Inside The Mouse Castle 07-27-2015 - D23 Expo, Marvel's 'Ant-Man' and Disney's 'Descendants'

By Tim Callaway

In this week's episode of Inside The Mouse Castle, Anthony has an existential crisis. We're attributing it to a cataclysmic combination of Neil deGrasse Tyson, sleep deprivation, Ant-Man shrinking down to a molecular level and the wretched "Be Our Guest" number from Disney's Descendants (debuting this Friday on the Disney Channel).

With Anthony curled up in a fetal position, he and I delve deeply into these thought-provoking topics guaranteed to make you feel insignificant against the infinite backdrop of space:

• For the first time, the D23 Expo will split their traditional motion picture fan presentation into two separate events, one for animation and one for live action. We're hoping for big announcements (or at least some new trailers) for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Captain America: Civil War and Finding Dory.
• I finally saw Ant-Man and thoroughly enjoyed it. I left the theater totally perplexed, though. Why don't people stay all the way to the end of a Marvel movie to see the post credit-scenes? Have they not learned? The last scene in Ant-Man (and yes, it comes at the very end) is not to be missed. It does an epic job setting up (and raising a few questions about) Captain America: Civil War.

The Sword in the Stone

• Annnd.....The Sword in the Stone is the latest Disney animated classic to go into development as a live-action film. We recap all we know about the full slate of upcoming Disney retreads.

• There's a new trailer for Pixar's The Good Dinosaur. Despite our earlier concerns about production delays, recasting and a new director, we're encouraged by what we see. But, with all the (justified) attention Inside Out has received, will people take to a second Pixar film in the same year?

• Avengers: Age of Ultron will be available on digital download September 8th. Want it in a disc in a box? That's available on October 2nd.
• Michael Jackson as Jar Jar Binks? It almost happened. Well, Michael thought it would anyway.

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 05-11-2015 - The Hatbox Ghost Returns, 'Tomorrowland' Premieres and the D23 Expo Expands

By Tim Callaway

George Clooney, his wife Amal and his niece Mia join
Bob Iger and his wife aboard the Monorail.

Last weekend was crazy busy at the Disneyland Resort. Brad Bird's new movie Tomorrowland had its world premiere at Downtown Disney followed by an after-party at the real Tomorrowland. On hand were the film's stars George Clooney, Britt Robertson and Raffey Cassidy, along with a host of other celebrities.

But wait, the weekend also saw the running of the Tinker Bell Half Marathon as well as the return (finally) of the Hatbox Ghost to the Haunted Mansion. Anthony and I talk about all that (okay, we skipped the Tinker Bell Half Marathon, sorry) plus these other fascinating stories in this week's Inside The Mouse Castle.

• Now that Brad Bird has just about put Tomorrowland in his past, what's next? We know (and Bird has officially confirmed) that The Incredibles 2 will be his next film project, but could he also be lining up a deal to helm a Star Wars movie?
• The Avengers 2.5, or as it's also known, Captain America: Civil War, has begun shooting in Atlanta. 
• Avengers director Joss Whedon closed his Twitter account. Was it because he's too busy, or was the Twitterverse just being too mean to him?
• Disney's live action Cinderella has passed $500 million in worldwide box office, making it the third highest grossing film of the year so far. Avengers: Age of Ultron (surprise!) leads the pack at close to $1 billion. 

Jason Bateman will voice the cunning fox, Nick Wilde, in Zootopia.

• Disney Animation announced Jason Bateman and Ginnifer Goodwin will voice the lead characters in Zootopia. Bateman will be a "scamming fox" named Nick Wilde while Goodwin will voice "optimistic bunny" Judy Hopps. The film will open in the U.S. on March 4, 2016.
• The big presentations at the D23 Expo will get a bigger venue this year. Traditional popular draws like the Disney Legends Award Ceremony and the Walt Disney Studios and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts presentations will move from the 5,000-seat arena at the Anaheim Convention Center to a new "Hall D23" that can handle 7,500 people. The D23 Expo will be held August 14-16.
• Disney California Adventure's nighttime dance party, the Mad T Party, returns on May 22nd. Break out your Bedazzler, though, because now it's going to be the Diamond Mad T Party.

