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Tag: Disney

  • Now Disney’s Interactive Planes land in Retail

    Now Disney’s Interactive Planes land in Retail

    Mumbai: Watch out for cute & hi-end planes this season for your little pilots at home. As the movie buffs wait for the release of Disney’s upcoming production “Planes” at theatres; My Baby Excels and Thinkway Toys have launched the interactive range of high quality toys & plush of the movie characters starring Dusty, Ripslinger and El Chupacabra. All the toys are suitable for kids – 4 years and above and are available at leading retail stores.

    Disney’s Planes, an action-packed 3D animated comedy adventure features Dusty (voice of Dane Cook), Skipper (voice of Stacy Keach), El Chupacabra (voice of Carlos Alazraqui) & Ishani (voice of Priyanka Chopra) is set to release on 23rd August. Spin-off of “Cars”, the movie is about the Dusty – an acrophobic crop-dusting plane with high hopes of becoming an air racer.

    On the launch of Planes toy range, Mustafa Kapasi, COO – MBE says, “Disney is known for its high quality content through its compelling stories, feature films, television shows, etc. It’s a brand with legacy of 100 years that has been entertaining people across all age groups. We at MBE always focus on quality product which offers great value to the consumers and we continue doing it with the launch of Planes toy range”.

    U-Command Super Charged Dusty: Experience the real life plane flying with deluxe infrared remote controlled Super Charged Dusty with interactive features like Dusty’s original film voice & phrases with sound effects and his movements of eyes and mouth while speaking. Kids can control Dusty with joysticks or by pressing the wireless remote to make him talk, move and turn in more than 1,000 action combinations. This cool interactive collective is priced at Rs. 6999.

    Dusty Bubbles Plane: It comes with Bubble attachment on wings. Launch Dusty in the air and bubbles come out. Propeller spins as Dusty glides through the sky. The package includes Bubble Solution and Dipping Trays. This unique plane is priced at Rs. 1699.

    Rubber Band Sky Gliders: A sling shot sky glider along with a rubber band launcher. Kids can race their favourite plane – Dusty, Bravo & Ripslinger amongst them which is made from light, soft & fully harmless materials. Sky Gliders are priced at Rs. 699.

    Plush Toys: Kids can now cuddle up to their favourite Planes character with 10 inch Plush figures of Dusty and Skipper. Made of soft felt, they are perfect for introduction of younger kids to the world of Planes; priced at Rs. 699.

    The range are priced at Rs. 699 onwards and are available across leading stores like Hamley’s, Landmark, Shopper Stop, Lifestyle among others as well as on the leading E-commerce websites like Flipkart.com.

  • Disney/ABC Names Pastor SVP, Strategy, Oversees Research

    Disney/ABC Names Pastor SVP, Strategy, Oversees Research

    MUMBAI: Paul Pastor, who has helped manage Disney’s investment in Hulu and overseen digital and international initiatives, will add oversight of research for the ABC network and other properties to his portfolio.

     

    He absorbs the duties held by Charles Kennedy, senior vice president of research, who is leaving the company to pursue another opportunity.

     

    As senior vice president of strategy and consumer analytics for Disney/ABC Television Group, Pastor will report to Peter Seymour, the executive vice president and CFO of the division. His research responsibilities include ABC Family, ABC Studios and the Disney/ABC syndication arm in addition to the broadcast network.

     

    He will continue to oversee strategic initiatives for the Disney/ABC groups along with customer relationship marketing and network media planning.

     

    Seymour stated that with, “Digital proliferation, Big Data and rapidly evolving consumer behavior, the worlds of CRM, planning, strategy and research are increasingly interwoven.” He cited Pastor’s “close working relationship with our research teams and the ABC businesses” as a strong fit.

     

    Kelly Pena, who oversees research for Disney Channels Worldwide, will continue in her role reporting to Seymour.

     

    Pastor joined Disney in 2007 in a business development role for the Disney Channels and took his current role as vice president of strategy, CRM and media planning last fall.

     

    Early in his career, he held positions at Accenture, a management consulting firm, and at Technicolor, where he was focused on the expansion of the firm’s gaming and animation services businesses into global markets.

