Inside The Mouse Castle 03-08-2016 - Marvel at Disney California Adventure, 'Star Wars' on Blu-Ray and 'High School Musical 4'

By Tim Callaway

Zootopia's Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps.

Disney's Zootopia opened last weekend with record-breaking box office numbers for a March release. Naturally, Anthony and I didn't bother to see it. No worries, we'll both rectify that this week. A 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes certainly got our attention. 

Disneyland's announced April 2 closure of Super Hero HQ caught us all by surprise. What will be next for the Star Wars Launch Bay's attic? A preview center for Star Wars Land maybe? And what will happen when Captain America and Spider-Man are sent packing to DCA? Will the Mad T Party be replaced by a Mad A (for Avengers) Party? It's time to get some rumors started.

Here's what else we've got Inside The Mouse Castle this week:

• Keep those calendars marked. The Jungle Book begins sneak peek screenings at DCA and Disney's Hollywood Studios on March 18. Frozen--Live at the Hyperion opens at DCA May 27 and Rivers of Light, the new nighttime water show at Disney's Animal Kingdom, debuts April 22.

• It was no coincidence the Walt Disney Company had its annual shareholders meeting in Chicago last week. It was a fitting reminder that the Windy City was where Walt was born. To mark the occasion, Bob Iger announced that the Company would donate $250,000 towards the restoration of the Walt Disney Birthplace.

Disney Cruise Line will add two new ships in 2021 and 2023.

• Disney Cruise Line will launch two new cruise ships in 2021 and 2023, bringing their fleet total to six. The as-yet-unnamed ships will have 1,250 staterooms each and will be larger than DCL's current biggest ships, the Disney Dream and the Disney Fantasy.

• Star Wars: The Force Awakens comes out on Digital HD on April 1 and Blu-ray on April 5. Want a little variety with your trip to a galaxy far, far away? Retailers Target, Walmart, Best Buy and the Disney Store are all offering unique packaging and/or bonus materials.
• Big Hero 6 is moving to the small screen. An animated series based on the hit film will debut on Disney XD in 2017.
• A live-action movie version of The Nutcracker Suite? Disney is working on it and Lasse Hallstrom (The Hundred-Foot Journey, Chocolat) is slated to direct.

Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens in High School Musical 3: Senior Year.

• Ten years after the original High School Musical hit big for the Disney Channel, casting calls are going out for High School Musical 4. Jeffrey Hornaday (Teen Beach Movie) will direct. 

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 02-23-2015 - The Oscars, Rising Ticket Prices and Walking to Walt Disney World

By Tim Callaway

Oscar winner Big Hero 6.

"Once upon a time, there was a freckle-faced little boy who told his mom and his dad that one day he was gonna work at Walt Disney Animation. And they did something amazing. They supported him and they believed him. And from the bottom of his heart, he thanks them."

--Big Hero 6 co-director Don Hall

It was a good night at the Oscars Sunday for Disney Animation. Big Hero 6 was named Best Animated Feature while Feast claimed the statuette for Best Animated Short Film. There were those other films too: Birdman, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Whiplash. Anthony and I cover it all in today's episode of Inside The Mouse Castle.

We cover a few other things too:

• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales has started filming in Australia and we finally know what the story will be about. Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) crosses swords with "deadly ghost pirates" led by an old nemesis (Javier Bardem). Captain Jack's only hope is to obtain the Trident of Poseidon, the key to unlocking all the powers of the sea. POTC 5 will open in the summer of 2017.

Kevin Costner stars in Disney's inspirational sports film McFarland, USA.

• Kevin Costner's latest flick for Disney, McFarland, USA, opened to generally favorable reviews and pretty good box office numbers ($11.3 million) over the weekend. One day, Anthony and I might even be talked into watching it.
• Disneyland and Walt Disney World upped their ticket prices on Sunday. The world did not end.

Lauren Passell wins the Disney Princess Half Marathon.

