s Fair in 1964, touted as a cutting-edge project at the time for its use of audio-animatronics. It was rebuilt after the fair ended in 1965, installed in Disneyland in Anaheim and now operates as a boat ride in five Disney parks.

“It’s a Small World” features over 300 audio-animatronic dolls from all over the world singing the upbeat title song, which promotes peace and understanding. The song was written by Disney staff songwriters Robert S. Sherman and Richard B. Sherman after Walt Disney had told the brothers to craft a tune that could be easily translated into multiple languages.

Rasmussen and Di Meglio have credits on “License to Wed,” “Marmaduke,” “Meet the Fockers” and “The Girlfriend Equation.” They are repped by UTA and Mosaic.

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Disney announced on Thursday their newest attraction at Disney California Adventure Park “Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters” will open on March 7.

The new attraction will feature “dancing cars” moving on a trackless ride system with their own personality and signature dance moves.

“Each dancing car will have its own high-spirited personality and signature dance moves – making every ride unpredictable, as you won’t know which way they will turn and spin next,” Disney said in a news release. “Luigi will turn the tire storage yard behind his Casa Della Tires into a dance floor. Cars Land guests will be able to ride along with Luigi’s cousins as they move and spin to upbeat Italian music, performing the traditional dances of their hometown village.”

This is the first Disney attraction in the United States with a trackless ride system.

“You’ll see 20 of Luigi’s cousins have come… and they all have their own unique personality,” Jeffrey Shaver-Moskovitz, producer at Walt Disney Imagineering, says in a video released by Disney. “There’ll be five different songs they’ll be dancing along to and each ride is going to be different and unique.”

The ride replaces the now-shuttered Luigi’s Flying Tires, which closed last year.

The Walt Disney Company has a reputation for lobbying hard on copyright issues. The 1998 copyright extension has even been dubbed the “Mickey Mouse Protection Act” by activists like Lawrence Lessig that have worked to reform copyright laws.

This year, the company is turning to its employees to fund some of that battle. Disney CEO Bob Iger has sent a letter to the company’s employees, asking for them to open their hearts—and their wallets—to the company’s political action committee, DisneyPAC.

In the letter, which was provided to Ars by a Disney employee, Iger tells workers about his company’s recent intellectual property victories, including stronger IP protections in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a Supreme Court victory that destroyed Aereo, and continued vigilance about the “state of copyright law in the digital environment.” It also mentions that Disney is seeking an opening to lower the corporate tax rate.

“With the support of the US Government we achieved a win in the Supreme Court against Aereo—an Internet service claiming the right to retransmit our broadcast signals without paying copyright or retransmission consent fees,” writes Iger. “In the coming year, we expect Congress and the Administration to be active on copyright regime issues, efforts to enact legislation to approve and implement the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, tax reform, and more proposals to weaken retransmission consent, to name a few.”

The source who provided the letter to Ars asked to remain anonymous, and they were bothered by the assumption that anyone who worked for Disney would agree with the company’s political positions on tax, trade, intellectual property, and other matters.

“It just seems insensitive to folks that support the company but don’t necessarily support all of its priorities,” the source said. “Especially for something like TPP, which I view as particularly controversial. We do have a company position, but there’s going to be a wide variety of opinion [within the company].”

The letter concludes with a suggested donation to DisneyPAC. Ars is not publishing the suggested amount in case it is personalized to the source’s compensation or position at Disney.

“For your convenience, DisneyPAC has implemented a payroll deduction system, through which your contributions to the PAC will be deducted from your weekly paycheck,” Iger explains.

The source received the letter via business mail and doesn’t know how many other employees received it.

“I don’t know how widely this was distributed,” the source said. “Was it to rank and file folks in [theme] parks, to people working in a popcorn stand?”

Disney didn’t respond to Ars’ requests for comment about the fundraising letter.

Not unusual

Although Iger’s letter was, in the view of this employee, somewhat tone-deaf, such requests are not illegal or even particularly uncommon. In 2012, Reuters reported on Citigroup’s request to its employees to give to Citi PAC, a political entity that “contributes to candidates on both sides of the aisle that support a strong private sector and promote entrepreneurship.”

US corporations are allowed to solicit political contributions as long as donations aren’t coerced. The relevant law bars any “threat of a detrimental job action, the threat of any other financial reprisal, or the threat of force” when asking for donations.

The Disney letter has language explicitly reassuring employees that their jobs won’t be affected by their decision whether or not to give to DisneyPAC.

“Your contribution is important to all of us, but I want to emphasize that all contributions are voluntary and have no impact on your job status, performance review, compensation, or employment,” writes Iger. “Any amount given or the decision not to give will not advantage or disadvantage you.”

