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Category Archives: News
Disney Monorail 911 Calls Released
The 911 calls were released from early Sunday when a power failure trapped 300 Disney monorail passengers for three hours.
It began around 1 a.m. Sunday when a computer hard drive failure stalled the monorail system, which left passengers stranded without lights or air conditioning until the problem was fixed about three hours later.
Listen to the 911 Calls Now (mp3)
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Disney Channel to Air For Free in Middle East
Disney programming and movies will be available for free in the Middle East following a new deal between Disney’s parent company News Corporation and the Saudi Rotana Media Group.
Disney movies and programs will be available to Middle East viewers on the Fox Movies and Fox Series channels through a deal between Fox and Rotana, the Saudi satellite and media company which carries the two Fox channels.
Both Fox and Disney are owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation. The owner of Rotana, Saudi Price Alwaleed Bin Talal, holds a major stake in News Corporation.
“If News Corporation wants to get a foot in the Middle East market this is definitely a very sound acquisition for them,†Saudi Businessman Ahmed Egel told The Media Line. “From Rotana’s side this makes a lot of sense because it provides them with content, which is what all free to air networks want because through content they can increase their viewer base and therefore increase their advertising revenue.â€
In September 2009 there were rumors that News Corporation planned to buy a 20 percent stake in Rotana but according to recent reports in local media the deal will be for only 10 percent.
In addition to its satellite network, the Rotana Group also includes a magazine, seven music channels and a record label with over 100 artists under contract.
According to Rotana the company controls 20 percent of the market in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, considered to be the most important markets in the Arab world. The company hopes the new deal will bring that figure up to 30 percent.
Based in Saudi Arabia, a country where public cinema is forbidden, Rotana also owns a film production company and is the sponsor of a local film festival. The company is owned by Prince Bin Talal, the nephew of the Saudi king, who has an estimated net worth of $13.3 billion.
While Al-Jazeera might be the most well known Arab satellite channel, the region is awash with stations.
Lebanon’s LBC station recently got into trouble in Saudi Arabian after it aired a television show in which a Saudi man bragged about his sexual experiences.
The recently established Ana TV in Egypt, aimed at creating a new perspective within the growing Islamic media throughout the Muslim world, is also set to be a major player.
Sylvania Sponsors Disney’s ‘Small World’
Sylvania is sponsoring the “It’s a small world” attraction at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif. The deal, which includes the attraction’s first-ever illuminated marquee, is part of a 12-year agreement between The Walt Disney Company and Siemens.
The agreement includes marketing and promotional rights, attraction sponsorships and a promotional presence that features Siemens products and services at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California. Siemens also is the sponsor of the Epcot icon, SpaceShip Earth.
“The deal between Disney and Sylvania’s parent company, Siemens, brings together the world’s leading family entertainment company with a premiere global technology and infrastructure company,” Mike Colotti, vice president of brand management and marketing communications for Sylvania, tells Marketing Daily. “In addition to marketing and promotional campaigns, our companies work together to develop and integrate Sylvania lighting technologies into Disney attractions and throughout its resorts.”
The illuminated marquee — the only change to the attraction — will brighten the overall experience for guests, and is slated for installation in early 2010. The design is a visual celebration of what the attraction represents — the happy spirit of children everywhere, according to Sylvania.
Disney’s “It’s a small world” originally was created for the 1964 New York World’s Fair as an exhibit that would benefit UNICEF, which is dedicated to the welfare of children all over the world. The attraction moved to its Anaheim home in 1966. It contains more than 300 Audio-Animatronics figures, representing children around the globe. It also features more than 250 toys and 80 animated props.
Sylvania also sponsors “IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth” and the “Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights” holiday show at Walt Disney World. Recent collaborations include promotions for the Sylvania Micro Mini CFL with “Wall-E” and “Tinkerbell” retail displays.
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“Wedding Banned” pulled from Disney slate
Less than a month after beaching “Captain Nemo: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” Disney’s new studio chief has put the kibosh on “Wedding Banned,” a romantic comedy to have starred Robin Williams and Diane Keaton.
“Banned” revolves around a long-divorced couple (Williams and Keaton) who kidnap their daughter (Anna Faris) on her wedding day to prevent her from making the same mistakes they did. The parents rekindle their relationship as they elude cops and the angry groom. The film’s production company, Mandevile Films, is now free to shop it around town.
The decision by Walt Disney Studios chairman Rich Ross to drop the project surprised some observers since “Banned” seemed to be in the mold of such other studio hit comedies as “The Proposal” and “Wild Hogs.” But one factor in the decision was the poor showing of another Disney comedy starring Williams, “Old Dogs,” which has grossed $35 million since its November 25 opening.
So far Ross, who stepped into the top job in September, has put into development a remake of “The Black Hole,” with “Tron Legacy” director Joseph Kosinksi at the helm, and has picked up the rights to the book series “Fallen.”
300 stuck temporarily on Disney World monorail
Emergency crews rescued passengers aboard a Walt Disney World monorail train early this morning after they were stranded for nearly three hours because of a power failure, authorities said.
The monorail system went down at about 1 a.m., affecting seven trains and stranding about 300 passengers on the red train near the Magic Kingdom, the Associated Press reported.
Three of the seven trains were carrying passengers, two of which were towed into a station where riders could exit. Three other trains were at a station when the incident occurred, and another train was empty.
Passengers aboard the red train described the condition inside the train as “stuffy, muggy and hot,” Local 6 News reported
“The monorail just shut down and came to a stop,” said a woman aboard the train who had a 3-month-old with her. “The lights turned off, the air conditioner turned off, and then the pilot said we’re experiencing technical difficulties.”
Other children were also aboard the red monorail, and Reedy Creek Fire Department emergency personnel used a ladder truck to remove several people, according to witnesses. Passengers also helped each other exit the monorail through the roof of the train, witnesses said.
Bo Jones of the Reedy Creek Fire Department said no one was injured, the Associated Press reported.
The cause of the malfunction is not known.
The red train was later moved to the Ticket and Transportation Center.
In a statement released this morning, Disney said, “Our commitment to safety guides all we do and this is the type of situation we train for with Reedy Creek. We extend our apologies to guests who were affected and are working directly with them.”
Disney said the monorail system was restored to full operation at 7:30 a.m.
The incident comes about five months after a monorail pilot was killed in a crash, the first fatal accident in the 38-year history of Walt Disney World’s monorail.
Austin Wuennenberg, the operator of one of the monorail trains, was pronounced dead at the scene after two monorails collided at about 2 a.m. on July 5 at the Ticket and Transportation Center near the Magic Kingdom.
