Walt Disney Co. reports record earnings

Disney reported record profits during the second quarter due mostly to the movie division , the company said in its quarterly earnings report Tuesday.

The company reported earnings of $1.28 per share on revenue of $12.45 billion, up 8 percent from a year ago.

“Our strategy of building strong brands and franchises continues to create great value across our company,” Robert A. Iger, chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, said in the earnings statement. “This quarter we delivered the highest EPS in the company’s history, and we’ve now generated greater EPS in the first three quarters of FY 2014 than we have in any previous full fiscal year."

The studio revenues increased for the quarter 14 percent to $1.8 billion due to the success of "Frozen" "Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier" and "Maleficent."

The parks and resorts for the quarter increased 8 percent to $4 billion. The parks, according to Iger, will also see a greater presence of Star Wars and more information will be released next year.

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Disney Facts: 5 quick facts about Disneyland's Tomorrowland

© Steven Liebman

Tomorrowland at Disneyland.

When Tomorrowland opened at Disneyland in 1995 it was described a "vista into a world of wondrous ideas, signifying man’s achievements … a step into the future, with predictions of constructive things to come," by Walt Disney.

The area is one of the five original ands and was the last to be complete. Because of budget cuts not all of the rides were operating on opening day, July 17, 1955. It now has 10 attractions.

Here are five quick facts about Tomorrowland from Disney:

1. Only one attraction remains from Tomorrowland's opening day - Autopia. There are three different types of cars - “Suzy,” a stylish coupe, “Dusty,” an off-road vehicle, and “Sparky,” a racy sports car.

2. Live "mermaids" were used when the Submarine Voyage (now Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage) first opened in 1959.

3. The Disneyland Monorail was the first daily operating monorail system in the Western Hemisphere.

4. The Matterhorn Bobsleds can be found in only one Disney park – Disneyland.

5. The Carousel Theater, now home to Innoventions, was previously the location for the Carousel of Progress, which is now located at the Magic Kingdom at Disney World, and America Sings, which sent many of its critters to Splash Mountain after closing in 1988.

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Two new ways to get special treatment at the Food & Wine Festival

Just as the phone lines were opening last week for Food & Wine Festival reservations, Disney announced two new special events:

• Epcot Food & Wine Festival – Late Nights LIVE! For $79 per person, plus tax, you can join an after-hours street party that goes until 1 a.m. The price includes six food and/or beverage items.  
• Epcot Food & Wine Festival Premium Package: For $199 per person, plus tax, you get access to premium areas where you won't have to wait in line for food, entry to one Late Nights Live event and a package of other goodies delivered to your room (including a special festival Magic Band, a bottle of wine, a Food & Wine Festival wine glass and a $50 gift card). This offer is only available to guests staying on property. And we've heard it's selling out fast, so if you're interested, call soon. 

I was on the phone the morning tickets went on sale, and it was tough getting answers -- or even finding a cast member who knew anything about these events. Judging by comments online on the Disney Parks Blog and elsewhere, lots of people had a similar experience.

Now we have some answers to some of the questions causing the most confusion:

What's open during the Late Night Live event?

Only the area between the United Kingdom Pavilion and World Showcase Plaza. The food booths in that area are United Kingdom, Canada, Greece, Hawaii, Dessert and Champagne.

Is admission required? 

Admission is not required for the Late Night Live event -- but only if you're arriving just in time for the event to start at 9:45. If you plan to be there earlier, you'll need admission. Admission is required for the Premium Package.

Is the wine basket per person or per room?

Everything is per person, contrary to some early reports. Buy two Premium Package tickets and get two bottles of wine, two wine glasses and two $50 gift cards. (It really wouldn't make sense any other way, would it?)

Do you have access to the Premium areas during the whole week of your stay, or only one day?

You have access to the 10 concierge areas from noon-8 p.m. Monday through Thursday during the week of your stay, so you will always be able to escape at least some of the food and beverage lines.

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Disney Facts: 5 facts about Paradise Pier and Pacific Wharf at Disney's California Adventure

The Paradise Pier and and Pacific Wharf areas of California Adventure at Disneyland Park are designed to pay tribute to the seaside areas of California.

© Steven Liebman

Paradise Pier at California Adventure at Disneyland.

The Pier represents all the towns with games, shops and restaurants, while the Wharf represents the business area of "cannery row."

Here are five quick facts about this area of the park from Disney:

1. The wood deck that make up the Boardwalk is called Curupay. The wood comes from a sustainable forest in Paraguay.

2. Recycled water continuously circulates through Paradise Bay at a rate of 450,000 gallons per hour,  the equivalent of refilling a backyard swimming pool every two minutes.

3. King Triton’s Carousel features 56 sculptured creatures that represent California’s marine life.

4. Boudin Bakery makes the sourdough bread for all of The Disneyland Resort.

5. Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop offers each guest a free sample square of chocolate. 

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The Muppets return with new web series

If you can't get enough of your fill of the Muppets, don't worry, they are back.

The crew can now be seen on “Disney Drive-On” a new series only available on Disney Movies Anywhere.

There are now two episodes up and more will follow. The series focuses on the Muppets production office and how they work in Hollywood and prepare to make movies.

Here is a preview of the first episode.

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'Guardians of the Galaxy' ranks 12th on all-time list of Superhero box office opening weekends

The latest Marvel/Disney superhero group to grace the screen is coming on strong. "Guardians of the Galaxy" is estimated to make $94 million in its opening weekend, according to Disney.

The opening weekend numbers would rank Guardians 12th on the top list of Superhero Opening Weekends, according to boxofficemojo.com, closely trailing "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," which came out earlier this year.

This is the 10th film in what is considered the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which started in 2008 with "Iron Man." Of the 10 films, Guardians has the  sixth highest opening weekend box office. 

The sci-fi film follows a group of self-proclaimed "losers" banding together to save the galaxy. Chris Pratt plays Peter Quill, who was abducted as a child from Earth and grows up to be a scavenger with a bounty on his head after stealing a mysterious orb sought by Ronan the Accuser, played by Lee Pace.

Those seeking to catch Quill - Gamora (the last survivor of the Zehoberi people, played by Zoe Saldana), Rocket ( wisecracking genetically altered raccoon voiced by Bradley Cooper) and Groot ( a sentient tree-like creature with a limited vocabulary of three words, "I am Groot," voiced by Vin Diesel) eventually join Quill and Drax the Destroyer (an alien, played by Dave Bautista, bent on revenge after his family was killed by Ronan) to save the galaxy from this mysterious orb

The movie is not only popular with the fans, 88 percent of the top movie critics around the U.S. monitored by Rotten Tomatoes liked the movie as well. 

 

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Bill Murray to voice Baloo in Disney's new 'The Jungle Book'

Wikimedia Commons

Bill Murray at Toronto Film Festival.

Bill Murray will voice of Baloo in Disney's live-action "The Jungle Book."

The movie, written by Justin Marks, is directed by Jon Favreau and will be released Oct. 9, 2015.

The film alsos star Christopher Walken as King Louie, Idris Elba as Shere Khan, Scarlett Johansson as Kaa, Ben Kingsley as Bagheera and Lupita Nyong'o as Raksha and Neel Sethi as Mowgli.

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