Iger’s compensation in the last fiscal year was $45 million (£32 million).

In the 2014 election cycle, the Disney employees’ PAC spent about $375,000, according to OpenSecrets.org. During the current cycle with a presidential election on the way, the company will likely spend more. As of last month, the PAC had raised $295,000 and spent $231,000. The contributions are split roughly evenly between Democrats and Republicans, which is the PAC’s policy according to the CEO’s letter.

According to a MapLight analysis of the data, Disney’s PAC contributed a total of $2.2 million in all election cycles since 2002. That doesn’t include direct employee contributions to candidates, which adds another $1.5 million over the same period.

DisneyPAC fundraising letter to employees

Here’s the verbatim text of most of Iger’s letter to employees:

As we head into the election year of 2016, the electorate faces significant decisions about the direction of our Nation’s future. Besides choosing a new president, we will once again be electing new senators and representatives. These decisions will have a profound impact on the lives of all Americans. The election will also impact issues that affect our company. As such, we will continue to work with our representatives in Congress to ensure that they understand our perspective on critical issues like trade, intellectual property, tax, and travel policies. I write to urge you to consider supporting the Company’s efforts through a contribution to DisneyPAC. A well funded DisneyPAC is an important tool in our efforts to maintain our positive profile in Washington.

In the past year, we successfully advocated the Company’s position on a number of issues that have a significant impact on our business. We played a major role in ensuring that the “Trade Promotion Authority” legislation set high standards for intellectual property (IP) provisions in our trade negotiations, and we helped get that bill through Congress. We used that language in TPA to advocate successfully for a strong IP chapter in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade negotiations. We also pushed for provisions to promote digital trade and to reduce barriers in media and entertainment sectors. TPP will establish a strong baseline of protection for intellectual property while breaking down trade barriers in the Asia Pacific region. In both TPA and TPP we had to overcome significant efforts to weaken respect for IP, pushed not only by foreign governments but also from within our own Congress and the Administration.

The fight on these issues is far from over. Last year we spent significant time and effort engaged in a series of government reviews of the state of copyright law in the digital environment.

We also continued to defend our right to be compensated for carriage of our programming by cable and satellite carriers as well as by emerging “over-the-top” services. With the support of the US Government we achieved a win in the Supreme Court against Aereo—an Internet service claiming the right to retransmit our broadcast signals without paying copyright or retransmission consent fees. With respect to tax issues, Congress extended certain provisions that provide favorable tax treatment for film and television production in the US. It also extended this treatment to live theatrical productions. Last year we also worked closely with the Administration on important veterans employment issues—an issue of critical importance for the men and women who defend our country and an area in which our company is proud to play a leadership role.

In the coming year, we expect Congress and the Administration to be active on copyright regime issues, efforts to enact legislation to approve and implement the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, tax reform, and more proposals to weaken retransmission consent, to name a few.

On the trade front, we will also look to build on our achievements in other negotiations this year. 2016 should see significant activity in negotiations between the US and China over a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT), continued negotiations with the European Union over the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement, the 50-country Trade in Services Agreement negotiations, and efforts by the US Government to raise IP standards and break down trade barriers through a variety of means.

In 2016, Congress will further discuss various tax reform proposals. While comprehensive reform is unlikely, activity in the coming year will lay the foundation for what many expect to be a genuine opportunity for reform in early 2017. We have been active educating Members of Congress on the importance of lowering the corporate tax rate to be competitive with the rest of the world. The US has one of the highest marginal and effective tax rates among developed countries, creating a significant competitive impediment to companies headquartered in the US.

Congress will continue to be very active on intellectual property issues… After three years of hearings and testimony from 100 witnesses, we now expect the House Judiciary Committee to turn to legislating. We expect significant attention on legislation to modernize the Copyright Office, a small agency that can have an enormous impact on our interests.

And the Copyright Office has launched several proceedings involving possible changes to laws governing the accountability of online services and the laws protecting technologies used to secure distribution of digital content. These discussions obviously have significant implications for a business like ours that is dependent on copyright policy in the face of ongoing change in technology and the marketplace.

We will also need to continue our work to fend off growing and concerted efforts to weaken our ability to freely negotiate the distribution of our broadcast and cable programming. Last year, the FCC teed up several rule makings that could have a significant adverse affect on retransmission consent and how we package and sell our media networks. As the debate becomes much more heated, we will need to remain vigilant.

