October 15, 2004 - Today's update to our Disney Villains Countdown profiles a villain from the '40s and one from the '80s, marking the first representation of Disney features from either decade. Check out #'s 22 and 21, and return Monday as our contdown continues.
Among other updates to our "Coming to Theaters" page is casting news on Disney's Shaggy Dog remake, set to start production in a month.
A little more information has come in on next February's "Growing Up with Winnie the Pooh" DVD volumes. We now have our first look at cover art (see below) for the first two volumes of these single disc releases, comprised primarily of "The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" TV show episodes (3-4 per disc). These two volumes look identical to Volumes 4 and 5 of "The Magical World of Winnie the Pooh" DVD releases that have been released in the United Kingdom (Region 2) and other parts of the world. The cover art is the same, with some minor title/spelling modifications. And the content will presumably be the same as well. See the Upcoming Release Schedule for episode titles. Release date is February 8, SRP is $19.99 for each DVD.
October 14, 2004 - Our Disney Villains Countdown marches on today, with some great visitor responses on the two profiled characters. Once again, the villains come from different generations; one appeared in a film from last decade, the other is the longest running Disney character of all. Check out #'s 24 and 23.
We just sent out the nice, big latest issue of UltimateDisney.com's newsletter. To receive the free weekly newsletter and read this and other past issues, send a blank e-mail to UltimateDisney-subscribe@topica.com.
A new character profile ("Edna Mode") and new high-resolution pictures have been added to our preview of The Incredibles. In addition, several new Incredibles books have been added to this upcoming Pixar film's section of our shop.
New disc art from Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas and The Young Black Stallion:
October 13, 2004 - Amazon.com is all out of stock again, but now 
BestBuy.com is purporting to have the long discontinued Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 2-Disc Platinum Edition DVD. While they're selling it for even more than full retail price, they claim they'll ship it in 1 to 2 business days. Click here to buy, or at least try.
Today's Top Disney Villains Countdown update is now posted. Once again, villains from both Walt's era and modern times are profiled. Plus there are now villain sound clips! Check out #'s 26 and 25.
Disney has finally issued a press release for America's Heart & Soul. It echoes most of what turned up at Costco's website earlier this week, except according to Disney, this will be available on October 26 in Costco outlets. For full details, read the press release.
October 12, 2004 - Our latest DVD review covers the next 2-disc Special Edition from Disney: Mulan. While it loses points for the ways Disc 2's bonus features are divided, there's a substantial amount of "making-of" material, plus improvements in picture and sound that make this a welcome addition to your Disney DVD collection. Check out the full review for our in-depth analysis of the film and bonus features, with over 50 screencaps from this DVD set, which is released in two weeks.
We've just posted seven screencaps from Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas, our first look at menus and a bonus feature, plus two new stills (one of CGI Mickey sitting on CGI Santa's lap, the other of the whole CGI gang) from next month's direct-to-video holiday feature.
We've just added two new TV spots ("Ever Wonder" and "Super Powers") for The Incredibles.
New DVD cover art: Kim Possible: The Villain Files.
Our countdown of the Best Disney Villains continues today with one from Walt's time and one from the digital age. Check out #'s 28 and 27.
Tuesday's
Releases
October 11, 2004 - Apparently, America's Heart & Soul will be released on DVD exclusively to Costco Wholesale outlets on November 2, and we've gotten in some details about the DVD release for this documentary which flopped in theaters last summer. The film will be presented in both widescreen (1.85:1) and fullscreen formats and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. Bonus features will include an audio commentary with director/producer Louis Schwartzberg, the behind-the-scenes featurette "In Search of America's Heart & Soul", four extended musical performances, and "The World Don't Bother Me None", a new original song by John Mellencamp. SRP is just $19.99. Though the DVD is available for preorder at Amazon.com and elsewhere, it's not clear when it will receive general release.
Today marks the launch of our fourth site countdown. This time we're revealing the results of our site-wide poll on Disney Villains. Over the next three weeks, we will be counting down the Top 30 Villains as voted on by site visitors. Two villain profiles will be added each weekday, starting with today's: #30 and 29.
October 10, 2004 - We've just added a third page on to our Aladdin DVD review. In this, Jake Lipson explores the Collector's Gift Set and tells you everything you'd want to know about what's inside the big box. There's a review, there are pictures of the contents, and there's no reason you should hesitate checking it out.
