Inside The Mouse Castle 12-15-2014 - Club 33 Meets 21 Royal Street, Oswald's 'Empty Socks' and 'Star Wars' Trading Cards

Le Salon Nouveau at Club 33.

Is there a new restaurant opening next door to Disneyland's Club 33? Is it just a private dining room? Is it for Club 33 members only? Will it ever be open to the general public. What the hell is the fuss all about?

In the latest Inside The Mouse Castle, Anthony and I take on the growing controversy (that seriously doesn't need to be one) over the announced opening of 21 Royal Street. It's a small dining venue for groups of no more than 16. It's geared for Club 33 members, but Disney hasn't ruled out opening up reservations for non-members at a later date. Time will tell. What we do know is it will be open for business sometime in January or February. Stay tuned. 

Also on today's show:

• A long lost Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon was discovered in Norway. Empty Socks was the 12th of 26 Oswald shorts released by Walt Disney from 1927 to 1928.
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens trading cards? Sure, why not? Entertainment Weekly gave us a tease from J.J. Abrams identifying who some of the new characters are in the recently released trailer. Will there be an actual set of Episode VII trading cards? We can only hope.
• At an event sponsored by Variety last week, Bob Iger announced that upcoming theme park attractions based on Star Wars would use the newer movies as their inspiration. I guess that means there no speeder bike races on Endor anytime soon.
• A new trailer for Pixar's Inside Out has been released. It's good.  I mean really good.

• Will Spider-Man ever make the crossover into the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Apparently Marvel and Disney have been talking to Sony about it. That's one of the less traumatic revelations to come out of Sony's uber-embarrassing mass hacking. There's still time to work Spidey into Captain America: Civil War. Just sayin'.

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 11-24-2014 - 'Into the Woods,' 'Cinderella' and 'Strange Magic'

So, yeah, there was a lot of news today about the first trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens coming out this Friday. Perhaps you heard about it.

We know it's going to be 88 seconds long because the film's director, J.J. Abrams, told us so.

We also know in which theaters and what cities the trailer will first appear because StarWars.com made it all official.

Nope, it's not in my hometown. How about yours?

Question: How soon after it hits theaters will the Episode VII trailer surface online? And I'm not talking shaky footage from some guy's iPhone. I'm talking an official release from Disney/Lucasfilm to avoid another Avengers: Age of Ultron embarrassment. Methinks not long. Those living in the correct select cities may get an early first look, but they won't beat the rest of us on the Interwebs by much.

Anyway, just so you know, Anthony and I aren't talking about any of that Star Wars stuff in today's episode of Inside the Mouse Castle because we recorded the show before all the trailer news came out.

Sometimes our timing really sucks.

The Baker (James Corden) and the Witch (Meryl Streep) go Into the Woods.

But, have no fear, we've got plenty of other movie news for you. The cast of Disney's Into the Woods made an appearance in New York Saturday night to talk about the film and we've got soundbites from director Rob Marshall as well as stars Meryl Streep, Chris Pine and James Corden. Of course, if you'd like to see the whole presentation, we've got that right here.

Also, Anthony and I break down the new trailers for Disney's Cinderella and Lucasfilm's Strange Magic along with the video clips introducing the emotional characters from Pixar's Inside Out.

Sorry about not catching the Star Wars news fast enough. We'll try to do better next time.

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 11-07-2014 - 'Toy Story 4,' 'Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens' and 'Big Hero 6'

Anthony and I have beer and movies on our minds as we recap a busy week for Disney, Pixar and Lucasfilm in the latest Inside The Mouse Castle. We brought beer because, well, it's the weekend, so why not?

• Like it or not, there will be a Toy Story 4, directed by John Lasseter and released on June 16, 2017. Anthony's really looking forward to it. I'm cautiously optimistic but concerned that Pixar is going to the well one too many times in the name of Woody and Buzz. 
• Star Wars: Episode VII is now officially known as The Force Awakens, but you knew that already, didn't you? We'll talk about it anyway.