Enjoy!

The Hatbox Ghost

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Inside The Mouse Castle 05-04-2015 - 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' Review, 'Star Wars' Day and Disneyland's Future Plans

By Tim Callaway

When is a $187.7 million opening weekend for a movie a disappointment? When Avengers: Age of Ultron fails to surpass the $200 million-plus opening of 2012's The Avengers. Still, for Ultron that ain't bad, especially considering it's approaching $500 million in box office outside the U.S.

Okay, those are the dollars. Is the movie any good?

Anthony and I offer up our takes on Avengers: Age of Ultron in this edition of Inside The Mouse Castle. We're both big fans of the film, which succeeds at being darker and deeper than its predecessor, but it still lacks that little something-something to place it in the rarefied air of The Avengers and Captain America: The Winter Soldier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Here's what else is going on in this week's episode:

• May the Fourth, Revenge of the Fifth, Revenge of the Sixth? Whatever. We've got Star Wars news about new The Force Awakens pics in Vanity Fair. There's also an opening for a new director for one of the upcoming Star Wars standalone films. 
• Last week, pictures of the upcoming Disney Infinity 3.0 leaked online. Since we recorded the show, it's now confirmed that Star Wars will join the DI universe this fall. The Starter Pack will come with Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano figures. Play Sets for the new edition will include two Star Wars adventures set during the original trilogies with a third one based on The Force Awakens coming out later this year. There will also be an Inside Out Play Set. 

• Our sources say that Asa Butterfield is in as the new Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's very likely the star of Hugo and Ender's Game will take on the role of the web-slinger in the upcoming Captain America: Civil War.
• Disneyland will be closing early on select days in May as it prepares for the park's Diamond Celebration kickoff on May 22nd. It will close at 7:30 p.m. on May 6-7, May 11-12 and May 19. On May 21, the park will close at 6:00 p.m. to get ready for the 24-hour party that begins at 6:00 a.m. on May 22. Yes, I will be there to endure the entire 24 hours. I hope you can join me.
• Disney has purchased the Carousel Inn & Suites, a 131-room hotel on Harbor Boulevard across the street from the Disneyland Resort. We're pretty sure that Disney isn't interested in running a another hotel long-term, so let the speculation begin!
• A dining test is being conducted at Walt Disney World that could speed up and customize how guests order meals at the resort. Think of it as a FastPass for dining where you can arrange in advance for counter service, table service or grab-and-go. The test is going on right now at the Backlot Express at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Stay tuned.
• Oriental Land Company has announced expansion plans for Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. A Scandinavian-themed port (think Arendelle) will be added to Tokyo DisneySea while a Fantasyland expansion a'la the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World will add new Beauty and the Beast and Alice in Wonderland areas.
• Humphrey's Service & Supplies will be just another souvenir shop themed to the new Grizzly Peak Airfield at Disney California Adventure when it opens on May 15th. But dude, it's HUMPHREY'S. Pay attention.

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 04-27-2015 - 'Avengers: Age of Ultron,' 'Tomorrowland' and 'Descendants'

By Tim Callaway

Avengers: Age of Ultron opens Friday. Fist bump.

The most anticipated movie of the year (at least until that other movie opens in December) opens in U.S. theaters Friday and we couldn't be more excited. Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron is already racking up big money internationally, taking in over $200 million at the box office overseas this past weekend. 