• A year ago, Lauren Passell thought she might never run again due to a broken hip. Sunday, she beat a field of over 20,000 runners to win the Disney Princess Half Marathon at Walt Disney World. 
• The Cobb family from Houston, Texas, is on a cross-country hike from Disneyland to Walt Disney World to raise money and awareness for cancer treatment and to honor the memory of their daughter, Julia Cobb. In 2013, Julia died of Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare bone cancer, at the age of eight. The family's 4,000-mile journey began on August 4th last year and they are currently just past the halfway point in east Texas. To find out more about the Cobb family and how you can support their cause, visit www.jucanfoundation.org. 
• Last year on Inside The Mouse Castle, we talked about the frivolous lawsuit filed by author Isabella Tanikumi, who claimed Disney stole the idea for their mega-hit Frozen from Tanikumi's autobiographical book Yearnings of the Heart. Last week, U.S. District Judge William Martini granted Disney's request to dismiss the lawsuit. In his ruling, Judge Martini wrote, "The setting, plot and characters have no close similarities. No lay person could find that Disney improperly appropriated from Yearnings of the Heart."

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 02-16-2015 - Spider-Man Returns to Marvel, Cinderella's Waist Shrinks and Mad T Party Comes Back to DCA

By Tim Callaway

Will Captain America meet
Spider-Man in Civil War?

Spider-Man is finally joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe and we couldn't be happier. Last week, Marvel and Sony announced an agreement to jointly produce films featuring the web-slinger. Sony will retain creative control of the character in a stand-alone film (with more to follow, we're sure) set for release on July 18th, 2017. Marvel, meanwhile, will be able to use Spider-Man in MCU films, which will be critical to the story line in next year's Captain America: Civil War. Anthony and I have the word on how this will affect other upcoming Marvel releases in this week's episode of Inside The Mouse Castle. We also chime in on these tasty tidbits:

• Big Hero 6 has quietly moved into the third place on the list of Disney's highest grossing animated films in the U.S. It now trails only The Lion King and Frozen in domestic box office.
• Is Cinderella looking a little too thin around the waistline to be believed? The latest trailer for Disney's new live-action film has people wondering whether, like mice morphing into horses, the little cinder girl's tiny tummy is a CG effect as well (check 1:11 and 1:54 in the video).

• Will Hermione Granger and Professor Trelawney reunite in Beauty and the Beast? We already know Emma Watson is on board to play Belle, but now Emma Thompson is rumored to be talking with Disney about playing Mrs. Potts in the live-action reboot of the classic animated film. 
• Will Pixar's "Day of the Dead" movie be the studio's first musical? Songwriter Randy Newman let slip a bit of information that has us thinking this is the case for the Lee Unkrich-directed project.
• Pete's Dragon has started shooting in New Zealand. Mickey Rooney, Red Buttons, Shelley Winters and Helen Reddy aren't in it. [sigh]
• We already knew that Frozen was headed to Broadway, but now we've confirmed that the movie's songwriting team of Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez will be penning additional tunes for the stage adaptation.
• Star Wars is headed out to sea. In 2016, select Disney Fantasy cruises will feature a Star Wars Day at Sea with character meet and greets and special activities for adults and kids.

• Arrivederci, Luigi's Flying Tires. The Cars Land attraction in Disney California Adventure closed for good on Monday. We'll miss it, but even we admit it wasn't that great a ride.
  
• Freeze the Night will do what nighttime entertainment does in summer: make way for the return of Mad T Party at DCA on May 22nd. Any chance we'll ever get ElecTRONica back? Any chance the Hollywood Land "backlot" will be anything else in the daytime other than cluttered access to Mike & Sulley to the Rescue? Hey, who misses Superstar Limo?

• The Walt Disney World Speedway along with the Richard Petty Driving Experience is going away. Buh bye.
• Now open at the Walt Disney Family Museum is Lights! Camera! Glamour! The Photography of George Hurrell. The exhibition runs through June 29th and includes over 50 prints and items from the renowned celebrity photographer and artist.

Walt Disney in 1940. Photograph by George Hurrell.

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 10-31-2014 - This is Halloween, Tokyo Disney Resort Expansion and New Disney Cruise Line Destinations

Happy Halloween from The Mouse Castle!

We're getting this frightfully fun party weekend started with an Inside The Mouse Castle drinking game. No, really. Thank you to our loyal listener Ben Watson for sending it to us. He's clearly caught most of our shows and apparently has way too much time on his hands.

This game is not for the faint of heart (or liver), especially since we worked every element on the list below into today's show. Exercise caution and please don't drunk dial us when you're done.

