Disney’s zeitgeist-grabbing Oscar-frontrunner, “Zootopia,” racked up 11 nominations in ASIFA-Hollywood’s 44th Annie Awards race (including best feature and every other category except music),….
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The Huge Star Wars Decision Disney Is Planning To Make In January
While we know that Disney has big plans for Star Wars for the long term, beyond Star Wars: Episode IX, we don’t really know exactly what those plans entail. It turns out, Disney may not be so sure either.
Box Office: Walt Disney’s ‘Moana’ Sets Sail With $81M Thanksgiving Debut
Walt Disney now owns nine of the top ten Thanksgiving debuts of all time. Now, to be fair, the Thanksgiving weekend has often been dominated (or at least topped) by the second weekend of a given Harry Potter/Twilight/Hunger Games offering going back to 2001.
Ethan Allen, Disney bring the Magic Kingdom to your castle
It takes a minute, but then you see him — his black ears, the white-buttoned red shorts and the bright yellow shoes. It’s not your typical image of Mickey, but it’s a clever and subtle depiction of what might happen if the world’s most famous mouse transformed into an entryway storage hutch.
Disney Launches Global Online Coding Event with New Disney’s Moana Hour of Code Tutorial
Disney launched “Moana: Wayfinding with Code,” a free online tutorial that offers an introduction to the basics of computer science, featuring characters from the upcoming Disney animated film, Moana. In conjunction with the launch of “Moana: Wayfinding with Code,” Disney also announced activations across the world that invite millions of students to learn the basics of coding. Created in close collaboration with Code.org, the “Moana: Wayfinding with Code” tutorial will be available in more than 180 countries and 23 languages, including Samoan Polynesian, giving children all over the world the opportunity to learn the basics of coding.
“Today’s students are tomorrow’s storytellers and with this tutorial we’re working to introduce them to the technological skills they will need to bring their stories to life,” said Jimmy Pitaro, chairman, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media (DCPI). “By bringing together Code.org and Disney filmmakers, we’ve created a program that we hope will inspire kids all over the world to try coding for themselves.”
Over the past two years, Disney has hosted two Hour of Code tutorials, featuring characters from Disney’s Frozen and from Star Wars. In total, almost 40 million students have participated in these tutorials to learn the basics of coding.
“We’ve found that kids are much more likely to try computer science if it contains topics they are interested in, like their favorite Disney stories and characters,” said Hadi Partovi, CEO of Code.org. “Our work with Disney over the past two years has helped Hour of Code reach record numbers, inspiring millions of children of all ages to try coding and pursue an education in computer science.”
Disney Hour of Code Events:
Disney is working with leading organizations to host events around the world in an effort to reach millions of parents and students during CS Education Week (December 5-11) to introduce kids to coding. These events include:
Apple Stores: All 487 Apple stores worldwide will host block-based coding for young coders workshops featuring the “Moana: Wayfinding with Code” tutorial during their Hour of Code session December 5 through 11.
Code.org: Code.org will feature “Moana: Wayfinding with Code” tutorial on its site and will educate thousands of teachers and community leaders about how to use the Disney tutorial in their lessons. Register participation in a Disney Hour of Code here: HourofCode.com/Disney.
Family Code Night: “Moana: Wayfinding with Code” will also be part of direct family engagement in home and school learning. Parents and educators eager to bring new coding education to their kids can sign up today to receive the free “Moana Family Code Night Event Kit,” shipping in January. Family Code Night is a delightful high-impact elementary school event at which children and their parents do their first hour of coding, together, as part of a whole-school evening program that any school can put on. Celebrating family engagement in CS education, the Moana Family Code Night Event Kit will let any parent help their principal and school or youth group put on this family computer science learning event with a theme inspired by the film. Sign up for the free Kit today at http://www.familycodenight.org/Moana.
Disney Network: Disney will promote the “Moana: Wayfinding with Code” tutorial across its global channels in an effort to reach millions of families. Tutorial and toolkit found here: Disney.com/HourofCode.
Moana: Wayfinding with Code Tutorial:
The story of the “Moana: Wayfinding with Code” tutorial centers around Moana and Maui as they sail through unknown territory across the ocean. As students follow Moana and Maui’s travels, they learn basic coding commands that help steer the boat. Along the way, students are introduced to conditionals, sequences and loops while they master the art of navigation. When Moana and Maui are suddenly attacked by the Kakamora – coconut-clad warriors, they must use their coding skills to dodge their pirate projectiles and penetrate their defenses.
“The artistry and innovative technology used to create “Disney’s Moana” is rooted in the types of skills that kids will develop by learning the basics of computer science,” said Osnat Shurer, producer of Disney’s Moana. “We hope that Moana’s fierce determination and sense of adventure encourages children to try this tutorial and learn the skills they need to become future filmmakers and storytellers.”
Disney’s Hour of Code uses a visual programming language with “Blocks” that kids simply drag and drop to write code. This visual programming language is a fun and easily understandable way to teach basic coding skills. This type of visual programming lays the foundation for text-based programming.
For educators, parents and leaders looking to host their own hour of code event in their communities, they may access the tutorial and download the Disney Hour of Code Digital Toolkit at Disney.com/hourofcode in both English and Spanish. Events may be registered at HourofCode.com/Disney.
Disney World Wants to Turn EPCOP Into EPCOT
Disney ‘s slowest-growing Florida theme park will be getting a makeover. Imagineers may be hard at work getting Pandora — The World of Avatar ready to open next summer at Animal Kingdom and breathing new life into Disney’s Hollywood Studios with Toy Story Land and Star Wars Land in the coming years, but Epcot appears to be the theme park giant’s next target for rejuvenation.
The keeper of Disney’s legacy, archivist Dave Smith spent 40 years preserving the history of an American icon
Dave Smith couldn’t believe his luck. He was visiting Disneyland with his family about a year after its opening and spied Walt Disney strolling down the park’s Main Street.
7 foolproof gifts for Disney lovers
Coming up with the perfect gift for everyone on your list can be such a struggle. Lucky for you, if you know a Disney lover, we’ve got you covered. Here are seven amazing gift ideas to suit every budget and Disney sensibility, including a couple suggestions off-the-beaten-path enough that we’re sure even the most avowed Disney fanatics don’t have them on their radar.
Moana review: after 80 years of experiments, Disney has made the perfect Disney movie
Virtually everything about Disney’s latest fairy tale, Moana, is familiar from past Disney films. The studio is still following the broad parameters it started laying down in 1937, with Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs, by reshaping a culturally specific fairy tale to fit a family-friendly, accessible template.
Disney’s Avatar Land Shows Why It’s So Hard to Keep Epcot Futuristic
Executives, many of whom are no longer with the company, break ground on Avatar Land in January 2014 (Disney)
Do you remember Avatar? It was released seven years ago as the single biggest movie of 2009. But unlike other sci-fi blockbusters with broad family appeal, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone today begging for a sequel, let alone clamoring for theme park rides based on the film.
