Brave

Mark another public relations snafu for Disney. Shortly after introducing Pixar‘s Brave heroine Merida to the Disney Princess fold with a controversial new look, the Mouse House appeared to quietly pull the slimmer and more sexualized design from its website. Fans and critics immediately decried the move when the sexier look was first unveiled. A Change.org petition addressed to Disney CEO Bob Iger garnered over 200K signatures online. Even director Brenda Chapman, who was replaced by Disney on Brave but won an Academy Award for her contributions to the girl empowerment pic, piled on with her own public denouncement calling the redesign as “a blatantly sexist marketing move based on money.” Disney has yet to respond officially to the furor. It’s not the first time the Disney Princess brand has come under fire in recent years. Last fall’s introduction of Princess Sofia to Disney TV viewers would have marked the first Hispanic Disney Princess in the studio’s history. “She is Latina,” exec producer Jaime Mitchell even confirmed on the record before Disney officials backpedaled. Just last Tuesday the studio similarly backtracked from attempts to trademark the “Dia de lot Muertos” Mexican holiday for an upcoming film following another media firestorm. “It has since been determined that the title of the film will ... Read More »

Anyone who thought that Disney/Pixar's "Toy Story" franchise would really be kaput following "Toy Story 3" (a movie that practically crow-barred tears out of even the most hardened misanthrope) were, of course, out of their collective minds. Since the third film was released, we've had three dazzling theatrical short films ("Hawaiian Vacation," "Small Fry," and "Partysaurus Rex") and idle chatter of a fourth film. And come Halloween, we'll get something even more special – a 22-minute TV special called "Toy Story of Terror," the first image of which debuted today. Also, former Pixar director Brenda Chapman weighs in on the controversy surrounding her "Brave" character Merida becoming an official Disney Princess. The first image from the special – featuring Woody (Tom Hanks) and Jessie (Joan Cusack) huddled around a ominously glow-in-the-dark Buzz (Tim Allen) – is appropriately atmospheric, and along with the image, some details have emerged about the special's tone and plot. "Bonnie...