The Mouse Castle Lounge 03-05-2016 - Walt Disney Family Foundation Film Archivist Scott Zone

Film Archivist Scott Zone.

I first learned about Scott Zone from a recent article in the Orange County Register detailing his 20-year association with the Walt Disney Family Foundation and the Disney family. Through Scott’s work as a film archivist, he has restored and preserved 18 hours of home movies shot during Walt Disney’s lifetime--footage that can be seen at the Walt Disney Family Museum and in various documentaries including the recent American Experience film Walt Disney. That in itself is an interesting topic of conversation. But, when I finally sat down to talk with Scott, I quickly learned that his Disney connection is just a small part of a successful career in the motion picture industry, a career that Scott began as a special effects cameraman on The Empire Strikes Back and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

Scott also has close ties to the Golden Age of Hollywood. His Aunt, Beryl Wallace, was the headline performer at the Earl Carroll Theatre, a renowned supper club on Sunset Boulevard in the 1930s and 40s. It was a Hollywood landmark with a 20-foot high neon portrait of Beryl proclaiming, “Through these portals pass the most beautiful girls in the world.”

Hollywood's Off Vine Restaurant celebrates the career of entertainer Beryl Wallace.

Scott and I met at the Off Vine Restaurant, not far from where the Earl Carroll Theatre used to be. This converted craftsman-style home also has a connection to Beryl Wallace and Earl Carroll, but I’ll let Scott explain that story.

It’s Walt Disney, Star Wars and Old Hollywood with my guest Scott Zone in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

Enjoy!

Scott's film restoration work is on display in this clip from American Experience: Walt Disney.

To learn more about Scott Zone Media, visit www.scottzonemedia.com.

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By Tim Callaway

The Mouse Castle Lounge 12-16-2015 - 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' World Premiere

By Tim Callaway

The cast of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

We are just days away from the release—finally—of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the seventh episode in the Star Wars saga and the first since Disney plunked down $4 billion to buy Lucasfilm and all its assorted intellectual properties. It’s been ten years since we saw a new Star Wars film in theaters and—let’s be honest—32 years since we saw a really good one. The Force Awakens comes with ridiculously high expectations from older fans who grew up with Star Wars as well as generations of younger fans gearing up for the next wave of new Star Wars films that will be coming out every year until at least 2019.

No pressure, but the future success of the franchise really hinges on how good a film director J.J. Abrams delivers this week. Certainly $100 million in advance ticket sales and early positive reviews aren’t hurting The Force Awakens one bit. We’ll see if the fan base embraces it as well. I’m catching it Thursday night and I cannot wait. I especially can’t wait until you see it so we can have dorky conversations without worrying about spoilers.

J.J. Abrams and George Lucas.

Anyway, flashback to Monday night for this special edition of The Mouse Castle Lounge. We are eavesdropping on the red carpet on Hollywood Boulevard for the world premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Now, in the annals of Hollywood world premieres, this ranks up there as one of the biggest if not the biggest ever. The red carpet stretched about four blocks—a quarter of a mile—in front of the El Capitan, Dolby and Chinese theaters, all three of which screened the film for celebrities, invited guests and lucky fans. The majority of the red carpet was covered by tents which housed an after-party following the screenings. It was an epic night for the latest installment of the epic Star Wars saga and we'll be hearing from the cast today in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher
(with Peter Mayhew in the background).

Enjoy!

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The Mouse Castle Lounge 12-18-2014 - 'Universal vs. Disney' Author Sam Gennawey

Universal Studios Hollywood dressed up for the holidays.
It's come a long way since the 1960s.

There’s no bigger theme park rivalry today than the one going on between Universal Studios and Disney. Just take a look at both company’s resort operations in Orlando where Walt Disney World was the dominant force for nearly 20 years. For the most part it still is, but in 1990 Universal moved into the neighborhood and began an ambitious plan to compete with Disney for Florida tourist dollars. Today, Universal Orlando boasts two theme parks, four onsite hotels and the CityWalk shopping, dining and entertainment complex. In 2010, Universal Orlando introduced the game-changing Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Islands of Adventure. In 2014, they upped the ante with the opening of Diagon Alley at the Universal Studios theme park.

Harry Potter will make his debut at Universal Studios Hollywood in 2016. The original California park has come a long way since its modest beginnings in the 1960s with a backlot tram tour through a functioning film studio. In those early days Universal didn’t have any ambitions to compete with Disney and purposely positioned itself as the anti-Disney park. Over time, though, ownership changes, management changes, egos and hurt feelings set in motion the competitive rivalry we see today between Universal and Disney. It’s a fascinating story.

Sam Gennawey

Telling that story is author and historian Sam Gennawey. His new book is Universal vs. Disney: The Unofficial Guide to American Theme Parks’ Greatest Rivalry. In it, Sam offers a detailed history of Universal Studios dating back to the silent film era when Carl Laemmle, a German immigrant with a knack for business and showmanship, built a studio not only to make movies, but to share the experience with the public. Just like Sam’s previous two books, Universal vs. Disney is a carefully researched and detailed exploration of theme park planning, business and entertainment—with plenty of palace intrigue. Sam Gennawey is my guest today in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

Enjoy!

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More Photos From Oscar's Red Carpet

On the day before the Academy Awards, here's more of what we saw on the red carpet:

The early morning view from above from Hollywood & Highland.

Everywhere you went, there were giant
Oscar statues. Go figure.

The Chapter 11 Theatre.

The entry arch to the red carpet.

That rack behind Oscar sat there for hours.
We were prepared to take it since no one else
wanted it.

Disney's El Capitan Theatre, across the street from the Kodak.

Tim Gunn from Project Runway and ABC's red carpet coverage gets in
some rehearsal time.

The Kodak Theatre's grand staircase.

Photos by Tim Callaway and Christi Andersen.

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'Tangled' World Premiere in Hollywood

I cobbled together some media footage from last weekend's premiere of Tangled at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. This is somewhat of an experiment as I don't do a lot of video editing, but I liked the results and hope you do too. My apologies in advance for the murky voice over. I'm working on a microphone upgrade as we speak.

I was skeptical at first of Tangled, but I have to admit a few days prior to its U.S. release that it's growing on me. I was leery of Disney purposely distancing itself from The Princess and the Frog by changing the title to Tangled from Rapunzel and I didn't feel comfortable at all with the early trailers focusing mostly on Flynn Ryder. Disney seemed seriously afraid of making another "princess" flick. As more movie material has been released, however, I'm relieved to see how Tangled could work not just as a fairy tale, but as an action adventure with a sense of humor. The animation looks rich and the characters benefit from a talented voice cast. The early buzz is excellent with Tangled scoring a 100% rating from a handful of critics already on Rotten Tomatoes. I'm looking forward to seeing it this week.

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