For those of you new to Save Disney Shows, I want to let you know that the SDS webmasters are just fans like you, and we certainly don’t have all the answers. I want to share my experience dealing with Disney, and I think I have a lot to offer, but I also want your ideas and input. In previous campaigns, we’ve used the SDS Forum for this, but I’m flexible. comment the blog, send me an email, look me up on twitter, whatever works for you.

But I do have one request, please join our email list! We’ll send you maybe three emails per month at the most, but the information we do send is going to be when and what we’re planning so it’s critically important we can reach you promptly. And of course we’ll never sell your information or anything like that.

Finally, I’d also like to announce the launch of the Ruby & The Rockits E-mail Program. But please, don’t spam Disney with a ton of emails! Too many can be counter productive. We place a cap on the program at 5 sets per day, but really one set a day is enough. And it’s important that you still call disney and send paper letters. Emails alone will never be enough – we have to have those letters and phone calls!

On 09/11/09, Ruby star Alexa Vega announced on her twitter that the show has not been picked up for a second season: “Ruby didn’t get picked up “

But this doesn’t have to be the end! Save Disney Shows was founded by Kim Possible fans that thought it was that wrong for a “soulless” company to arbitrarily end the show at 65 episodes. We where able to brink KP back by working together. And since then, Disney management has been much more responsive to the wishes of fans, but it’s only natural that problems still arise.

But the cancellation of Ruby & The Rockits has to be one of the biggest blunders of the Iger-era at Disney! Any show that brings together Alexa Vega and the Cassidy brothers has scores of untapped potential! There is no justification that warrens ending the series after showing just eight episodes!

Simply put, this cannot be allowed to stand. ABC Family can’t just produce ten episodes and just walk away, not only is it wrong to drop the fans once they’ve started to get invested in the show, it doesn’t make any business sense. What does ABC Family do with 10 episodes? It’s a waste of money not to order a second season.

I don’t know if there are enough fans to make a difference. ABC Family didn’t give the series much of a chance to acquire fans, but if every fan joins our movement, and shows the show to their friends that number will grow. And given the amazing success of the Save Kim Possible Campaign has made, I firmly believe that there’s nothing we can’t accomplish if we work together – starting right now!

http://savedisneyshows.org/ruby/

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Mark my words, there’s more to this story than they’re saying. And honestly, I’m not sure what to make of this.

Walt Disney Co. studio chairman Dick Cook announced Friday he was resigning immediately, after nearly 40 years with the company.

Cook said he had been contemplating leaving the studio for some time and that “it’s the right time for me to move on to new adventures.”

It was not immediately known who would replace Cook as chief of the studio.

“I have loved every minute of my 38 years that I have worked at Disney,from the beginning as a ride operator on Disneyland’s steam train and monorail to my position as chairman of The Walt Disney Studios,” Cook said.

Cook began working at Disneyland as a ride operator in 1970 and moved up through the ranks to become chairman of Walt Disney Studios 32 years later.

Described by BusinessWeek in 2003 as “the nicest guy in Disney’s jungle,” Cook is known for his down-to-earth personality and good relations with Disney’s partners.

Cook’s studio has drawn criticism recently for the quality of its films. Movies like “Race to Witch Mountain,” “Bedtime Stories,” and “Confessions of a Shopaholic” were box office flops.

Cook said the studio’s slate of upcoming movies is the best in its history.

I do agree with Cook’s stance on the upcoming slate of live action films. His presentation last week was very well put together.

John Lasseter spoke in depth abut the upcoming slate of disney animated films on day four of the D23 Expo. This article does a good job of summarizing all of the announcements he made.

John Lasseter, chief creative officer, Walt Disney Animation and Pixar Animation Studios, made several announcements regarding upcoming animated motion pictures while presenting at the Odeon Leicester Square in London (9/10/09) and at the D23 Expo at the Anaheim Convention Center (9/13/09).

The news coming out of Lasseter’s presentations at both events include:

Timothy Dalton, Ned Beatty, Bonnie Hunt, Whoopi Goldberg, Jeff Garlin and John Morris joining the talented voice cast of Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story 3 along with Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Estelle Harris, Laurie Metcalf, R. Lee Ermey, Jodi Benson and Michael Keaton. Directed by Lee Unkrich and produced by Darla K. Anderson, this comedic and heartwarming adventure in Disney Digital 3D(TM), brings moviegoers back to the world of Woody, Buzz and our favorite gang of toy characters as Andy prepares to leave for college. “Toy Story 3″ opens in theaters June 18, 2010.

Walt Disney Pictures’ Rapunzel has found its lead voice in singer/actress Mandy Moore (“Saved,” “American Dreamz”) starring in the title role along with Zachary Levi (hit TV series “Chuck,” “Big Momma’s House 2″) as the dashing bandit. This action-packed, swashbuckling, animated musical comedy about the girl behind 70 feet of magical, golden hair who takes off on a hilarious, hair-raising escapade with the help of a dashing bandit directed by Byron Howard and Nathan Greno, produced by Roy Conli with music by Alan Menken. This Disney Digital 3D(TM) adventure opens in theaters Holiday2010.

