The Inquisitr » disney

Disney Offers Refunds For Baby Einstein Product Over Concerns Of Efficacy

James Allen Johnson — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:38:13 +0000

If you bought a Baby Einstein DVD between June 5th 2004 and Sept. 4th 2009 you can not receive a full $15.99 refund from Disney for your purchase. The Einstein DVD’s claimed they could make your 3 month to 3 year old children “Geniuses” by watching their videos, claims that research now refutes.

If consumers prefer they can also exchange their DVDs for Baby Einstein books, music or even 25 percent off coupons.

Disney decided to offer the refund now that research has come to light that shows the DVD’s may even be detrimental to developing good learning habits at an early age.

According to TheNewsPK:

An August 2007 the Journal of Pediatrics released a study by researchers at the University of Washington on the effects of television and DVD/video viewing on language development in children under two years of age.

The study’s authors, Drs. Frederick Zimmerman, Dimitri Christakis, and Andrew Meltzoff, concluded that exposure to “baby DVDs/videos” — such as Baby Einstein and Brainy Baby is strongly associated with lower scores on a standard language development test.

The big winner in this recall? The Campaign For A Commercial-Free Childhood, an organization that focuses on parental run and real education over electronic media.

Disney offers refunds to parents for misleading “Baby Einstein” claims

Kim LaCapria — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 18:10:22 +0000

Invested in a bunch of those Baby Einstein DVDs, but wound up with a dopey, drooling baby anyway?

Our bad, says Disney. In response to complaints made by groups who oppose marketing to children (and babies), Disney is now offering refunds to parents based on claims made about the Baby Einstein line that consumer advocacy groups say are baseless. The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood posted a statement on their website, hinting at reluctance from Disney to concede that it may actually be harmful to expose a child under 2 to television:

As a result of our 2006 Federal Trade Commission complaint, Disney stopped claiming that Baby Einstein videos were educational for infants, but the company made no move to compensate parents who purchased them.

We thought parents deserved better. So, with help from CCFC members like you, we kept the pressure on until Disney agreed to reimburse Baby Einstein customers.

The refund offer is a wonderful victory for families and anyone who cares about children. Recent research shows that screen time is not educational for babies. Now parents who purchased Baby Einstein DVDs, mistakenly believing the videos would make their babies smarter, can recoup their money.

Disney finally caved, offering parents first a replacement Baby Einstein product, then a coupon for 25% off a Baby Einstein product, then way below at the bottom, a refund up to $15.99.

To participate, you must have purchased a Baby Einstein DVD between June 5, 2004 and September 4, 2009.

If you are not satisfied with the Baby Einstein DVD you purchased during the period mentioned above, for a limited time beginning on September 4, 2009 and ending on March 4, 2010, you may exchange it for one of the following:

One (1) Baby Einstein Book of your choice

One (1) Baby Einstein music CD of your choice

- Or -

One (1) coupon for 25% off the purchase of one Little Einsteins™ product. Redeemable with promotion code only at DisneyStore.com.

or you may return it, and we will refund the current retail value of the DVD ($15.99).

Comicbook Publishers’ Untapped Market

Kyle Brady — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:59:36 +0000

Imagine, for a moment, that Amazon has announced the next release of their Kindle product: the Kindle DX II (pronounced “dee-ex two”), and while it includes a long list of upgrades and improvements, the single most important development is its ability to display full-color, when necessary, via a dual-mode rendering process.

Continue the imagination process for a moment to understand what new opportunities this would bring: digitized issues of National Geographic, full-color covers for all Kindle edition books, and comicbooks. Wait, what? Comicbooks!?!?

The two largest comicbook enterprises, Marvel (now owned by Disney) and DC, have been experimenting with the digital revolution for their core business, to varied levels of success – Marvel has a “digital comic” subscription, are experimenting with “motion comics”, and even provides some online for free; DC has freely available origin stories for most (all?) of its characters, and provides previews of its upcoming comics (like Blackest Night: Superman #2).

The unsaid assumption throughout all of this, however, is that printed comicbooks will never actually leave this world, because the experience is too unique, and “motion comics” are likely just a supplement or even a novelty. Cue the digital book revolution, stage left.

As e-readers continue to evolve, their core technology will undoubtedly reach a point where they are both feature-rich and cheap enough that it is no longer possible to ignore them – much like the iPod’s entrance a decade ago. Color display options will undoubtedly be a feature of a future release, if only for the added market possibilities and display of illustration, since color eats away at battery life, to to mention unnecessary in black-and-white printed word display.

