Disney Headlines for July 16th, 2024
In the latest batch of Disney Headlines, Disney gets hacked again. But does it even matter?
Also, a former Mickey Mouse Club star offers a funny explanation for why she left, a financial analyst finds a positive at Epic Universe, and The Descendants return.
Disney Suffers Another Hack
I’ve written my fair share of tech stories over the years, and one thing I can say with confidence is that hackers love to brag.
Their fish tales are often on a par with middle school dating stories. Most of it didn’t happen.
![The Walt Disney Company](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-walt-disney-company-stock-photos4.jpeg)
![The Walt Disney Company](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-walt-disney-company-stock-photos4.jpeg)
Photo: Disney
Still, I mentioned last month that Club Penguin fans angrily hacked a Disney server.
Now, a potentially bigger story is brewing, although we should all treat it with a fair amount of skepticism.
![The Walt Disney Company](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-walt-disney-company-stock-photos1.jpeg)
![The Walt Disney Company](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-walt-disney-company-stock-photos1.jpeg)
Photo: Disney
Hacker sites (and IMDb, for some reason) report that someone hacked Disney and acquired a tebibyte of data.
How much of that? Well, a tebibyte is about 1.1 TBs, and your phone may hold that much storage.
![Disney revenue increase](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-walt-disney-company-studios-headquarters-burbank-california-stock-5-scaled-e1707074836298.jpg)
The Walt Disney Company
I’ve got 16 TB hard drives. So, I wouldn’t describe it as a large amount of data.
In fact, ten years ago, when Sony suffered its infamous hack at the hands of North Korea, the perpetrators accessed 100 TBs of data.
![Sony logo](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-sony-logo.png)
![Sony logo](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-sony-logo.png)
Photo: Sony
Technology has come a long way in ten years. So, presuming that the story is as reported, this isn’t a significant hack at all.
However, Disney has two major upcoming events: the annual San Diego Comic-Con and the 2024 D23 Expo.
![D23 Expo the ultimate disney fan event ticket info 2024](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/D23-Expo-the-ultimate-disney-fan-event-ticket-info-2024-6.jpg)
![D23 Expo the ultimate disney fan event ticket info 2024](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/D23-Expo-the-ultimate-disney-fan-event-ticket-info-2024-6.jpg)
Photo: Disney
If someone has compromised that data, some upcoming Disney television series and films could leak.
Basically, someone could feasibly steal Disney’s thunder days before the company reveals new Marvel and Star Wars projects.
![Captain America: Brave New World](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-marvel-captain-america-brave-new-world-poster2.png)
![Captain America: Brave New World](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-marvel-captain-america-brave-new-world-poster2.png)
Photo: Marvel
Will that happen? It’s impossible to say. Again, 1.1 TBs isn’t much. It’d be a needle in a haystack for any of that to be valuable data.
Ridiculous stuff like that happens all the time, though. So, I rule nothing out.
![Disney Board Directors](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-walt-disney-company-studios-headquarters-burbank-california-stock-1-scaled.jpg)
![Disney Board Directors](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-walt-disney-company-studios-headquarters-burbank-california-stock-1-scaled.jpg)
Credit: Disney
If there is a big story here, it’ll likely break quickly. There’s not much upside to sitting on the intel.
The Epic Universe Effect
Rick Munarriz has been writing about Disney for The Motley Fool for a long time now.
Like many of us, Munarriz is wondering how the arrival of Universal Epic Universe will impact Walt Disney World.
![Epic Universe](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Epic-Universe-Universal.jpg)
![Epic Universe](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Epic-Universe-Universal.jpg)
Photo: Universal
Notably, the business analyst speculates that the theme park’s opening could prove a blessing in disguise for Disney.
Universal officials have taken an odd approach to the first few weeks of the upcoming theme park.
![Universal's Epic Universe Lands](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Universals-Epic-Universe-Lands-9.jpg)
![Universal's Epic Universe Lands](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Universals-Epic-Universe-Lands-9.jpg)
Photo: Universal
Guests must purchase a three-day ticket to visit Epic Universe…but that’s not the strange part.
When you buy that ticket, it’ll only entitle you to single-day admission at Epic Universe.
![Epic Universe](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-universal-orlando-epic-universe-concept-art-fountain-water-feature.png)
![Epic Universe](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-universal-orlando-epic-universe-concept-art-fountain-water-feature.png)
Photo: Universal
By taking this approach, Universal officials hope to prevent the new park from siphoning attendance at the others.
Think of the situation this way. Let’s say you have a three-day ticket to Universal Orlando Resort.
![Universal](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/31253382-chad-sparkes-universal-jpg.jpg)
![Universal](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/31253382-chad-sparkes-universal-jpg.jpg)
Photo: WESH
If you had your choice, how many of those days would you spend at Epic Universe vs. Universal Studios Florida or Universal’s Islands of Adventure?
You’d visit Epic Universe all three days, right? That would potentially lead to overcrowding at the new park.
![Universal's Epic Universe Lands](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Universals-Epic-Universe-Lands-7.jpg)
![Universal's Epic Universe Lands](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Universals-Epic-Universe-Lands-7.jpg)
Photo: Universal
Meanwhile, the other parks would suffer dramatically in terms of attendance (and revenue).
So, Universal has tried to force tourists to pay three times to experience the one thing that matters to them.
![Universal's Epic Universe Lands](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Universals-Epic-Universe-Lands-1.jpg)
![Universal's Epic Universe Lands](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Universals-Epic-Universe-Lands-1.jpg)
Photo: Universal
Munarriz believes that a rising tide could lift all boats, a philosophy I’ve previously espoused.
