Inside The Mouse Castle 03-02-2016 - Disney's Seasonal Ticket Pricing, Jack Lindquist and the IASW Movie

By Tim Callaway

There's nothing like a ticket price increase to get the Disney fan base stirred up. Make it "seasonal pricing" (or "tiered pricing" or "surge pricing"), however, and you'd better getting ready for major outrage. The price of single-day and multi-day tickets went up (for the most part) at all the Disney parks over the weekend, with single-day tickets now priced based on expected attendance. In a nutshell, you'll pay more to visit your favorite park on a busy day (say, summer or Christmastime) than you will during a quieter day (like an October weekday). What does it all mean and should you really be upset about it? Anthony and I sort it all out for you in this week's Inside The Mouse Castle.

Here's what else we've got going on:

• At the Academy Awards Sunday, Pixar's Inside Out was the unsurprising, but highly deserving winner of the Best Animated Feature Oscar. In their acceptance speech, director Pete Docter and producer Jonas Rivera had inspiring words about the importance of "making stuff" in the face of adversity.

Me and Disney Legend Jack Lindquist, January 2011.

• Rest in peace, Jack Lindquist, who passed away Sunday at the age of 88. Jack was a marketing genius who became Disneyland's first president and, later, a Disney Legend. His memoir, In Service to the Mouse, should be required reading for every Disney fan. Our condolences to Jack's friends and family. He will be greatly missed.
• Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters will officially open at Disney California Adventure on March 7. Annual Passholders can get an exclusive preview of the ride on March 4. This looks like a very fun ride--and hopefully a more reliable replacement for Luigi's Flying Tires.

• Guests attending the Food & Wine Festival at Disney California Adventure in April can take part in special Beverage Seminars at Sonoma Terrace. Fifteen dollars will get you admission and three samples of select beers, wine or spirits. To purchase tickets, visit https://disneyland.disney.go.com/dining/disney-california-adventure/food-and-wine-festival-beverage-seminars.
• Marvel superheroes and villains will take each other on in Marvel Battlegrounds, the new four-player play set for Disney Infinity 3.0. A modern-look Captain America comes with the set and new character figures Ant-Man, Vision and Black Panther will also be available. Purchase the set online or in stores on March 15.
  

• Today's parting question: Does the thought of an It's a Small World movie make you cringe as much as us? Thought so.

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 11-30-2015 - 'The Good Dinosaur,' 'Captain America: Civil War' and Big Trouble in Disney's China

By Tim Callaway

The Good Dinosaur.

Pixar's The Good Dinosaur opened in theaters over the weekend and, depending on who you talked to, was a big success or a bigger disappointment. It had strong box office numbers for a Thanksgiving weekend release, but ranked far down the list among the first weekends of every other Pixar film. I saw it on Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed it. It has its flaws--most notably an alarming lack of originality--but it's beautiful to look at and has a huge amount of heart and emotion. Thumbs up. Go see it. 

That said, The Good Dinosaur probably won't be regarded as one of Pixar's more memorable films. Toy Story, Wall-E and Up it ain't With that in mind, Anthony and I offer our two cents on the least memorable Pixar movies of all time in this week's edition of Inside The Mouse Castle.

We also tackle a few other items:

• Bromance, betrayal and one badass superhero three-way. Ladies and gentlemen, the first trailer for Captain America; Civil War.

• Oh yeah, here's a trailer for Disney Infinity's Star Wars: The Force Awakens play set. I want it.

• China is cracking down on a hotel chain in the country that has been blatantly using the Disney name without permission. Apparently, plunking down $4 billion to build a resort in Shanghai buys you a considerable amount of trademark protection.
• You can now buy Haunted Mansion Funko Pop! characters based on the Hitchhiking Ghosts and the Hatbox Ghost, but only at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. I want them.

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 11-03-2015 - Harrison Ford and 'The Force Awakens,' 'Zootopia,' and Scarlett Johansson on the Tower of Terror

By Tim Callaway

Harrison Ford told Jimmy Kimmel last week that Star Wars: The Force Awakens is "really, really good." He praised his young costars Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver and Oscar Isaac and added, "J.J. (Abrams)  has made an incredible movie. You will not be disappointed at all. I promise you,"

On this week's ITMC, Anthony and I failed to mention that Ford was also wearing a hot dog costume at the time of the interview (it was Kimmel's Halloween show). I'm not sure why this is relevant, but it must have something to do with why we haven't seen Luke Skywalker in the movie poster or trailer. But, I digress.

Harrison Ford likes The Force Awakens. That's all that matters.

