Inside The Mouse Castle 10-14-2014 - Iron Man in 'Captain America 3', New Disney Parks Ambassadors and a Pretty Good Review of 'Alexander'

Will Steve Rogers and Tony Stark
battle each other in Captain America 3?

In the latest Inside The Mouse Castle, Anthony asked me if I was tired of all the Iron Man 4 rumors.

I told him, "I'm tired of them until the next one comes along."

And the next one was a doozy. Forget all the speculation about Iron Man 4. How about Tony Stark jumps feet first into Captain America 3?

If the rumors are correct, Cap 3 will be the point where the Marvel Cinematic Universe begins following the Civil War story line told by Marvel comics from 2006-07. It will put Steve Rogers and Tony Stark on opposite sides of an initiative requiring all superheroes to register with the federal government--with tragic results.

It will be a dark turn for Marvel movies, and we're talking about it Inside The Mouse Castle.

We'll tackle a few other Marvels rumors as well, plus these tasty morsels:

• Guardians of the Galaxy opened in China to impressive business and is closing in on $700 million mark in worldwide box office. Meanwhile, a GOTG animated TV series is planned for Disney XD in 2015.
• Anthony and I review Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day starring Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner. It's not horrible.
• Disney Channel has made a deal with the very successful YouTube multi-channel network Maker Studios to bring its stars to the cable network. Disney paid $500 million for the online network earlier this year.

• Is the massive Sorcerer Mickey hat that's blocked the view of the Chinese Theater at Disney's Hollywood Studios for years going away? It's missing from new park maps being circulated in Central Florida. We can only hope.
• It's the 50th anniversary of the Disney Ambassador program. Congratulations to then newly named ambassadors for 2015-16: Caitlin Busscher and Nathanial Palma at Walt Disney World and Jessica Bernard and Allie Kawamoto at Disneyland.

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 10-07-2014 - 'Alexander' Premiere, FastPass Plus and Bailing Out Disneyland Paris

(l. to r.) Ed Oxenbould, Kerris Dorsey, Dylan Minnette,
Steve Carell, Jennifer Garner and Miguel Arteta.

Disney's latest family comedy is the lengthily-titled Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Based on the children's book by Judith Viorst, it's the story of an otherwise normal, well-adjusted family that has, well, a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Comedic complications ensue.

The movie had its world premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood Monday night leading up to its opening in U.S. theaters this Friday. In the latest episode of Inside The Mouse Castle, we'll be on the red carpet hearing from cast members including Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner.

Anthony and I will also be taking on these excellent, wonderful, awesome, very good topics:

• The Avengers 3 rumor train keeps barreling forward--and that was even before Robert Downey, Jr. confirmed to Ellen DeGeneres that he's coming back for Iron Man 4 (we knew it all along; we were just waiting for an official word). 

• Toy Story Mania at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World is going all FastPass + this week to test guest traffic and ride capacity. Fanboys are in an uproar, but we're not quite sure why. We're hearing that Disney is installing a third TSM track next year--a FastPass+ only track--and needs to do a little R&D in the field. 
• The new Memento Mori shop at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom is open for business with all manner of Haunted Mansion merch. Can't get there in person? The HM page at DisneyStore.com will have you dying to join them.

• If owning a Mansion memento isn't enough, how about having a party with the grim grinning ghosts, then spending the night in a spooky Cinderella Castle? Walt Disney World is having a photo contest and is giving away just that. All you have to do is show your haunted Disney side here. Contest ends on November 4, 2014.
• Disney is pumping over a billion dollars into Disneyland Paris to help refinance the struggling resort. This is the second time in three years Disney has upped the cash flow. Is this a sign that Disney will increase their 40% stake in the French property and buy it outright or are they just applying a Band-Aid to buy time?
• Does your child need a Frozen makeover? Anna & Elsa's Boutique at Disneyland's Downtown Disney is now open for business. Future proceeds will probably bail out Disneyland Paris.
• If you're a fan of Disney video games, twenty retro console games have launched on Steam that you can download to your PC for 10% off through Sunday. I'm kind of partial to LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean, Alice in Wonderland, Toy Story 3, and--if you can get past the wonky game play and just enjoy the amazing graphics--Epic Mickey: The Power of 2.

Gravity Falls: Little Gift Shop of Horrors

• Gravity Falls is my favorite show on any of the Disney channels right now and their newest Little Gift Shop of Horrors episode may be the best one of the series. It pays clever tribute to special effects master Ray Harryhausen and even has Neil deGrasse Tyson voicing Mabel Pines' suddenly erudite pig, Waddles. If you've never seen the show, it's a great introduction to the strange goings-on in the mysterious Oregon town.

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 09-09-2014 - Disney's Legal Woes, No 'Iron Man 4,' and 'Guardians' Sets a Marvel Record

A class action suit has been filed against Disney and other studios including Dreamworks Animation, Pixar, Lucasfilm and ImageMovers Digital. It's the latest development in an ongoing series of legal issues involving high-tech companies like Apple, Google, Adobe and Intel that has now spilled over into animation. At the heart of the controversy are alleged "anti-poaching pacts" between the named companies by which they agreed not to recruit talent from each other. The fallout of these "gentlemen's agreements" is that employees were potentially denied better career opportunity and higher salaries. It's an illegal and unethical practice that may have been done with the full knowledge and approval of top executives including Steve Jobs, Ed Catmull, John Lasseter and Jeffrey Katzenberg.

