Disney

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are taking their talents to infinity and beyond -- the Formula 1 stars have voiceover gigs in Disney's new "Lightyear" movie!!

The Scuderia Ferrari drivers teamed up with the Mouse for cameos in the Buzz Lightyear origin story ... with Charles slated to be featured in the Italian version of the flick, and Carlos joining the Spanish version.

Unclear what role they have in the movie ... but Ferrari said in an announcement they are playing the same character.

The duo appeared in promos for the project ... with Leclerc saying this was his first time getting in the booth.

"It was a completely different experience from what I have done in the past," Leclerc said Wednesday.

Leclerc says the partnership is a perfect fit -- he says he has a lot of similarities with the "Toy Story" spaceman ... pointing out they both love to go fast and have supportive families and teams behind them.

This isn't the first Formula 1/Disney crossover -- Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher have had guest spots in the "Cars" franchise.

The new Chip and Dale movie finds an unlikely villain in adult Peter Pan -- an inside nod to the real-life tragedy of the actor who voiced him years ago ... which has pissed off fans.

BTW, spoilers are ahead ... so beware. Anyway, here's what's going on -- everyone's buzzing about the 'Rescue Rangers' flick on Disney+, which has been viewed by many as a spiritual sequel to 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit?' ... namely, in the fact that toons and humans unite.

There's tons of cameos -- most of which are very self-aware and "meta" -- but one, in particular, has gotten backlash ... the boy who never grows up turns out to be the big bad.

Pan describes why he turned evil to the main characters at one point, describing how the studio kicked him to the curb as he started to age and how he grew jaded. The disturbing thing -- to many, at least -- is that this plot accurately reflects Bobby Driscoll's own downfall.

If you're unfamiliar, BD was a child star working with Disney a lot back in the '40/'50s -- he even played Peter in the classic animated hit, and is said to have served as the inspiration behind Pan's look -- but eventually parted ways with the studio and died young after falling into drugs and homelessness. He was even buried in a pauper's grave, unidentified.

Rumor has it ... Bobby himself was allegedly canned by Disney as soon as he hit puberty and was no longer desirable. At least that's the urban legend ... something Disney themselves seem to be alluding to and/or poking fun at with adult Pan in this new movie.

Therein lies the controversy -- people think it's mad disrespectful to dip into Driscoll's story -- either intentionally or not -- for a few laughs and punchlines in this Mouse House movie.

While you could argue that this is Disney making fun of/criticizing their own alleged history when it comes to this dark lore ... others feel it's unwarranted territory to make a point, especially since Driscoll may have, in fact, spiraled as a result of how Disney treated him.

Aside from this seemingly cringeworthy reference, people are saying 'Rescue Rangers' is actually pretty damn good ... and a burst of nostalgia we haven't seen in a while.

Bugging out at a Disney hotel has paid incredible dividends -- at least for one woman -- because we've learned the company is shelling out a small fortune to make her lawsuit go away.

Disneyland Hotel -- which is the quintessential go-to place to stay for any serious Disney fan visiting Anaheim -- recently settled a claim brought by Ivy Eldridge ... who alleged a few years back she'd gotten chewed out (literally) by a bed bug infestation in their quarters.

TMZ broke the story ... Eldridge claimed in 2018 that bed bugs were all over her room during her stay in the spring of that year, something she alleged the hotel staff failed to notify her although she claimed they apparently knew about it.

As a result ... she said she got bit up all over, and that the bed bugs were even sucking her blood to the point it caused a rash -- for which she claims she had to receive costly medical treatment that took her off the clock at work.

Eldridge even took photos of the alleged injuries at the time ... and yeah, they were indeed gnarly. This suit has been working its way through the pipeline for a while now -- but it appears it's finally reached its conclusion ... 'cause Eldridge's lawyers tell us Disneyland Hotel coughed up $100k to square this.

Her legal team -- headed by Brian Virag from MyBedBugLawyer, Inc. -- added, "Bedbugs don’t discriminate; they are found in hotels of all quality levels throughout the country and worldwide."

Johnny Depp was going to make a boatload of cash for the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie that never happened -- a significant figure that could prove his damages -- according to his rep.

JD's ex-agent and current talent manager, Jack Whigham, took the stand Monday as Johnny's legal team continued to trot out witnesses on their client's behalf -- and during questioning, Whigam shed some light on what he believed Amber Heard's claims had cost Johnny.

Whigham claims there's no doubt in his mind Johnny lost his role in the planned 6th installment of 'Pirates' ... which he insists would've earned JD a whopping $22.5 mil.

Now, it's worth noting that during cross-examination ... Whigham admitted that the alleged deal was NOT something he'd gotten in writing yet -- which Amber's team latched onto -- but he explained ... that's not how the business goes.

Whigham claimed these sorts of talks with high-level actors and big studios -- especially as it pertains to franchises -- are often had on a verbal level first, and said studios will usually signal what an actor can expect for the next chapter, assuming one happens.

In this case, Whigham claims 'Pirates 6' was supposed to happen with Johnny in a key role -- obviously, he's the main character Jack Sparrow -- but that all came to a screeching halt after Amber's WaPo op-ed.