But, that success hasn't come without a little bit of controversy. Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) and Chris Evans (Captain America) all caused a stir on the press junket tour last week. RDJ walked out on an interview with BBC Channel 4 after being asked some awkward questions about his troubled past by interviewer Krishnan Guru-Murthy. Meanwhile Renner and Evans jokingly slut-shamed Scarlett Johansson's character Black Widow in a conversation with Digital Spy. A lot of people didn't see the humor in it, so Hawk and Cap both issued apologies.

Anthony and I try to avoid the name calling, but we're still pretty awkward in the latest episode of Inside The Mouse Castle.

• Marvel is doing the best it can to distance its upcoming Spider-Man film from the films that came before it at Sony. The rumored working title of the new MCU project is Spider-Man: The New Avenger. We like it.
• Does Avengers: Age of Ultron director Joss Whedon want to cross lines and direct a DC superhero movie one day? Sure, why not? 
• At CinemaCon in Las Vegas last week, Disney announced its full slate of movie releases through 2017, including everything from Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm. This wasn't really news as we pretty much knew the release dates for all these films. But, how exciting to see 24 titles packaged together? Disney is going to dominate in theaters over the next three years.

George Clooney in Tomorrowland.

• Who wants to meet George Clooney at the premiere of Tomorrowland at Downtown Disney? Oh please, who doesn't?
• Trader Sam's Grog Grotto officially opened at Walt Disney World's Polynesian Village Resort this week. That means you can now officially wait two hours to get in.
• World's collide. Past episodes of the BBC series Doctor Who starring Tenth Doctor David Tennant will be shown on Disney XD in May.
• Disney Villains have kids who grow up to be troubled teens. Complications ensue. That's the premise of Descendants, a new Disney Channel movie coming out this summer. There's a new trailer for it. We aren't impressed.

Enjoy!

CORRECTION: In The Mouse Castle Lounge, we incorrectly refer to the title of the Disney Channel movie as The Descendants. The title is just Descendants.

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Inside The Mouse Castle 04-14-2015 - 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' Premiere, 'Star Wars' Celebration and Selfie Sticks

By Tim Callaway

Avengers assemble!

The Avengers assembled at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood Monday night for the world premiere of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Go on the red carpet to hear from the film's stars Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evens, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, James Spader and director Joss Whedon with a cameo (of course) by Stan Lee.

Tim and Anthony don their super suits and discuss the high expectations attached to the newest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and how Age of Ultron could make as much as $2 billion worldwide, placing it in the rarefied air of Avatar and Titanic. They also talk about a few other things in this super long, super entertaining episode of Inside The Mouse Castle. 

• 'Star Wars' Celebration, the massive gathering of Lucasfilm uberfans, gets underway this week at the Anaheim Convention Center. The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams and producer Kathleen Kennedy will hold court at the first panel of the event Thursday at 10:00 a.m. Fans can line up to see the presentation beginning at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday night. Wednesday night?!? (NOTE: after we finished recording this episode, 'Star Wars' Celebration announced that the Abrams/Kennedy panel--along with 30-plus hours of content--will be streamed live online at StarWars.com).

• It's official! The legendary Hatbox Ghost is finally returning to Disneyland's Haunted Mansion in May. We anticipate he'll (dis)appear in the area behind the "window" that mysteriously showed up recently in the attic across from the Bride. 
• In other Mansion news, Guillermo del Toro's new Haunted Mansion film is moving forward and will star Ryan Gosling.
• Steven Spielberg will direct his first Disney film, The BFG, co-produced by Disney, Dreamworks and Walden Media, is based on a story by Roald Dahl and is scheduled for release in July 2016.
• Ian McKellen will play Cogsworth in Disney's new live-action Beauty and the Beast. With a cast that already includes Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Emma Thompson, Kevin Kline, Josh Gad and Audra McDonald, can expectations for this film get any higher?
• Disney is developing a new live-action retelling of Pinocchio, which naturally makes us nostalgic for the 2000 made-for-TV movie Geppetto starring Drew Carey and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
• Brad Bird is working on a script for The Incredibles 2. It's about time.
• Theme park guests can get a sneak peek at Bird's newest film, Tomorrowland, starting this Friday at Disneyland and Saturday at Epcot.
• The Matterhorn and Peter Pan are both getting upgrades for Disneyland's 60th. Down for refurb now, the attractions will reopen sometime in May.
• A fatal crash at the Exotic Driving Experience at Walt Disney World took the life of racing instructor Gary Terry over the weekend. Our condolences to his family and friends.
• Disney and Dali: Architects of the Imagination, a new exhibition at the Walt Disney Family Museum, opens on July 10th. It will explore the longtime friendship and artistic collaboration between Walt and the surrealist painter Salvador Dali.