In the latest Inside The Mouse Castle, Anthony and I discuss the controversy and how Disney could be in a world of hurt over the results. We also revisit the Mouse House's trademark battle with musician Deadmau5, who is not backing down from the fight and is actually going on the offensive.

Also in this episode:

• Guardians of the Galaxy continues to take advantage of weak movie competition to rule the box office.
• Robert Downey, Jr. told Variety there are no plans for an Iron Man 4 and he may be telling the truth...for now. We talk about what we think Marvel's long-term cinematic plans for Tony Stark might be.
• Now is a good time to catch up on Marvel's intertwining story lines. Both Captain America: The Winter Soldier and season one of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are now available on Blu-ray.

Enjoy!

Will Robert Downey, Jr. suit up for Iron Man 4?

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Chillin' with Marvel Super Heroes in Disney Infinity 2.0

Disney Infinity has posted a new video teasing the release of the Marvel Super Heroes 2.0 edition. The playset storyline will see Thor's villainous brother Loki freeze New York City (and best as we can tell, the better part of the Earth) and send a cadre of evil beasties to wreak havoc. Taking on the role of your favorite Avenger, it'll be up to you to save the world (again and again) from imminent peril. You can also build your own super hero world in Toy Box mode and provide adequate parking.

Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes (2.0 Edition) will be released this fall and will be compatible with the existing Infinity universe of characters. Pricing will be in line with existing game components across all the major console platforms ($74.99 for a Starter Pack, $34.99 for Play Sets, $13.99 for individual characters, and $4.99 for Power Disc Packs).

Related:
'Disney Infinity 2.0' is Marvel-ous
Spider-Man Joins Forces With 'Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes'

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'Disney Infinity 2.0' is Marvel-ous

Clark Gregg (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) hosted the launch of
Disney Infinity 2.0

In an announcement that surprised no one, Disney Interactive finally revealed what their new upgraded version of Disney Infinity will be all about. Still, it was some pretty...ahem...super news. The Mouse Castle's Christi Andersen was on hand for the launch event in Hollywood:

Riding the wave of their most successful video game ever (3 million starter sets sold and counting), Disney Interactive on Wednesday announced the launch of Disney Infinity 2.0. The press event, officially titled Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes and hosted by Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), confirmed the addition of the Marvel Super Heroes to the Disney Infinity universe. Samuel L. Jackson even made an appearance as Nick Fury in the opening video segment. Avengers, assemble! 

The character figures for Thor, Captain America, Hulk, Iron Man, Hawkeye, and Black Widow were revealed, with developers hinting that over twenty Marvel characters will be included in version 2.0 (Loki and Rocket Raccoon were spotted in a promo video). More Disney characters will also be included in the new version, but it looks as though we’ll have to wait for E3 in Los Angeles in June for more details. 

There were many new features and additions highlighted at the event, but first--those of you who have already invested in the original Disney Infinity, don’t fret--all Disney Infinity bases, figures, and power discs are compatible with both versions, as are previously created Toy Boxes. Version 2.0 enhancements include a new massive environment and improved character locomotion (hover, forward flight, super jump, and wall crawl, depending on the character), as well as more customizable attributes and skill trees. 

Thor, Black Widow, Iron Man, Captain America, Hawkeye and Hulk
make up the first wave of characters in Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes.

Since users spend 60% of their time in Toy Box mode, many of the enhancements regarding usability have been concentrated here. For example, users will see a new brush system where they can more easily create environments such as cities, racetracks, and tree houses. Builder characters, who can be dropped in to automatically create environments, have also been added. Interiors will be available in buildings, including a “Home” area which can be customized to display progress and trophies. 80 new power discs will have features including costume changes, environment customization, vehicles, and a new team-up mode. 

The new Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes Starter Pack will include the video game, 3 figures, 1 base, 2 Toy Box game discs, 1 Avengers Play Set Piece, and 1 Web Code card.

--Christi Andersen

Disney Infinity 2.0 will be available in stores sometime this fall. No word on what it will retail for, but the 1.0 starter pack currently lists for $74.99.

Related:

Chillin' with Marvel Super Heroes in Disney Infinity 2.0Spider-Man Joins Forces With 'Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes'

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'Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel' Giveaway

One of Phineas and Ferb's most clever episodes is out on DVD this week and you can win a free copy from The Mouse Castle.

Worlds collide in Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel when super heroes Spider-Man, Iron Man, Thor and the Incredible Hulk visit Danville after Dr. Doofenshmirtz accidentally steals their powers with his latest "-inator." It's up to Phineas and Ferb to help the heroes get their powers back and defeat super villains Red Skull, MODOK, Whiplash and Venom before Danville is destroyed.

The DVD includes Mission Marvel and six other P&F episodes plus one of three randomly packaged Mission Marvel posters:

How to Win Your Copy of Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel

To be entered in the drawing, all you have to do is LIKE our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/themousecastle AND JOIN our event at https://www.facebook.com/events/1421590741390658  You must be a U.S. resident to enter. Only one entry per person, please. Winners will be announced on our Facebook page after the entry deadline. Thanks for supporting The Mouse Castle and The Mouse Castle Lounge. Good luck!

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