It’s been a while since I’ve done this. But every once and a while I think it’s interesting to go see what’s hot in the world of Disney. This month we’ll look at the bestselling Disney items on Amazon. Usually we learn a little something. For instance, the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World is usually ranked #1, but not only is it #2 right now, it’s dropped down in overall rank as well. Could that mean less people are looking ahead with their vacation plans? I also like that They Might Be Giants scores the 4th spot in the Disney Music Category. We have it and it’s a great album for youth.

Top Five Disney Books on Amazon

1. Randy Pausch – The Last Lecture
2. The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2009
3. Wall-E Little Golden Book
4. The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World
5. Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World 2008.

Top Five Disney DVDs on Amazon

1. The Little Mermaid – Ariel’s Beginning
2. Camp Rock
3. Best of Both Worlds Concert: The 3-D Movie / Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus
4. Lost – The Complete Fourth Season
5. Desperate Housewives: The Complete Fourth Season.

Top Five Disney Albums on Amazon

1. Jonas Brothers / Self Titled
2. Miley Cyrus / Breakout
3. Camp Rock Original Soundtrack
4. TMBG / Here Come the ABCs
5. Wall-E Soundtrack.

Finally, right now Amazon is having a special where if you sign up for the Amazon Prime shipping plan, Amazon will kick The Disney Blog a few extra bucks on your behalf. I’ve used Amazon Prime to save a ton of money on shipping and now, going into this holiday season, you can save money on shipping and on gas by just ordering online.

Amazon Prime members enjoy the following benefits:

1. Unlimited FREE Two-Day Shipping on millions of Amazon.com Items
2. Overnight Shipping upgrades for only $3.99 per item
3. Shopping with no minimum order size
4. Ability to share benefits with up to 4 household members
5. 1 Month Free Trial

Thanks a bunch!

Good Day everyone. The Disney Blog is up for an award at “Disney Links Web Awards.” I’d appreciate it you head on over and vote for this site.

Although there’s no award over at Blogged.com, a vote for The Disney Blog there would be appreciated too.

Reminder: If you’re on twitter you can follow The Disney Blog at @TheDisneyBlog and subscribe to me at Friendfeed too.

Are you tired, listless? Do you scan your iPod looking for something new? Does your playlist need a shot in the arm? Well,

HAVE YOU HEARD THIS?

[ ed. - catchy new title! ]

This week I’ve got a great show for you. The next time you need to pee your pants laughing, check out the Magic Never Ends podcast at MagicNeverEnds.com. There is never a dull moment when Will and Shannon are around. Magic Never Ends is one of the latest editions to the Disney Podcast Network and a rising star on the Disney podcast scene.

Will and Shannon put out a well rounded show that brings together many different aspects of the Disney Company. From park audio to the latest Disney Channel offerings, Wheel and Shannon cover it all. Based out of the Mid-Atlantic region, the couple calls Walt Disney World home and much of their park audio features their trips to WDW at all different times of the year. Their love of the parks is quite obvious from the enthusiastic (and extremely detailed) planning before each trip to their exuberant enjoyment while there. They prove without a doubt that the Disney Parks can be thoroughly enjoyed without children.

Their other great obsession pertains to all things Disney Channel. Namely, the ‘tween shows during the after school hours. You would be hard-pressed to find a ‘tween girl in America who knows more about Hannah Montana or Camp Rock then Will and Shannon. They love it all and are not ashamed to let the world know. Their passion is contagious.

Will’s girlish obsession with hair products, princesses and Aly & AJ along with Shannon’s Tinkerbell attitude, informative advice and saintly patience make this show hilarious from start to finish. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Will and Shannon for a day of non-Disney park fun and enjoyed every minute. Whether you join them in the parks, on the Disney Podcast Network or only get to know them through their show; Will and Shannon will not disappoint.

That’s HAVE YOU HEARD THIS for this week. In the words of Wheel and Shannon, “Catch Ya on The Flip Side. Woo Hoo!”

Link: Magic Never Ends on iTunes.

(You can catch Jenn on her blog)

TSMM – Joe Ranft Tribute

Originally uploaded by indigoskye

I had been through the Disney’s Hollywood Studios version of the Toy Story Midway Mania! Fastpass queue at least a dozen times before I noticed this wonderful detail. Just before you enter the main queue room, there’s a blue bookend with the title of “Magic Made Easy” with the author J. Ranft.

It’s a tribute to Joe Ranft, a Pixar story artist who died in a tragic auto accident back in 2005. Besides being incredibly talented, funny, and warm hearted, Ranft was a bit of a magician, hence the book title.

It’s obvious his absence is still keenly felt in the halls of Emeryville. Major points to Walt Disney Imagineering for adding this detail.

There is one mystery detail remaining; the book’s publisher is “Planet Fog Press”, (see photo on flickr) which I assume pays homage to the California San Francisco Bay Area. But if you know different, please chime in below.

CNET is reporting that Disney has bought “Ideal Bite”, a ‘green’ focused e-newsletter.

The price was about $15 million, PaidContent reported. That’s a lot smaller than Club Penguin, which Disney acquired for $350 million last year.

Ideal Bite is small even as far as e-mail lists go–it’s no DailyCandy–but its demographic was likely of interest to a buyer like Disney. The site’s median household income is $82,000, press materials state; the median age is 35; and the target demographic is the sort that “drinks organic wine after yoga.” In other words, yuppie moms.

The Walt Disney Company certainly does a lot in this area that they could be crowing about. So while this purchase is a little surprising, it’s nice to see Disney investing in this area. (Read)

Lee Aase attended a speech by Duncan Wardle, Sr VP Disney Global PR, on Disney Park’s social media efforts. It’s worth a read.

This was a very interesting presentation. If big brands like Disney are realizing they need to cede control of their messages (or better yet, realize they never had control), it should be a sign to others that they need to embrace user-generated content, too.

Right now the Disney Parks division has three ‘Social Media’ ventures: the the Mom’s Panel (12 official Disney Moms talking to the community at large), the Mickey Moms Club (the remaining 9988 moms who were not selected as one of the 12 aforementioned official Disney Moms) plus they’re running their second successful program with CareerBuilder, this time for a Dream CMO (Chief Magical Official) which is in its final stages.

Other Walt Disney Company divisions are entering the Social Media realm too. Check out this Disney Dad’s Movie club. Movie reviews by real dad’s working for the Mouse House.

Btw, I agree with Duncan that all Disney employees should be encouraged to blog. Many do, just unofficially as regular joes and janes who just happen to work for the Mouse. But Disney should identify its subject matter experts who may already be blogging or working in new media in some other fashion and giving them some official encouragement.

Just a quick note to let you know that somehow The Disney Blog’s rankings in the Google Index have been affected negatively since a few days ago. If you notice anything strange or different, please let me know so I can track this issue down.

Any help solving the matter is appreciated as well. Drop me an email and I’ll fill you in with what I know.

The AP is reporting that Fats Domino is missing after not evacuating ahead of Hurricane Katrina. Not that this has a huge impact on the effects of the devastation, but it’s still very sad if it is true.

Update: Fats Domino has been found alive.

[Technorati Tags: hurricane, katrina, hurricanekatrina, lost, fatsdomino, refugee, evacuee, flood]