And on a side note, we're pretty sure the first trailer for Captain America: Civil War will screen in theaters prior to Star Wars. Like you needed another reason to hit the cinema on December 18.

Here's what else we're Forcing you to listen to today Inside The Mouse Castle:

• Asian actress Pom Klementieff is rumored to have joined the cast of James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. At the time we recorded the show, we weren't sure what her role would be. Now we believe she'll play Mantis, who's kind of a badass telepathic martial artist in Marvel canon. If true, Mantis will be quite the match-up next to Gamora and her messed-up sister Nebula.
  

Idris Elba will voice Chief Bogo in Zootopia.

• Disney announced the principal voice cast for Zootopia. We already knew about Jason Bateman and Ginnifer Goodwin as the leads Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps. Now we know that Idris Elba, J.K. Simmons, Bonnie Hunt, Octavia Spencer, Alan Tudyk and Tommy Chong are also lending their talents to the Byron Howard/Rich Moore-directed film. And yet, despite that deep roster, we're still not excited about Zootopia, which opens on March 4, 2016.

• We're also not too excited about Alice Through the Looking Glass, the follow-up to Tim Burton's bloated, joyless--but immensely profitable--Alice in Wonderland. Brief video teases for the upcoming film, which opens next Memorial Day weekend, have been popping up online. Meh. The one glimmer of hope that might make us care about the film is that it's being directed by James Bobin of The Muppets and Flight of the Conchords fame.
• Is Hocus Pocus 2 finally going to be a thing? Maybe. Maybe not. Producer David Kirschner has hinted that the long-rumored sequel to the 1993 comedy could eventually land on the Disney Channel. No word if Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy would be back as the Sanderson sisters, but all three have teased in the past that they'd be interested.

The Good Dinosaur in Disney Infinity.

• Disney Infinity is giving fans of Pixar's The Good Dinosaur a peek at some of the film's characters three week's before the movie opens. The caveboy Spot made his debut this week as a playable character in the video game. His dinosaur buddy Arlo and their three T-rex cohorts are also available as ride-able Power Disc characters. 
• It's a good month to be a Disney collector with deep pockets. Auction house Bonhams and Van Eaton Galleries are both conducting auctions of rare (and yes, pretty expensive) Disney memorabilia. Don't worry, there's stuff you might be able to afford too. I'll have more about these two exciting events in this Friday's episode of The Mouse Castle Lounge.
• So, on Halloween, this happened at the Hollywood Bowl:

• If you're Scarlett Johansson, you can visit Walt Disney World and ride the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror with your husband just like any normal person. You can also have your souvenir photo conveniently deleted much to the chagrin of your surprised ride buddies. Good thing there are persistent resort guests and TMZ to bring the pic to the light of day. It's actually a really cute photo. 

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 10-19-2015 - 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens,' Spider-Man at Disneyland and Indiana Jones

By Tim Callaway

John Boyega (center) and Oscar Isaac (right) in
Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

So, yeah, the Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer. Heard anything about it? 

When Anthony and I recorded this week's show, we'd heard a little bit about the trailer, but it hadn't been released yet. Never ones to be deterred by a lack of information, we pressed forward with the show anyway, talking about a trailer we hadn't seen yet and analyzing the new Force Awakens movie poster we did see.

You can see both of them here, right now.

The Force is strong with us in this week's Inside The Mouse Castle. Here's what else is going on:

• Disney Infinity will have a Star Wars: The Force Awakens play set that will launch on December 18 to coincide with the film's release. You know I couldn't resist sneaking that one in.
• Benicio del Toro (Guardians of the Galaxy) is expected to play the villain in Star Wars VIII: Insert Subtitle Here. We think it's a rule now that if you do a Marvel Cinematic Universe film, you have to do a Star Wars film. 
• Spider-Man will start making appearances at Super Hero HQ, inside the old Innoventions building at Disneyland, beginning November 16. This makes my spider sense tingle.
• Was Steven Spielberg serious when he said he'd make a fifth Indiana Jones movie with Harrison Ford? We don't think so, but it's fun to think about.

Is the green guy headed to Planet Hulk?

• Mark Ruffalo will play Bruce Banner/Hulk in 2017's Thor: Ragnarok. The rumor is the movie will bring in elements from Marvel Comics' Planet Hulk story line.
• In an online Q&A, James Gunn shared a few details about Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2. He confirmed Nebula (Karen Gillan) will play an expanded role in the movie. Meanwhile, Groot will remain Baby Groot, much to the chagrin of Drax (Dave Bautista). Gunn is also hopeful Stan Lee will be back for another cameo appearance.

Fantasia.