The official website has been launched for the Jerry Bruckheimer adventure National Treasure, which recently was moved to the "Walt Disney Pictures" line and even more recently was given a PG rating. The site looks about the same as the movie: kind of neat, and really loud. National Treasure stars Nicolas Cage and opens in theaters on November 19. (Disney Films Coming to Theaters)
October 9, 2004 - We've just added Gargoyles: The Complete First Season cover art to Upcoming Cover Art.
Our countdown of the 30 best Disney villains begins on Monday, revealing the results of last August's poll of UltimateDisney visitors. If you'd like to, you can e-mail countdown@ultimatedisney.com with your thoughts on how your favorite villain or villains are so effectively brought to life in their respective Disney film(s). Be sure to include how you'd like to be credited; your remarks will appear with others, when we begin counting the best Disney villains, profiling two a weekday for three weeks and revealing the top villains right before Halloween.
October 8, 2004 - Amazon.com apparently has more copies in stock of the long-out-of-print debut Platinum Edition, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. You can order this 2-disc set for $22.49, 25% off its retail price, and supposedly it will ship in 2-3 days. Thanks to Bill W for bringing this to our attention.
Raven-Symone, the former "Cosby Show" cast member and current teen icon manufactured by the Disney Channel, has been featured on a number of the studio's DVDs. But none as prominently as this one, the first volume of "That's So Raven" episodes, Supernaturally Stylish, coming December 7.
October 7, 2004 - Another new press release comes our way today. This time, it's for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl 3-Disc Gift Set, arriving the first Tuesday of next month. This Gift Set contains the ridiculously popular, existing 2-Disc Collector's Edition and adds "The Lost Disc", maintaining the current $29.99 SRP. This "Lost Disc" provides over an hour of additional never-before-seen material in the form of 8 new bonus features. Highlights of the new material include character featurettes with Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush, a multi-language reel, more "Fly on the Set" featurettes, a piece on the Disneyland attraction as inspiration for the cast and crew, and an animatic of the Sneak Attack sequence. For full details on this Gift Set (which will only be available for a limited time), see the press release.
According to the latest information from Disney, the second wave of Miyazaki titles are now slated for release on February 22, 2005. This trio of two-disc Special Editions (My Neighbor Totoro, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Porco Rosso) was originally scheduled to make their Disney DVD debut last August before getting inexplicably delayed.
Also newly added to Disney's February DVD calendar is a third entry into the second wave of Disney Princess DVDs: Disney Princess Sing Along Songs...Volume 2! Disney has issued a press release for all three of the upcoming Disney Princess Collection Volume 2 DVDs. In addition, last month's Volume 1 Disney Princess Collection DVDs are being released in a 3-pack on November 2. This set (containing Volume 1 of Princess Sing Along Songs, Princess Stories, and Princess Party) is up for preorder and with Amazon's 30% off discount, it's just $35.68.
October 5, 2004 - The "Magical World of Winnie the Pooh" DVD volumes that are currently only available outside the US are finally making their way to America. Here, they'll be called "Growing Up with Winnie the Pooh" and will apparently arrive in a different order. Due February 8th, with a Suggested Retail Price of $19.99 each, are Volume 1: A Great Day of Discovery and Volume 2: Friends Forever. These single disc releases mostly contain a few episodes of the late '80s/early '90s animated television series "The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" that currently reruns on The Disney Channel.
Full details have come in on the "Lizzie McGuire" Volume 1 box set DVD. This 4-disc collection will include the first 22 episodes of the popular Disney Channel series, plus an offering of bonus features highlighted by audio commentaries with cast members Lalaine, Ashlie Brillault, Clayton Snider, and Jake Thomas. Other extras include "The Cast Dishes the Dirt" featurette, "Get the Lizzie Look" on the show's fashions, and "Makeup and Hair Secrets of the Stars" in which Ashlie Brillault (Kate) visits a Beverly Hills salon. Read the full press release.
Over 100 Buena Vista DVDs, including 27 "Disney" titles, will be undergoing price cuts this winter. For the full list, click here.
October 4, 2004 - Mulan II, the direct-to-video sequel to Disney's 1998 animated film, will be making its DVD debut on February 1, 2005. Disney's just issued the press release. The DVD will present this new film in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, and 5.1-channel audio of the Dolby Digital and DTS varieties. Bonus features include deleted scenes, a voice cast featurette, the Mushu-hosted "The World of Mulan" featurette, Mushu's "Guess Who" game, and a music video by Atomic Kitten.
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