Disney

Cruella de Vil is painted as being traumatized by Dalmatians in Disney's latest offering ... supposedly, because these "mongrels" killed her ma, which is getting a lot of head scratches.

The villain from "101 Dalmatians" gets her own backstory in the new "Cruella" flick, which is headed up by Emma Stone ... and word on the street is that part of why Cruella has it out for this breed is that they were sicced on her mom ... in a release-the-hounds fashion.

Different clips and stills have surfaced showing the flashback scene, which shows kid Cruella having to watch the woman who raised her, Catherine, get pushed over a balcony ledge by three seemingly rabid Dalmatians, who go after her on Baroness von Hellman's command.

She plummets to her death ... and the implication is that Cruella's left scarred for life -- and partially explains her obsession with the pooches going forward. In case you forgot, the OG Cruella was notorious for literally skinning Dalmatians and using them as furs.

Disney apparently doesn't quite go that far in the movie -- although different reviews say they allude to Stone's Cruella having that idea on her mind. We should also note that the character has a voice-over moment where she explicitly says she doesn't blame Dalmatians, but a lot of folks just aren't buying that ... and are calling Disney's origin rationale lame.

What the studio heads/writers did here (according to PO'd viewers) is make Dalmatians the fall dog -- when, in reality, they're actually super friendly pooches ... and don't have a rep for attacking like the movie portrays. Folks say it's a cop-out explainer that's lazy and inaccurate.

There's no better way to escape reality than by taking a magic carpet ride down to the happiest place on Earth ... with Disneyland opening up to the public again, stars have been taking full advantage!

From stars such as Lizzo, Vanessa Bryant, Nikki Bella and Brie Bella, to Ciara, Russell Wilson, John Stamos and Caitlin McHugh Stamos there have been so many famous faces that have gone to see how Mickey and Minnie have been holding up!

Take a trip through our gallery of stars back at Disneyland to see all the other celebs that have made the trip to the park!

Samuel E. Wright -- known by millions as the voice of Sebastian the crab in "The Little Mermaid" -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Wright's hometown of Montgomery, New York broke the sad news on Facebook, saying ... "Sam was an inspiration to us all and along with his family established the Hudson Valley Conservatory."

The Town of Montgomery did not mention a cause of death, but added ... "On top of his passion for the arts and his love for his family, Sam was most known for walking into a room and simply providing PURE JOY to those he interacted with. He loved to entertain, he loved to make people smile and laugh and he loved to love."

All of those characteristics were on full display when he brought to life one of the most beloved characters from the legendary 1989 Disney film. Voicing Sebastian, Sam was responsible for singing 2 of its most popular songs -- both Oscar-nominated -- "Under the Sea" and "Kiss the Girl" ... the former won for Original Song.

Sam continued to work with Disney as the voice of Sebastian in "The Little Mermaid" sequels and a TV series, and also lent his voice in the 2000 movie, "Dinosaur."

Before his voice made him famous, Wright worked for more than a decade as an actor with roles on "Enos," "All My Children" and "The Cosby Show." He also costarred with Forest Whitaker in the underrated Clint Eastwood film, "Bird."

Wright was also known for his theater work, appearing in musicals like "Jesus Christ Superstar," "Pippin" and for originating the part of Mufasa for the Tony-award winning 'Lion King' musical.

He was 74.

There's a diehard Disney fan out there who's sleeping easy underneath the mosaic from the Disneyland Sleeping Beauty Castle -- a rare piece of memorabilia that did not come cheap.

The folks over at the Van Eaton Galleries auctioned off the handcrafted mosaic for a whopping $363k!!! That's an astonishing number to begin with, but especially since Van Eaton estimated the piece going for around $30,000 to $50,000.

The mosaic was part of the original Sleeping Beauty Castle before it was renovated in 1983. It had been prominently featured in the early years of Fantasyland but later removed during renovations. The stunning piece features hundreds of individual tiles with the image of Sleeping Beauty and Prince Phillip.

The anonymous collector nabbed it during the 2-day "Rediscovering Disneyland" auction that took place over the weekend ... with well over 1,200 other items and collections from early Disney Theme Park artifacts up for grabs.

Some of the other items included a loan agreement signed by Walt Disney and his wife, Lillian, in 1954 ... when Walt borrowed $60k against his own life insurance policy in order to build the "Happiest Place on Earth." Holy return on investment, Batman!

Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker seem to think Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott have the right idea about where to have some low-key family fun ... 'cause they, too, hit up the Happiest Place on Earth.

Kourtney and Travis took all of their kids to Disneyland and California Adventure Wednesday for a little modern family fun. Kourt's kids, Mason, Penelope and Reign, were there, along with Travis' teenagers, Alabama and Landon. Atiana De La Hoya, Shanna Moakler's daughter with Oscar De La Hoya, was also there.

They also had a Disney escort and massive security guards -- although, that's probably not as necessary these days because the park's only at 25 percent capacity. Translation: less normies looking for autographs.

Kourtney and Travis managed to keep things PG in Anaheim as far as PDA goes ... just some hand-holding. No biting this time around, but maybe some screaming while on the Incredicoaster.

Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott are with their daughter at "The Happiest Place On Earth" ... and it's the latest sign they might be a happy couple again.

Stormi's Mom and Dad treated her to a Disneyland trip Tuesday, and appeared to be having good family times ... especially when they took her on the Alice in Wonderland ride.

Kylie, Travis and Stormi were apparently at the amusement park with a few of Stormi's friends -- perhaps some of her cousins -- as well, and though their security guard didn't sound like he appreciated fans recording them ... Kylie seemed cool with it.

Even though a Disney outing is nothing new for Kylie and Travis -- even when they were definitely broken up -- this visit feels different, and only fuels recent speculation they're back together.

As we reported, they did a triple date night earlier this month with the Biebers and Kendall Jenner and Devin Booker, and before that ... Kylie flew to Miami to celebrate Scott's bday with him.

Robert Kraft riding Space Mountain is gonna draw a lot of attention -- which is why a lot of folks at Disney World noticed his mission to help a mournful little girl and her mother smile over the weekend.

Sources inside the Magic Kingdom tell us the Patriots owner and his GF, Dana Blumberg, were all over the park with a woman and her 8-year-old daughter -- the four of them were seen taking snapshots ... one of which caught the attention of a Patriots great.

Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett actually posted one of the group's pics Sunday, saying how proud he was of Kraft and the Patriots organization -- and now we know why.

Our sources at the park tell us the woman they were with is a frontline worker from Long Island whose husband -- himself an essential worker -- caught COVID and died in recent months. The little girl had been struggling with the loss, and we're told Dana and Robert wanted to do something special for her.

From what we're told, they succeeded ... as the group spent 2 days at Disney World and they all stayed at the Grand Floridian -- all on Kraft's dime, we're assuming.

We hear the group got the full VIP treatment ... Fast Passing it on about 20 different rides. We've reached out to Kraft's camp, but haven't heard back.

The waterworks are in full force at Disneyland, which is looking like the most emotional place on Earth as its gates swing open for the first time since the yearlong coronavirus closure.

The Mouse House is operating at limited capacity Friday, welcoming back Disney fans after shutting down the theme park for an unprecedented 412 days ... and even face masks can't hide the joy folks are feeling.

Lots of tears are flowing on Main Street as masked up cast members usher in the first guests of the COVID era. Disney fans lined up in the wee hours Friday morning, champing at the bit to get back into the park ... and you can see some guests literally ran through the park entrance.

Heck, there were even 2 park goers embracing for a masked kiss, clearly going for the 2021 version of the famous "kissing sailor" from VJ Day in 1945.

Disney honcho Bob Iger was on hand for the big day too ... elbow bumping employees.

It's a much different scene from Disney's first reopening in California back in July, when Downtown Disneyland in Anaheim was a madhouse with virtually no social distancing.

Looks like folks are following Mickey's rules so far ... but Disneyland might need to break out some tissue boxes to go with the new hand sanitizer stations.

Twitter is at it again -- calling the "Boy Meets World" spinoff, "Girl Meets World," "problematic" years after it went off the air ... all because of how it dealt with delicate topics.

For whatever reason, several different clips from the show -- which ran on Disney Channel between 2014 and 2017 -- were resurfaced over the weekend ... with many of them drawing the ire of random Twitter users who are criticizing the show with a 2021 lens.

One example ... a clip where the character Farkle expresses he doesn't necessarily believe in God because he can't "see" him, basically suggesting he might be agnostic. Cory Matthews (now playing a Mr. Feeny-esque character) chimes in and explains that just because Farkle can't see God, doesn't necessarily mean he doesn't exist, using ROYGBIV as an example.