  • Flopped The Lone Ranger to cost Disney $190 million

    Flopped The Lone Ranger to cost Disney $190 million

    MUMBAI: As per the reports, Disney CFO Jay Rasulo has informed that the company is likely to incur a loss of about $160 – $190 million next quarter as a result of The Lone Ranger‘s weak box office run.

    The Gore Verbinski-directed western, which stars Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer, cost at least $215 million to produce but has only earned $175.5 million worldwide (it‘s only opened in about 40 percent of international markets) since its release on 3 July. Domestically, the film has earned $86.9 million – a larger total than Disney‘s 2012 mega-flop John Carter, which topped out at $73.1 million, but an alarmingly low one nonetheless.

    For Disney, the loss hurts, but it isn‘t crippling. The company‘s portfolio now includes cash cows like Pixar, Marvel, and the Star Wars empire, the former two of which already delivered massive returns this summer with Iron Man 3 and Monsters University grossing $1.2 billion and $614 million worldwide. And Disney recognises that its plan to produce fewer movies but make them all tentpoles is a high-risk/high reward business. “This branded tentpole strategy of ours, it‘s 100 percent what we‘re looking to do and what we want to be,” said Disney executive VP of distribution Dave Hollis, following The Lone Ranger‘s disappointing opening weekend.

  • Umesh Shrikhande joins Taproot India as CEO

    Umesh Shrikhande joins Taproot India as CEO

    MUMBAI: Umesh Shrikhande has joined Taproot India as the new chief executive officer. The announcement was made by Dentsu India Group. Shrikhande, an advertising veteran with more than 20 years of rich experience, prior to this was the CEO of Contract India.

    The advertising veteran has worked closely with various divisions at Contract in the areas of design, direct and digital to enhance traditional advertising. Having worked with a variety of clients and brands such as HSBC, Cadbury, Asian Paints, Shopper‘s Stop, Philips, VIP, Bajaj Auto, BBC World, Aegon-Religare, Tata Indicom, Disney, Zoom, DNA and Grasim, Shrikhande is poised to take one of the most exciting creative boutiques in India – Taproot India, to the next level of growth and expansion. Taproot India, which now has a solid team of talented and capable professionals, will ensure that the company‘s creative quality creates new industry benchmarks.

    “I‘m delighted that Umesh has chosen to join us. Aggi, Paddy and I look forward to his partnership in this exciting new phase of growth at Taproot. Umesh is an industry professional I‘ve always had the highest regard for and now, I‘m happy to have this opportunity to work with him,” said Dentsu India Group executive chairman Rohit Ohri.

    Taproot will tap on Shrikhande‘s vast experience. “I am glad to have Umesh‘s vast experience on our side, which will be a guiding light for us as we scramble around doing what we think is the right thing. He is sharp, insightful and most important possesses great clarity on the way mass communication in the contemporary world works,” reiterated Taproot India co-founder and chief creative officer Agnello Dias.

    Speaking on his appointment as the new CEO of Taproot India, Shrikhande said, “Aggi and Paddy are not just immensely talented, they also happen to be wonderful people who have managed to build an attractive reputation for Taproot, despite of the huge competitive environment. I consider it a delightful privilege to get this opportunity to work with them and with their wonderful and energetic team.”

    Shrikhande along with the team will collectively endeavour to build on Taproot‘s innate strengths and culture to create a stronger organisation. “I hope that my understanding of strategy, people and relationships, helps me to make a difference,” he added.

    “With the kind of experience Umesh has and the number of youngsters Taproot has, it will be a wonderful blend,” said Taproot India co-founder and chief creative officer Santosh Padhi.

    Shrikhande, a management graduate from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies had started his career with Lintas (now Lowe Lintas & Partners), where he spent six years. Thereafter he was a core member of Team Contract that led the agency to great success, after which in 2008 he took over as the CEO of Contract India. After a successful spell of nine years at Contract India, he then joined Euro RSCG.