The Boathouse

• The upscale restaurant The Boathouse opened at Downtown Disney (Disney Springs) at Walt Disney World this week. Who wants to share a $115 steak with us?
• Selfie sticks have been outlawed at Walt Disney World. Or not. Or maybe just on attractions. Who knows? Actually, we do.

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 03-09-2015 - Harrison Ford's Crash Landing, 'Tomorrowland' and Indy's 20th Birthday

By Tim Callaway

Tim O'Day and Tony Baxter celebrate
20 years of Indy at Disneyland.

Last week was about as busy as you could imagine if you're a Disney fan--and that's a good thing. New movie trailers, some juicy movie rumors, new cast announcements for Beauty and the Beast, the imminent closing of Innoventions and the 20th anniversary of the Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland.

Oh yeah, and Han Solo crash landed the Millennium Falcon on Tatooine. Or something like that.

Here's what Anthony and I wax eloquently about on this episode of Inside The Mouse Castle:

• Anthony dropped in on a 20th anniversary celebration for Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye. This exclusive Annual Passholder event saw Disney maven Tim O'Day swap stories with Imagineer and Indy designer Tony Baxter. A pleasant time was had by all.
• Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn let slip on social media that Marvel will not be in attendance at this year's Comic-Con in San Diego. Okay by us. We're hyped to get our share of the Cinematic Universe at the D23 Expo in August. We're also wondering if Lucasfilm will go the same route with Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Between the Expo and next month's Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, does Lucasfilm even need Comic-Con?
• Movie fans held their breath, then let out a collective sigh of relief when Harrison Ford crash landed his single-engine plane on a Southern California golf course Thursday and escaped without significant injuries. We wish the 72 year-old actor a speedy recovery. 
• A rumor has surfaced about the content of the next Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer. We're intrigued, but it seems a bit too detailed for a trailer that's still more than a month away from its expected debut at Star Wars Celebration. And let's face it, speculating that Luke, Leia, Han, C3PO and R2-D2 will finally make an appearance is not really a stretch.
• Meanwhile, this real, live trailer has pinned our nerd meter at eleven:

• This one ain't bad either:

• And have you seen the new movie poster for Tomorrowland? Dude, Space Mountain is in it. Wait, what?

• Luke Evans (Gaston) and Dan Stevens (Beast) are joining the cast of Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast. Anthony and I aren't impressed, but apparently if you're female and have a pulse, this is a big deal.
• Pixar's Toy Story 4 will not be a continuation of the existing Toy Story trilogy--which is a relief. What it will be is a self-contained romantic comedy directed by John Lasseter. Assuming Woody (Tom Hanks) is at the center of the love story, Anthony has a brilliant idea of who should play the sheriff's new girlfriend. In fact, it's such a great idea, Anthony has been losing sleep over it. And it's no small coincidence he was in Seattle two weeks ago.
• Dear Internet: It's not CG. Even Lily James says it's a corset--and a damn uncomfortable one. Please move on.

• By the way, Cinderella opens in U.S. theaters on Friday.

• We really like this first glimpse at Zootopia. The Disney animated film opens next year (description courtesy Walt Disney Animation Studios).

