Disney Shorts: Lost Club Penguin Game Resurfaced The Internet After 10 Years, Mickey Mouse Enters The Public Domain With The Launch Of New Film Mickey's Mousetrap And Disney Released A Children's Book Based On Alien

First look at Club Waddles

Club Waddles was a Club Penguin fan game made in late 2008 by Nikeguy23 and 6 Strings (The moderators of Club Waddles). According to Nike:

"We decided to make this game, because we all thought it would be awesome to have and MMOG we could call our own".

In middle 2009, Club Waddles shutdown due the quit of Bod720 (The only coder of CW), Kyle (the Sketch-A-Thon Contest winner), Raqumine and Scooby Mad (The moderators of Club Waddles).

CW has been actually unfinished, So only beta tests has been made. However, The beta tests are avaiable but unplayable due the end of Flash Player and not working WayBack Machine links. So only beta tests gameplays are avaiable on YouTube.

Mickey Mouse becomes a serial killer

On the first day that Disney‘s 1928 short Steamboat Willie entered the public domain, a trailer has dropped for a horror comedy film featuring none other than Mickey Mouse as the killer.

The synopsis for the film, called Mickey’s Mouse Trap, reads: “It’s Alex’s 21st birthday, but she’s stuck at the amusement arcade on a late shift so her friends decide to surprise her, but a masked killer dressed as Mickey Mouse decides to play a game of his own with them which she must survive".

The trailer features, yep, a person in a Mickey Mouse costume, wearing what resembles a hockey jersey without the letters, attacking a victim and stalking others inside a Chuck E. Cheese-like place (reminiscent of last year’s horror hit Five Nights at Freddy’s). There also is Scream-like self-awareness about the horror genre, including one character predicting that another is going to get killed since he says, “I’ll be right back.”

Disney is making a preschool oriented project for Alien

Disney is releasing an illustrated children’s book aimed at toddlers titled “A Is for Alien: An ABC Book,” based on Ridley Scott’s R-rated, 1979 horror classic “Alien.” You know, the one where a slimy alien monster bursts from someone’s chest cavity and a crew aboard a creaky, dark spaceship are picked off one by one in the pinnacle example of atmospheric terror.

The book, which is published by Little Golden Books and Illustrated by Disney Storybook Art Team, is available for pre-order now and will be released on July 9, 2024. It’s already rocketed up to the #1 New Release among Children’s Science Fiction Books on Amazon (#6 among all Children’s Books and cracking the Top 40 among all books for any age and genre).

Development Alert: Zee One, Star Life, Discovery Science, MSNBC And More TV Channels Exit Zuku TV

During the week, it was reported that Zuku TV had reinstated National Geographic, National Geographic Wild, Baby TV and only 1 ESPN channel. As the latter are currently packaged by MultiChoice's DStv and StarTimes' and On Digital Media's StarSat platforms.

After being replaced by Animal Planet, TLC and Discovery, Zuku TV had opted to remove these channels and worse kill of a few more channels like Star Life, Zee One, Travel Channel, MSNBC, Discovery Science, Real Time, Planet Fun, 360 TuneBox, Zuku Action and Zuku Max.

There had been channels which had suffering signal loss but the above mentioned are just the few channels in which Zuku TV had been reviewing and opted to no longer distribute. Consumers are flooding the socials threatening to cut ties or opt to rival platforms if the latter isn't reinstated.

Three years ago, Zuku TV was left without a decent sports offering and history as you have it took the Bollywood offering. It's not only Zee One and Star Life that are affected but also sister channels like StarPlus and Zee Bollymovies.

In other developments, MultiChoice and StarSat had both lost carriage of Emmanuel TV and Deutsche Welle with one set to go dark by mid-January. This is due to the company's recent review of their portfolio which had seen them do a lot of cost cutting in order to remain afloat.

New Series Alert: Yeh Kahan Aa Gaye Hum Coming Soon To Zee Family

Zee Family, a general entertainment channel operated by Zee Entertainment Enterprises features various Bollywood films and TV series exclusively on eMedia's Ultraview service is set to rollout it's first show in the new year titled Yeh Kahan Aa Gaye Hum.

The show revolves around the unusual love stories of two contrasting opposite persons. Things do not remain the same when Rahul, a Rock-star and the scion of the biggest musical empire runs into Maanvi, a humble aspiring singer from small town. 

