Philadelphia Linkorama

Midweek linkage from the city of brotherly love.

Toy Story 3 continues to do gangbuster business here and around the world.

Through Tuesday, August 3, the 3-D animated juggernaut has earned $391.5 million in domestic revenue. ... [I]t will most certainly reach $400 million during the week of August 9.

It's not hard to see why the big box office keeps rolling. Disney marketing has really been knocking itself out with ground-breaking trailers to, you know, keep interest up.

Wade Sampson looks at a Disney film that almost nobody remembers:

It was the film that directly inspired the creation of ... Disneyland. There were plans for it to be the first all-live-action Disney film. A part of the film ended up in the backyard of animator Ward Kimball ... A significant part of Walt Disney’s personal childhood in Marceline is physically represented in the film, including a classic structure that provided Walt with countless hours of private pleasure at his own home until his death. The film featured an Academy Award-nominated song sung by “America’s favorite balladeer” and gave him his first hit single ...

I'm not really buoyant about how this will turn out:

Twilight Saga producers Temple Hill have latched onto another branded property, one that moves them from scary vampires and werewolves to a beloved elephant. Temple Hill partners Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey have made a with rights holders Nelvana and The Clifford Ross Company to generate family films around Babar ...

(Will we soon see a CG Babar? I can't wait ...)

BusinessWeek Bloomberg talk about Tinsel Town's recent money-making in Cartoonland:

July 16: General Electric Co. says NBC Universal's ... third quarter is off to a good start with the release of the animated film "Despicable Me" on July 9.

July 27: DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. says net income slipped 6 percent as rising costs and charges offset increased revenue. "Shrek Forever After," the latest in the animated series, generated $51.8 million in revenue during the second quarter, and "How to Train Your Dragon" contributed $33.4 million. DreamWorks says growth should pick up in the second half of the year as DVDs of both movies hit stores ...

Story artist Mark Kennedy reflects on the question:

... [H]ow do you pick which moments to illustrate? ...

Patrick Goldstein at the L.A. Times believes that Hollywood is busy strangling the 3-D baby in its crib.

... Whenever Hollywood finds a new cash cow, it dives in and loots its riches faster than any pickpocket on the planet. That's what the movie industry has been doing with its much-ballyhooed 3-D technology, which has spawned one legitimate masterwork ("Avatar") but otherwise has been little more than a cushy new revenue source for exhibitors and studios. Both have been raking in loads of moola from the extra $4 to $5 theater owners charge at the box office for admission to 3-D movies.

... The paltry numbers for 3-D tickets sold for "Despicable Me" come as no surprise if you have kids, since I've heard dozens of parents with children usually age 10 and under say their little ones can't stand wearing 3-D glasses, complaining of either discomfort or headaches. So far, studio execs are putting on a brave face. ...

(Please don't tell me Three Dee is a gimmick! I couldn't bear it!)

Two days until the weekend, friends and neighbors. Press on.