WDW Daily News

Check out a clip from “Connecting the Universe,” an exclusive feature that explores the epic network of intertwining story lines in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, highlighting the intricate links between the worlds of the MCU characters and their comic history.

You can now watch MARVEL’S AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON wherever you go with Disney Movies Anywhere (DMA) as it expands this week into Amazon Video and Microsoft Movies & TV, with Roku and Android TV following on September 15th! Plus, when you buy Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron through DMA, you can take a deeper dive into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the exclusive bonus feature “Connecting the Universe.”

Just in time for today’s early digital release of one of the biggest movies of the year, Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, Disney announces significant partner and device additions to its cloud-based digital movie service, Disney Movies Anywhere (DMA), continuing to expand upon its promise to provide more ways to buy and watch your favorite Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars movies at home or on the go.

Starting today in the U.S., Amazon Video and Microsoft Movies & TV customers can connect to Disney Movies Anywhere and access their digital collection across the Disney Movies Anywhere ecosystem, including via the new Disney Movies Anywhere app for the Microsoft Xbox 360 and for Amazon’s Fire tablets, Fire TV and Fire TV Stick. In addition to the Disney Movies Anywhere app, customers can access and watch titles in their Disney digital collection directly through the Amazon Video app for TVs, connected devices and mobile devices, or online at Amazon.com/amazonvideo, and via the Microsoft Movies and TV service on Windows and Microsoft Xbox devices or at microsoft.com/en-us/store/movies-and-tv.

Launching on September 15, with the release of Disney’s live action Cinderella, the Disney Movies Anywhere app will become available on the Roku^® platform and Android TV allowing consumers to access their DMA movie collections. Disney Movies Anywhere already works with iTunes, Google Play, and Walmart’s VUDU.

“We’re thrilled to bring these new partners to Disney Movies Anywhere, expanding its reach into the living room and beyond with an unprecedented Disney experience that is both easy and fun,” said Janice Marinelli, President, Disney/ABC Home Entertainment & Television Distribution. “As consumers seek to build their digital libraries and protect their purchases for the long term, Disney Movies Anywhere makes it easier than ever to buy once and watch anywhere.”

In celebration of this partner launch, for a limited time Disney Movies Anywhere is offering a free digital copy of Disney•Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. to new and existing members who connect an iTunes, Amazon Video, VUDU, Microsoft Movies & TV or Google Play account for the first time.

With the addition of Disney PhotoPass on the My Disney Experience mobile app, guests now have easier access to their Walt Disney World® Resort memories.

The new update allows guests to preview all their Disney PhotoPass vacation photos, including photos from select attraction and dining locations. Plus, they can now purchase Memory Maker within the app, allowing them to share and download their vacation photos right from their device.

Please note Guests without a Memory Maker entitlement can view a watermarked version of their Disney PhotoPass photos through the app.

Walt Disney Animation Studios has just released the latest SHORT FILMS COLLECTION on Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital HD. This collection of short films has familiar characters like Anna, Elsa, and Olaf in Disney’s Frozen Fever.  In Tangled Ever After Maximus and Pascal are at the center of the action at Rapunzel and Eugene’s wedding.  Get a Horse features Mickey, Minnie, and the whole gang as they move back and forth between black and white 2d animation and CGI.  It is amazing!  These shorts are what we would expect from Disney Animation Studios.  The ones that I really enjoyed, however, were short films that may not have a merchandise tie-in.  The Little Matchgirl is a classic story told in the most beautiful way.  Keep a tissue handy because the ending is heartwrenching.  I also love John Henry. I use this in my 5th grade class when we study legends in literature.  The Ballad of Nessie is narrated so perfectly.  Some of the stories that have little to no dialogue have the strongest message.  In Paperman, we see that nothing can stop love after a chance encounter.  In TIck Tock Tale, we learn that standing up for others can be powerful.  In Feast, man’s best friend comes to the aid of his master when happiness is almost lost.  Walt Disney Animation Studios SHORT FILMS COLLECTION is a must-have for the Disney fans in your family.  You won’t be disappointed.

Disney Publishing Worldwide, the world’s largest publisher of children’s books and apps, announced Frozen: Early Science, a series of apps grounded in early science principles, featuring favorite characters and stories from the award-winning animated film, Frozen. The new series of apps is the latest offering from Disney Imagicademy, the company’s technology-driven learning initiative for families with children 3 to 8.

Featuring four distinctly different apps, early science concepts are introduced through activities especially designed for children ages 3 to 5 that encourage learning by creating, making and experimenting. The first Frozen: Early Science app is available now on the App Store, and three more Frozen: Early Science apps will launch between now and July.