  • Disney plans an extensive cast for the Broadway musical ‘Into the Woods’

    Disney plans an extensive cast for the Broadway musical ‘Into the Woods’

    MUMBAI: Disney seems to be successfully cashing out on its fairy tale adaptations. The latest in its list of offerings is a take on Cinderella, named Into the Woods. The Broadway musical which will be helmed by Rob Marshall has attracted a glamorous cast including Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Chris Pine, Jake Gyllenhaal, James Corden, Emily Blunt, Tracy Ullman and Christine Baranski, all of whom are in various stages of negotiations to be part of the production.

    Disney is also in talks with Anna Kendrick to play the lead Cinderella which will bring the actress back into the screen singing spotlight after her last year‘s surprise hit Pitch Perfect. Disney‘s keen for Kendrick as she has been acting in Broadway musicals from a young age and won several awards.

    The plot revolves around the classic fairy tale wherein a childless baker (Corden) and his wife (Blunt) attempt to lift a family curse by journeying into the woods to confront the witch that put the spell on them. Along the way, they encounter a group of fairy tale characters including Rapunzel, Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood.

    In this mashup of the fairy tale, Cinderella will be married to a vain prince (Pine) and be described as a woman trying to find her place in the world.

    Kendrick who is yet to affirm her involvement in the project is currently shooting Richard LaGravenese‘s musical adaptation The Last 5 Years.

  • Disney’s blockbuster line-up for 2013-14 is all set to soar sky-high

    Disney’s blockbuster line-up for 2013-14 is all set to soar sky-high

    MUMBAI: The year 2013 is raking in the ‘moolah‘ for the Walt Disney group with its Indian arm, UTV Disney amassing nearly 48 per cent of the entire box office collections of all the 39 films released by various studios in India so far.

    Disney‘s worldwide footprint, having acquired major core brands like Marvel and ESPN, is all geared up with blockbuster releases in Hollywood in the coming few years.

    The studio is now organising its live action movies, having sorted its animation slate. Six movies, including two of the Stan Lee comic franchise ‘Marvel Studios‘ has been given new dates. It is reported that these two Marvel movies would be slated for a May release (May 6, 2016; May 5 2017), as it has become the franchises‘ trademark month of release.

    Amongst the list of movies slated, includes, Savings Mr. Banks which hits the theatres in mid December 2013, starring Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson as the leading pair, portraying Sir Walt Disney and Mary Poppins.

    Following this would be Muppet Most Wanted, a sequel to 2011‘s The Muppets. The Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell and Tine Fey movie will go on floors by 21 March 2014.

    While its animated movie, Planes is all set to go on the floors on 9 August this year, its sequel Planes: Fire and Rescue is already into production with its 3D release scheduled for 18 July 2014.

    Disney in collaboration with Dream Works has also planned The Hundred-Foot Journey, for an early August release in 2014. Steven Spielberg would be co-producing the big screen adaption of the international best-selling book by Rishard C. Morais along with Oprah Winfrey and Juliet Blake.

    The following October 2014 has been booked for the big screen adaption of the award winning children‘s book Judith Viorst. The movie starring Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner is titled Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.
    The Brad Pitt directed Tomorrow Land staring veteran star George Clooney, HughLaurie, Raffey Cassidy and Thomas Robinson shall be hitting the theatres on 12 December 2014 and produced by Bird and Damon Lindelof.

    The final movie for 2014 and slated for a Christmas release, Into the Woods, would see Rob Marshall directing the epic based on the Tony-winning original musical by James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim. It centers on a baker and his wife‘s quest to break a witch‘s curse in order to start a family. Along the way, they encounter several well-known fairy tale characters, and together they learn what happens after “happily ever after”.

  • Disney/ABC TV Group launches Disney Channel photo finish app for iPad, iPhone, iPod touch

    Disney/ABC TV Group launches Disney Channel photo finish app for iPad, iPhone, iPod touch

    MUMBAI: US media conglomerate Disney/ABC Television Group is launching the Disney Channel Photo Finish app on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Fans can now get creative and personalise their own pictures with their characters from ‘Phineas and Ferb‘, ‘Gravity Falls‘ ‘Shake It Up‘ and the Disney Channel Original Movie ‘Teen Beach Movie‘.

    The app is available now for free in the App Store at http://AppStore.com/DisneyChannelPhotoFinish.