However, he also suggests that Universal has had its fair share of misses over the past decade, a conversation that isn’t mentioned enough.
![Universal's Epic Universe Lands](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Universals-Epic-Universe-Lands-8.jpg)
![Universal's Epic Universe Lands](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Universals-Epic-Universe-Lands-8.jpg)
Photo: Universal
Should Universal misstep here, Disney could benefit. Also, as the analyst notes, it’s an overblown conversation anyway.
The other Central Florida theme parks coast off Walt Disney World’s popularity, never the other way around.
![Cinderella Castle](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-wdw-mk-magic-kingdom-cinderella-castle-stock-3-2-scaled.jpg)
![Cinderella Castle](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-wdw-mk-magic-kingdom-cinderella-castle-stock-3-2-scaled.jpg)
Cinderella Castle
Epic Universe won’t change that, folks.
Keri Russell Said WHAT?
Actress Keri Russell has won a Golden Globe and been nominated for several more of them, along with countless Emmys.
Disney fans have been watching her since she was a teenager, as she was an integral member of the rebooted Mickey Mouse Club.
![Keri Russel](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/keri-russell-oscar-isaac-d23-1566721841.jpg)
![Keri Russel](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/keri-russell-oscar-isaac-d23-1566721841.jpg)
Oscar Isaac & Keri Russell
Yes, while few realize it, Russell was part of the legendary class that included Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Christina Aguilera.
For years now, Russell has jokingly referred to herself as the least talented one, explaining her presence as the producers wanting a couple of normies in the cast.
![Mickey Mouse Club](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/mickey-mouse-club-2-disney-kobal-shutterstock.jpeg)
![Mickey Mouse Club](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/mickey-mouse-club-2-disney-kobal-shutterstock.jpeg)
Photo: Disney/Kobal/Shutterstock
Still, the actress makes it clear that leaving the Mickey Mouse Club wasn’t entirely her decision.
During a recent appearance on Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s podcast, Russell detailed what led to her exit. And it’s oddly NSFW.
![Mickey Mouse Club](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/mickey-mouse-club-everett-shutterstock.jpeg)
![Mickey Mouse Club](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/mickey-mouse-club-everett-shutterstock.jpeg)
Photo: Everett/Shutterstock
According to the star of The Americans, the departure was as follows.
“Yeah, it’s usually, like, girls who looked like they were sexually active.”
![Keri Russell](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-keri-russell-dominik-bindl-filmmagic.png)
![Keri Russell](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-keri-russell-dominik-bindl-filmmagic.png)
Photo: Dominik/Bindl/FilmMagic
Later, she adds, “Which, probably, I was one of the first. They were like, ‘She is out!’”
Russell punctuates the double standard by saying that the men stayed until they were as old as 19.
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/keri-russell-new.jpg)
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/keri-russell-new.jpg)
Keri Russell
She also added, “I was like, ‘By the way, I had sex with that person, so I know that they’ve had sex.’ For real.”
I sincerely apologize if this anecdote ruins the 1990s version of the Mickey Mouse Club for you. But it cracked me up.
Return of Descendants
In 2015, the Disney Channel struck gold with Descendants, a movie that employed a unique concept.
What if the children of Disney Villains aren’t all bad? And can really sing and dance?
![Epilepsy Awareness](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Descendants.jpg)
![Epilepsy Awareness](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Descendants.jpg)
Photo Credit: Youtube.com
Disney nailed the casting, with Dove Cameron and Sofia Carson anchoring the project.
The late Cameron Boyce and Booboo Stewart also co-starred in the original film.
![Descendants 3 Premier](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/149816_1569_KEY_IMAGE-1440x960.jpg)
![Descendants 3 Premier](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/149816_1569_KEY_IMAGE-1440x960.jpg)
Photo: Disney/ Descendants
Since then, Cameron has launched a successful music career, and Stewart had already appeared in Twilight and X-Men films by then.
Meanwhile, Carson sang an Academy Award-nominated song, “Tell It Like a Woman,” at the awards ceremony:
As for Boyce, he tragically died at the age of 20, which is the circular reason for this discussion.
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/149524_0294_R1.jpg)
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/149524_0294_R1.jpg)
Photo: (Disney Channel/Ed Herrera)
Polygon recently detailed how Descendants briefly became a phenomenon for Disney.
The article was part of the publicity for Descendants: Rise of Red, which you can watch on Disney+ right now.
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-disney-plus-descendants-rise-of-red.png)
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-disney-plus-descendants-rise-of-red.png)
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-disney-plus-descendants-rise-of-red.png)
Photo: Disney
This film came out the other day and has already garnered the predictable amount of buzz.
However, the three living leads from the first film don’t appear for basic budgetary reasons.
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-disney-plus-descendants-rise-of-red.png)
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-disney-plus-descendants-rise-of-red.png)
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-disney-plus-descendants-rise-of-red.png)
Photo: Disney
They cost too much now for a made-for-cable/streaming movie.
Still, the producers have earned a lot of credit this week for a nice touch.
![Descendants: RIse of Red](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-disney-plus-descendants-the-rise-of-red2.png)
![Descendants: RIse of Red](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-disney-plus-descendants-the-rise-of-red2.png)
Photo: Disney
At one point in the film, an existing character from the earlier films stares at a picture of Cameron Boyce and acknowledges his death onscreen.
For Descendants fans, this means Carlos de Vil has died…but it’s also both a fitting tribute to Boyce and a reassurance that he won’t be recast.
![Carlos de Vil](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Carlos-de-Vil-Descendants-2.jpeg)
![Carlos de Vil](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Carlos-de-Vil-Descendants-2.jpeg)
Photo: Disney
Nicely done, Disney.
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