Take a drink when:
1. There's an intro clip at the very beginning of the podcast.
2. A segue is attempted.
3. Anthony's dad Mike is mentioned.
4. Tim talks about Disney Infinity.
5. Anthony tries to do an impression.
6. Tim talks about a trip he took to Disney.
7. Anthony looks something up on the Internet.
8. Lady Tremaine is mentioned.
9. Marvel's future plans are talked about.
10. The phrase "Let it go" is used.

Cheers!

There's a lot more going on in today's Inside The Mouse Castle. Some of it is even newsworthy.

Tokyo Disneyland's Fantasyland Expansion

• Oriental Land Co., Ltd., which oversees operation of Tokyo Disney Resort, will sink $4.5 billion into expansion projects over the next ten years. The biggest enhancements will appear in Fantasyland at Tokyo Disneyland and a new themed port at Tokyo DisneySea. 

Disney Fantasy

• Disney Cruise Line is adding new cruises and ports of call to its 2016 itineraries. Tortola, the capital of the British Virgin Islands, will be included on select Eastern Caribbean cruises aboard the Disney Fantasy and Disney Magic. There will also be four sailings from San Juan, Puerto Rico, aboard the Disney Wonder with stops in Martinique, Barbados, Grenada, Antigua and St. Kitts. For more information, visit www.disneycruise.com.
• The new Disney Infinity 2.0 Toy Box Starter Pack (i.e., the Not-Marvel edition) will be released on November 4th. This weekend, however, visitors to Once Upon a Toy at the Downtown Disney Marketplace at Walt Disney World will get an opportunity to buy the game before it's released anywhere else. It's available for PlayStation, Xbox and Wii U consoles and includes the game software, Infinity base, Merida and Stitch characters and two Power Discs. Purchase it Saturday or Sunday and Once Upon a Toy will throw in an additional Disney character figure for free.

Baymax on vinyl.

• We love this 7" Baymax vinyl of Fall Out Boy's "Immortals" that's included in a special Big Hero 6 movie soundtrack bundle. You can pre-order it now at www.disneymusicemporium.com.
• Maleficent and Planes: Fire & Rescue come out on Blu-ray, Digital HD, Disney Movies Anywhere, DVD and On-Demand on November 4th. Anthony and I are indifferent to Planes: Fire & Rescue (okay, we haven't seen it yet), but I still have serious issues with what Disney did with Maleficent. Why can't she just be pure evil? Why does she have to have a conflicted conscience?
• New York's Empire Brewing Company brews a cleverly named beer called Strikes Bock. Think about that for a second. Empire. Strikes Bock. Yeah, apparently Lucasfilm isn't too pleased (although the beer is still listed on Empire's website).

Oh, and one final thing. Anthony is running for mayor in his hometown. Yours too. Actually, he's running for any office anywhere anyone is willing to write him in. Please ponder that on election day. Thanks.

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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Inside The Mouse Castle 10-22-2014 - 'Moana,' 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' and the Walt Disney Birthplace Restoration

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Yep, we're blaming Hydra.

If Marvel can finger its fictional terrorist group for leaking the trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron six days early, then we can blame them for the technical issues that kept Tuesday's Inside The Mouse Castle off the air until tonight.

Actually, it was a wonky HP laptop that caused our podcast problems. Who knows what nefarious force made the Internet explode with glee when the new Avengers trailer found its way online? Entertainment websites everywhere posted the lo-res video before Disney and Marvel quickly slammed the door on the leak. But, since nothing online is ever really deleted once it goes viral, Marvel had no choice but to release the official trailer well before its scheduled TV premiere on next Tuesday's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

For our part, you won't hear anything about the leak in today's ITMC. Anthony and I recorded the show well before the story broke. Rest assured, we'll be talking about it plenty on Friday's show.

(l. to r.) Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner,
Robert Downey, Jr. and Don Cheadle in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

And so, here's the trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron in all its intense, epic, superhero glory. WOW!!!

Also in today's show:

• Moana, an adventure set in the oceans of Polynesia, is Walt Disney Animation Studios newest project. John Musker and Ron Clements (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin) are directing the film which is due for release in late 2016.
• What's better than listening to the Guardians of the Galaxy Awesome Mix Vol. 1 on CD or vinyl? How about listening to it on cassette, just like Peter Quill intended?