Baymax in Big Hero 6.

• Big Hero 6 has opened this weekend to enthusiastic reviews and rightfully so. This superhero origin story is pretty basic by comic book standards, but it's buoyed by a high-energy sense of fun and wonder, plus exquisitely detailed, jaw-dropping animation. Go see it...and whatever you do, stay until the end of the credits.
• The new trailer and character images for Into the Woods starring Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp have significantly raised my enthusiasm for the Rob Marshall-directed film, but Anthony isn't sold on it yet. We'll pass final judgment on the movie musical when it comes out on Christmas Day.

The Avengers

• Disney and Marvel aren't pulling any punches when it comes finding the person who leaked the Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer before it's scheduled release. They have traced the leak to a Google Drive account and have subpoenaed Google to provide more details before November 18th. Grab your popcorn. This is going to be good.
• Fijian boat makers are in a tizzy over a single piece of concept art Disney has released for the upcoming animated film Moana. Apparently, the image depicts a small, crudely-made boat similar in style to a type the islanders have been building for centuries. They are requesting compensation from Disney for borrowing the design that has no apparent origin or trademark owner. No, really.
• Fantasmic! is going Fastpass at Disneyland beginning December 12th. Find out why we think it's about time.

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 10-03-2014 - Bob Iger's Contract, Luigi's Flat Tires and 'Star Wars' Rumors

Bob Iger, Disney's Chairmen and CEO, has a brand new shiny contract extension that will keep him at the helm of the Mouse House into 2018. What can we say? We like the guy and look forward to him hanging around well past Disneyland's 60th, the return of Star Wars to theaters and the opening of Shanghai Disneyland. In the latest edition of Inside The Mouse Castle, Anthony and I talk about Iger's successful history with the company and continued promising future. We also take on these other fascinating topics:

• It looks like Luigi's Flying Tires will be flying out of Disney California Adventure come January. We've always loved the concept of the ride as an homage to the long gone Flying Saucers at Disneyland in the 1960s, but found the ride itself less than user friendly with difficult to maneuver ride vehicles. 

Luigi's Flying Tires in 2012 when beach balls made the ride fun.

• Disney and Amazon have apparently made peace over the pricing dispute that quashed pre-order home video sales, most notably September's release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier on Blu-ray. Visit Amazon now and both Guardians of the Galaxy and Maleficent are available for pre-order.
• There's a lot to like about the new teaser trailer for Pixar's Inside Out, which is both a nostalgic trip through Pixar's movie past and a charming intro to its most original idea in years.

• Are all those rumors about Star Wars: Episode VII helping or hurting the film? Casting and plot point leaks (and outright falsehoods) abound and some media sites (including this one) are pledging to keep legitimate story reveals as spoiler-free as possible. 
• At Marvel, Robert Downey, Jr. has said (again) that he kinda sorta probably will keep playing Iron Man as long as he needs to. To quote, "I'm sure we'll ride that thing. You've got to surf that thing all the way into shore." Make what you will of it. It sounds like he'll be around past his current contractual obligation for the second and third Avengers films. We're still keeping hopes high for Iron Man 4. Meanwhile, Joaquin Phoenix is definitely out for the title role in the upcoming Dr. Strange film, but Dominic Clark is definitely in to reprise his role as Tony Stark's dad in next year's limited TV series Agent Carter. 
• We love this imaged mapped Walt Disney World wedding cake. That is all.

• Disney's Aladdin on Broadway is going international next year. The Tony Award-winning musical will open in Tokyo with a Japanese cast next May.
• Need to pay more money to get more Frozen? For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration will run most nights through the holiday season at Walt Disney World beginning November 7th. Eighty-nine bucks (on top of your park admission) will get you into the private dessert party at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Call (407) 939-1854 for more details.
• Basketball superstar LeBron James will produce a sports-themed television series geared for younger viewers to be seen on Disney XD. Becoming will spotlight inspirational stories from the sports world and will be released through ESPN Films and James's own Springhill Production Company. The first episode debuts on October 26th.

