Walt Disney Company – Page 19 – A Walk With The Mouse

Disney Pauses ALL Business In Russia

Posted on March 14, 2022March 14, 2022 by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

On March 1, Disney announced that it was stopping all planned theatrical releases in Russia. This included its newest Pixar film, Turning Red. The move came less than one week after Russian forces invaded the country of Ukraine. The invasion and subsequent attacks were unprovoked. Following Disney’s move, other major studios stopped their theatrical releases as well. Those studios were Paramount, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Warner Bros. At this time, NBCUniversal has not made a statement regarding Russia, and it appears as though all Universal films are still scheduled to be released in the country.

Not long after stopping its film releases, Disney also announced that its cruise line would be removing Russia as one of its ports of call. Well, Disney is now announcing that they are not stopping there. Effective immediately, The Walt Disney Company will be stopping ALL business activity in Russia. A Disney spokesperson spoke with The Hollywood Reporter, which wrote:

The company says that it will be pausing “content and product licensing, Disney Cruise Line activities, National Geographic magazine and tours, local content productions and linear channels.
“Some of those business activities we can and will pause immediately. Others—such as linear channels and some content and product licensing—will take time given contractual complexities,” a company spokesperson added.
Disney has a number of linear channels in Russia, and St. Petersburg has long been a port of call for its cruise ships. Likewise, Disney-branded consumer products and National Geographic magazine have long been available around the world, including in Russia.
The Disney spokesperson added that the company’s Russia-based employees will remain employed.

Disney was the first company to stop theatrical releases in Russia. Its move to pause all business entirely is following in the footsteps of other companies, including Netflix, Amazon, WarnerMedia, and others. None of these companies have said how long the stoppage will last, but it will certainly be for at least as long as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine. Even if they pull out of the country, there is no guarantee that business will be back to normal soon after.

‘Aladdin’ Broadway Actress Sues Disney For More Than $200K

Posted on March 8, 2022March 8, 2022 by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

When it comes to performing in a Broadway production, having a strong and powerful voice is always an asset. However, the performer’s voice also has to blend well with others on stage. Harmony and balance are key. One actress is suing Disney, claiming that the man they cast to play Aladdin opposite her Princess Jasmine did not have balance. She is claiming that having to work with him caused irreversible damage to her vocal cords.

Jade Ewen played Princess Jasmine in London’s West End production of Aladdin from 2016 until 2019. The professional singer claims that everything was fine until Disney replaced her male costar in 2017. According to Ewen, the new actor — Matthew Croke — was unable to harmonize properly if he heard other people singing. This caused him to sing incredibly loud, so he could not hear anyone else. Ewen claims that because he sang so loudly, she was also forced to sing loud, so she could also be heard.

The Mirror examined the court filings and reported the following:

Mr Croke was six foot one inch tall compared to the claimant’s height of five feet two inches. This meant Mr Croke’s mouth was positioned at broadly the height of the claimant’s forehead microphone when he was singing the duets with her.
“Due to Mr Croke’s very loud singing voice and his position in relation to the claimant’s microphone, during the duets his voice was picked up by the claimant’s microphone.
“This caused the claimant’s voice to be ‘drowned out’ so that she could not hear herself when singing at a volume which was comfortable for her.
“The claimant was forced, repeatedly during the eight performances per week, over a period of about 18 months, to sing at a louder volume and with greater strength than was comfortable and/or safe for her.
“Her vocal cords were placed under strain, increasing the risk of damage being caused to her vocal cords.
“Further, there was something of a vicious circle in that the louder she sang, the louder Matthew Croke sang over her.”
The barrister claimed that Miss Ewen complained on “many” occasions about the sound mix on stage and being drowned out, but was told to “sing louder.”
“From about March 2018, the claimant began to experience symptoms of recurrent hoarseness, discomfort and imbalance in her singing voice,” he says.
“To be able to perform satisfactorily in the shows, she started having to take enforced breaks from speaking and singing and to spend her days off in complete silence.”

In 2019, Ewen was diagnosed with vocal cord lesions and a vascular polyp. This means that she had abnormal, benign growths on her vocal cords. These had to be removed through two surgeries. While the problem has been fixed, Ewen claims that the whole ordeal is now making her struggle with “career-damaging anxiety.” Her inability to work as she used to is why she is suing The Walt Disney Company.