• Walt Disney's Fantasia will be back on the big screen for a limited engagement in November to mark the film's 75th anniversary. Anthony and I would like Miley Cyrus and Nicolas Cage to see it with us. We'll explains. For details, visit www.Fantasia75.com. 
• Bob Iger has been inducted into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame. Apparently, Disney-themed toys have really caught on.
• It was inevitable. There will be a Descendants 2 on the Disney Channel. To quote Darth Vader: "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 10-12-2015 - Marvel, Pixar, 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' and Kevin Corcoran

By Tim Callaway

We've got plenty of movie news for you this week Inside The Mouse Castle. Marvel announced Ant-Man, closing in on $500 million at the box office worldwide, will get a summer tent pole sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp, in 2018. That move will bump Black Panther to a February 2018 release. Meanwhile, Captain Marvel will move from a primo holiday season release in 2018 to a less showy March 2019 premiere. It's clear Marvel is hedging its bets on untested characters while giving the now-proven Ant-Man a second shot at the summer spotlight.

Over at Pixar, our hopes for a sooner-than-later Incredibles sequel have been dashed. Incredibles 2, written and directed by Brad Bird, won't see daylight until summer 2019. Toy Story 4, the sequel no one expected, will hit theaters in June 2018. That moves the sequel no one wants, Cars 3, to summer 2017. After next month's The Good Dinosaur, the lone non-sequel in the mix, the Lee Unkrich-directed Coco, is slated for November 2017.

Here's what else Anthony and I are checking out this week:

• Star Wars: The Force Awakens will have its world premiere in Los Angeles on December 14 ahead of its wide release in the U.S. on December 18. Surprise, surprise, that's all we know for now. No specific venue has been announced yet.
• Fourteen year-old native Hawaiian Auli'i Cravalho will voice the title character in Walt Disney Animation Studios' Moana, opening in U.S. theaters November 23, 2016. She's cute. We like her. And we can't wait to see the John Musker/Ron Clements-directed Polynesian adventure. 

• Disney is working on a live-action flick based on Cruella de Vil. Didn't Glenn Close do this already? Twice?

Riley's First Date?

• Pixar's Inside Out arrives on Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere on Tuesday. It'll hit Blu-ray on November 3. The movie is awesome, but the appeal of catching it on video is to see Riley's First Date?, the super-funny short cartoon about how Riley's parents react when a <gasp!> boy shows up at the door. 
• Rest in peace, Kevin Corcoran. The former child star and Disney Legend passed away last week at the age of 66. He made multiple TV appearances on the original Mickey Mouse Club as the annoying, but fun-loving character Moochie. He also appeared in numerous Disney films including Old Yeller, The Swiss Family Robinson and Toby Tyler. Corcoran gave up acting as a child and went on to have a successful career as a producer/director in television and film.
• Guests were stranded more than two hours Saturday when a Monorail train broke down at Walt Disney World between the Magic Kingdom and the Contemporary Resort. All passengers were eventually rescued and no injuries were reported. 

• Next March, Disney Infinity will launch Marvel Battlegrounds, a play set where up to four super heroes can do battle with each other against a backdrop of villainous exploitation by Loki and Ultron. 

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 09-14-2015 - 'Walt Disney' on PBS, 'Frozen' Replaces 'Aladdin,' and What's New with 'Incredibles 2'

By Tim Callaway

Puppet Master Walt.

After technical difficulties and busy travel schedules squashed last week's show, Anthony and I are back for another go-round Inside The Mouse Castle. 

We start off with my review of Walt Disney, the new American Experience documentary airing this week on PBS. It's an earnest, if somewhat biased, depiction of Walt's life that plays up the darker elements of his personality and career. Fans will appreciate the rare photographs and archival footage, while Disney history buffs will question how the film presents Walt's relationship with his father, his actions during the 1941 studio strike and the assorted psychobabble spouted by some of the "experts" who try to crawl inside Walt's head.

Here's what else we have in this week's episode:

• A live action Frozen stage show will replace the long-running Disney's Aladdin--A Musical Spectacular production in the Hyperion Theater at Disney California Adventure...and the Internet loses its mind.
• Meanwhile, Anthony was totally amused by this video of Kelsey Grammer falling off the Hyperion Theater stage in 2005.