    Using the photo app, fans can snap and stylise their pictures with show themed stickers, specialty frames and filters then share with family and friends. So whether fans want to dress up with Perry the Platypus‘ bill and Dippers hat, throw a beach party with the Surfers and Bikers of ‘Teen Beach Movie‘, or rock a photo shoot with Cece and Rocky, they are now only a few taps and swipes away from giving their pictures a custom Disney Channel Photo Finish.

    Premium sticker packs are available for 99 cents for each show. Soon to follow updates include Starring Role functionality that allows fans to insert their faces into some show scenes and characters, as well as ‘Watch and Unlock‘ sticker packs beginning with ‘Teen Beach Movie‘. ‘Watch and Unlock‘ will allow fans to sync the app with any encore viewing of ‘Teen Beach Movie‘ to unlock free bonus sticker packs such as ‘Bikers versus Surfers‘ and ‘Sing and Dance‘.

    Disney Channels Worldwide VP digital media Lauren DeVillier said, “Photo sharing is extremely popular with the Disney Channel fan base. Fans love taking photos and then applying different filters and photo finishing techniques to express their creativity. The Disney Channel Photo Finish app makes it possible for them to bring their favorite shows and characters into that experience and then share it with their friends.”

    Disney/ABC Television Group adds that in the past it has unveiled multiplatform services and apps. Watch Disney Channel, Watch Disney Junior and Watch Disney XD apps make full length episodes of shows available online and on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

    Verified pay TV customers can access live feeds of the networks, as well as access to first looks and sneak peeks. In addition to the Watch services, other apps include the Disney Junior Appisode app, which offers true interactive viewing, allowing kids ages 2-7 to touch, tap, swipe, tilt, shake and talk their way through various activities embedded into episodes of Disney Junior shows.

  • Big 4 control 64% of global internet ad market; Google is largest media owner-ZenithOptimedia report

    Big 4 control 64% of global internet ad market; Google is largest media owner-ZenithOptimedia report

    MUMBAI: Despite the apparent low barriers to entry, the internet ad market is highly polarised and just four companies control 64 per cent of all global expenditure. The four internet media owners -Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo! generated $49.2 billion in revenue from internet advertising in 2011, out of the total $77 billion spent on internet advertising around the world.

    Google alone accounted for 49 per cent of the world‘s internet ad expenditure, while Yahoo! in 15th position accounted for six per cent and Microsoft and Facebook at 26th and 27th positions respectively accounted for four per cent each.

    Google‘s media revenues of $37.9 billion made it the world‘s largest media owner according to ZenithOptimedia‘s Top Thirty Global Media Owners report. The search and digital advertising giant moved up from second position and now boasts media revenues that are 39 per cent higher than its nearest competitor DirecTV.

    News Corp, Disney, Comcast, CBS and BSkyB also made the list, while a notable exception, Twitter, with revenues of $140 million failed to make it to this group for the period of the report.

    The Top Thirty Global Media Owners report is a ranking of the world‘s largest media companies by media revenue as estimated by ZenithOptimedia. The latest report covers financial year 2011. The Top Thirty Global Media Owners report was launched in 2007 and was last published by ZenithOptimedia in 2010. ZenithOptimedia defines media revenue as all revenue deriving from businesses that support advertising, not just the ad revenue itself.

    Despite the rise of digital media, the majority of media revenues were generated by traditional media and entertainment companies that create and distribute content. Of the Top Thirty global media owners, 22 were companies whose main business is to attract audiences with strong content, which remains fundamental to generating media revenues. Six of the top 10 media owners during the period were content producers, including third-placed News Corp and fourth-placed Disney. Between them, these 22 generated $169 billion in media revenue in 2011, or 61 per cent of the total generated by the Top Thirty.

    Since the agency last published ranking in 2010, five companies have entered the ranks of the Top Thirty: Facebook, Microsoft, Globo, ProSiebenSat.1 and Sanoma. The entrance of Facebook and Microsoft demonstrates the growing dominance of internet advertising, which now accounts for 20 per cent of global ad expenditure. Facebook has spearheaded the explosive growth of social media advertising across the world, which is currently growing at about 28 per cent a year, while Microsoft has benefited from the slower but still rapid growth of paid search and traditional display, which are growing at about 13 per cent a year.