It starred Karan Kundra as Rahul Sabharwal, Saanvi Talwar as Manvi Rahul Sabharwal, Naveen Saini as Raj Sabharwal, Papiya Sengupta as Sonali Raj Sabharwa and Ashish Mehrotra as Shaleen Sabharwal.

A total of 217 episodes were broadcast on &TV each with a 22 minute duration. Ekta Kapoor serves as the producer and is responsible for successors such as Kumkum Bhagya and Kundali Bhagya all of which resides within Zee TV as seen with Yeh Kahan Aa Gaye Hum.

Yeh Kahan Aa Gaye Hum is slated for an early 2024 debut on Zee Family.

More Channel Closures As The Disney Channel Exits OSN In The Middle East And North Africa, Could More Regions Likely Follow?

Since Disney+ inception back in 2019, Disney has closed various linear channels globally to prioritise their direct to consumer business. With the latter currently situated within Europe and Africa, Disney has slowly but surely further distance themselves from their linear business.

Last year, Disney axed their remaining linear offering seen in parts of Asia by New Year's Eve. They had also managed several linear channels within the Middle East and North Africa through pay-tv operator OSN who had substituted these brands with Cartoon Network and Animal Planet.

These channels are still available in the regions but on smaller platforms which will make it a lot more easier to close.

If there's one thing that's certain here, Disney Channel's days in South Africa and the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa are numbered and although a timeframe has yet to be reached. We presume that Disney will look into closing feeds in the surrounding areas ahead of time.

Similar to MTV and Nick Jr, Disney had been cutting back on localised feeds with the remaining aligning themselves with Southern Africa. It has been somewhat chaotic with shows like Hailey's On It and Disney's Saturdays airing as quadruple on weekdays.

Despite only having less than 13 episodes on air, it has been bumpy ride particularly with their programme guide mislabeling shows and movies. It's clear that all their efforts will be put on Disney+ if the plan would be making an original available monthly on linear platforms.

They had ripped away various originals such as The Owl House and Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure before their final seasons. Disney+ acquired exclusive rights to Marvel's Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur despite being viewed on Disney Channel overseas.

MultiChoice and various other pay-tv operators will have a hard time trying to replace these channels. Speaking as a long time fan, the best option would be having Disney Channel spun off like Sky Kids/Universal Kids have with DreamWorks but for consumers in Africa.

News Shorts: German Based Broadcaster Deutsche Welle Shutters It's Linear Operations Across Europe And Africa, National Geographic And ESPN Have Been Added To Zuku TV And A Rebroadcast Of Dayan, Destructive Beauty Launches On eExtra

DW goes dark across Europe

The move is part of a package of measures presented by DW director Peter Limbourg to the DW broadcasting council in Berlin on March 17, 2023.

“We will no longer broadcast linear programming in German after the changeover, but we will offer singular content on digital platforms,” the DW spokesman said. The date for the closure of the German TV channel has not yet been set. “I’m not able to provide a specific date at this time,” he added.

With the package of measures as part of the 2024 budget planning, Limbourg wants to drive the digital transformation of the German international service. Included are savings, budget shifts from linear to digital offerings and to regional languages, as well as investments in digital working environments.

Zee TV dying down on eExtra

After cutting down on primetime for more Annekan Die Swa Kry and axing Naagin much earlier than anticipated. A rebroadcast of Dayan, Destructive Beauty is expected to join the channel's line-up in the coming weeks replacing the timeslot of Naagin supposedly.

Dayan, Destructive Beauty was the first and probably last Bollywood drama to have been made exclusive to eVOD before being added to linear platforms. Now eVOD's international drama lineup outside of Kuiertyd is revolved on content viewed on eSeries and eExtra.

It follows Janvi Maurya, a well-educated and family oriented girl hailing from Ujjain, stumbles upon a dangerous ploy by an evil force as many unusual and mysterious happenings occur in her hometown. With a threat to her life, she must unmask the identity of a Daayan.

Sports makes a comeback on Zuku TV

Last year, it was revealed through several social outlets that Zuku TV will be relaunching National Geographic, National Geographic Wild, Baby TV and ESPN 1 after removing them back in 2021. The only difference FOX and ESPN 2 aren't part of this offering.

These channels were replaced with Animal Planet, Discovery and TLC from Warner Bros. Discovery, Filmbox from SPI International and Planet Fun years prior. But the pay-tv platform failed to substitute the sporting line-up with any chances of a replacement likely dead at this point.