Heavy-handed? Eh, maybe. Is it "problematic" and worthy of ridicule ... not at all. Still, Twitter truthers are crushing the show for "pushing" Christian beliefs -- when in reality, all that's happening is an adult is, at worst, trying to influence a kid. Which is ... fine. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Here's another "problematic" theme people are now finding vile and offensive. That same character, Farkle, once said he might be autistic with Asperger's -- which his friends try to deny and convince him otherwise ... which Tweeters *think* means Disney was suggesting being autistic is a bad thing and something to be looked down on -- that's a huge reach.

His friends were just showing concern ... which again, is fine. Just because they weren't throwing him a party for the news doesn't mean they were saying Asperger's is awful.

One last episode that's getting gutted some 4 years later ... 'GMW' touched on communism, of all things. Some of the kids in Cory's history class go full commie -- and they play up the stereotype that communists all think the same and want everyone to be the same.

Cory gives a corny speech praising the fact that differences are important ... kinda punching a hole through the so-called communism doctrine. People are now claiming that Disney intended to shove capitalism down kids' throats ... which yet again, is twisting things.

Aaron Rodgers and Shailene Woodley are officially that couple -- the two got super mushy during an interview together at Disney, gushing over each other uncontrollably!!

The power duo -- which went public with their engagement back in February -- sat down for a couples questionnaire at Disney World earlier this month ... and it didn't take long for the sappiness to flow.

After the interviewer asked, "What is one thing that always makes you smile?" -- the two pointed at each other and swooned.

"This guy," Woodley said. "You," Rodgers added.

Shailene continued, "Oh! You're so cute, baby!" Rodgers followed up, "Yeah. You always make me smile."

The lovefest didn't stop there, though ... when the two were asked how they unwind after a long day -- Shailene said a bath and wine, which made Rodgers chime in with this nugget ...

"I was going to say cuddle time ..."

Shailene then admitted the two sing Disney songs together often ... while Rodgers said the plan for their Disney experience that day was to basically make out all over the park.

Aaron Rodgers and Shailene Woodley's tour of love continues -- the engaged couple hit up Disney World during Easter weekend ... and they couldn't keep their hands off each other!!

Of course, the NFL MVP and actress are fresh off a romantic getaway to Mexico ... which was the very first time we got a glimpse of the duo together since Rodgers announced their engagement back in February.

37-year-old Rodgers and 29-year-old Woodley now appear to be a lot more comfortable showing their love for each other out in public ... holding hands and hugging while walking through Disney in Orlando.

In fact, the couple adorably decided to wear matching Star Wars-themed masks ... and while Woodley added some Minnie Mouse ears, Rodgers settled for a ballcap and Star Wars shirt.

Remember -- Rodgers is a grade-A Star Wars super-nerd ... so we're sure he couldn't wait to get the VIP treatment while checking out the SW: Galaxy's Edge area during his visit.

The couple has a lot to celebrate -- Rodgers' debut episode as interim host of "Jeopardy!" premiered on Monday ... and Woodley hyped up her man by praising his man bun and "super sexy, super attractive" look.

What are ... relationship goals, Aaron??

Shaun Weiss will not be minding the net in the upcoming 'Mighty Ducks' reboot ... but he's still hoping to reprise his role as Goldberg the goalie later on down the line.

Sources close to the OG 'Mighty Ducks' star tell TMZ ... Disney never officially reached out to Shaun about including him in the TV series reboot, even though he heard some rumblings from other actors that director Steven Brill had plans to bring him back.

Ultimately, Shaun never got the call ... and our sources say he doubted he'd be welcomed into the fold anyway, due to his criminal history.

As we've told you ... Shaun has struggled with drug addiction and was dealing with a slew of life-threatening issues, living on the streets at one point and being arrested for meth and burglary -- but he's since cleaned up his act and recently celebrated 1 year of sobriety.

Shooting has already wrapped on the 10-episode TV series, and it was recently revealed most of the stars of the original 'Mighty Ducks' returned for a reunion episode.

We're told Shaun is holding out hope Disney will eventually reach out if the show gets picked up for another season. Fact is, Shaun's character was one of the most popular in the OG movies.

Our sources say Shaun got really emotional when he saw the trailer for the new 'Mighty Ducks' series. We're told it gave him goosebumps and he thought it looked amazing.