• Keston Ott-Dahl and her wife Andrea have a young daughter with Down Syndrome. They've started an online petition to ask Disney to create a special needs princess their daughter and others like her can relate to. Do we think it will succeed? Probably not, but it's not a bad way to raise awareness of Down Syndrome. For more info visit www.delaneyskye.com.
• Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved is an imaginative and beautifully rendered video game that cleverly interacts with all styles of music from classical to contemporary pop. It's available now for Xbox One and Kinect for Xbox 360.
• Start some good and support the restoration of the Walt Disney Birthplace, the Chicago home built by Elias Disney where his son Walter was born. To contribute to the cause, visit www.startsomegood.com/WDB.

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 10-17-2014 - 'Dr. Strange,' Deadmau5 vs. Disney and Walt's Renaissance Man

We love our rumors here at The Mouse Castle. Marvel's Dr. Strange rumors, Pirates of the Caribbean rumors, even Pete's Dragon rumors (no, really). We've got them all and more in this edition of Inside The Mouse Castle.

• DC announced a slate of new films that will go head-to-head against the Marvel Cinematic Universe at least through 2020. Will moviegoers care as much about Superman, Batman and the Justice League as they do Iron Man, Captain America and the Avengers? Or is this all superhero overkill that will soon burnout audiences?
• Deadmau5 turned up the heat in his trademark dispute with Disney. The music producer and performer otherwise known as Joel Zimmerman says Disney approached him about writing music for Star Wars Rebels and a proposed Fantasia remix album even as Disney Legal was preparing to take action against him. Deadmau5 performs wearing an oversized helmet that Disney says is way too similar in style and appearance to Mickey Mouse.
• Disney is putting their time and money behind ten start-up companies through the Disney Accelerator program. The companies, mostly in the tech and gaming sectors, just completed a 15-week mentorship program that could result in ongoing partnerships and even acquisitions by Disney.
• Flamingo Crossing, a new hotel, dining and entertainment complex, recently broke ground on the west side of Walt Disney World property. Is this finally the harbinger for a long-rumored fifth gate at the resort? Anthony and I think this is probably the same old tired rumor we've been hearing for years.
• There's nothing like getting serenaded by the Dapper Dans as you fly to Walt Disney World. Disney pulled out all the stops for passengers aboard Southwest Airlines' inaugural non-stop flight from Dallas' Love Field to Orlando. 

• It's not a surprise that Hiro and Baymax will soon be doing character meet-and-greets at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, but we're very pleased to learn that the Big Hero 6 heroes will be taking up residence in space adjacent to Disneyland's under-utilized Starcade in Tomorrowland.
• We weren't certain as we were preparing the show, but now we know the new Disney Kingdoms comic book series published by Marvel will be all about Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. It's set for release next spring and it's sure to be a hit with fans of Disney Kingdoms' previous Seekers of the Weird series.
• If there is one new book to add to your Disney collection, it's Marc Davis: Walt Disney's Renaissance Man. It's an incredibly rich collection of art by the late Disney animator, who besides being one of Walt's Nine Old Man and bringing Tinker Bell, Maleficent and Cruella de Vil to life was a gifted Imagineer who lent his immense talents to the development of Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, it's a small world and the Jungle Cruise. The book contains insightful essays about Davis by the likes of Don Hahn, Andreas Deja, Glen Keane, Pete Docter, Mindy Johnson and Paula Sigman Lowery. You need this.

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 10-10-2014 - 'Tomorrowland' and 'Big Hero 6' at New York Comic Con

The Tomorrowland panel (l. to. r.): George Clooney, Brad Bird
Damon Lindelof, Britt Robertson, Raffey Cassidy
and Hugh Laurie

I can't think of a movie we're more excited about right now than Brad Bird's Tomorrowland. At New York Comic Con on Thursday, attendees got a taste of this cryptic and futuristic adventure with a first look at the teaser trailer and a scene from the film. In this special, extended episode of Inside The Mouse Castle, Anthony and I--with a big assist from our good friend Ron in New York--break down what the enthusiastic audience got to see, what we think it all means and why you should be just as excited as we are.

