There are few of my favorite childhood movies that hold as special a place as BedKnobs And Broomsticks. Although it was produced after Walt Disney’s death, it continued the Mary Poppins tradition of combining live action with animation, brought on wonderful actors like Angela Lansbury and David Tomlinson, and was chockful of musical tunes to boot. What more could a budding Disney fan want?

How about the new Enchanted Musical Edition DVD? It’s restored and remastered and ready to occupy that empty spot on your shelf.

We have the Sherman Brothers to thank for the songs for the film, including The Age of Not Believing, Portobello Road, and The Beautiful Briny Sea. If that strikes your memory bone, then you’ll want to make sure you watch the best special feature — Music Magic: The Sherman Brothers. Inside Angela Lansbury narrates the history of the development of the songs and you’ll enjoy a rare listen at a song never before heard.

Also knew is the “Wizard of Special Effects” feature that walks viewers through the special effects of the movie and compares them with Disney’s current wizard TV show, The Wizards of Waverly Place.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks is a must have for any Disney fan. The Enchanted Musical Edition DVD captures the family entertainment value you expect from the team at Walt Disney Pictures.

More details of the DVD below the jump:

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If you’re a fan of Disney animation and live in Los Angeles or New York, count yourself lucky. You get a chance to see Disney’s triumphant (we hope) return to hand drawn animation, The Princess & The Frog, prior to most anyone else. Tickets are for sale now on Disney.com for limited advanced screenings in those two cities. But if you’re on Facebook, login to get a ’special fan rate’.

For more details and ticket purchases: http://www.facebook.com/ThePrincessAndTheFrog and click the exclusives tab. Dates are around  November 25-29th and are going fast. The Los Angeles screening is right on the Burbank Walt Disney Studios lot too. That’s pretty cool.

Walt Disney Studios chair Richard (Dick) Cook has announced that he will be resigning his post. As chair of the studios cook over saw all live action and animated films released by the Walt Disney Company. Unfortunately there has been a fair amount of pressure for the studios to improve their offerings the last few years and many felt that Cook would eventually resign or be fired if things did not improve.

Cook was liked by most Disney fans, not just because he rose through the company from the bottom ranks of a front line attractions cast member at Disneyland, but also for his involvement in the fan community, such as his participation in the Carolwood Society. I’m sad to see him go and hope he stays involved in the Disney community.

Nikki Finke is reporting that Dick Cook was actually fired. But I guess in the higher levels of Hollywood, they call that a resignation.

(via the LA Times)

Follow below the jump for his official bio:

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It was a big day at the D23 Expo in Anaheim for fans of Disney movies. Key talent and filmmakers from Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures’ upcoming slate of movies were on hand at the D23 Expo, made some surprise appearances. Alas photography and video devices of any kind were banned from the presentation, so we have to really on Disney PR to provide the shots.

Mickey Mouse, Anika Noni Rose, and CEO Bob Iger get chummy.

The biggest news was that Johnny Depp will be back in a fourth edition of the popular movie based on the Disneyland pirates attraction. “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” will come out in 2011. Depp appeared on stage in full Captain Jack Sparrow regalia acting with the drunken swagger we’ve come to expect from the Pirate rogue. (Note: sadly there is no PR photo of this yet. One is promised. When I find it I’ll put it up.)

Depp is also appearing in Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” and “The Lone Ranger”. None of this was really news, the only question was when. Tim Burton also announced he is making a feature length version of his “Frankenweenie” cult short film.

Bruckheimer, Cyrus, and Cage post for the camera.

Nicolas Cage, star of upcoming film “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” (July 2010) wants to do another “National Treasure” film. Someone is probably making that happen as we speak. (updated)

That’s a handsome looking family.

The Travolta family, John, wife Kelly Preston, and their daughter Ella Bleu previewed some scenes from “Old Dogs,” which also stars Robin Williams. It’s 9-year-old Ella Bleu’s debut. It will hit theaters November 25th 2009.