When e-readers have a color display option, comicbooks will likely become a market that explodes with growth and helps bring the devices to a more visible position in public life – who wouldn’t want their comicbook collection available on the train commute to work, or at school during boring classes? The Kindle’s size and design would lend itself, almost uniquely, to comicbook usage and the actions of comicbook publishers suggest they would embrace the new, untapped market with open arms.

So, Amazon, if you really want to make the Kindle the reading device of the future, you need to target those who will gladly pay to make your dreams happen: nerds.

And nerds love comicbooks.

Kyle Brady is a contributing columnist for the Inquisitr, an entrepreneur, and has a future in science fiction. He can be found at his blog, via email, or on Twitter.

Radio Disney Set To Launch The “Next Big Thing”

AHN — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:50:02 +0000

Miami, FL (CNS) – Radio Disney and the Disney Channel have launched plenty of stars, including tween sensations like Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers. Now, Radio Disney will be giving unsigned artists the chance to become the next big thing themselves.

“Next Big Thing” (N.B.T.) gives young recording artists between 12 and 17 the chance to get some of that synergistic Disney exposure to young fans who will then be able to vote for them by text or online. The winner could have their single featured on an upcoming “Radio Disney Jams” CD from Walt Disney Records.

The five N.B.T. artists will be introduced by Radio Disney listeners beginning Wednesday, September 23rd, including hosting segments of the Top 30 countdown and have their single added to the play list. The artists will also have profiles on the Radio Disney website, as well as a preview of each artist airing on the Disney Channel.

“We’re creating a fully encompassing environment to showcase great new artists on Radio Disney with further exposure on Disney Channel, Disney.com and our N.B.T. mobile website, providing a truly immersive multi-platform experience for kids and families,” said Michael Riley, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Radio Disney.

A preview of the contestants is already available on the Radio Disney website, while one of the artists will soon join staples like Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato on the Radio Disney A-list.

Marvel and Disney Together Is a Bit Weird

Kyle Brady — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:42:58 +0000

By way of introduction, Marvel is now owned by Disney. Yes, as of yesterday, the decades-long king of children’s entertainment, the reinventor of fairy tales, and clearing house for all things Mouse has ownership of one of the leading comic entertainment enterprises that is not necessarily known for being child-friendly.

I find this a bit weird.

Marvel’s cornerstones over the last seven decades have been Spiderman, The X-Men, The Hulk, Captain America, and a handful of other big-name titles, most of which have either already seen the silver screen or are slated to in the coming years. In fact, Marvel proved in 2000 that a comicbook-based movie could be not only highly successful but quality entertainment as well, arguably starting the the modern age of book-to-screen transfers that has produced gems like The Dark Knight along with utter abominations such as Punisher: War Zone.

But for Disney to purchase Marvel is a decision that makes me curious: besides the obvious financial benefits of merging two of the most successful entertainment operations of all time, what motivations could the Head Mousekeeter have? Disney’s productions, like Cinderella, The Lion King, and Bolt, are very different from the graphic and dark nature Marvel usually favors.

To be fair, a few of Disney’s arms produce slightly less G-rated material, such as Pixar’s Wall-E or ABC’s Lost, but even then the themes, or visuals, don’t approach the supreme violence of Wolverine, the adult lifestyle themes of Spiderman, or even the complex continuity of the Marvel Universe. So it makes sense that Disney has announced no intentions, for the foreseeable future, of influencing the production staff of Marvel, or even of disrupting the movies-in-progress.

This is good news, so long as they keep their promises – a cheery, joke-telling, lighthearted Logan would be entirely more disturbing than his modern depressive, angry, violent self. Perhaps Disney is truly interested in simply the financial benefits of owning the massively successful enterprise and will truly leave it to operate on its own, much as they have with Pixar.

Or maybe Disney is curious about turning Marvel’s creative talents inward to their own core cast of characters, in order to produce more adult-themed versions of popular titles.

Now that I can get behind.

Kyle Brady is a contributing columnist for the Inquisitr, an entrepreneur, and has a future in science fiction. He can be found at his blog, via email, or on Twitter.

Fanboys the world over shudder as Disney snaps up Marvel Comics for $4bn

Kim LaCapria — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:29:19 +0000

Spider-man, The X-Men, The Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and Captain America may have some feel good adventures in their futures, as Disney has purchased Marvel Comics.