    Although China is now the third largest ad market, the Top Thirty ranking does not currently include any companies from China, where media ownership is highly fragmented. However, the report says that Baidu, China‘s leading search engine only just missed out on a place this time, and is a likely candidate for inclusion next year, while the national broadcaster CCTV won‘t be far behind.

    ZenithOptimedia‘s Top Thirty ranking for 2011 includes four digital media owners, and it expects that there to be at least one more next year. It also expects more media owners from other rising markets to join the two Latin American media owners in the top thirty.

    The driving force behind Google‘s success is its search algorithm, which has been by far the most successful at delivering search results that consumers want and monetising them through paid search advertising.

    No other company has been able to compete effectively in each segment of the digital ad market. The agency estimates that Google attracts 15 per cent of global display advertising, including traditional display, online video and social media, supplementing its 82 per cent share of search.

    With the launch of Windows 8, Microsoft‘s flagship operating system has become an advertising platform for the first time; the next couple of years will show what effect, if any, this will have on Microsoft‘s ranking.

    For ZenithOptimedia‘s Top Thirty list click here
    http://www.indiantelevision.com/mam/headlines/y2k13/jun/ZenithOptimedia.php

  • Netflix, Disney/ABC Television Group in multi-year licensing deal

    Netflix, Disney/ABC Television Group in multi-year licensing deal

    MUMBAI: OTT subscription service provider Netflix and Disney/ABC Television Group have announced a new multi-year licensing agreement that will make Netflix the exclusive US subscription television service for the Disney Junior show ‘Jake and the Never Land Pirates‘, as well as the Disney XD show ‘Tron: Uprising‘.

    In addition, Handy Manny, special agent Oso and JoJo‘s Circus will also be available for members in the US to watch instantly later this month.

    Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said, “Disney and Netflix have shared a long and mutually beneficial relationship and this deal expands on the incredible line-up of Disney content already available for our members. Families love Netflix and we know they especially love the imaginative and high-quality TV shows and movies from Disney. We‘re excited to bring Jake and the Never Land Pirates, a terrific show for families with preschoolers, to our members.”

    Disney-ABC domestic television president Janice Marinelli said, “We are delighted that Netflix‘s members and their young children will be able to experience a selection of tremendously popular original series from Disney Junior and Disney XD. Netflix is a highly valued partner and a terrific platform for families to enjoy these heartfelt characters and entertaining stories.”

    Disney Junior‘s series, ‘Jake and the Never Land Pirates‘ is a music-filled interactive treasure hunt that introduces a crew of kid pirates — leader Jake and pals Izzy and Cubby — and follows their Never Land adventures as they work to outwit two infamous characters, the one and only Captain Hook and Mr. Smee, from Disney‘s Peter Pan. Like all Disney Junior programming, ‘Jake and the Never Land Pirates‘ is guided by an established curriculum that nurtures multiple areas of child development: physical, emotional, social and cognitive; thinking and creative skills, as well as moral and ethical development.

  • Disney, EA in multi-year ‘Star Wars’ games agreement

    Disney, EA in multi-year ‘Star Wars’ games agreement

    MUMBAI: US media conglomerate Disney and Electronic Arts have announced a new multi-year exclusive licensing agreement to develop and publish globally new games based on ‘Star Wars‘ characters and storylines.

    Under the agreement, EA will develop and publish new ‘Star Wars‘ titles for a core gaming audience, spanning all interactive platforms and the most popular game genres, while Disney will retain certain rights to develop new titles within the mobile, social, tablet and online game categories.

    Disney Interactive co-president John Pleasants said, “This agreement demonstrates our commitment to creating quality game experiences that drive the popularity of the ‘Star Wars‘ franchise for years to come. Collaborating with one of the world‘s premier game developers will allow us to bring an amazing portfolio of new ‘Star Wars‘ titles to our fans around the world.”

    EA Labels president Frank Gibeau said, “Every developer dreams of creating games for the Star Wars universe. Three of our top studios will fulfill that dream, crafting epic adventures for Star Wars fans. Dice and Visceral will produce new games, joining the BioWare team which continues to develop for the Star Wars franchise. The new experiences we create may borrow from films, but the games will be entirely original with all new stories and gameplay.”

    Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.