With all of the challenges we will face this year, it is important that our PAC be strong. We, therefore, respectfully suggest that you consider making a contribution of [REDACTED]. You may give more or less than the suggested amount (although no contribution can exceed $5000 in any year) and any contribution will be appreciated. As always, 100% of your contribution is used in direct support of candidates and political entities that uphold policies and principles that are consistent with the best interests of our company. DisneyPAC contributes equally to Democrats and Republicans each calendar year. For your convenience, DisneyPAC has implemented a payroll deduction system, through which your contributions to the PAC will be deducted from your weekly paycheck. If you prefer, you may instead make a one-time personal contribution to the PAC. Your contribution is important to all of us, but I want to emphasize that all contributions are voluntary and have no impact on your job status, performance review, compensation, or employment. Any amount given or the decision not to give will not advantage or disadvantage you. You have the right to refuse to contribute without reprisal. Your help is truly appreciated.

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At a congressional hearing today on the H-1B visa’s impact on high-skilled workers, the first person to testify was Leo Perrero, a former Disney IT worker. He was overcome with emotion for parts of it, pausing to gather himself as he told the story of how he was replaced by a foreign visa holder.

It was a hearing with an emotional punch.

Perrero testified after Immigration Subcommittee Chairman Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) displayed a giant photo of small American flags, which were flown indoors by IT workers at Northeast Utilities (now Eversource Energy).

Eversource Energy IT workers “were forced to train their foreign replacements — and this was done, apparently,” within the current law, said Sessions.

The photo, which was first published in Computerworld, was sent to the committee by a former IT worker at Eversource. The employee was not identified because of legal restrictions in the person’s severance agreement.

The only way the employees “could make a statement was by placing small American flags outside of cubicles,” said Sessions.

As the IT workers were replaced, Sessions reported, the employee said ” ‘the flags disappeared just as we did.’ ”

For his part, Perrero wanted lawmakers to understand how utterly shocked he was. He detailed his good reviews while at Disney. He felt secure in his accomplishments.

An internal meeting was called and Perrero gathered with co-workers, expecting good news of some sort. Instead, they were notified that had 90 days remaining at Disney and would be laid off on Jan. 30, 2015. But before that happened, they would be training their foreign replacements.

Perrero wondered how he would tell his family that “I would soon be living on unemployment.”

Perrero paused. The room was still as the audience waited for him to continue.

“Later that same day I remember very clearly going to the local church pumpkin sale and having to tell the kids that we could not buy any because my job was going over to a foreign worker,” he said.

“How could it be that everybody who hears about Disney and the like … are completely shocked,” said Perrero. “Yet lawmakers continue to evade the topic and take no action.”

One person with a different experience with foreign workers was Mark O’Neill, the CTO of Jackthreads, an online retailer. He argued that there is a need for more skilled workers.

Competition is so fierce for developers “that my developers’ starting salaries have risen by 50% in the last eight years,” said O’Neill, and “senior positions command compensation that meets or exceeds even that of United States Senators.” (That compensation is now at $174,000/year.)

Sessions said he sees “no reason to end this [H-1B] program,” but he wants a system that favors the most highly qualified.

Most of the comments spoke to frustration around the issue. John Miano, a programmer who became an attorney and was representing the Washington Alliance of Technology Workers, illustrated that frustration in a quip. “The only way this is going to get fixed is by executive order from President Trump,” he said.

At the hearing, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), called Eversource Energy’s outsourcing “extraordinarily troubling”; he has asked for a federal investigation.

Sessions is a leading advocate for reform of the H-1B visa. He has influenced the platform of Donald Trump, the billionaire developer who is leading the Republicans for the presidential nomination, and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), another presidential candidate, who has reversed his position on the H-1B visa. Sessions has co-sponsored a reform bill with Cruz.

Cruz, a one-time advocate for expanding the visa cap, now favors raising the minimum wage to $110,000. Trump is seeking to raise the prevailing wage.

The hearing was an opportunity to bring new attention to the issue in an election year.

Academic policy experts spoke on each side of the debate. These were mostly familiar arguments covering heavily researched areas.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), made it clear at the hearing that he was holding out for a comprehensive immigration reform bill, similar to the 2013 bill that was approved by the Senate but not the House.

“It’s hard to believe this bill was turned down,” said Schumer.

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EXCLUSIVE: Director James Mangold has boarded Captain Nemo, an origin story based on Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea that has Sebastian Gutierrez (Hotel Noir and The Eye) working on the latest draft. Mangold is prepping the sequel to the Wolverine film he made with Hugh Jackman but will navigate Captain Nemo down the line. Getting a version of this story to the screen is something Disneyhas wanted to do for a long time, most recently when David Fincher was developing it (including a draft by his Seven scribe Andrew Kevin Walker) before he dropped out to direct Gone Girl.