• The modern mammal metropolis of Zootopia is a city like no other. Comprised of habitat neighborhoods like ritzy Sahara Square and frigid Tundratown, it’s a melting pot where animals from every environment live together—a place where no matter what you are, from the biggest elephant to the smallest shrew, you can be anything. But when optimistic Officer Judy Hopps arrives, she discovers that being the first bunny on a police force of big, tough animals isn’t so easy. Determined to prove herself, she jumps at the opportunity to crack a case, even if it means partnering with a fast-talking, scam-artist fox, Nick Wilde, to solve the mystery. Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Zootopia,” a comedy-adventure directed by Byron Howard (“Tangled,” “Bolt”) and Rich Moore (“Wreck-It Ralph,” “The Simpsons”) and co-directed by Jared Bush (“Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero”), opens in theaters on March 4, 2016.

Zootopia.

• Innoventions is closing up at Disneyland on March 31st to make way for...we're not sure yet, but we have plenty of ideas. And no, that doesn't mean Mickey's Toontown is closing too. How do these rumors get started?
• D23 has announced two fan contests for the upcoming D23 Expo. Are you artistic? Show them your best Sleeping Beauty Castle and you could win $2,300. Is cosplay more your thing? Mousequerade could send you to Disney's Aulani Resort.

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 03-02-2015 - 'Cinderella' Premiere, 'DuckTales' and the Right Way to Watch 'Star Wars'

By Tim Callaway

(l. to r.) Kenneth Branagh, Cate Blanchett, Holliday Grainger,
Lily James, Sophie McShera and Richard Madden.

Anthony and I take you on the red carpet in Hollywood for the premiere of the new live-action version of Disney's Cinderella. This updated fairy tale stars Lily James as the titled scullery maid turned princess, Cate Blanchett as her wicked stepmother and Richard Madden as her Prince Charming. Kenneth Branagh directs the film, which is scheduled to open in the U.S. on March 13th. On Inside The Mouse Castle, Branagh talks about the challenge of staying true to the animated Cinderella while updating the story for modern audiences. James also shares why her character is not the stay-at-home-and-wait-for-her-prince kind of princess. 

Also roaming the red carpet was Josh Gad, the voice of Olaf in Frozen. He's back with the whole gang in the new short film Frozen Fever, which opens for Cinderella. The film looks like it might be cute (even if it is Frozen), but we're really concerned where all those baby snowmen in the trailer come from.

Also in this edition of Inside The Mouse Castle:

• Robert Downey, Jr. and Omaze are teaming up to give you a chance to attend the world premiere of Avengers: Age of Ultron. I'm really excited at the prospect--and it's totally for a good cause--but Anthony has reservations about it. Or maybe he's just jaded and bitter.

• A fire at it's a small world caused more of an uproar on the Internet than it did at Disneyland Saturday night. The blaze, presumably caused by fireworks, did minor damage and there were no reported injuries. Reactionary people online, however--as is their custom--collectively lost their minds.
• Bob Chapek is the new chairman of Disney Parks and Resorts. He takes over for Tom Staggs, who was recently promoted to chief operating officer. Chapek has put in 22 years with Disney and was formerly president of Disney Consumer Products.
• Next to Shanghai Disney Resort, Bob's biggest new project is the completion of "Avatar-land" at Disney's Animal Kingdom, or as Anthony calls it, The Wizarding World of James Cameron. Is anyone outside of Disney actually excited about this? Because we're really skeptical. Sure, Avatar is the all-time movie box office champ, but six years after its release, is it even relevant anymore? And two years from now when it's scheduled to open, will anyone care?
• Walt Disney World has announced the dates for this year's special event holiday parties at the Magic Kingdom. Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party will be held on select dates from September 15th to November 1st. Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party will begin a week later on select dates between November 8th and December 18th. Tickets go on sale in April. For a complete list of dates, visit disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2015/02/dates-for-magic-kingdom-special-events-tickets-on-sale-in-april. 
• We're hearing that Pirates of the Caribbean at Walt Disney World will close for a major--and much needed--refurbishment this summer. It's always been the ugly sister to POTC at Disneyland. Will it finally get the update it deserves?