• We now know for certain that Disneyland and Walt Disney World will break ground on their Star Wars-Land expansions next year. That means the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, the popular holiday light show at Disney's Hollywood Studios will blink out after this year.
• Director Brad Bird has let it be known that work on Incredibles 2 is moving along briskly, so well that it will likely be released before the other Pixar sequel, Cars 3. That still means it probably won't be out until 2018, but any news about The Incredibles is good news.
• Disney Infinity 3.0 will be available on Apple TV after the streaming service undergoes an extensive update in October.
• Some participants in this month's Disneyland Half-Marathon complained of incorrect corral assignments, suggesting there are proof-of-time security issues with RunDisney and TrackShack.
• There will no longer be chanting allowed at Walt Disney World. Unofficially, of course.

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 08-19-2015 - Disney's D23 Expo 2015

By Tim Callaway

Meet the Parents: Mike and Darla Reynolds with Anthony

I doubt there's a better way to recap last weekend's D23 Expo then doing it with friends over cocktails at the Anabella Hotel.

Bonus points for having Anthony's parents join us.

Even more points for being able to face off about Disney Infinity in-person with Anthony's dad. 

It was a good night. 

Exhausted, exhilarated and just a bit tipsy, Team Mouse Castle does its best to analyze the highs and lows of Disney's mega fan event. So, pull up a chair, pour a drink and join us, won't you?

"Star Wars Land" concept art.

• Plans for "Star Wars Land" (or whatever they decide to call it) at Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios were the biggest news to come out of Expo. We were all thrilled to see the first concept images, but couldn't D23 have saved them for the Parks and Resorts presentation Saturday afternoon instead of springing them at the Walt Disney Studios show earlier that morning? 

Avatar Flight of Passage

• Pandora: The World of Avatar will probably look fantastic when it opens at Disney's Animal Kingdom, but does anybody really care?

Finding Dory

• Animation: Based on what we've seen so far, our thumbs are way up for John Musker and Ron Clements' Moana and Pixar's once-troubled The Good Dinosaur. We liked our first look at Finding Dory, but the jury is still out on the Jack and the Beanstalk epic Gigantic, the Day of the Dead tale Coco and, yes, Toy Story 4 (although the Woody's-search-for-Bo-Peep story line has us intrigued). Try as we might, though, we still can't muster any excitement for Disney's March 2016 release Zootopia. 

Rogue One

• Rogue One will be the first Star Wars film that won't be part of a trilogy. The standalone flick will tell the story of how the Rebels stole the plans to the Death Star prior to Episode IV. It will star Felicity Jones, Forest Whitaker and Alan Tudyk. Principal shooting has begun under the direction of Gareth Edwards. The film will open in the U.S. on December 16, 2016.
• Colin Trevorrow will direct Star Wars: Episode IX. Not a bad gig after helming Jurassic World.
• It was my pleasure to regale Mike with the latest on Disney Infinity 3.0, which hits stores in the U.S. on August 30th. Who wants some sneak peeks?

• There was also an exciting announcement about the upcoming Kingdom Hearts III:

These are just some of the highlights in today's episode of Inside The Mouse Castle. We also talk about Shanghai Disneyland, lines, the Walt Disney Archives exhibit, lines, the Disney Dream Store, lines and camping overnight (which also involves lines). 

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 07-13-2015 - Disneyland's 60th Birthday, 'Star Wars' at Comic-Con and 'Wreck-It Ralph 2'

By Tim Callaway

Disneyland Forever fireworks.

So, who's going to Disneyland Friday for the park's 60th birthday party? I am! I hope you are too.

Sadly, Anthony won't be joining us for the festivities, so let's try not to have too much fun in his absence.

Disneyland's Diamond Celebration will be a somewhat low-key event (especially for those of us who remember the 50th). Contrary to earlier rumors, Disneyland and DCA will not be open 24 hours like they were Memorial Day weekend. Disneyland will be open 8:00 a.m. to midnight, DCA from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. As far as special events during the day, Disneyland Resort president Michael Colglazier will preside over a rededication ceremony in Town Square. The event will be streamed live on big screens set up throughout Disneyland, DCA and Downtown Disney. There will also be special late-night performances of World of Color and Paint the Night. Guests are also encouraged to dress in 1950s-style garb just like it was on Disneyland's opening day.

For a complete list of activities this Friday, visit https://disneyland.disney.go.com/calendars/day/2015-07-17/.

Other goings-on in this week's edition of Inside The Mouse Castle:

Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford at Comic-Con.

• Harrison Ford made a surprise appearance at Comic-Con last week. He joined J.J. Abrams and the cast of Star Wars: The Force Awakens on stage in Hall H to the delight of the packed audience. It was his first public appearance since March when he crashed landed a vintage airplane on a golf course in Southern California.
• Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, the directing duo that helmed The Lego Movie, will direct a standalone Star Wars film that tells the backstory of Han Solo. Lawrence Kasdan is working on the script and the film is expected to be released on May 25, 2018.
  