Disney has been trying to find a compelling way to bring the Jules Verne story of Captain Nemo as he creates his warship Nautilus. The original 1954 Disney film was one of the earliest live-action pictures made by Walt Disney. (Treasure Island was the first, in 1950.) Disney famously bet his studio on a film best remembered for the giant squid scene. It became the second-highest-grossing film that year, won three Oscars and became the basis for a Disney theme park attraction.

Disney and Mangold aren’t the only ones swimming with this subject matter. Bryan Singer recently declared his next directorial outing will be a Fox version of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, after he launchesX-Men: Apocalypse on May 27. Singer has a script by Rick Sordelet & Dan Studney, based on a story by Singer and those writers. Production will begin this fall, but since Disney’s film is a true origin story, it might well be different enough to be made in the future.

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FRANKLIN PARK (KDKA) — A local mom has landed an interesting job for the next year all because she loves Disney World.

You can’t tell from just looking at Erin Karsman, but the mother of three from Franklin Park, is proud to tell you, if you ask: “Yes, I would definitely classify myself as a Disney fanatic.”

She estimates she’s been to Disney World about 20 times. And as you might expect, she has scads of pictures from there with her husband Chase, and daughters Lilly, Claire and Chloe.

So like thousands of other people, she applied to be part of something called the Disney Parks Moms Panel.

“The Disney Parks Moms Panel is an online forum where guests can get tips and insight from the moms, dads and grandparents who are on the panel who are experts at planning Disney vacations,” said Karsman.

After being quizzed over and over on all things Disney, she made the cut, and is now one of 10 new panelists from across the country offering advice to people who write in.

There are 40 panel members in all.

So far, some questions have been broad: “Hey, I’m going to Disney for the first time. I’m so overwhelmed help!”

Others, much more specific: “What’s the size of the Disney photo book you can order?”

Or: “How long is it going to take me to walk to from the park entrance to the Be Our Guest Restaurant?”

As for one of the biggest mistakes people make planning a trip: “Not staying at a Walt Disney World Resort Hotel. I think it’s very important for your very first trip at least.”

She says the complimentary transportation and other perks make it a great deal.

If you’d like to check out the panel, visit:https://disneyparksmomspanel.disney.go.com/

In addition to being a mom, Karsman also teaches part-time at Duquesne University’s Law School.

She doesn’t get a paycheck from the Disney Panel, but she does get a free vacation for her family to Disney World.

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Disney’s next animated movie, “Zootopia,” will be in theaters March 4.

You’ve probably seen the trailers, or at least the one with an overly eager rabbit slowly getting frustrated by the pronounced sluggishness of a sloth at the DMV.

Disney

By the time the film arrives in theaters, there will be countless pieces of merchandise tie-ins from stuffed animals to action figures. Among those toys will be figures of Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps, the two lead characters of the new film, for Disney’s popular video game franchise “Disney Infinity.”

Kirsten Acuna/Tech Insider

Here’s what the finished “Disney Infinity” characters look like for Nick and Judy.

But they didn’t always look this way. It takes a lot of collaboration between the filmmakers and the “Disney Infinity” team, led by vice president of art development Jeff Bunker, to bring them to life.

Bunker, who has been in the video game industry for two decades, has been at the helm of “Infinity” since the toy-to-life game launched back in August 2013. He’s overseen the creation of over 100 Infinity characters ranging from Marvel’s Avengers to Kylo Ren and Rey in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

Work on the “Zootopia” lead characters began over a year ago. Bunker tells Tech Insider the process of bringing them from the big screen to a real-life toy and an in-game character is not as simple as looking at each one and recreating it for the game. Each character adheres to an “Infinity” art style.

DisneyJudy and Nick in a scene from “Zootopia.”

As many as 20 people worked to create both the physical toy figurine and in-game characters for Nick and Judy. Six or seven individuals create concept artwork and sculptures. A team of engineers made up of another four to five people prep the sculptures for manufacturing. While the physical toys are configured, a team consisting of a game designer, animators, and programmers work to implement the animation into the game.

But before any concept art is made for any character, the team starts out doing a lot of research.

“If we’re doing an older vault character — or classic character — we’ll just watch their past film and really get steeped in their personality and understand how they move,” explains Bunker of the research process. “If it’s a new character, we just get as much reference as we can from the filmmakers and talk to them a lot about what their vision is for what the character will be.”

And that’s exactly what the design team did for “Zootopia” working with filmmakers Rich Moore and Byron Howard throughout the entire process.