This Pirates of the Caribbean audio-animatronic
sold for $129,800 over the weekend.

• Van Eaton Galleries in Southern California concluded an epic auction of Disneyland collectibles and memorabilia over the weekend. The Story of Disneyland collection was expected to take in about $1 million. It blew right through that estimate and finished with a take of $1.7 million. Did you bid? Did you get the items you wanted?
• DuckTales is returning to Disney XD in 2017...woo-ooo!!!
• LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales is slated to air on Disney XD before the end of the year. The series of half-hour episodes will tell the saga of both Star Wars trilogies through the eyes of C3PO and R2-D2. The awkward part is the story will be told in chronological order. Any true Star Wars fan knows the only way to tell the tale is by starting at the beginning of Episode IV. 

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 01-12-2015 - The Golden Globe Awards, the Walt Disney World Marathon and Disneyland Measles

By Tim Callaway

Anthony and I took a little post New Year break (Anthony even squeezed in a day trip to Disneyland) and now we're back Inside The MC with a full slate of hugely fascinating stories that will inform, amuse and astound you. We hope you've all been vaccinated.

• The Golden Globe Awards were handed out Sunday night in Beverly Hills and Disney came up a goose egg as neither Into the Woods nor Big Hero 6 took home any awards. Not that the Mouse was favored in any category, but I digress. The biggest surprise for me was How to Train Your Dragon 2 beat out a strong Animated Feature category that included BH6, The Boxtrolls, The Book of Life and The Lego Movie. 

Into the Woods

• Nominations for the 87th Academy Awards will be announced early Thursday morning. The Mouse Castle will be streaming the announcements live at www.TheMouseCastle.com. Watch for the link later this week. In a rare move, the Academy will announce live the nominees in all 24 categories--in past years they've limited it to the major categories only. Actor Chris Pine (Into the Woods), Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs, and directors Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity)  and J.J. Abrams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) will make the announcements beginning at 5:30 a.m. Pacific. Which films are you rooting for this year? Boyhood? Birdman? Big Hero 6? Into the Woods? 
• The Walt Disney World Marathon had a distinctly Brazilian flavor Sunday as the top four finishers in the men's division hailed from that country and the women's division winner did as well. As for me, I have no aspirations to run a marathon (yet), but I am set to run the Star Wars 5K and 10K races this weekend at Disneyland. 
• In breaking news, thousands of people did not contract measles at Disneyland at the end of December BECAUSE THEY WERE VACCINATED. In other news, at least 20 people caught the virus because most of them were not. Vaccinate your kids.

Fireworks over Sleeping Beauty Castle

• At the parks, Disneyland is offering special discounts in the off-season for Southern California residents; Fantasy in the Sky fireworks have returned to the Happiest Place on Earth; and you can win a trip to Walt Disney World by visiting www.disneyflipside.com. Also, Disney Vacation Club is selling new timeshares at the Polynesian Village Resort, but what we're most excited about at the Poly is you can now get a Dole Whip at the new Pineapple Lanai quick-serve restaurant. Oh, and a Trader Sam's is opening there soon (we hope it's bigger than the one at the Disneyland Hotel--love the drinks and atmosphere, hate the small size). At Disney's Hollywood Studios, you can catch a sneak preview of Disney's new live-action Cinderella as well as get a gander at the little cinder girl's golden coach used in the film. It opens in U.S. theaters on March 13th.
• It disturbs us greatly that Michael C. Hall is joining the cast of Pete's Dragon, Disney's reboot of the 1977 film. It's nothing against Hall. We loved him in Dexter and Six Feet Under. What's disturbing is that a Pete's Dragon reboot even exists. 
• We feel much better that this movie exists:

• Even better about this one:

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 11-12-2014 - 'Strange Magic,' 'Frozen' on Ice and Walt Disney's Trains

There's a lot of movie news in the latest episode of "Inside The Mouse Castle." Some of it we're excited about, some of it...meh.

