The Disney Frontier Blog

Have you ever been curious about what’s coming on TV this week related to Disney Theme Parks? Want to set the TiVo but not sure what time and channel that episode of Family Matters comes on. You know the one. The one where they went to Disney World. Well, if so, check out TVKirby’s TV listing page.

Disney Theme Parks Related TV for the Week

The Retroist has ranked the top 12 Disney afternoon cartoons. I’d have to say that my favorites were DuckTales followed closely by TailSpin.

Anyone who listens to the official Lost Podcast knows that the executive directors have always wanted the show to end on their terms. In fact, they have been lobbying to choose an end date so the show won’t get cut abruptly. Their rationale is simple, the show can’t work for ever. Unlike most dramas where new story lines can constantly be developed, Lost has a beginning, middle and end.

Now the press is reporting the end date, 2010. This AP article, which probably is running in countless papers across the country, blames the lower ratings this season as the cause for the date. It paints this decision as a last ditch effort to save the show.

I couldn’t disagree more. To me, as a rabid Lost fan, this is great news. The writers will have parameters to work in that will help reveal certain plot factors throughout the story. They don’t have to fear ABC and its programming decisions. The show is going to jump three fold in quality over the next 3 seasons. I can’t wait to see it.

Greg Wiggle (Greg Page) has announced his departure from the very successful children’s group, The Wiggles. He has been suffering from a chronic illness and has been unable to perform in a steady capacity for almost three years. His condition is not life threatening but it does make it hard for him to perform. According to his video message, when he stands up, his heart does not produce enough blood to fuel is body. He will pass on his yellow shirt to Sam Moran who will take over for him.

My daughter used to love the Wiggles a few years back. She’s a little older now so she watches with passing interest. Greg was her favorite.

[via TV Squad]

On Tuesday, Apple released their new version of iTunes which now offers movie downloads. The only movie studio on board right now is of course Disney. This is probably because Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple, also sits on the board of Disney and is the single largest individual share holder.

The movies are priced at $9.99 for current movies, $12.99 for pre-orders and $14.99 for new releases. Cars is already available for pre-order. The movies are in 640×480 resolution which is what a traditional TV displays at but that doesn’t mean you can watch these on your TV. You can’t burn them to DVD and unless you are going to connect your PC or Mac directly to the TV, you are stuck watching them on either you computer monitor or your iPod. In the first 3 months of 2007, Apple will release their iTV. This will allow you to stream these movies - as well as the rest of your iTunes collection - to your TV.

There are a total of 75 movies available as of today.

With the release of the TaleSpin Volume 1 DVD, I thought I would link to this TaleSpin Fan Site. I used to watch this show every day after school and am very excited to show my three year old.

If you are a lost fan, check this out. Its a video of Alvar Hanso discussing why the Dharma initiative exists. I’m not sure if its real or a fan created spoof, but it looks pretty good.

via: The Disney Blog

So I recorded a episode of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and sat down and watched it with the family. My son - 11 months - was hypnotized for a few minutes and then quickly lost attention. My daughter - 3 years old - didn’t stop watching the whole time.

The CG animation was decent. They do a weird thing with Mickey’s ears so that they are always showing in the normal silhouette. It’s weird because they didn’t choose to treat them like a regular 3D animation which would show a side profile or the back of the ears when appropriate.

The music is not very good. It didn’t seem like they put a lot of effort into the songs. I would have expected that the opening song would at least be catchy but unfortunately it wasn’t.

Overall, I am excited despite these few minor annoyances. I was worried that my kids would never experience Mickey and his friends on TV as the Eisner regime seems to relegate him to the parks and the vintage DVD videos. They will now have a decent series on TV to experience. This should help create the next generation of Mickey fans.

Disney

I’m am amazed but glad that Disney/ABC seems to be leading the way on offering new and exciting ways to get their content. ABC was the first to jump on board with Apple iTunes to offer downloads of Desperate Housewives and Lost. Now they are going to offer 4 shows - Desperate Housewives and Lost included - for free from ABC.com in a special two month trial starting next in May. Currently shows cost $1.99 per episode from iTunes but during this special trial, the shows will be ad supported and therefore free.

This makes perfect sense to me. I don’t understand why an advertisement supported piece of content works in one medium but not another. Hopefully this test will prove that making content available in a variety of mediums is a win win for everyone. If I could have all my shows on demand, I would be just as willing to watch the ads - or fast forward them like I do today with my DVR - as if I were watching the program at its regularly scheduled time.

I haven’t seen in this new announcement anywhere where they discuss the quality of the download and whether users will be able to keep/store them on their hard drive or if it will be streaming only. Anyway, this is just a step forward in an industry that seems slow to adopt.

Read more here.