“We find the most appealing caricature that captures the essence of that character. When we get something that we really like, we send that back to the filmmakers and we get their feedback,” says Bunker. “In a movie like ‘Zootopia’ we haven’t seen that film before because it’s not made yet, so we have to depend on them [the Disney animators] to share with us what the personality is and how that character moves and how that character may pose for the figure. We’re very dependent on them to guide us.”

When they get a look down — Bunker says they can go back and forth awhile going over designs — concept artists start creating 2D concepts of what Nick and Judy will look like. Afterwards, that concept is sent to 3D modelers who sculpt the characters.

Courtesy Disney InfinitySculptures of Judy and Nick shared with Tech Insider. Sketches for the figurines surround them.

Courtesy Disney InfinitySculptures of Judy and Nick shared with Tech Insider.

Disney InfinityA giant Judy sculpture stands in the background.

“When the first iteration is done they hand it back to the 2D artist who will do paint overs and give directions on what might make that look better,” says Bunker. “They just collaborate back and forth until they get a model that they feel very confident in.”

Afterwards, the model is sent to the animators to make sure the character moves in the game the same way it does in the film.

“At that point, that’s when we start working on the poses for the figure,” says Bunker.

They take the animated character — a rig model —and start putting Nick and Judy in different poses which are shared with Byron and Moore to find the right toy pose for each character.

“Our goal is to create a pose that only that character would look right being in,” Bunker says of working with the two. “Once we’ve found that pose we basically have to start the model completely over and we have to sculpt that figure in that pose.”

After all of that is approved, the models are then sent off to the factories which are manufactured and shipped from China.

Here’s a look at both characters through their various stages.

Courtesy Disney InfinityDisney shared the above concept art for Nick (above) and Judy (below) with Tech Insider.

Courtesy Disney Infinity

Bunker says each one of these steps takes about a week, but sometimes they’ll receive feedback and certain steps will take longer than others.

“I don’t resent that time at all,” he says. “That’s what makes the character right. If we’re making the filmmaker happy, then we’re clearly going to make the fans of that character happy.”

Everything doesn’t always go off without a hitch, either. One of the biggest hurdles to overcome while making the “Zootopia” characters was Judy’s rabbit ears.

“The way the plastic is injected into a mold, the mold has to split in two and then the plastic has to be able to pull out of it. At the angle that Judy’s ears were it wasn’t working well pulling it out of the mold,” Bunker explained. “The factory was telling us that we’d have to trim the ears facing straight forward in order to make it work. And we were like ‘Oh man, we can’t do that. It won’t look right.’”

Kirsten Acuna/Tech InsiderIt took a lot of work to get Judy’s ears just right for her “Infinity” character.

In order to make it work they tried several different fixes including trying to make the ears separate from the head before resolving the issue.

“Some of the options were actually cutting her ears off the head and inserting them back,” said Bunker of figuring out the right way to get the Judy toys produced. “We eventually got to a combination of this one plastic with just the right angle of the ears to allow it to pull out. It turned out really good.”

Other subtle details on the characters can easily be missed if you’re just picking one of the figures off a store shelf to buy for a child. The team embossed a Hawaiian print onto Nick’s shirt instead of simply painting it on.

“Typically, toys will do all the detail with deco and with paint, but our style is more geometry based. I really like how that turned out,” he said.

Kirsten Acuna/Tech InsiderThe designs on Nick’s Hawaiian shirt aren’t painted on, they’re embossed.

While the figurines for “Zootopia” are in production, Bunker is also overseeing production on many different characters across live-action films and animated pictures through work with independent game developers like Ninja Theory and Sumo Digital.

“I spent 20 years making virtual characters in games and I just started working on toys in the last three years,” says Bunker. “It’s crazy how I look at toys now. There’s a lot that goes into them.”

Kirsten Acuna/Tech Insider

The Judy and Nick “Disney Infinity” toys will be in stores March 1.

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Never a company to miss a moment for on-point branding, a new Disney solar farm in Florida is shaped like the head of beloved character Mickey Mouse.

The facility was built by Duke Energy Florida, which in May 2015 announced it would be building a large solar farm near the Walt Disney World Resort. In a statement, it said the facility’’s 48,000 solar panels would be arranged in a “Disney-inspired” design — clearly Aladdin, Simba or Mulan lost out and the company went with a classic.

IMAGE: NEARMAP

In images supplied to Mashable by aerial imagery service NearMap, Mickey’s silhouette, formed by three huge circles, is unmistakable.

According to Duke Energy Florida, the 20 acre project will serve the power provider to Walt Disney World, Reedy Creek Improvement District, and will be completed in spring 2016. Too bad you’ll need a helicopter to appreciate it.

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