We're as surprised as you are. Strange Magic from Lucasfilm opens January 23rd.

• Disney surprised us this week with the announcement that Lucasfilm is producing Strange Magic, an animated musical film based on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. The story was penned by George Lucas himself (who is also executive producer) with a screenplay by David Berenbaum (Elf), Irene Mecchi (Brave, The Lion King) and Gary Rydstrom, who also directs. The music will come from "popular songs from the past six decades." If that formula of Bill the Bard meets pop music sounds familiar, it's because Disney and Elton John tried it in 2011 with Gnomeo & Juliet. That didn't end well. Strange Magic opens in the U.S. on January 23rd.
• Big Hero 6 was a solid #1 at the box office last weekend, but will it have enough momentum to stay there this weekend? Anthony and I have a whopping 50 cents riding on whether BH6 can beat Dumb and Dumber To, which opens Friday. I say it will. Anthony says otherwise.
• Star Wars: Episode VII (aka The Force Awakens) recently wrapped up filming at England's Pinewood Studios. The Star Wars crew (at least some of them anyway) will return to Pinewood in the near future to shoot what is believed to be a spin-off film based on a single franchise character. More details to come as soon as Disney and Lucasfilm lift the veil of secrecy...or until someone leaks it.
• There is a new(ish) trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron. We like it.

• There is a new trailer for Disney's McFarland, USA starring Kevin Costner. It hits U.S. theaters on February 20th. Meh.

• There is also a new trailer for the direct-to-Blu-ray Tinker Bell and the Legend of the Neverbeast. It comes out March 3rd. Your kids will like it.

• Frozen is touring the U.S. right now as a Disney on Ice show. Who didn't see that coming? The surprise may be just how strong ticket sales are. I mean, we knew tickets would sell, but prime seats at this weekend's shows in New York City are pretty much sold out and what few remain are going for almost $200. Before the tour is done, around 3 million tickets could be sold to see Anna and Elsa skate themselves into a little frenzy. Is Frozen coming to your town? Find out at www.disneyonice.com/frozen. We recommend you order your tickets as soon as possible.

Walt's Trains at the Walt Disney Family Museum

• All Aboard: A Celebration of Walt's Trains is the new exhibition at the Walt Disney Family Museum that shines the spotlight on Walt's lifelong love of trains and the many ways it influenced his work and personal life. Over 200 artifacts are on display including Casey Jr. concept art from Dumbo, Walt's coveralls from the Santa Fe and Disneyland Railroad and train memorabilia from Walt's fellow train enthusiasts at the studio, Ward Kimball and Ollie Johnston. The exhibition runs through February 9th. This weekend, we'll hear from the curator of Walt's Trains, Michael Campbell, in a special edition of The Mouse Castle Lounge.

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 11-07-2014 - 'Toy Story 4,' 'Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens' and 'Big Hero 6'

Anthony and I have beer and movies on our minds as we recap a busy week for Disney, Pixar and Lucasfilm in the latest Inside The Mouse Castle. We brought beer because, well, it's the weekend, so why not?

• Like it or not, there will be a Toy Story 4, directed by John Lasseter and released on June 16, 2017. Anthony's really looking forward to it. I'm cautiously optimistic but concerned that Pixar is going to the well one too many times in the name of Woody and Buzz. 
• Star Wars: Episode VII is now officially known as The Force Awakens, but you knew that already, didn't you? We'll talk about it anyway.

Baymax in Big Hero 6.