In a 60/40 cash/stock split, Disney will be acquiring the above characters as well as about 5,000 more. The deal is valued at +30% of Marvel stock, about $50 a share. Marvel shareholders will get $30 a share in cash plus about 0.7 Disney shares for each share of Marvel stock.

The deal sees Disney teamed up with three rival studios, as all existing deals in place with Marvel are not affected.

In a statement, CEOs for Disney and Marvel had this to say:

“We believe that adding Marvel to Disney’s unique portfolio of brands provides significant opportunities for long-term growth and value creation,” Mr. Iger (chief executive of Disney) said in a statement.

Mr. Perlmutter (chief executive of Marvel) said: “Disney is the perfect home for Marvel’s fantastic library of characters given its proven ability to expand content creation and licensing businesses.”

The deal is also expected to boost Disney’s profits in the current rough economic climate and bolster the brand’s foothold in the “boys” demographic. In addition to the great theme park opportunities presented by the union, Disney’s new channel Disney XD, aimed at boys in general as a foil to the Hannah Montana and “princesses” demographic, seems like an excellent place to interpret or revive Marvel characters.

[Source: New York Times]

Epic Mickey: Mickey Mouse as you’ve never seen him before

Chris Greenhough — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 02:55:38 +0000

Want to see what Mickey, Goofy and the rest of the Disney crew look like in your kid’s worst nightmares?

Several conceptual drawings for a new Mickey Mouse game have been dug up by Internet detectives, many of which are decidedly creepy: imagine Disney meets Fallout 3. Think I’m kidding? Then scroll down to see Goofy in zombie form, flesh hanging from his rickety frame as he stumbles about, his eye sockets empty. Or how about Mickey himself, reimagined as some kind of hellish mechanical arachnid? Usually, this is the kind of fanart you’d see at the likes of deviantART, but these sketches appear to be for an actual, real game.

Rumors about a title called Epic Mickey (supposedly overlooked by Warren Spector, designer of the brilliant Deus Ex) first surfaced last year. This art would now appear to confirm the game’s existence. Further validation comes from the personal website of one Tony Pulham, an artist for Spector’s Junction Point studio, who lists the game on his resume as a “Wii Video Game.”

Also worth noting: leaked details have previously revealed that Mickey would go up against “a certain pesky plumber.” Mickey and Mario in the same game? A little bit of history right there, folks.

I’m just amazed Disney is willing to roll with this. You’ve come a long way since Castle of Illusion, mouse.

Check out more awesome concept art (in bigger sizes) here and here.

[NeoGAF and superannuation, via Joystiq]

Disney CEO on crack for suggesting Hulu charge for access

Steven Hodson — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 02:55:00 +0000

With all due respect to people like Svetlana Gladkova over at Profy.com anyone who thinks that at this point in time Hulu should start charging for access to its content should stop what they are doing right now and give themselves a good solid facepalm. Please tell me where it makes sense for anyone to pay extra per month for what they are already paying for in their homes as the majority of people who this idea would effect already have cable television.

Cable TV with exactly the same content as what you find on Hulu with the exception of maybe a few movies that will end up there anyway on some superstation of movie channel – how is this any great improvement. It is especially dumb when you factor in the reality that in the US broadband providers are moving to having download caps against which all this streaming video would count against.

Stupidly Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Bob Iger said at a conference

"There’s plenty of room for people to spend money on things they’re doing online," Iger told a technology conference put on by Fortune magazine.

Source: Yahoo News – Disney CEO: Hulu could charge for content

Sure people are willing to pay for things on the web and yes people are easily conned into believing that maybe paying for Hulu is a good thing but that doesn’t mean that it’s a good idea. I like buying stuff on the web but I can tell you this – even if making Hulu (or a part of it) a pay access service allowed for its content to be shown in Canada I still wouldn’t sign up.

I already pay an outrageous sum for cable TV and Internet access so why am I going to pay again for the same things I’ve already forked money over for – it makes no sense whatsoever. As well the idea that by making Hulu a pay service will open it up to international users – think again. Even though Svetlana might like the idea

Yet revolt or no revolt, I know one category of users (and a very broad one at that) who will only welcome the decision to let them pay for a subscription in exchange for content – if they are granted this opportunity at all. I am obviously talking about international users here. Hulu is only available to the internet users who visit the website from a US IP-address while everyone else will be able to browse the site but will not be able to watch any piece of content at all.

The fact is that it won’t happen because it isn’t something that charging users for will change the current US only service. This is because of international copyrights and broadcast laws – it has nothing to do with throwing money at it. For all we know Hulu would love nothing better that to be able to stream content to Canada or Russia but it isn’t just the US entertainment industry owners of Hulu that are the bottleneck.