Disney-Pixar’s Cars 2 combines thrills, intrigue and high octane comedy as Lightning McQueen and his trusty-but-rusty friend Mater race across five countries – England, France, Germany, Italy and Japan – where they face a host of new and worthy competitors. “Cars 2″ is being directed by the producer of the Oscar-winning animated feature “Ratatouille” Brad Lewis and produced by Denise Ream. This Disney Digital 3D(TM) race begins in theaters June 24, 2011.

The fifth film in Disney’s enormously popular fairy film franchise is Tinker Bell and the Race through the Seasons. Veteran Disney writer/producer/director Bobs Gannaway (“Stitch! The Movie,” “House of Mouse”) is set to direct. The second entry in the popular direct-to-DVD and Blu-ray series, “Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure,” is due for release on October 27th, 2009. In this latest adventure, all the fairy talents compete in a challenging and traditional leap year race through the four seasons of Pixie Hollow. With Tinker Bell’s help, Clank and Bobble enter the race and all the hopes of the Tinkers rest on their shoulders. But the pressures of competition and Bobble’s desire to impress a beautiful lightning fairy threaten Clank and Bobble’s longtime friendship. In the end, will Bobble place winning a race above losing a best friend?

Winnie the Pooh marks the first time in more than 35 years that a feature film staring Disney’s beloved characters is being produced at Walt Disney Animation Studios. Under the supervision of John Lasseter and producer, Clark Spencer (“Lilo & Stitch,” “Bolt”) the movie is due out in theaters spring 2011. Steve Anderson (“Meet the Robinsons”) and Don Hall (head of story on “The Princess and The Frog”) will co-direct this heart-warming motion picture that reunites five stories from the original books by A.A Milne with Disney’s classic, hand-drawn art style. Tidbit: Burny Mattinson, who worked as an animator on the original “Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree” featurette in 1964, will serve as the lead story artist on the project.

“Unidentified Flying Mater,” the latest in a series of Disney-Pixar animated shorts called Cars Toons, is set to debut on Friday, November 20th on Disney Channel, Disney XD, and ABC Family. Directed by Academy Award(R)-winner John Lasseter with Rob Gibbs co-directing, the film stars Lightning McQueen’s loyal pal, Mater. Additional shorts – “Monster Truck Mater,” “Heavy Metal Mater,” and “Tokyo Mater” will debut in 2010.

I got to see “Unidentified Flying Mater” and “Heavy Metal Mater” at the Expo. UFM in particular is a great short.

ALL NEW DISNEY PIXAR “CARS TOONS” REV UP AND ROLL OUT
ON DISNEY CHANNEL, DISNEY XD AND ABC FAMILY
BEGINNING FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20

– Award-winning Composers Mark Mothersbaugh (“Devo”)
and BT Score Four Episodes –

All-new episodes of Disney•Pixar’s “Cars Toons,” an animated short series directed by Academy Award©-winner John Lasseter with Rob Gibbs co-directing and starring Lightning McQueen’s rusty friend Mater, will debut beginning FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20 on Disney Channel, Disney XD and ABC Family. They are titled “Unidentified Flying Mater,” “Monster Truck Mater,” “Heavy Metal Mater” and “Tokyo Mater.”

Mark Mothersbaugh (“Devo”) composed the music for three episodes and BT (“The Fast and the Furious”), a prominent composer of dance and electronic music, scored “Tokyo Mater.”

(Editors please note: photos are available on disneychannelmedianet.com; disneyxdmedianet.com and abcfamilymedianet.com)

The four new stories follow the popular shorts that began debuting in October 2008 and which have reached 22.9 million Kids 2-11, or 56% of all kids in that age group in the U.S., and 67.5 million total unique viewers.

“Cars Toons” are directed by John Lasseter, (“Cars,” “Toy Story 2,” “A Bug’s Life” and “Toy Story”) and co-directed by Rob Gibbs (“Cars,” “Finding Nemo,” “Monsters, Inc” and “Toy Story 2″). Kori Rae (“The Incredibles” and “Monsters Inc.”) is the producer. Victor Navone (“Cars,” “The Incredibles,” “Finding Nemo” and “Monsters, Inc.”) co-directed the episode “Tokyo Mater.”

In “Unidentified Flying Mater,” premiering Friday, November 20 on Disney Channel, Mater meets a cute little bucktoothed UFO named Mator, takes him out for a night of fun and they quickly become best friends. But when Mator is captured by the military, Mater and Lightning McQueen come to the rescue.

Subsequent episodes to premiere in 2010 are:

“Monster Truck Mater”
Mater is a professional wrestler who works his way up the ranks from amateur to World Champion Monster Truck Wrestler, wrestling all kinds of characters along the way. When faced with his biggest opponent yet, Mater tags in his “tag team partner,” Frightening McMean.