Disney is fighting those claims. The company says that it did everything in its power to keep its performers safe and that Matthew Croke was an accomplished stage performer when he was cast as Aladdin. Ewen says that she asked to be provided with an in-ear monitor, but Disney claims that performers on the West End do not typically have in-ear monitors. Disney also claims that Ewen was aware of the demands when she signed on to do eight performances a week.

Ewen’s case against the House of Mouse is currently in pre-trial motions. A court date has not been set at this time. Ewen is suing Disney for £200,000, which is more than $260,000.

Disney Legend Tim Considine Dead at 81

Posted on March 7, 2022March 7, 2022 by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

Sad news coming out of Hollywood. Veteran actor and Disney Legend Tim Considine has passed away at the age of 81. Considine’s death at his Mar Vista home was confirmed by his brother Christopher. Considine was well-known to Disney fans who love to watch older films and television shows. Throughout his long Hollywood career, Considine had starred in a number of Disney works, including The Adventures of Spin and Marty and The Mickey Mouse Club.

BURBANK, CA – JUNE 24: Mickey Mouse, Tim Considine, Richard Sherman, Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger, Frankie Avalon and David Stollery attend a special stage rededication ceremony for Annette Funicello hosted by The Walt Disney Company at Walt Disney Studios on June 24, 2013 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images) Los Angeles, CA – 1956: Tim Considine appearing on the ABC tv series ‘The Magical World of Disney’, aka ‘Walt Disney Presents’, episode ‘Mickey Mouse Club: The Hardy Boys’. (Photo by American Broadcasting Companies via Getty Images)

D23 — the Ultimate Disney Fan Club — shared more information about Considine’s successful and lasting career with The Walt Disney Company.

Later, Considine took on his first Disney role, playing Spin Evans in The Adventures of Spin and Marty—a popular serial from 1955’s Mickey Mouse Club. Alongside Stollery, the actor followed that original series with two Spin and Marty sequel serials. Describing his days on Disney’s “Triple-R Ranch,” he said, “We shot on a ranch about forty miles away from the Burbank studio. But it might as well have been a thousand. In truth, the work and play were often indistinguishable.” He then went on to play Frank Hardy, opposite Tommy Kirk as Joe Hardy, in two Hardy Boys serials—and guest starred in the Annette serial—for the Mickey Mouse Club.

Then, in 1959, he took on his highest-profile Disney role yet: starring opposite fellow Disney Legend Fred MacMurray in The Shaggy Dog.

While he made his mark with Disney, Considine made his mark on Hollywood by appearing in a number of other films and television shows. His very first role was in the film The Clown, where he played Dink Delwyn, alongside famous comedian Red Skelton. He also played one of the titular Hardy brothers in the popular 1950s show, The Hardy Boys. Considine also starred in a number of other films, including Patton, The Daring Dobermans, and Ray of Sunshine.

Considine was honored with the title of Disney Legend in 2006. His work on Spin and Marty and The Mickey Mouse Club made him unforgettable. Other Disney Legends include Dick Van Dyke — famous for his role as Bert in Mary Poppins — Betty White, and Marvel star Robert Downey Jr.

Disney Releases Statement on Crisis in Ukraine

Posted on March 1, 2022March 1, 2022 by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

Less than one week ago, Vladimir Putin instructed hundreds of thousands of Russian troops to invade the neighboring country of Ukraine. While the movement started off slowly, the Russian army has advanced and is now in the capital city of Kyiv. Russian troops have bombed buildings, including hospitals. The world has been standing with Ukraine, with many businesses refusing to do business with Russia. The United States has also issued sanctions, hoping to cripple the Russian economy.

Many large companies who have done business with Russia in the past are also speaking out against the invasion. Disney is the first film studio to release a statement about the crisis. Disney, which was preparing to release several films in the country, has released the following statement.

Statement from The Walt Disney Company in response to the crisis in Ukraine: pic.twitter.com/avf6HoECPt
— Walt Disney Company (@WaltDisneyCo) March 1, 2022

Even though many businesses have cut ties with Russia, Putin has not indicated that he has any intention of slowing down. The Russian President has never his the fact that he wants to change the area back into the USSR. Putin — a former member of the KGB — first became President in 2000 and was in power for eight years. He then became president once again in 2012 and has been there ever since. His critics have claimed that those who run against him will either end up in jail or dead.