For that you have top look at the individual countries. Just as Canada will not allow US television signals to cross the broader and be played on Canadian television they won’t allow video stream to cross those same borders. So we can rant all we want at Hulu and their evil overlords it doesn’t change the fact that if Hulu starts charging for access it won’t make one bit of difference outside of its borders.

How to Tell You’re Having a Lousy Disney Vacation

Guest Poster — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 18:30:16 +0000

Well, it’s vacation time again and that means packing up the kids and heading south to “Disney World”; or, if you are on the West Coast – “Disneyland”; or, if you are reading this in Europe – “Euro Disney.” And, let’s not forget Disney’s latest vacation spot in North Korea – “Run For Your Life World.”

As a frequent visitor to the Disney resorts, I honestly have to say that I have never had a bad experience. (Okay, that time the airlines mistakenly sent my luggage to Bismarck, North Dakota and I was forced to wear Triple X sized Goofy sweatshirts for three days was hardly Disney’s fault.)

Anyone I’ve ever spoken to, who has ever gone on a Disney vacation, is unable to relate a bad experience. So, just how can you know when you’ve gone to the Disney “well” one too many times? Here are ten clues to help you decide for yourself whether or not you are having a lousy Disney vacation.

1. Mickey gives you the finger. (Okay, he only has three fingers, but, still, it’s the middle one.)

2. Your Disney cruise to Nassau comes to a screeching halt when your ship starts sinking after striking a rogue iceberg.

3. Due to new security measures, check in at your Disney resort, includes a full body cavity search performed by a member of The Pirates of the Caribbean.

4. Minnie Mouse has too much to drink on her lunch break and gives your husband a lap dance at the Crystal Palace.

5. Space Mountain is temporarily closed, while the maintenance crew spends the afternoon mopping up various body fluids.

6. You purchase a turkey leg at a kiosk in the Magic Kingdom and the foot is still attached.

7. EPCOT now features the poor, tiny country of West Destitute where, upon entering, you are approached by a horde of six year olds, with head lice, begging for Disney Dollars.

8. During your safari ride in the Animal Kingdom, several members of your party disappear, while crossing “Quicksand Acres.”

9. At the Disney Studios, you discover that the “Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular” has been replaced with the new interactive, puberty feature, “Dora the Explorer Explores Diego.”

10. Upon checking out, you find your rental car has been stripped clean, put up on blocks and the only clue as to who could have done this is a three-fingered, white glove left on the front seat.

Hopefully, none of these things will ever happen to you, because Disney vacations are lots of fun and besides, sometimes they even reward writers, who say nice things about them, by giving them free vacations, or so I’ve heard.

(Carl Megill/ via)

Duck Tales Theme gone horribly wrong

Duncan Riley — Fri, 15 May 2009 07:07:53 +0000

If you’re a Duck Tales fan, you probably shouldn’t watch the latest from College Humor. Given how easy Disney are on the lawyer button, I wonder if they’ll go down the DMCA path?

World first: cut movie footage released for fan mixing under Creative Commons

Duncan Riley — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 10:41:19 +0000

The producers of the Australia film Two Fists One Heart have released footage that didn’t make the final cut under creative commons for anyone to use and mash up as long as they link back to the promotional site for the film.

The release of over 30 minutes of footage, backed by Disney through Beuna Vista International (Australia), is believed to be a world first for a commercially backed movie.

Two Fists, One Heart producer David Elfick took the decision to embrace the web for promotion, and hired the services of Norg Media head Bronwen Clune for the promotion. So far, the online reachout has included a series of viedos on “how to throw a punch” (available naturally at howtothrowapunch.com); if the title hasn’t given it away, the movie in based around boxing.

Norg Media’s Bronwen Clune told The Inquisitr that she wanted to try something more. “I thought we could push the envelope more. It’s not often you get the ear of major film players and personally I have always thought creative commons is an underutilized concept in the film industry. I see this as an opportunity to prove in some way that the web and it’s culture of sharing and share-alike is a good thing for creative industries.”

Bronwen explains: “the producer mentioned that they had a lot of great footage they weren’t able to use in the film – more than usual – and I suggested to him we not let it be wasted and we release it for anyone to mashup and play with. To me, the thought of footage being wasted and unused when someone could make something really creative with it was a real shame. There are so many people out there cutting great videos and posting them on YouTube, but the biggest barrier is often having the footage to play with. This way we could give them something to use – and the footage is what professional editors deal with – and promote the film at the same time – it was a win-win.”