Joey Bada$$ has a bone to pick with Mickey and co. -- he claims the Mouse House wouldn't let his autistic cousin into the park without a mask ... to which he calls foul.

The rapper posted a video Saturday which shows three Disney World employees on camera who appear to have been dispatched to deal with a situation. As Joey narrates and gets the names and positions of each worker ... it becomes clearer what's going on.

He says he came to DW with his family -- about 30 people or so -- to celebrate his daughter's birthday. Thing is, one of his relatives is an autistic child ... whom Joey says doesn't understand the concept of mask-wearing and finds it suffocating.

Joey adds, "These guys have completely ruined my family’s trip. We came out here 30+ for my daughter's bday and they turned my lil cousin away, can’t even enjoy this experience anymore" ... going on to tag a number of Disney handles on social media.

We checked Disney's official policy on mask-wearing in their parks that are open -- which, at this point in the States, is only in Florida -- and aside from kids younger than 2 years old ... there are no loopholes for the rule other than eating/drinking, which is standard.

Demi Lovato says she was sexually assaulted as a teenager and is opening up about it for the first time, publicly ... because it's taken her this long to process the trauma.

The singer made the shocking revelation in her new documentary, 'Dancing with the Devil' ... which premiered Tuesday night at SXSW. In the film, she says, "I lost my virginity in a rape."

The film infers the alleged assault occurred when she was 15 during her days as the Disney Channel star of "Camp Rock" and "Sonny With a Chance." Demi says she called the person back a month after the alleged rape and "tried to make it right by being in control and all it did was make me feel worse."

She says of the encounter ... "We were hooking up but I said -- hey, this is not going any farther, I’m a virgin, and I don’t want to lose it this way. And that didn’t matter to them, they did it anyways. And I internalized it and I told myself it was my fault because I still went in the room with him. I still hooked up with him."

Demi claims she developed a serious eating disorder to deal with the trauma, and beat herself up for years ... but she feels it's finally time to share her truth.

As we reported ... the new documentary details Demi's 2018 overdose -- including being declared legally blind in the hospital after she woke up -- along with her many other challenges and triumphs.

James Cameron's blockbuster, 'Avatar,' has reclaimed its throne as the highest-grossing movie ever around the world, which appears to be kinda pissing off the 'Endgame' crowd.

Marvel fanboys/girls laid into Cameron Saturday on word that his 2009 behemoth of a flick had once again climbed to the top of the charts globally upon a re-release this weekend in Chinese markets, putting its new haul at just over $2.8B against 'Endgame's' $2.797B.

China's Film Bureau struck a deal that allowed for 'Avatar' to be re-released in theaters, seeing how they're testing re-opening cineplexes ... but are short on new material. Since 'Avatar' is an all-time great among viewers there, they greenlit its revival on the big screen.

Marvel was gracious in defeat, tweeting ... "Congratulations to @JimCameron, @JonLandau, and ALL of Na'vi Nation for reclaiming the box office crown! We love you 3000." Cameron responded with a blue heart emoji, y'know ... 'cause of the blue forest people.

While the studio is bowing down ... fans aren't. Many are pointing out 'Avatar' appears to be gaming the system with yet another re-release more than a decade later, and seemingly juking the stats in its favor. Yes, the movie has had a handful of re-releases over the years, including a significant one right after its OG one-month theatrical run in late 2009.

Here's the thing ... if 'Avatar' "cheated," so did 'Endgame' to get its huge numbers. That movie was in theaters for a whopping 20 weeks or so, which comes out to about how many months 'Avatar' has been left in theaters total on re-releases (give or take a couple months).

Grace VanderWaal isn't seeing stars, she's seeing dollar signs ... because we've learned she's getting paid a nice chunk of change for her lead role in "Stargirl."

The 17-year-old singer is off to a pretty strong start financially in her acting career after securing top billing in the Disney+ movie, "Stargirl." According to her minor's contract, obtained by TMZ, Grace took home a base salary of $125,000 for the first film, and it looks like she's got a bigger payday on the horizon for the upcoming sequel.

Grace is in line to double her earnings for the second 'Stargirl' movie ... the contract says she'll get paid a cool $250,000 to reprise her role as Stargirl Caraway, and Disney says the sequel is already in development.

We'll do the math for ya ... Grace will earn at least $375,000 just in base pay for both films. And, if there's a third film, she'll rake in $500,000. Yes, it pays well to be a Disney star.