Disney has apparently launched "DGamer", a service designed to allow Nintendo DS users create online profiles, track accomplishments, and connect with other users. First announced back in February, most every Disney game going forward will be completely integrated.
"'DGamer was built around the vision to connect Disney video game fans in a secure, fun environment and it is truly the first integrated online community of its kind to do so on multiple platforms,' said Graham Hopper, executive vice president and general manager for Disney Interactive Studios. 'We recognize the importance of delivering unique experiences to our consumers and how crucial it is for parents to feel confident that the community is secure for their kids.'"

Google Earth will be starting to feature recreations of Walt Disney World's theme parks.  By the end of this month, you will be able tour 3-D recreations of 1,500 restaurants, rides and attractions, as well as hotels and resorts. 

"It's a virtual walk-through of the whole property … the most amazing virtual tour of any place in the world," Walt Disney Parks and Resorts chairman Jay Rasulo says.  John Hanke, Google Maps director, says that the project will be "truly innovative and unique".

Eight photographers photographed every inch of Walt Disney World, then those images were rendered into 3-D. 

The maps will prove to be informational as well as visual.  You will be able to find out height requirements, and check room rates and availability at hotels.

"It's an attempt to make the data more available to (everyday) people," he says. Google Earth "is a figurative sandbox, and anyone can jump in" and play.

Disney is hoping that after kids check out the new "Chronicles of Narnia" movie this weekend, they'll want to go online and chat about it using game characters dressed in fashions from the movie's dreamworld.

This week, the entertainment company is launching a virtual play environment that kids can access through Nintendo DS devices and their computers. The software for the service, called DGamer, comes free on copies of a video game tied to the movie, "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian."

As companies scramble to replicate the success of recent surprise hit sites such as Webkinz, where kids tend to the lives of stuffed animals, some industry watchers say DGamer is the latest entry in a category that is about to get crowded. As one venture capitalist put it, kid-oriented online worlds are "popping up like mushrooms everywhere."

There's no question kids are spending more time online. According to research firm eMarketer, 12 million kids between ages 3 and 17 will regularly access virtual worlds this year. The firm expects that figure to rise to 20 million by 2011.

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The 2005 film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was a pleasant surprise.

It could have gone the other way; it could have been a typical childish Disney movie that teaches us all a life lesson in the end. But it was more adult and very well done.

Critical acclaim and a not-too-shabby box office performance set up Narnia for a film series. And since The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian brings with it what made the first one enjoyable, more sequels are welcome with open arms.

Prince Caspian drops the viewer into Narnia about 1,300 years after the events of the superior first film. A group of people called the Talmarines have set up shop in Narnia and share it with the Narnians. Simple enough, right? It quickly gets less simple (and borderline confusing).

The late Talmarine king has been murdered by his brother, Miraz (a brilliantly evil performance from Sergio Castellitto), who wants to put the throne on hold for his young son.

The only roadblock is the murdered king's son, Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes, very good for a first starring role), who has ventured into the Narnian wild to save himself.

Miraz aspires to kill him, and as it happens, he also loathes Narnians. So he decides to kill two birds with one stone and wages war on the Narnians to find Caspian.

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This is not a good economy to take a gamble in.

Las Vegas has, and it’s hurting casino profits. Disney has not, and the “Magic Kingdom” is reaping the winnings.

In theory, it’s not supposed to be this way.

The gaming business often brags that it’s recession-proof because gamblers will always like to gamble, but amusement destinations historically have seen their business get hit hard when consumers’ wallets are pinched.

The upscaling of Las Vegas with its five-star hotels, restaurants and shops, and the down-pricing of Disney to more value-oriented park packages and hotels over the last decade has turned that concept on its head.

Plunging housing prices and soaring costs for gas and food have made Americans more mindful of their spending. Their financial wariness has the potential to hurt vacation destinations everywhere.

Yet Walt Disney Co.’s theme parks and resorts have enjoyed surprising success. They helped increase the company’s fiscal second-quarter earnings by 22 percent from a year ago, to $1.13 billion, or 58 cents a share. Analysts had been expecting 51 cents a share.

Revenues in the parks and resorts division shot up 11 percent to $2.7 billion during the quarter, a gain that was partially driven by an increase in foreign travelers visiting its U.S. parks to take advantage of the weak dollar.

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Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Cinderella" and "Beauty and the Beast" will be performed at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center from May 27 to June 1, the International Children's Day.

The classics will be presented by Disney Live!, staging later in Beijing and nine other cities around China before touring Asia.

"As our first production designed specifically for a Chinese audience, we have the opportunity to introduce thousands of children and their families to famous Disney cartoon characters in a very personal and memorable way," says Thomas Schumacher, president of Disney Theatrical Group.

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A New Age Has Begun.