“We are excited to introduce early learners to another educational concept in a fun and uniquely Disney way,” said Jeff Sellinger, senior vice president, Disney Learning. “The Frozen: Early Science apps bring together Frozen’s hugely popular story and characters with an early sciences curriculum developed in conjunction with education experts and academics. The goal of Disney Imagicademy has always been to inspire children’s natural curiosity, and what better subject to do that with than science – where discovery and experimentation is at the heart of learning.”

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DuckTales: Remastered, the high-def remake of the classic NES game DuckTales, may be headed to mobile.

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Disney has launched a £95,000 competition to find developers to come up with new apps that use its characters, such as the Marvel superheroes, to encourage healthy living.

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DirecTV and Disney’s recent deal finally pays dividends as subscribers will now gain access to a host of mobile apps for live streaming, including WatchESPN, WATCH Disney, and others.

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Today, the world’s largest publisher of children’s books and apps, Disney Publishing Worldwide, released Mickey’s Magical Arts World, an app that gives children curriculum-based tools to explore creative arts by making and doing. For the first time ever, children can create their own characters and bring them to life in real Disney cartoons alongside Mickey and friends. Children can also experiment with basic music concepts and practice art and design. Grounded in a research-based curriculum, Mickey’s Magical Arts World is available now on the Apple App Store, and is the second of five subjects scheduled for release this year as part of Disney Imagicademy, Disney’s new learning initiative for families with children 3 to 8.

“Following the successful launch of Mickey’s Magical Math World, we are thrilled to introduce the arts to Disney Imagicademy, our flagship learning brand, ” said Jeff Sellinger, senior vice president, Disney Learning. “Families have embraced Disney Imagicademy and the interaction it fosters between kids and parents. We are excited to be launching another cutting-edge product that blends curriculum with technology to make learning a family experience that children can both learn from and enjoy playing with.”

Mickey’s Magical Arts World exposes children to key elements of art and design principles and gives children the ability to personalize their own uniquely Disney-inspired neighborhood with their own characters, drawings, music and architecture. The more the child creates in their neighborhood, the more it comes to life.

Disney Imagicademy was developed in conjunction with academic and education experts to combine a research-driven curriculum with the Disney characters and stories families love. Research has shown that many of the skills critical for 21st century success can be acquired through creative arts curriculum. According to the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities (PCAH), creative arts teach children “how to think outside the box and address challenges with creative solutions.”

“Studies prove that the arts help cultivate not only social skills but cognitive reasoning and critical thinking abilities,” says Amy Kirkland, arts educator and general manager, The Broad Stage Performing Arts Center and one of Disney’s collaborators in developing Disney Imagicademy Mickey’s Magical Arts World. “Disney wants to ensure that arts continue to encourage every child to grow, play and use their imagination beyond their expected capacity, and I think that’s a truly magical thing.”

Disney Imagicademy Mickey’s Magical Arts World provides children with fundamental tools grounded in a wide-ranging creative arts curriculum, and features five experiences in one app:

• Mickey’s Sketch Artist – Children can follow a Mickey-guided tutorial or draw free-style to create characters and more, as they experiment with color, shape, line, and visual texture.
• Donald’s Costume Play – While exploring improvisation, storytelling, costume design, dialogue and character development tools, children can get their characters ready to star in Disney cartoons alongside Mickey and friends.
• Mickey’s Music Maker – Mickey’s marching band will help children create music and experiment with varying tempo and pitch. Featuring 13 different instruments, children can choose the sounds they like best, record their compositions and play back their masterpieces.
• Pluto’s Crafty Creator – Children are invited to six craft stations where they can explore different art tools, experience how materials work together and create and design unique digital toys.
• Minnie’s Art-chitect – As they design buildings with various colors and textures, children can practice key design principles including symmetry, balance, proportion, rhythm, and harmony. Children can customize and design buildings to truly personalize their neighborhood.

Mickey’s Magical Arts World will also connect to the Disney Imagicademy Parents app, giving parents the ability to connect and get involved with their child’s creative arts milestones. The Parents app reinforces the belief that parents are an important part of a child’s learning progress and features tools that give them the ability to see their child’s accomplishments digitally and remotely, as well as content to help them extend the activity and learning beyond the screen.

Mickey’s Magical Arts World and Disney Imagicademy Parents are available on iPad and iPhone on the App Store. Disney Imagicademy’s math-based app, Mickey’s Magical Math World, is available for download on iPad, and will be released for iPhone in March 2015.