Those of you who own Disney stock may be interested to know that there’s been a breach of security at the Mellon Bank which involved the theft of 4 million names and Social Security Numbers. So why is this of importance to Disney shareholders? Well, it just so happens that the Mellon Bank is the transfer agent for the Disney company. According to a post on the website for an ABC affiliate in Cincinnati, Disney has been alerting shareholders of the security breach at the Mellon Bank. But there’s a bit of silver lining to all of this.

If you bought your Disney shares through a brokerage firm, your name is usually not on the individual shares and you should be safe (the stock is in the brokerage’s name). You can contact your broker if you’re unsure.
No letter in the mail? Then you should have nothing to worry about.

I posted an update last week of the construction of the Walt Disney Family Museum now being built at the Presidio in San Francisco. My update included lots of photos taken of the exterior work being done on the buildings that will house the museum complex.

Now Disney’s released a photo taken of the interior of the former gym that will house the gallery. It’s not much of a photo and it’s just a shot of the roof. Still, it is one of the first photos of the interior constructions I’ve seen.

I’ve also included a link to an article printed in the online edition of the Disney Insider detailing the ongoing work.

Exciting things are afoot at the Walt Disney Family Museum these days, and we want to share them with you! This month, the Museum has an update on construction of the new site at San Francisco’s Presidio – read on for an update from the Walt Disney Family Museum Web site, and when you visit the Museum online you’ll find interactive exhibits and more to let you know exactly what to expect as physical Museum works toward opening day:

Don your hard hats. This month we’re featuring an exciting visit to the construction site of the Walt Disney Family Museum, led by Jay Turnbull, the architect in charge of construction, and the firm’s Carolyn Kiernat.

As Carolyn, a principal at the firm of Page & Turnbull reports in the following, construction is now in full swing and is expected to continue without let up until the buildings are opened to the public, which is currently foreseen for 2009. The effort is concentrated on two structures: the actual Museum and the nearby Archives building.

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GARDEN GROVE, CALIFORNIA, July 21, 2008—Last week, National Fantasy Fan Club (NFFC) President Kendra Trahan announced important changes to the organization’s board of directors, including the selection of a new Special Event Coordinator, appointment of a Charity Seat, and appointment of a new Vice President of Public Relations. The announcements were made following a series of Board meetings coinciding with the annual NFFC National Convention, held July 15 through 20 at the Crowne Plaza Resort near Disneyland in Garden Grove, California.

NFFC board member Anita Schaengold resigned as Vice President of Public Relations to accept the newly created board position of Special Event Coordinator. Anita has been a board member since early 2007 and an active volunteer, especially in planning and organizing events such as the recent NFFC Tokyo Disneyland 25th Anniversary (behind the scenes) Trip and various Ryman Arts fund raising events.

“I couldn’t be happier about the chance to continue to help the NFFC grow and develop new events and Disney-related activities,” said Schaengold. “I’m also looking forward to working with our Charity Seat to plan events that will raise even more money than ever for our two charitable groups: Ryman Arts and Give Kids a Chance.”

Schaengold and her husband Gary, also an NFFC board member, live in Dayton, Ohio. Anita runs a jewelry business, and Gary is a municipal courts judge, attorney, and adjunct professor of law at the University of Dayton School of Law.

The NFFC Board of Directors is also pleased to welcome C. W. “Chuck” Oberleitner as the newly elected Vice President of Public Relations. Oberleitner is the senior writer and podcaster for o-meon (www.o-meon.com) and has been writing about all things Disney from the “grown up geeks” perspective for five years.

“Taking this position seemed like the natural thing to do,” said Oberleitner. “I’ve been telling people for years, through my columns, about all the amazing experiences you can have as part of the NFFC. Experiences that bring a whole new depth and dimension to your Disney experience, be it movies, theme parks, TV, DVD, cruises, just about everything and anything Disney you might have a mind to do.”

