Tales of Folly (July 2, 2009)

Last week, Up became the top grossing summer movie so far, overtaking Star Trek. The Disney-Pixar hit, which as of Wednesday had taken in $256 million, has the Transformers sequel instantly on its balloon trail and will likely fall from that top spot by the weekend, especially with the new Ice Age movie looking to steal Disney’s family audience. At this point, Up will likely be among the top 3 summer earners when all is said and done with only wizards and stereotype-enforcing robots in its way.

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Disney has announced a plan to invest $452 million to expand its Hong Kong Disneyland, which will include three new lands built over five years. The park has had attendance issues, largely believed to be the result of the lack of size and diversity (the other five global Disney parks include at least one other separate park). No word on whether Stitch's SuperSonic Celebration will be heading overseas to the more temperate climate found in Hong Kong.

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The Little Mermaid will end its short run on Broadway on August 30. The musical will pick up its fins and head out on an as-yet-specified national tour. The musical ends its run after only 685 Broadway performances, a low number in comparison to The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. Disney cited fiscal responsibility as one of the reasons to take the show on the road. The Little Mermaid seemed to appeal successfully to fans of the movie and families, but did not translate well with the fastidious Broadway crowd, who apparently prefer ABBA songs over Menken/Ashman.

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The Hall of Presidents in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom is officially reopening this weekend, in time for the celebration of our country's independence and its desire to visit beaches and watch fireworks, with the unveiling of the 44th President of the United States of America, Barrack Obama. Disney calls the President Obama audio-anamotronic "the most dynamic figure Disney has ever created."

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Lastly, RIP Dinosaur Jack. The Sunglass Shack, featuring the large, green bespectacled dinosaur rising above crowds, was recently removed as construction continues at Disney's California Adventure, specifically on the lagoon for the upcoming Wonderful World of Color show. That's one less tacky icon taking up residence at Paradise Pier.