“Heavy Metal Mater”
Mater is a rock star in a heavy metal band. He starts out in a garage band and rises to the top with his hit song, “Dad Gum.” Lightning McQueen joins him on stage in the middle of a huge concert and they rock into history.

“Tokyo Mater”
A routine towing assignment lands Mater in Tokyo, where he is challenged to a drift-style race against a nefarious gang leader and his posse of ninjas. With the help of his friend, “Dragon” Lightning McQueen, and some special modifications, Mater attempts to drift to victory and become “Tow-ke-O Mater, King of all Drifters.”

About “CARS”
Directed by Academy Award©-winner John Lasseter, “Cars” was the 2007 Golden Globe winner for Best Animated Feature Film and an Academy Award nominee for Best Animated Feature Film and Best Music – Original Song. The film also won the 2007 Grammy Award and was the #1 animated film on DVD for 2006. Its soundtrack was the first Pixar soundtrack to debut in the Billboard Top 10 and to certify gold.

Disney•Pixar’s “Cars 2,” directed by Brad Lewis, producer of the Oscar®-winning film “Ratatouille,” will hit the track on June 24, 2011 and will be presented in Disney Digital 3D™ in select theaters. In this thrilling new high-octane installment of the “Cars” saga, all the world’s a racetrack as superstar Lightning McQueen zooms back into action, with his best friend Mater in tow, to take on the globe’s fastest and finest. Mater and McQueen will need their passports as they find themselves in a world of intrigue, thrills and fast-paced comedic escapades. While racing through England, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, they face a host of new and worthy competitors.

Disney•Pixar’s “Cars” is among the fastest growing franchises for Disney Consumer Products, has a presence at Disneyland Resort where a new Cars Land, a 12-acre world of Radiator Springs with three new attractions, will debut at Disney’s California Adventure in 2012.

This year, Disney Online launched the World of Cars Online (www.WorldOfCars.com), a virtual world that allows fans to immerse themselves in Radiator Springs and beyond, to interact with other players and to create an online community alongside their favorite characters including Lightning, Mater and Doc.

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I’m not convinced that Marvel’s worth $4 Billion, but it’s certainly a good addition to the company.

I can already see Spider Mickey Merchandise. LOL

Walt Disney Co. (DIS) agreed to acquire Marvel Entertainment Inc. (MVL), the creator of Spider-Man and thousands of other characters, for about $4 billion.

The deal marks one of the largest acquisitions in Disney’s history and the first big media deal since companies began hoarding cash last fall during the global financial crisis.

It also fits with Disney’s stated strategy of driving revenue from popular content over time across multiple platforms, and it gives the company a boost with young male audiences, where Marvel’s characters like Iron Man, Spider-Man, X-Men, Captain America, Fantastic Four and Thor are particularly popular. Disney has shown more strength with females from its properties like Hannah Montana.

Under the agreement, Marvel shareholders will receive $30 a share in cash plus about 0.745 Disney share for each Marvel share. Based on Friday’s closing prices, the deal is valued at $50 per Marvel share, about a 29% premium.

The companies said the amount of cash and stock in the deal will be adjusted at closing so that the value of the Disney stock is at least 40% of the purchase price. Besides shareholder backing, the deal will require antitrust approval.

Miller Tabak analyst David Joyce noted that Disney is paying a steep valuation for Marvel but he views the deal as a “good long-term strategic move” for the company. “This is another sign that confidence is returning to the marketplace,” said Joyce.

Disney shares were down 1.7% at $26.38 in recent trading, while Marvel shares jumped 26% to $48.79.

Marvel has long-term production and distribution deals in place with Disney competitors, including Sony Corp.’s (SNE) Sony Entertainment, News Corp.’s (NWS, NWSA) 20th Century Fox Films and Viacom Inc.’s (VIA) Paramount Pictures, which complicate the company’s strategic position.

(News Corp. is the parent of Dow Jones & Co., publisher of this news service.)

In many cases, it will take years before Disney can garner anything more than licensing fees from some key Marvel characters, but Disney Chief Financial Officer Tom Staggs said those revenue are attractive and the company will have the option to produce and distribute Marvel’s content on its own when those deals expire.

“Marvel is worth more inside Disney than outside Disney,” said Staggs.

Marvel Chief Executive Ike Perlmutter called Disney “the perfect home for Marvel’s fantastic library of characters given its proven ability to expand content creation and licensing businesses.”

The comic book maker has been boosting cultural awareness of its characters by continuing to branch out into animated television series and live-action films. However, the company in the spring pushed back its film schedule through 2012 as it looked to build anticipation for its upcoming slate of films.

Marvel’s results have been boosted from its film-production business, and last year was the first year it which it began to produce its own films, taking in all the profits instead of just licensing fees.

In March, it formed an international advisory board made up of business leaders from overseas markets as it looked to expand its global presence.