Inside The Mouse Castle 03-13-2015 - 'Cinderella' Review, 'Star Wars: Rogue One' and 'Frozen 2'

By Tim Callaway

Lily James is courageous and kind;
Cate Blanchett is evil in Cinderella.

Anthony and I just couldn't contain ourselves. There was so much new Disney news to talk about, we couldn't wait until Monday. We had to do a show. Now.

Welcome to this special episode of Inside The Mouse Castle. It's the Cinderella/Disney Shareholders Meeting Edition.

I saw Cinderella last night. Going in, I wondered why it was necessary to once again make an updated live-action version of a Disney animated classic that got it right the first time. My disdain for Maleficent and Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland certainly hadn't warmed me up to the idea of this fairy tale retread.

But, guess what? Cinderella is a delight from start to finish. It takes a straightforward, confident approach to the oft-told tale and peppers it with spirited performances and sumptuous visuals and costume design. It goes light on the revisionism that has damaged Disney's recent remakes, but makes the characters relatable to contemporary audiences. Cinderella (Lily James) still lives out the ultimate wish-fulfillment fantasy, but she's no passive waif waiting for her prince to come. She has the strength and spirit to defend herself, especially against her wicked stepmother Lady Tremaine (a deliciously evil Cate Blanchett).

Listen to my full review of Cinderella in today's episode and ruminate on these other hot topics Anthony and I toss about. Apparently Bob Iger created a bit of a stir at yesterday's Disney shareholders meeting in San Francisco.

• There are three, count 'em, three new Star Wars movies on the docket. The Force Awakens you've probably heard about. Likewise Episode VIII, being directed by Rian Johnson (Looper), but we've got a release date for it now: May 26, 2017, exactly 40 years and one day after the original Star Wars debuted. New to the mix is Rogue One, a standalone SW film starring Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything) and directed by Gareth Edwards (Godzilla). It begins shooting in London this summer and is scheduled for release on December 16, 2016.

Frozen Fever

• There will be a Frozen 2, which comes as a surprise to no one. No other details yet, not even a release date, but Frozen directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee are apparently hard at work on the project. By the way, Frozen Fever, the short film that opens for Cinderella, is a perfectly awful cartoon experience, but I digress.
• In answer to an innocent question from a child at the shareholders meeting, Bob Iger let slip that Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World will soon undergo a name change. And he won't tell us what it is. Tease.

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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First Look at 'Frozen Fever'

What we learned about Disney's new animated short, Frozen Fever, by looking at the latest production images:

1. Olaf likes cake.

2. Kristoff and Sven are not that great at making signs.

3. Anna is not a morning person.

4. Elsa still leaves wispy snowflake trails wherever she goes.

5. But, they all make up one big, happy, extended family.

Okay, we do know a bit more about Frozen Fever. The story will be about a birthday celebration for Anna that gets complicated by Elsa catching a cold and having issues with her wintry powers. The original voice cast from the movie will be back: Kristen Bell (Anna), Idina Menzel (Elsa), Jonathan Groff (Kristoff) and Josh Gad (Olaf). 

Frozen's directors, Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee will be back too.

Frozen Fever will open with Cinderella on March 13th. 

Inside The Mouse Castle 12-08-2014 - 'Guardians' on Blu-ray, 'Frozen Fun' at Disneyland and 2015 'Star Wars' Weekends at Walt Disney World

Guardians of the Galaxy on Blu-ray

Crank up your Awesome Mix Vol. 1 because Guardians of the Galaxy is out on Blu-ray this week. And while Anthony didn't hesitate to snag the digital download when it came out last month, I've been holding out for the Blu-ray because, well, Blu-ray.

I've got a thing for shrink-wrap packaging. What can I say?

The number one movie at the box office this year comes with a decent assortment of bonus features, including deleted scenes, making of featurettes, a gag reel and audio commentary by director James Gunn. It also offers up a sneak peek behind the scenes at Marvel's upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron. Anthony and I talk it all up plus a lot more in this week's edition of Inside The Mouse Castle. It's a dance off, bro!

• In casting news, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson  will voice Maui, the South Seas demigod who helps a young navigator in Disney's Moana, set for release in November 2016. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Benedict Cumberbatch will play the title role in Doctor Strange, hitting theaters the same month. We like both choices, but wonder why--as good as we think Cumberbatch is going to be--Marvel ever considered Joaquin Phoenix for the part.

Anna and Elsa are set for some Frozen Fun at Disneyland.

• The Frozen frenzy continues with a fresh slate of shows and activities debuting at Disneyland through January. Most of it is overkill and none of it is surprising, but it will certainly please many of a fan of Anna and Elsa. We are disappointed, though, that "Freeze the Night! A Family Dance Party" will replace Mad T Party at Disney California Adventure. <sigh> I still miss ElecTRONica.

• Frozen Fever, a new short film from Frozen directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee will open Disney's live-action Cinderella in theaters beginning March 13th. The story will be about Elsa and Kristoff's plans to give Anna the best birthday celebration ever. Frozen Fever will include an all-new original song by Frozen songwriters Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez.
• The 2015 dates for Walt Disney World's annual Star Wars Weekends have been announced. Get your Jedi on with special events and guest appearances every weekend from May 15 - June 14.
• We love all our friends, fans and followers in The Mouse Castle, but we get a real kick when one of our followers turns out to be a celebrity. Actress Melissa Joan Hart (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Clarissa Explains it All) started following The Mouse Castle (@disneytim) on Twitter this week. I only obsess about it a little bit on today's show. BTW, you can follow Melissa @MelissaJoanHart. 

Enjoy!

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