The enchanted characters of C.S. Lewis's timeless fantasy come to dazzling life again in this second installment of the seven book series, in which the Pevensie siblings - Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy - are magically and mysteriously transported back from World War II England to Narnia, where a thrilling, perilous new adventure and an even greater test of their faith and courage awaits them.

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WALT DISNEY WORLD, Fla. - In this kingdom of fantasy, there’s magic in reality, too.

Birds, some of them thrillingly rare or unusual, come here to spend the summer or take a break in their travels. And silvery bass swirl the waters of Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake, testing anglers’ patience and willingness to rise early.

Bird-watching is an unexpected and lesser-known attraction at Walt Disney World, but it can delight as much as a twirl in a teacup, a wild ride down an Everest look-alike or a face-to-ears encounter with Mickey Mouse.

Disney World lies below that great avian interstate, the Atlantic Flyway. Birds returning from wintering in Central and South America wing directly over Florida, some stopping there for spring and summer breeding, others continuing into the Northeast, Canada and the far north.

“In Florida, you can look up, and there’s always something in the sky,” says Chris Newton, a bird and animal keeper in the aviary at Animal Kingdom.

Birders with and without their binoculars can see dozens of species. One-third of Disney World’s 45 square miles is protected for wildlife. From a bird’s-eye view, the lakes, trees, grasslands - even the theme parks teeming with people - are an invitation to come on down.

Waders, herons, land migrants, songbirds, raptors, rails and every species of egret have stopped or stayed at the park, according to Grenville Roles, curator of birds at Animal Kingdom.

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Jeffrey Stepakoff tells about writing for TV's Dawson's Creek, which had started out strong but after a few seasons was beginning to drop in the ratings. One of the show's writers had a suggestion have Pacey and Joey, two antagonistic characters, kiss. That kiss created such a stir that people started watching again, and the show did well enough for long enough to become syndicated. It may not have meant $1-billion only shows like Seinfeld do that well but syndication is the cash cow for any TV show.

I was reminded of the kiss when I was reading about Miley Cyrus and her controversial photos in Vanity Fair. What interested me wasn't the argument that the photos were too provocative for a 15 year old, but that Ms. Cyrus is considered Walt Disney Co.'s billion-dollar star, when you add up her show Hannah Montana, her concert film and tour, and all that merchandising. So one kiss can make tens of millions of dollars, while one provocative photo can threaten to break a billion-dollar franchise.

That is, of course, the risk in investing in entertainment companies. Tastes change, stars fall out of favour, hit shows don't rebound after a television writers' strike.

While the Miley Cyrus controversy raged this week, Disney released its second-quarter results and they were impressive: a 22-per-cent increase in profit to $1.1-billion (U.S.) for the quarter, or 58 cents a share. Analysts were expecting earnings of 50 cents a share. Even the company's theme parks, which analysts thought might take a hit with the slowing U.S. economy, did well.

The results reveal some of what we've all come to know about Disney: It is the expert in creating massive franchises out of its successes not just Hannah Montana, but also High School Musical and Pirates of the Caribbean. While the Miley Cyrus crisis appears to be waning, you can't help but think that despite her celebrity Disney is smart enough to have a pipeline of new young stars to replace her just in case. The company also has a wholesome, family image that it has always worked hard to maintain. “Disney is the gold standard in entertainment,” says Jeff Bock, a box-office analyst at Exhibitor Relations Co., an entertainment-related research company. “They are into everything. They get kids in their tweens and hold on to them for the rest of their lives. Then they bring in their kids. It's a cycle that never ends.”

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Last night's quarter was a beauty. Earnings from continuing operations climbed 23% to $1.1 billion, or $0.58 a share. Revenue inched 10% higher to $8.7 billion, with all four of Disney's operating segments posting year-over-year gains.

Analyst guesstimates were looking for a profit of just $0.51 a share on $8.5 billion in revenue. Will they ever learn? Skeptics have been mowed down before, and they'll be humbled again.

Wall Street was nervously anticipating the company's theme park numbers, and they were brilliant. Revenue and operating profits rose 11% and 33%, respectively. Then again, with Great Wolf Resorts (Nasdaq: WOLF) and Cedar Fair (NYSE: FUN) trouncing expectations just hours before Disney's report, was there any doubt that Disney would do well? Great Wolf and Cedar Fair are good proxies of domestic demand, and then you have to tack on the strength of international visitors, given the attractiveness of the free-falling dollar.

The company's media networks were also a concern. Disney's cable properties, like ESPN and the Disney Channel, would surely do well, since they're mostly subscriber-based (like Viacom (NYSE: VIA) and Time Warner (NYSE: TWX)), but would the ad-heavy and strike-shortened ABC bring down the segment? No way.

As good as things were, there's always the hope that things will get better. On the theatrical front, Disney has The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian opening next week, with Pixar's Wall-E rolling in next month.