• Big Hero 6 has opened this weekend to enthusiastic reviews and rightfully so. This superhero origin story is pretty basic by comic book standards, but it's buoyed by a high-energy sense of fun and wonder, plus exquisitely detailed, jaw-dropping animation. Go see it...and whatever you do, stay until the end of the credits.
• The new trailer and character images for Into the Woods starring Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp have significantly raised my enthusiasm for the Rob Marshall-directed film, but Anthony isn't sold on it yet. We'll pass final judgment on the movie musical when it comes out on Christmas Day.

The Avengers

• Disney and Marvel aren't pulling any punches when it comes finding the person who leaked the Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer before it's scheduled release. They have traced the leak to a Google Drive account and have subpoenaed Google to provide more details before November 18th. Grab your popcorn. This is going to be good.
• Fijian boat makers are in a tizzy over a single piece of concept art Disney has released for the upcoming animated film Moana. Apparently, the image depicts a small, crudely-made boat similar in style to a type the islanders have been building for centuries. They are requesting compensation from Disney for borrowing the design that has no apparent origin or trademark owner. No, really.
• Fantasmic! is going Fastpass at Disneyland beginning December 12th. Find out why we think it's about time.

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 10-24-2014 - 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' Trailer, 'Big Hero 6' in Tokyo and England's Offensive Frozen T-Shirt

Captain America (Chris Evans) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth)
in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

After watching the Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer about 20 times each, Anthony and I break down what we like best about this amazing preview in the latest edition of Inside The Mouse Castle. 

It's going to be a dark time for Earth's Mightiest Heroes as they confront Ultron, a high-tech creation originally intended for peacekeeping, but instead hell-bent on destroying mankind. Ultron is voiced by James Spader and we can't think of anyone better to voice the maniacal robot.

Okay, maybe Christopher Walken. Christopher Walken would be a cool crazed villain. 

In the trailer we can already see the groundwork being laid for the rumored "Civil War' story line set to begin in Captain America 3. Even as the Avengers unite to battle a common enemy, you can see the conflict among them building. Thor fights Tony Stark and in the most epic confrontation of all, Stark dons the jaw-dropping Hulkbuster armor to take on Bruce Banner's green alter ego. If you couldn't get excited previously, now is the time to be absolutely giddy about this epic superhero film scheduled to open in the US on May 1, 2015.

Also in this episode:

• We really like Mark Ruffalo as the current version of Bruce Banner/Hulk, but his predecessor in the role, Edward Norton, has some interesting things to say about why he opted out of continuing the franchise.
• Marvel is developing a new comic book hero who is hearing impaired. We're impressed with Marvel's willingness to create such a character, but we think the results are kind of lame.

(l. to r.) Director Don Hall, voice actor Miho Kanno, director Chris Williams,
producer John Lasseter, Baymax, voice actor Kotaro Koizumi, producer Roy Conli
and Walt Disney Studios general manager Andrew Millstein.

• Baymax (aka Big Hero 6) premiered Thursday at the Tokyo International Film Festival. Producer John Lasseter commented about his appreciation of Japan and the influence it had on the film. Meanwhile, Anthony and I speculate on what the best restaurant would be in the east-west mashup city of San Fransokyo.
• Progress continues on the restoration of Walt Disney's Laugh-O-Gram building in Kansas City. Thank You Walt Disney, Inc. has plans to convert the two-story office building where Walt started his animation career into a digital production studio and museum. Construction could begin as early as the end of 2015.

• On Saturday, October 25, you can play Disney Infinity at Disney Interactive Studios in Glendale and at the same time support the Extra Life program to help sick kids at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. RSVPs are required. To find out more, visit https://infinity.disney.com/news/be-a-hero-this-2133. 
• Let's get dangerous! Darkwing Duck is returning to comics (no TV show, dammit) in 2015. 

Elsa, making snow and offending Brits since 2013.

• Some hyper-sensitive parents in England are complaining that a shirt sold at H&M featuring Elsa from Frozen is obscene and inappropriate for their kids because the ice queen is making a V-shaped gesture offensive to Brits. Funny, all we see is her making snow. Some people need to let it go already.

Enjoy!

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