Michael Douglas and Paul Rudd in Ant-Man.

• Ant-Man is getting mostly favorable reviews (75% on Rotten Tomatoes as of this post). The latest tale in the Marvel Cinematic Universe stars Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly and Corey Stoll. It opens in U.S. theaters this Friday.
• John C. Reilly has confirmed that there will be a Wreck-It Ralph 2 and he will again be voicing the title character. Expect there to be a bigger Nintendo tie-in like we talked about previously Inside The Mouse Castle.
• Marisa Tomei will play Peter Parker's guardian Aunt May in the upcoming MCU Spider-Man films. Is it wrong to be hot for Aunt May?
• Who says princesses get all the attention? Disney is developing a film centered around the life of Prince Charming. Personally, we think Prince should play the prince.

Disney Infinity 3.0

• Disney Infinity 3.0 will hit stores (finally) on August 30, 2015. It will have Star Wars in it. That's all you need to know. Order it. Now.
• By a 3-2 vote, the Anaheim City Council passed an ordinance extending a gate-tax ban for the Disneyland Resort for an additional 30 years. Anthony continues to be bored by this type of news.
• Bill Cosby and the Confederate Flag can no longer be found at Walt Disney World. Anthony and I make inappropriate jokes about it.

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 04-22-2015 - 'Star Wars' Celebration, Obi-Wan Kenobi in 'Beauty and the Beast' and More Disney Lawsuits

By Tim Callaway

Men at work.

A week later, Anthony and I are still talking about last weekend's Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim. And if you haven't heard enough about it on our previous Mouse Castle Lounge shows, we'll give you another taste today as Anthony shares his thoughts on the event. We also touch on the teaser for the Star Wars offshoot Rogue One, how you can get your own BB-8 ball droid, and the effect The Force Awakens trailer had on the stock market. 

And since we know you all don't live by Star Wars alone, we offer you these tasty tidbits in the latest edition of Inside The Mouse Castle:

• We will never get tired of saying how excited we are about the cast of Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast. Ewan McGregor (Lumiere) and Stanley Tucci (Cadenza, a new character that's a piano) are the latest actors to sign on. 2017 can't get here fast enough.

Concept of the Millennium Falcon play area aboard the Disney Dream.

• The Disney Dream will make kid-friendly enhancements during its October dry dock. Our favorite is a Star Wars-themed Millennium Falcon play area. <sigh> Why does it just have to be for kids?
• News of what we can expect in Disney Infinity 3.0 has leaked out. It looks like Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Mulan, Olaf, Sam Flynn, Quorra and the cast of emotions from Inside Out will be part of the next iteration of the popular game. No official word yet on when they'll be released.

Coming to Disney Infinity 3.0?

• Disney is fighting a lawsuit filed by filmmaker Kelly Wilson over similarities between her short film The Snowman and Disney's first teaser trailer for Frozen. Wilson is claiming copyright infringement. Her film was screened at the 2011 San Francisco International Film Festival, an event that was also attended by Disney/Pixar employees. The Frozen teaser was not released until 2013. A judge has twice denied Disney's attempt to dismiss the lawsuit. What do you think? Take a look at both films:

You can view The Snowman HERE. We think Disney may want to settle this one out of court.

• In a more entertaining lawsuit, a West Virginia woman is suing Disney for implanting her with a chip. You just can't make this stuff up.

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 02-09-2015 - Tom Staggs, Shanghai Disneyland and Trader Sam's Grog Grotto

By Tim Callaway

Another week, another trip to Disneyland.

Anthony and I both paid a visit to the Happiest Place on Earth last week. He zoomed in for a day trip last Wednesday. I joined our friends at MiceChat over the weekend to help celebrate their 10th anniversary.

Inside The Mouse Castle this week, we talk about our trips, why it's kind of cool to fly solo at Disneyland and Anthony's strange fascination with wayward Baymax balloons.

We also touch on these fascinating and thought provoking topics:

• Business is booming at the Walt Disney Company. They reported record first quarter revenue last week and then announced the promotion of Tom Staggs to chief operating officer, making him the heir apparent to succeed Bob Iger when he retires in 2018. 
• Our obsession to figure out a way to get to Shanghai Disneyland in 2016 continues, especially after seeing these crazy awesome pics from the resort's upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. 

• Trader Sam's Grog Grotto will open this spring at Walt Disney World's Polynesian Village Resort. Yeah, we want to get there too.
• New for Disney Infinity 2.0: Sam Flynn and Quorra from Tron: Legacy. But they're virtual characters only, and only available in the iOS version (for now).

Enjoy!

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