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I had this idea tumbling around in the back of my head that maybe Disney headed in the wrong direction when it opened its new Innoventions Dream Home exhibition at the Tomorrowland pavilion at Disneyland.  Disney says that this exhibition will give visitors the opportunity to peer into the future as they walk through the home of tomorrow filled with wonderful new products that will delight, amuse, and amaze.  My question is, what’s the point of focussing on the home of tomorrow filled with wonderful tech gadgets if those gadgest don’t help the occupants of the home deal with the pressing needs of climate change.

Instead of building an exhibit meant to represent a future home filled with flat screen TVs and computer embedded kitchen counters, which last time I checked people didn’t have to wait for tomorrow to have installed, I think it would be even more exciting and more fitting of the Tomorrowland theme if they instead built a mockup of the Lilypad: Floating City for Climate Change Refugees.  I first learned about the The Lilypad when the site Inhabitat featured the design for the floating city built to house the refugees of climate change.  In other words, cities like these are designed to house the millions of people displaced by rising waters if the worst predictions for climate change come true.  And this exhibition would be of high interest, I think, to the people of the state of Florida.

I think it would be an incredibly challenging yet worthwhile endeavor if Imagineers worked with companies to prepare exhibitions that show visitors how companies and advocacy groups are working on ways to counteract the effects of climate change as well preparing coastal cities for the worst effects of climate change.  In fact I see the shape of the Innoventions pavilion in Disneyland as the perfect size for a replica of the Lilypad.  Granted the exterior couldn’t be modified to replicate the exterior of the Lilypad, but I think the interior has lots of room for Imagineers to play with if given the chance.

You can learn more about the Lilypad as well as check out more artists renderings by checking out the official site for Vincent Callebaut Architecture, the designers of the Lilypad.

Although Mousewatcher Jim Hill said otherwise in a column last week, Disney and the Chinese government continue to deny that they have an agreement to build a second Disney park on the Chinese mainland in Shanghai.  Even with the denials it seems that even rumors of a new Disney park can help boost the stock of companies that stockbuyers believe will benefit from the building of a Disney park in Shanghai.

The two biggest beneficiaries of the rumors are a couple of real estate developers, Shanghai Jiulongshan and Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone Development, who saw their stock rise recently.  Meanwhile another developer, Lujiazui Finance & Trade Zone Development, issued a statement denying any involvement with the building of a new Disney park.  End result?  A decline in the stock.  Seems the best thing for any company that finds its name somehow intertwined with the Shanghai park is to neither confirm nor deny involvement.

Photo copyright DLRP Today

• DLRP Today has posted photos and a report of the changes to the main focal point of the park. The giant “Cars” billboards that decorated the building have come down and scaffolding in disguise have gone up finally giving the Disney Studio 1 building the chance to blend in beautifully with the rest of the buildings.
• Jim Hill revealed in a new Monday Mouse Watch column that the Disney Hollywood Studios in Orlando will be getting another Pixar themed attraction. So which Pixar theme will Disney Imagineers choose as the inspiration for this new attraction? Well, how about Monsters, Inc.?

Disney’s Hollywood Studios is actually getting the attraction that theme park enthusiasts have been itching for ever since Monsters, Inc. opened back in November of 2001. DHS will be soon be home to an inverted coaster that recreates the Door Hangar sequence from that Pete Docter film.

• MousePlanet’s Walt Disney World Update by Mark Goldhaber includes news on the latest addition to the Disney Cell Block Gang. This time its WDW CM Jason Hasegawa, who was apparently frustrated over his dealings with a government office and unpaid tickets.

While talking on the phone with his girlfriend about his problems with unpaid traffic tickets and a suspended driver’s license, Hasegawa vented that he was going to get C-4 explosives and blow up the office of the Clerk of Courts at the Orange County Courthouse.

• Unfortunately for Mr. Hasegawa, another CM overheard him and immediately summoned the authorities. News at 11:00. Also in the WDW Update you’ll find news on the Kidani Village annex of the Disney’s Animal Kingdom Village which is now accepting reservations, new Passholder rates for late summer and fall, the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot hosts an international culinary competition, and lots of other bits of news and rumors in the “Quick Takes” portion of the update.