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 09-30-2014 - 'Avengers 3,' Gay Days Anaheim and Hating Steve Carell

Avengers assemble! Then reassemble.
Then assemble some more.

Avengers: Age of Ultron doesn't hit theaters until next May and already we're obsessing about the film (or films) that will follow it. Rumors are circulating that Avengers 3 will actually consist of two movies--which makes absolutely no sense. Wouldn't another film automatically become Avengers 4? I was pretty good at math in school.

Anthony and I take off our shoes and socks to count upcoming Avengers sequels and ruminate on these other bits of news in the latest edition of Inside The Mouse Castle:

• Guardians of the Galaxy continuing to climb up the box office charts is hardly news anymore, but darned if it's not still doing it. It's now the third biggest Marvel movie ever in the U.S., taking in $319.2 million domestically since its August release and trailing only Iron Man 3 and The Avengers.
• In legal wrangling dating back to 2009, Marvel has finally reached an agreement with the estate of the late writer/artist Jack Kirby. Kirby was the co-creator of classic superheroes including Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Iron Man and the X-Men. He is considered one of the all-time greats in his field and worked alongside fellow comic book legends Stan Lee and Joe Simon, among many others. Kirby's family had filed suit against Marvel and other media companies including Disney in an attempt to acquire copyrights and back profits for characters and stories created by Kirby. A brief statement released by Marvel and Kirby's estate on Friday said, "Marvel and the family of Jack Kirby have amicably resolved their legal disputes, and are looking forward to advancing their shared goal of honoring Mr. Kirby's significant role in Marvel's history."
• On the Star Wars front, actor Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis), who will be in Episode VII, laments like so many of us the changes George Lucas made to the original trilogy. Meanwhile, director David Fincher (Gone Girl), once considered to direct Episode VII, reveals his take on the trilogy.

Inside The Mouse Castle 09-16-2014 - 'Avengers: Age of Ultron,' Fire at Animal Kingdom Lodge and Anna & Elsa at Disneyland

So, now we have the official word on what next year's Avengers: Age of Ultron is all about:

When Tony Stark jumpstarts a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as they battle to save the planet from destruction at the hands of the villainous Ultron.

 Avengers good. Ultron bad. Got it.

And here's a first look at the movie poster for Rob Marshall's adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim/James Lapine Broadway musical Into the Woods. It opens on Christmas Day.

Anthony and I take on these pressing issues and a multitude of others in the latest edition of Inside The Mouse Castle.

• James Bond in Star Wars: Episode VII? It could happen as Daniel Craig and a bevy of other Hollywood stars clamor for cameo roles in a galaxy far, far away.
• The movie rumor mill says Obi-Wan Kenobi is getting his own movie, and Marvel antihero the Punisher may have already appeared in Captain America: The Winter Soldier without us even knowing it.
• Director David Fincher (The Social Network) was once attached to a remake of Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. He has some interesting things to say about why that didn't happen.
• A fire at Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom Lodge led to guests being evacuated from the resort for two hours. No injuries were reported in the small blaze that started in a storage room.
• Is Disney getting carried away with park events that come with an added price tag? The scaling back of Epcot Food and Wine Late Nights Live at the Food & Wine Festival suggests maybe they have.

• Whatever you do, don't call it a Fastpass. You can now get a "Return Time Ticket" at Disneyland to meet and greet Anna and Elsa from Frozen. If you want your daughter to look like them as well, pay a visit to Anna & Elsa's Boutique opening at Downtown Disney on October 6.
• Big Hero 6 opens in U.S. theaters on November 6, 2014, but you can get a sneak peek by heading to Disneyland starting September 26. Previews of the latest from Walt Disney Animation Studios will be showing in Tomorrowland's Magic Eye Theater.