As millions around the globe watch in horror as thousands of Ukrainians flee to safety, some have been giving updates from the ground. Ukrainian-born Dancing With the Stars pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy has informed followers that there is fighting everywhere in the city of Kyiv. He has revealed on Instagram that he was arrested and then released. He has shared that he is working on a way to get out of the country. Chmerkovskiy was there filming the show World of Dance, where he was a judge.

Currently, Ukraine still holds the country and the Ukrainian President has said that he is attempting to negotiate peace talks.

Disney Is Back In Cahoots With ‘Mandalorian’ Star Gina Carano

Posted on February 28, 2022February 28, 2022 by Mathew Corn Disney+

Actress Gina Carano — who formerly played New Republic Marshal Cara Dune on Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni’s hit Star Wars series, The Mandalorian — has faced more than her share of online drama due to her controversial Tweets throughout the airing of The Mandalorian Season 2.

Before Carano was fired by Lucasfilm and The Walt Disney Company in Febraury 2021, hashtags like #FireGinaCarano, #WeLoveCaraDune, and #IStandWithGinaCarano alternately trended on social media.

Carano has been vocal about her distaste for Disney and Lucasfilm, publicly stating that she was “bullied” by the powers-that-be and sharing that her new project, Western movie Terror on the Prairie with Ben Shapiro’s Daily Wire, will “take down the Death Star”.

the mandalorian season 2 mission to morak (l-r) bill burr as migs mayfeld, gina carano as cara dune, ming-na wen as fennec shand, pedro pascal as din djarin, and temuera morrison as boba fett

Despite the controversy surrounding the actress — and Lucasfilm’s insistence that they have no plans to bring her back to the Star Wars franchise — there have been rumors that the actress will return for The Mandalorian Season 4, thanks to support from Favreau, Pedro Pascal (Din Djarin), Katee Sackhoff (Bo-Katan Kryze), Ming-Na Wen (Fennec Shand), Giancarlo Esposito (Moff Gideon), and Carl Weathers (Greef Karga).

Now, in a strange turn of events, Disney is actually back in cahoots with Carano and her family thanks to the company’s deal with Casear’s Entertainment.

bryce dallas howard (left) and gina carano (right) on mandalorian set

Last year, The Wall Street Journal reported that “ESPN is seeking to license its brand to major sports-betting companies for at least $3 billion over several years.” Caesar’s Entertainment, Inc. and online sports betting giant DraftKings were both involved in the conversation.

Previously, in 2019, Disney-owned ESPN signed a long-term marketing deal with Caesar’s:

ESPN has announced a wide-ranging deal with Caesars Entertainment that includes the addition of a new ESPN-branded studio at the LINQ Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, where sports-betting-themed content will be created, along with segments for Daily Wager, ESPN’s recently launched sports-betting-related show.

The studio (launching in 2020) will serve as a Vegas home for odds-related content across ESPN platforms. Caesars will also serve as ESPN’s official odds data supplier across TV and digital, receiving associated attribution across ESPN platforms.

This is where the Carano family comes in. Gina, a former women’s MMA and Muay Thai fighter, and her father, Glenn, an ex-NFL backup quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, both have deep ties to sports. But, what many don’t realize is that the Carano family is actually deeply invested (literally) in the casino industry.

Per The Hollywood Reporter:

Howard Stutz, executive editor of CDC Gaming Reports, tells THR that the Carano family is “deeply rooted” in North Nevada. Gina’s grandfather, Don Carano, founded Eldorado Resorts in the 1970s as well as the McDonald Carano law firm in Nevada, and the Ferrari Carano Vineyard & Winery in Healdsburg, California…

…“[Don’s] sons took over Eldorado Resorts, and they grew it into an amazing gaming company,” Stutz continues of the empire that expanded greatly in July 2020 (three years after Don Carano’s death) when Caesars Entertainment announced that it had completed a merger between Caesars Entertainment Corporation and Eldorado, creating the largest casino and entertainment company in the United States with 55 properties worldwide including eight on the Las Vegas Strip.

fennec shand cara dune mandalorian the believer

This means that, thanks to The Walt Disney Company’s ongoing deal with Caesar’s Entertainment, Gina Carano and her family never really left the Disney fold. What this could mean for the Deadpool actress’s future in the Star Wars universe is anyone’s guess, but the possibilities are certainly intriguing.