Ex-Disney CEO, Michael Eisner, is a very, very rich man -- his estimated net worth is $1 BILLION -- well guess what ... he could increase his wealth by 25% just by selling his home!!!

This is an eye-popping, record-breaking listing ... his massive Malibu estate just went on the market for $225 million. Before you scoff at this, let us tick off the amenities.

The main house is 25,000 square feet. But wait, that's just one structure. There are 9 buildings in all on the 5-acre property, including multiple guesthouses. It's even got a cabana on a bluff with its own elevator that will take you down to the beach!!!

It has one of the greatest swimming pools of all time ... with a sweeping view of the Pacific.

And, then there's a gym, a massive theater and, get this ... a tunnel that connects the pool area to the theater. Hopefully, the new buyer's guests won't jump from the pool to the theater's velvet sofas.

Kurt Rappaport, a celebrity realtor who himself is a land baron, has the listing. And, speaking of Kurt ... if this property sells for anywhere near asking, it will break an all-time sales record for California. The current record is $177 million for another Malibu estate. P.S. Kurt sold that one too!

Bill Maher went in hard on Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, for "demagoguing" the culture war issue over LGBTQ+ mentions in schools.

The "Real Time" host railed on DeSantis for the draconian action he took against Disney World, yanking their tax status and independence because the Mouse House took a stand against the "Don't Say Gay" bill.

Bill said he has every reason to hate Disney -- after all, they fired him for comments he made on "Politically Incorrect" -- a bonehead move, given the name of the show, right?

Nevertheless, Bill feels sorry for Disney because they seem to be in a no-win situation ... the left hated them when they didn't take a stand on the bill, and now they've taken a stand and the right hates them. As Bill said, Disney's initial response ... "We just make fairies and elves, riding teacups" ... and that triggered the left. Now that they won't donate to political campaigns of those who support the bill ... well, the right went nuts.

Atlantic writer, Caitlin Flanagan, said she hates the way Disney waffled, imploring the company to "have a backbone." Conservative, Mary Katharine Ham, took a different stance ... "The key might be neutrality on these big culture war issues."

Kim and Khloe Kardashian took their kids to Disneyland this week, and it highlighted the difficulty of being one of the most famous families on earth.

The Kardashians plunked down at least $3K for VIP access ... something that's available to everyone. For them, it's kinda a necessity, since they would be overwhelmed by fans if they stood in line and the trip would be a disaster for the kids.

Some fans were pissed when Disneyland staff shut down the teacup ride ... you see the brood in 3 of the teacups while the others remain empty, and that didn't sit well with some folks waiting in line. We're told the Kardashians didn't request that the ride be shut down to other guests ... Disneyland staff just did it. They did not shut down other rides for the fam.

This was True's first trip to the happiest place on earth, and we know that because Khloe apologized for photoshopping a prior pic -- taken last October -- to cover Stormi's face. Khloe confessed, and all is good.

Before this toddler (in her tiara) was a young model and marched onto the Disney Channel in 2011, she was beachin' it with her twin brother in hot, sunny Florida -- and eventually made her way to New York City.

Attending one of New York's most prestigious schools for the arts, this little princess in white made her big on-screen debut acting alongside Katherine Heigl back in 2008.

Still not positive about who the little girl decked out in sparkly sequins is? She reprised her Disney role in 2015 in the series "Bunk'd."

New York actor Chad Michael Murray was 22 years old when he landed the role of the popular jock Austin Ames aka 'Nomad' -- who winds up steering away from his father's plan for him to play professional football and instead scoops up his Cinderella -- in the 2004 high school movie "A Cinderella Story."

Chad was joined on the big screen with some big Hollywood names including Hilary Duff playing modern-day Cinderella, Sam, Jennifer Coolidge as the evil yet comedic step-mother, Fiona and Regina King as Sam's saving confidant, Rhonda.

Ashley Tisdale's look over the years is exactly what "I've We've Been Looking For!"

Here's a 17-year-old version of the New Jersey-born actress at an 'MY - TEE Summer Soiree' Hosted by actress Brittany Snow back in 2003. This was just years before she would star in Disney's iconic "High School Musical" and "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody" (left).

And, 19 years later ... the now 36-year-old mom may have switched her youthful smile to a mature smize, but that hasn't diverted her love and passion for health and beauty -- as she now has her own beauty company called Frenshe.

"We're All in This Together!"

The question is ...

Disney World is under fire after allowing a high school cheer group to march during a parade at the theme park with both chants and uniforms featuring racist Native American stereotypes.

A video of the performance spread quickly on social media Thursday featuring dozens of students from The Port Neches-Groves “Indianettes” High School drill team, a group out of Texas. Each member is dressed in fringed outfits, danced with moves similar to those seen in Native American cultures and chanted, "I-N-D-I-A-N-S scalp 'em, Indians, scalp 'em."

Of course, people were outraged, calling the incident racist and tagging the school's Twitter page -- which has seemingly since been deleted.