• The launch of Disney Infinity 2.0 is just a week away. Disney Interactive announced Tuesday there would be a total of 82(!) Power Discs available to customize and enhance game play. 

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 08-29-2014 - Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend, Marvel Movie Update and Disney Drones

The Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend is in full force with over 35,000 runners taking part in three races in and around the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim. I've already claimed my medals in Friday's 5K and Saturday's 10K (personal best, thank you very much). It's been a great weekend and I've had the pleasure of talking to a number of participants and event organizers including actor Sean Astin, former Disney Imagineer Terri Hardin Jackson and runDisney training consultant Jeff Galloway. I'll be sharing these interviews in an upcoming episode of The Mouse Castle Lounge, but in the meantime, Anthony and I had a few other things to talk about in the latest edition of Inside The Mouse Castle:

• As usual, rumors abound in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. What are Chris Evans' long-term plans with the Captain America franchise? Who might live and who might die in Avengers: Age of Ultron? What does Guardians of the Galaxy's box office domination mean for its inevitable sequels?
• We're happy to see Star Wars: Episode VII is back in production now that Harrison Ford has recovered from his broken leg, but we're also intrigued by a short animated film Disney will release with Big Hero 6 in November. Feast is the tale of a man, a woman, a romance, food and a terrier named Winston. We already like the look of the short, which is similar to the CGI/hand-drawn hybrid animation style of Disney's Oscar-winning Paperman. We also think the dog's pretty cute.

Winston is the cute little terrier at the heart of Disney's Feast.

• Disney has filed patents on aerial drones that could one day be used to help present entertainment at Disney theme parks. Sound strange? Yeah, maybe. But the whole idea could be made irrelevant if the FAA continues to oppose the use of drone technology by private industry.
• Will Star Wars characters ever appear in Disney Infinity? Is Han Solo a scruffy-looking nerf herder? Their inevitable addition to the popular platformer is looking to happen sometime in 2015 because, you know, well, Episode VII. In the meantime, Hiro and Baymax from Big Hero 6 are the newest characters that will be joining Disney Infinity sometime this fall.

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 08-19-2014 - 'Ant-Man,' 'Star Wars' and Disney's Hollywood Studios

Paul Rudd as a slightly beat up Scott Lang in Ant-Man.
Principal shooting began this week in San Francisco.

First, I want to dispel the rumor that Anthony now wishes to be known as Ant-Man. Those closest to him already know he prefers to be called the Scarlet Witch.

That said, we have a lot of Marvel news in the latest Inside The Mouse Castle as Ant-Man (the movie) begins principal shooting this week in San Francisco. We also have casting updates on the second season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and confirmed release dates for some upcoming Marvel films.

Also in this episode:

• ComicBook.com got the Interwebs in a tizzy over the rumor that Disney will release the original theatrical cut of Star Wars (before George Lucas started tinkering with it) to Blu-ray. We're skeptical and we'll tell you why.
• The American Idol Experience is closing at Disney's Hollywood Studios next week, nearly five months earlier than originally announced. Does Walt Disney World have plans for the soon-to-be empty theater? We think so and we'll share our wild speculations with you.
• Need a dose of cute? There's a new baby gorilla at the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail at Disney's Animal Kingdom. The as-yet-unnamed critter was born on August 7 and is the son of mother Azizi and father Gino. 
• Last weekend's Toy Box Summit at Avalanche Software in Salt Lake City got us super excited about Disney Infinity 2.0 coming out in September. Okay, it's got me excited. Anthony still hasn't gotten on board with it. In other video game news, Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved is now available for pre-order and will be out on October 21 for Xbox One and Xbox 360 Kinect. We're very intrigued about this musical collaboration between Disney Interactive and Harmonix, the creator of Rock Band.

I'll leave you with this one final thought:

Enjoy!

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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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