Encouragement to remix the footage is also incentivized. The best 5 scenes will be posted on YouTube by April 20 will be added to Disney’s promotional Two Fists, One Heart site, and will have access to Bill Russo for editing advice and career assistance.

Footage from Two Firsts One Heart is available for download from Cut Your Own Scene.

Disney recycles cartoon scenes: here’s the proof

Duncan Riley — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:00:19 +0000

Ever sit through a Disney movie and think that some parts of it seemed familiar? Well it turns out it’s not all in your head, because Disney recycles cartoon scenes. No the identical shots naturally, but character movement and interaction. Here’s the proof:

Von Braun’s Spaceship from 1952

Duncan Riley — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 07:31:35 +0000

If you know rocket history, you’ll know that Wernher von Braun was the driver behind the US space program, as well as the design and realization of the German V-2 rocket during World War Two.

The following footage was recorded by Disney in 1952, with von Braun discussing a “space rocket.” One for history and space/ rocket fans.

(via)

Jonas Brothers Lovebug Video

Duncan Riley — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 05:15:23 +0000

The video for the Jonas Brothers latest song Lovebug is out, having made its debut on the Disney Channel this week.

Actress Camilla Belle stars in the clip, set in the 1940s that revolves around a young couple who end up at dance where the Jonas Brothers, who play the couple’s friends earlier in the video, are performing.

Saudi Arabian cleric issues fatwa against Mickey Mouse

Duncan Riley — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 05:01:36 +0000

A Saudi Arabian cleric has issued a fatwa against Mickey Mouse, saying the much loved Disney character must die.

Sheikh Muhammad Munajid claimed that Mickey is “one of Satan’s soldiers” and that he makes everything he touches impure.

According to The Telegraph, The cleric, a former diplomat at the Saudi embassy in Washington DC, said that under Sharia, both household mice and their cartoon counterparts must be killed during a religious affairs programme broadcast on al-Majd TV, an Arab television network.

The cleric did admit though that Mickey Mouse did have a bright side, saying that “Mickey Mouse has become an awesome character, even though according to Islamic law, Mickey Mouse should be killed in all cases.”

On Which Side Will Intellectual Property Laws Fall?

Guest Poster — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 03:07:40 +0000

On the one side, we have the incessantly aggressive tactics of the RIAA, and the seemingly endless copyright extensions granted by U.S. lawmakers. On the other side, we have those defending Fair Use, like the EFF. The U.S. is obviously at a tipping point for intellectual property law. Which side will prevail?

Jeff Nolan at Venture Chronicles notes the inconsistencies; a judge refused to dismiss the case against Universal that claims the company issued an improper DMCA claim for a video of a toddler dancing to a Prince song at the same time that companies like DirecTV are adding DRM to lock programming down to a single box for viewing.

As more and more individuals start to fight back against some of the Draconian enforcement of intellectual property laws, however, Fair Use and public domain may win in the end. A small discovery noted nine years ago by a disgruntled former Disney employee may put an end to the endless copyright extensions driven by the Walt Disney Company’s protection of Mickey Mouse’s copyright. While only the older “Steamboat Willie” version of Mickey Mouse would enter the public domain if the evidence shows that Disney’s ownership of the copyright is questionable, it would still be a symbolic victory for a country whose intellectual property laws are some of the most convoluted in the world.

Fandango Acquires Disney’s Movies.com

JR — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:42:13 +0000

Comcast-owned entertainment service Fandango has bought Movies.com from Disney. The acquisition gives the sites a combined estimated 9 million monthly visitors, according to Nielsen NetRatings.

Fandango offers ticket purchases from 15,000 theaters across the U.S., while Movies.com focuses more on content: reviews, DVD release information, etc. Fandango has already expanded its ticket sale service to Movies.com as of today.

Disney says no layoffs will result from the sale. The exact terms of the deal, however, are not being released.

No related posts.

Disney Offers Free Movie Streaming

JR — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 22:07:28 +0000

Disney’s doling out some of its most beloved movies for free.

The company will start airing flicks on the ABC network Saturday nights, then putting the full-length features on Disney.com’s “Wonderful World of Disney” section for the following week. It’ll happen all summer.

“Finding Nemo,” “Monsters, Inc.,” and “Freaky Friday” are already on the line-up. Expect to see plenty of magically inserted mid-movie ads.