Big Hero 6 was also in the spotlight, showing off a two minute sizzle reel that gave us a better look at our hero Hiro's mad robotic skills, as well as the talents of his cohorts Honey Lemon, GoGo, Wasabi and Fred. We also saw a hint more of the evil capabilities of the mysterious man in the kabuki mask. Of course, the inflatable Baymax is as cute, cuddly and helpful as ever.

Here's what else we have going on in today's show:

• Robert Downey, Jr. is just messing with us now, telling Ellen DeGeneres Iron Man 4 is a go, then telling David Letterman its not. It's all getting a bit tiresome, all these rumors, cryptic comments and denials, but damned if we aren't fascinated by the whole game.
• A couple of things we do know: the Marvel Experience, a traveling roadshow of superheroes and super villains, starts a four-city tour in Phoenix on December 12th. We're also looking forward to Marvel 75 Years: From Pulp to Pop!, a one-hour documentary debuting on ABC November 4th. Aside from some pretty cool history, we're also hoping for sneak peeks at Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man.
• Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion is making the jump to ABC on October 26th, in case you missed it on Disney Channel and Disney XD. As an added bonus, James Earl Jones will voice Darth Vader in a cameo not previously shown on the cable channels.
• Download the free Blippar app for iOS and Android, then use it to scan the Star Wars Rebels logo below. Just do it. Seriously. It's super cool.

• Fan-made and Lucasfilm approved, The Empire Strikes Back Uncut is the ultimate fan love letter to the very best of the Star Wars films. Culled from over 1,500 15-second film segments submitted by amateur filmmakers and animators, it's a shot-by-shot re-creation of when things got really bad for the rebellion. We also love it because it heralds the return of the Star Wars Fan Film Awards. Details on that popular contest, which disappeared in 2012, will be revealed later this month.

• A free demo download of Disney's new video game Fantasia: Music Evolved is now available on Xbox One and Xbox 360. So far, I think it's a pretty good interactive music game that evokes the best elements of Guitar Hero and Just Dance with a potentially better Disney-centric story line. It definitely makes me want to get my hands on the full version of the game when it launches on October 21st.

Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved

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'Big Hero 6' Preview From New York Comic Con

Hiro and Baymax in Big Hero 6

Didn't make it to New York Comic Con this weekend?

Even worse, can't make it to today's Walt Disney Studios presentation featuring Big Hero 6 and Tomorrowland with panelists Brad Bird, Damon Lindelof, Chris Williams, Roy Conli and Don Hall?

Well, here's a little taste of Big Hero 6: the sizzle reel shown to Con attendees. We're loving this movie more and more with each new preview. It opens on November 7th.

More New York Comic Con coverage is coming. Stay tuned....

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Inside The Mouse Castle 09-26-2014 - 'Frozen' Lawsuit, 'Big Hero 6' and 'Disney Infinity 2.0'

Do you want to file a lawsuit?

Anthony and I approached the latest episode of Inside The Mouse Castle with a single objective: how to get $250 million from Disney by filing a frivolous lawsuit. You know, just like author Isabella Tanikumi appears to have done. According to her, Disney stole story elements from her autobiography Yearnings of the Heart to make Frozen. Apparently Hans Christian Andersen had nothing to do with it.

While we plan our lucrative financial futures, Anthony and I also cover these stories:

• The latest Big Hero 6 trailer is cute and cuddly, emphasizing warm hugs over comic book action adventure. We still like it.

• I review Disney Infinity 2.0. The Toy Box mode has definitely improved, making it easier to build you're own worlds, but the adventure game play in the playsets is repetitive and less imaginative than the original. It will not disappoint fans of the game, but it won't blow them away either. Call this game Disney Infinity 1.5.

New 'Big Hero 6' Trailer from Disney

Hiro and Baymax in Big Hero 6.

Walt Disney Animation Studios has released a new trailer for Big Hero 6, revealing yet another Disney hero with a tragic back story (no dad, older brother presumed dead). In the East/West mashup city of San Fransokyo, teen robotics whiz Hiro, with the help of his friends and his cuddly robot Baymax, take on a crazed super villain who wears a kabuki mask.

Big Hero 6 is based on the Marvel comic book series of the same name, but Disney appears to be going out of its way to identify the film as strictly a Disney Animation product. There'll be no confusing this flick with any entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That said, it looks like a lot of fun.