Inside The Mouse Castle 12-21-2015 - 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Spoiler Edition

By Tim Callaway

Star Wars. Nothing but Star Wars. That's what today's episode of Inside The Mouse Castle is all about as Anthony and I share our thoughts about J.J. Abram's epic Episode VII. THERE WILL BE SPOILERS.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens destroyed just about every opening weekend box office record and is expected to challenge Titanic and Avatar as the all time box office champ. Is $2 billion in worldwide ticket sales reachable? We think so. Isn't it crazy that anything short of that will make the movie a financial disappointment?

Money aside, we think The Force Awakens is a stellar return to form for the Star Wars franchise. We love the newcomers to the cast (Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac and Adam Driver) and were thrilled to welcome back some old friends (Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill). We were impressed with a story that paid homage to the original trilogy while setting in motion some exciting new story arcs. We can't wait to see what happens next--in about 18 months when Episode VIII opens {sigh}.

I could tell you more about our respective takes on the film and what we think is still to come, but it's way more fun if you give the show a listen. I'll say this again. THERE WILL BE SPOILERS. Lots of them.

Enjoy! May the Force be with you!

Oh, and Merry Christmas!

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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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'Batman' Meets 'Star Wars' Aboard the Millennium Falcon

So, did you hear the one about the new mashup (literally) between Star Wars and Batman? In this Episode VII video tease from J.J. Abrams, it appears a prime piece of Bat-hardware has gotten itself stuck to the Millennium Falcon. I've got a bad feeling about this.

This is just the latest in a series of silly exchanges Abrams is having with Batman v. Superman director Zack Snyder where Gotham collides with the galaxy far, far away. With Star Wars: Episode VII not opening until December 2015 and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice following four months later, you know this is only going to get better. Light speed, gentlemen!

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Be in 'Star Wars: Episode VII' and Support UNICEF

J.J. Abrams has a special message for you from Abu Dhabi, where he is on location shooting Star Wars: Episode VII:

Win a trip to London's Pinewood Studios where you could appear in the next Star Wars film, directed by Abrams. HELLO! YOU COULD APPEAR IN THE NEXT STAR WARS FILM IN FULL HAIR, MAKEUP AND WARDROBE!

As little as a $10 contribution to UNICEF Innovation Labs and Programs will get you entered. There are free entry options, but come on, this is for a good cause. Pry your credit card out of your wallet and make a donation. Be a part of the new Star Wars: Force For Change initiative. It's pretty cool.

Entries must be received no later than July 18, 2014. For complete details, visit www.omaze.com/starwars.

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