• Over in Anaheim in the Disneyland Resort Update there’s an update on the return of the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough, a union representing Cast Members turns up the heat, and the results from the recent Mini MouseAdventue are posted.
• And in another Disneyland update, MiceAge’s David Michael has posted an unusually brief Monday In The Parks. So why is the update so brief? Poor guy is under the weather. If you’re a fan of David’s Disneyland updates which is usually heavy with photos, pop on over and wish the guy well.
• Blogger Honor Hunter of Blue Sky Disney has been writing for some time now about all the proposed changes in store for Disney’s California Adventure as the Mouse Empire tries its darndest to revamp or re-Imagineer the Disneyland Resort’s second gate into a park worthy of its sister across the esplanade. Yesterday he posted that guests to DCA should begin to see the walls go up towards the middle of August and guests will also see changes tot he park’s entertainment. Mainly the parade routes.
• Looks like the fans of the Adventurers Club are getting some heavy firepower in their efforts to save the Pleasure Island nightclub. According to Jim Hill award-winning author Peter David “has come up with a pretty clever plan to get the attention of Disney senior management.”

Photo copyright DLRP Today

• And we began today’s Disney Clicks at the Disneyland Paris Resort so it seems fitting that we should end there as well. Just as the Americans celebrate the 4th of July and the French also celebrate a national holiday in July. The French celebrate the 14th of July or Bastille Day and last week Disneyland Paris helped to celebrate the holiday with a special fireworks show. DLRP Today has posted video and photos of the fireworks so be sure to make the jump and check it out.
  

A couple photos of the Mickey themed iPhone were uploaded online.  I can’t seem to find much information about the phone other than it’s a product being put out by both Apple and Disney.  And just before you start searching online where you can get a Mickey iPhone of your own, sorry folks.  You can only get this in China.

It’s that time again.

And I’m feeling incredibly “retro.” The videos will speak for themselves.

Enjoy, and remember the good times!

Well, it’s been some time since I’ve posted an update on the Walt Disney Family Museum currently under construction at the Presidio of San Francisco, a former army base that was turned over to the National Park Service. The architectural firm of Page & Turnbull has been hired by the Walt Disney Foundation to design a museum that will transform buildings that were once barracks into the new home for the Walt Disney Family Museum.

So here are a few photos I took of the ongoing construction. You can learn more about the Walt Disney Family Museum by checking out the official site.

It’s no secret what’s being built behind this fence.

The Montgomery Street barracks which will house the main part of the Walt Disney Family Museum.

An open gate provides a good view of all the work taking place.

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Happy Friday Mousevine readers. Well, yesterday was Disneyland’s 53rd birthday so it’s no surprise that it was the main topic for many of the Disney fansites out there. So here’s a roundup of how the various sites paid homage to the park that started it all.

• Staff writer Frank Anzalone of MousePlanet put together a series of new photos that people can use for their desktops.
• Al Lutz of MiceAge takes readers on a CinemaScope helicopter tour of Disneyland from 1956 including lots of vintage photos of the park in its early days.
• Yesterland jumps 35 years later from Disneyland’s opening to take a look at how the park celebrated its 35th anniversary.
• Jim Hill also takes a jump back in time and turns in a piece on how Walt Disney World celebrated the USA’s Bicentennial with a new fireworks show.
• Andy Castro of MiceChat posted photos from yesterday’s birthday ceremony at Disneyland in a new Dateline Disneyland update that also includes photos from around the park.
• And not to be outdone MouseTimes has a pictorial update from Disneyland as well posted to their site.
• MousePlanet’s contributing writer Chris Barry returns with a new Disney Stuff column for those of you who dabble in collecting Disneyana. This time Mr. Barry focuses on “The Best Happy Meal Toys Ever.”