Miley Cyrus, star of upcoming film “The Last Song” sang her hit song “The Climb.”

Jerry Bruckheimer, producer of upcoming films “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” (May 2010) and “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” (July 2010) was there to preview those two films to the audience.

It’s not a show without an appearance by the Muppets. Hey is that Mark Twain for sale?.

Also Kermit the Frog, and the game from the Muppets put in an appearance. Disney has plans for these Muppets, but I don’t think it’s a new finale for Fantasmic!

This wasn’t even all the news. Tomorrow Pixar studios and John Lasseter gets their chance.

(all photos courtesy Disney PR / Eric Charbonneau Photographer)

Tim Burton’s take on the Alice in Wonderland mythos doesn’t arrive until 2010. But it’s already inspiring new fashion as seen at the MAGIC convention this week in Las Vegas. More items in the line and more designers will be revealed as the release date of the film approaches.

The line was introduced in a ‘flash mob’ tea party at the MAGIC convention with mystical performers in outfits inspired by the movie.

Follow below the jump for the full press release:

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I had to check my calendar to make sure it wasn’t April Fools when the news of The Walt Disney Company’s latest acquisition rolled across my screen. Disney is now the proud owner of Marvel Entertainment at a cost of a cool $4 billion. That quickly adds 5000 new characters to Disney’s cast including some of the most famous and hot properties in the market today – Iron Man, Spiderman, Thor, Captain America, and the X-men.

With Stan Lee, the creator of much of Marvel’s super hero cast, working closely with Disney for about a year now. I guess he’s had plenty of time to sow Bob Iger’s ear with how valuable a product this would be for Disney. At $4 Billion it is practically a steal compared to Pixar and Pixar has turned out to be a good buy for the Mouse House. Frankly, many analysts wondered why Disney just didn’t acquire Marvel at the same time it acquired Lee’s POW entertainment. No sense making up new superheroes when those with strong existing brands are there for the taking. Plus this might put Stan Lee back in a position of power at Marvel, which is where he belongs.

News reports indicate that there are no immediate plans to have Mickey and Ms. Marvel co-habiting at any of the theme parks or other properties. But at the same time Iger admits that Disney is now in a position of power to renegotiate all the deals that its competitors, like Sony, hold in regards to Disney. There is also ‘Marvel Island’ over at Islands of Adventure Universal Orlando. Wonder when the license agreement runs out on that (Aside: Can you say fifth gate Walt Disney World fans? WDW might finally get its thrill park. Let that sink in.) It also puts Disney head to head with Warner Brothers in the comic book to movie market place.

Is this a good deal? Well time will tell. But Disney has always been about ‘Story’ and Marvel Entertainment has some great stories to tell. So, that’s a good sign if you ask me. With Spielberg’s production company, aka Dreamworks, now on board with Disney I have to think the possibilities are endless.

I’m just waiting for the first Condorman / Spiderman crossover. You?

Director Alastair Fothergill took part in a Virtual Roundtable for DisneyNature’s EARTH today. They also showed the ‘Earth Diaries” film that will be a special feature on the Blu-Ray Disc. It took over 5 years to complete the film, so there is a lot of territory covered in the feature, but it really lets the creators put some umph behind what is otherwise just the story of the movie.

The next two films Fothergill is working on for DisneyNature are Big Cats, projected to release early in 2012, and Chimpanzee, which should arrive early in 2013.

For those interested in the nitty gritty, I’ve included the full transcript below.

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Jeff Altman’s grandfather had a real enthusiasm for 16mm film. While going through some of the family film archives, Jeff discovered this incredibly colorful and clear film of Disneyland just one year after it opened. There’s even a scene of his grandmother (love her outfit) meeting Walt Disney (who appeared to be filming something in the park that day as well).

While a bit shaky at times, this is one the best videos of early Disneyland I’ve seen. Check it out.

Home Movies At Disneyland – 1956 from Jeff Altman.