In a statement Friday, a Disney spokesperson said, "The live performance in our park did not reflect our core values, and we regret it took place. It was not consistent with the audition tape the school provided and we have immediately put measures in place so this is not repeated.”

In a somewhat parallel incident, it was last summer when the theme park removed all "native" characters from its Jungle Cruise attraction.

Identical twins Brent and Shane Kinsman were 5 years old when they ran across our screens while playing Kyle and Nigel Baker -- a boisterous set of twins who made up two of the dozen Baker children in the 2003 film 'Cheaper By The Dozen.'

The OG family comedy was packed with big named stars including Hilary Duff, Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt, Dax Shepard and Ashton Kutcher were also cast in the movie.

Recently graduating from college, The Kinsman twins are now 24 years old and have plans to step back in front of the camera soon.

Ron DeSantis says Disney has joined a false narrative regarding a bill about LGBT education in grade schools there -- while also noting ... he's not backing down from making it law.

The Florida governor lashed out Thursday against what he called yet another "woke" corporation -- aka, Disney -- for trying to torpedo his party's efforts in passing HB 1557 ... which has also been colloquially dubbed as the "Don't Say Gay" bill.

During an event in Boca Raton, DeSantis said Disney isn't gonna make him cave on the issue -- namely, he's going to sign it for what he says is the best interest of families ... going on to point out what he sees as hypocrisy from a company that touts wholesome values.

ICYMI ... Disney caught a lot of backlash last week for initially staying quiet (at least publicly) on the bill, which has become a lightning rod of controversy for months now. Eventually, though, the Mouse House's CEO, Bob Chapek, said they screwed up on that front.

Chapek said Disney had always opposed the bill, but didn't want to take a position on it, as he and leadership apparently thought they could do more BTS -- via lobbying and/or just through their content ... some of which has been viewed as LGBT-friendly, especially lately.

But, after being rebuked by his own employees, he apologized ... saying Disney would, in fact, publicly oppose the bill -- and even expressed Disney's concerns to DeSantis personally.

This clip is basically DeSantis' response to Disney's balancing act ... and to everyone else who's up in arms about this, it seems. He's defiant, and doubled down on this sentiment in an email sent out to donors and supporters shortly thereafter -- again invoking "woke."

As far as what the bill actually says and what would become the law in the Sunshine State, it's worth a read in full. While there are different sections and components, the big sticking point has to do with what students in kindergarten through 3rd grade can or can't learn.

Essentially, this will ban classroom instruction -- either from a teacher themselves or a 3rd-party -- on sexual orientation and/or gender identity in those earlier grades -- while allowing for "age-appropriate" learning in higher grades ... with parents looped in at every juncture.

English child actor Hayley Mills was only 14 years old when she landed the role of the long-lost identical twin sisters Susan Evers and Sharon McKendrick -- who meet at summer camp and create hijinx after swapping homes -- in the 1961 classic movie "The Parent Trap."

While HM took on the gig of both daughters in the twinning movie ... The OG 'Trap' movie also included Maureen O'Hara as the loving mother, Maggie McKendrick ... and Brian Keith as the ranch living father, Mitch Evers.

Hayley Mills was also cast as the title role in the 1960 Disney film "Pollyanna" and one of the Jesus spotting siblings, Kathy Bostock, in the 1961 drama "Whistle Down the Wind."

There is not a new 'Little Mermaid' ride at Disney World, but guests might feel like it as major flash flooding left parts of the theme park underwater.

Disney's Hollywood Studios -- one of the 4 Disney parks in Orlando -- was inundated Monday night, but the unprepared tourists seemed to take in stride ... albeit, very wet strides.

As "When You Wish Upon a Star" blared some people were pushing strollers through knee-deep (for little kids) water.

You can imagine ... the younger park-goers were eating this up, having an absolute blast playing, skipping or just flopping down in the flooding. Not ideal for parents, but hey -- ya came all that way, might as well soak up the Disney magic.

The National Weather Service says an estimated 4 to 5 inches of rain ended up falling in the area. Gotta love Florida, baby!!!

Paul George is opening up about his struggles in the NBA bubble ... saying he couldn't sleep for 2 WEEKS -- and it played a huge role in his performance on the court.

The Clippers forward joined former teammate Serge Ibaka on his "How Hungry Are You?" cooking show recently ... and detailed how mentally and physically taxing his time at the Disney World campus in Orlando was in 2020.

"A lot of it was just weighing on me," George told Ibaka. "For one, I wasn't sleeping. No lie, I probably went a good week and a half, 2 weeks of 0 sleep. I would lay in bed and my mind would be racing."

PG told Serge that his lack of sleep was so concerning, he tried using different solutions -- from taking naps to therapy to using sleeping gummies to remedy the problem.

Of course, George was pretty inconsistent throughout the 2020 NBA playoffs ... and he says it was extra tough on him because there was no way to escape.

Ultimately, Paul admits his sleep deprivation negatively affected his performance on the court ... but he's not making excuses for blowing a 3-1 series lead against the Denver Nuggets.

"I ain't gon' make no excuses on it ... he said. "We just blew it."