Happy Sunday and welcome to another weekly recap of the biggest Disney news from the past week.
More celebrity narrators were announced for this year’s Candlelight Processional!
The Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend kicks off August 31 and runDisney recently shared a preview of the commemorative merchandise for the race weekend.
Disney Vacation Club members on both coasts can celebrate Halloween with a special members-only party at either Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa or Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
Today is the last day for guests to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Bambi with special PhotoPass …

Disney’s animated classic Bambi is celebrating its 75th anniversary and guests at Disney’s Animal Kingdom can celebrate too with special Disney PhotoPass opportunities August 25-27.
On those dates guests at the Animal Kingdom can meet Thumper and Miss Bunny from 10:20 a.m. until 4 p.m. at Rafiki’s Planet Watch.
Guests can also have Magic Shot photos taken in several locations including: Discovery Island, Asia, Africa and Rafiki’s Planet Watch.
PhotoPass photographers in these locations can add a butterfly to your photo (just like when Bambi interacted with a butterfly in the film).
Other photo …

Dubbed a “Disney Legend” in 2004, visual animator, story man and development artist Mel Shaw passed away at 97.
Personally recruited by Walt Disney himself, Shaw contributed to several early classic Disney films including Fantasia, Bambi and The Wind in the Willows. His career with Disney was put on hold during the second World War, where he served as a filmmaker and cartoonist. After the war, he returned to work for Disney offering invaluable knowledge and expertise during the making of The Rescuers, The Fox and the Hound, The Great Mouse Detective, The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast.
Shaw …

Ginny Tyler, named a Disney Legend in 2006 for her career as a notable voice actress, passed away July 13 from natural causes at her home in Issaquah, Washington.  She was 86 at the time.
If you’ve listened to the chorus of birds outside of Disneyland’s Tiki Room, or enjoyed the animals during the Mary Poppins song “Jolly Holiday”, you’ve heard Ginny Tyler perform.  Tyler, best known for her work as Head Mouseketeer when the original Mickey Mouse Club was reworked for syndication in 1963, also narrated recordings for Disney (Bambi, …

Two popular Disney films will be pulled from circulation on Monday, sources say. The two films that will be pulled are Beauty and the Beast: Diamond Edition and Bambi: Diamond Edition.
Their direct-to-video sequels are also being pulled, including Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas Special Edition, Beauty and the Beast: Belle’s Magical World Special Edition and Bambi II: Special Edition.
Disney has not specified the length of time these films will be locked up in the vault, so if you want any of these make sure to buy them before …

This week, it was announced that the classic 1942 Disney film Bambi was given the distinct honor of being selected for the 2011 National Film Registry. The Registry, which is part of the Library of Congress, preserves films that are deemed to be cultural, artistic and historical treasures. The selections were made by Librarian of Congress James H. Billington, who chose 25 films out of 2,228 selections nominated by the public with the help of film curators and members of the National Film Preservation Board.
In a statement, Billington said about …

Much to the delight of fans everywhere, the LEGO Imagination Center at Downtown Disney reopened last week – and there are many renovations to check out!
Before you even enter the store, you’ll notice huge LEGO statues flanking the perimeter. Brickley, the sea serpent, still remains standing guard in the nearby lake, while the popular LEGO family walking its dogs remain as well. Additionally, visitors can now take photographs with Maleficent in dragon form, as well as Buzz Lightyear and Woody; Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and even Bambi and Thumper!
Other …

The summer issue of Disney Twenty-three magazine will hit stands May 3, and features an amazing behind-the-scenes look at Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
Director Rob Marshall and actors Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane and Richard Griffiths will take D23 magazine readers into the exciting world of the latest Pirates film, and offer the inside scoop on what Captain Jack Sparrow’s been up to, including an eight-page spread of full-color images. Additionally, readers will find select cast and crew members’ thoughts about Johnny Depp’s reprisal of the iconic role; learn about …

Legendary Disney animator Bill Justice died last Thursday in California of natural causes.  He was 97 years old.
The list of Justice’s professional accomplishments are wide and varied, and are recognizable to any Disney fan.  Justice began his career with the Walt Disney Studios in 1937, not long after he had graduated from art school.  While with Disney, Justice animated classics such as Thumper from “Bambi” and Chip and Dale.  He contributed to many well-known works, such as “The Three Cabelleros” and “Peter Pan.”  Justice also worked on three Disney animated shorts …

If it’s time to upgrade your copy of “Bambi” – or to buy it for the first time – you’re in luck.
Disney announced last week that “Bambi,” the fifth full-length animated feature produced by Walt Disney himself – will be released for a limited time from the fabled vault.  And this time around, customers can enjoy the film like never before.  The Diamond Edition Blu-ray high definition version of the film will be available just in time for spring, on March 1, and will only be available for a limited time.
The …