MI News Desk

Disney announced that Mayor Michael McGinn has proclaimed today as “Oz The Great and Powerful” Day in the city of Seattle, Wash., in honor of Disney’s fantastical adventure opening in theaters across the U.S. tomorrow, March 8.

Disney recently announced the Radio Disney Music Awards and those with a keen eye might have noticed that the statue award features a Vinylmation figure.

A popular item amongst the target demographic for the station, the vinylmation figure is a key element of the design along with the earphones on its head and the turntable base. The design was chosen amongst several different designs by the Disney Design Group.

Just like the Oscars, the new statue needs a name. Well, at lease the spelling of his name. He's officially been called ARDY but Disney is looking to fans to come up with the spelling for his name through a new Facebook contest.

Last Friday, we were invited by Disney to attend the D23 Fanniversary Celebration 2013 tour which kicked off at The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. The nostalgic hour and a half event is perfectly catered to the ardent Disney fan covering a range of topics from films and television to the parks and collectibles.

The format of the show is linear, starting literally at the beginning in 1923 and continuing forward to the present. Hosted by two great members of the D23 team (the stop in LA was hosted by Cynthia and Rick) they take us on a tightly scripted stroll down memory lane making stops at Disney milestones that are celebrating landmark anniversaries this year.

Earlier today at the Walt Disney Company Annual Meeting of Shareholders, Disney CEO Bob Iger unveiled the first official image of a model of the upcoming Shanghai Disneyland park. Details thus far have been very sparse and even the new model reveals very little about the brand new Chinese Park that we haven't already seen.

This will be the first park to not feature a Main Street USA. Instead, it will feature an 11-acre green space with water features welcoming guests up to the Storybook Castle icon of the park.

Back by popular demand once again, D23 presents D23 Day at the Walt Disney Studios and Archives. On May 4, 2013 8 tours of approximately 25 participants will be led on a two-and-a-half-hour tour across the studio lot to the ultimate destination of the Walt Disney Archives.

As a special perk, a brand new exhibit will be available containing nine archival assets from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs that have never been displayed by the Archives until now.

Tickets are available now for $60 per D23 member.

World of Color is more popular than princesses. At the very least, it's seemingly more profitable when it comes to Disney California Adventure.

We're received word that Ariel's Grotto Restaurant is set to undergo a few operational changes on March 22 which may please some and annoy others: World of Color Dinner Packages are returning but Princess greets for dinner are being removed.

At a press event for OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL a few wees ago, we had the chance to take an up-close look at some of the costumes from the film; gowns worn by Glinda and Evanora plus the Wizard's suit and the Wicked Witch of the West's leathery ensemble.

Oscar-­nominated costume designer Gary Jones (“Spider-Man 2,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley,”) was on hand to discuss the pieces for the film that he created in collaboration with Michael Kutsche. Jones' enthusiasm is evidently clear for his work. The way he talked about the costumes showed not just all the thought and care that went into the creations, but also the attention to detail and devotion to the craft.

After the jump, we'll take a closer look at some of these beautiful costumes created for the big-screen!

The March 12 official opening of Fantasy Faire is just around the corner and the AP Previews begin even sooner than that.

As part of the new Fantasyland expansion, the stories of Beauty and the Beast and Tangled will come to life with new storytelling shows coming to the Royal Theatre. Today, Disney unveiled a look at the new offerings with these two great new publicity shots.

WRECK IT RALPH is a different breed of Disney film. Like most of the other CG tales to come from the house of the mouse, it brings Disney family friendly fundamentals to a modern setting. I honestly preferred it over Tangled which will polarize quite a few of you out there but there is really cute story here with a great cast of rag-tag characters that make up up a kooky group that oddly works.

WRECK IT RALPH, which is available now for home market had me really excited. When Disney finally sent us our review copy of the DVD, we couldn't wait to pop it in. It was the first film in a long time that we were really excited to bring home.

Hollywood’s legendary El Capitan Theatre is thrilled to present Disney’s fantastical adventure “Oz The Great and Powerful” in spectacular Disney Digital 3D™ and Dolby® Atmos™, it was announced today by Lylle Breier, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Special Events for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

“Oz The Great and Powerful” will have a special advance screening for the public, with prizes, on Thursday, March 7 at 8:30 pm (doors open at 8 pm); the El Capitan engagement of “Oz The Great and Powerful” is through April 30. The film, directed by Sam Raimi, imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum’s beloved wizard character. El Capitan guests will also get to see an exclusive display of costumes from the movie.

In part to help offset setbacks from expansion construction at Aulani, Disney is offering a summer discount for vacationers traveling to Disney's exclusive resort in Hawaii.

For a limited time, visitors can stay four nights for the price of three when purchasing a minimum three-night stay from April 7 - May 23 and May 27 - June 8, 2013.

A few weeks ago, during its nationwide journey to celebrate the March 8 release of Oz The Great and Powerful, the "Journey to Oz Balloon Tour" made a stop at Disneyland. Disney has released this video showing the early morning preparation and eventual flight of the balloon in the Esplanade.

THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY TO WEBCAST ITS ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

BURBANK, Calif., February 27, 2013 - The annual meeting of shareholders of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS), including remarks by management regarding the Company, will be available live via audio

Buzz Lightyear takes the spotlight with the newest mobile app from Disney Interactive, Toy Story: Smash It! Available at Google Play and App Store, the new 3D physics based puzzler lets gamers suit up as Buzz Lightyear and blast through four imaginative episodes and more than 60 challenging levels.