Inside The Mouse Castle 11-12-2014 - 'Strange Magic,' 'Frozen' on Ice and Walt Disney's Trains

There's a lot of movie news in the latest episode of "Inside The Mouse Castle." Some of it we're excited about, some of it...meh.

We're as surprised as you are. Strange Magic from Lucasfilm opens January 23rd.

• Disney surprised us this week with the announcement that Lucasfilm is producing Strange Magic, an animated musical film based on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. The story was penned by George Lucas himself (who is also executive producer) with a screenplay by David Berenbaum (Elf), Irene Mecchi (Brave, The Lion King) and Gary Rydstrom, who also directs. The music will come from "popular songs from the past six decades." If that formula of Bill the Bard meets pop music sounds familiar, it's because Disney and Elton John tried it in 2011 with Gnomeo & Juliet. That didn't end well. Strange Magic opens in the U.S. on January 23rd.
• Big Hero 6 was a solid #1 at the box office last weekend, but will it have enough momentum to stay there this weekend? Anthony and I have a whopping 50 cents riding on whether BH6 can beat Dumb and Dumber To, which opens Friday. I say it will. Anthony says otherwise.
• Star Wars: Episode VII (aka The Force Awakens) recently wrapped up filming at England's Pinewood Studios. The Star Wars crew (at least some of them anyway) will return to Pinewood in the near future to shoot what is believed to be a spin-off film based on a single franchise character. More details to come as soon as Disney and Lucasfilm lift the veil of secrecy...or until someone leaks it.
• There is a new(ish) trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron. We like it.

• There is a new trailer for Disney's McFarland, USA starring Kevin Costner. It hits U.S. theaters on February 20th. Meh.

• There is also a new trailer for the direct-to-Blu-ray Tinker Bell and the Legend of the Neverbeast. It comes out March 3rd. Your kids will like it.

• Frozen is touring the U.S. right now as a Disney on Ice show. Who didn't see that coming? The surprise may be just how strong ticket sales are. I mean, we knew tickets would sell, but prime seats at this weekend's shows in New York City are pretty much sold out and what few remain are going for almost $200. Before the tour is done, around 3 million tickets could be sold to see Anna and Elsa skate themselves into a little frenzy. Is Frozen coming to your town? Find out at www.disneyonice.com/frozen. We recommend you order your tickets as soon as possible.

Walt's Trains at the Walt Disney Family Museum

• All Aboard: A Celebration of Walt's Trains is the new exhibition at the Walt Disney Family Museum that shines the spotlight on Walt's lifelong love of trains and the many ways it influenced his work and personal life. Over 200 artifacts are on display including Casey Jr. concept art from Dumbo, Walt's coveralls from the Santa Fe and Disneyland Railroad and train memorabilia from Walt's fellow train enthusiasts at the studio, Ward Kimball and Ollie Johnston. The exhibition runs through February 9th. This weekend, we'll hear from the curator of Walt's Trains, Michael Campbell, in a special edition of The Mouse Castle Lounge.

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 10-24-2014 - 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' Trailer, 'Big Hero 6' in Tokyo and England's Offensive Frozen T-Shirt

Captain America (Chris Evans) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth)
in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

After watching the Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer about 20 times each, Anthony and I break down what we like best about this amazing preview in the latest edition of Inside The Mouse Castle. 

It's going to be a dark time for Earth's Mightiest Heroes as they confront Ultron, a high-tech creation originally intended for peacekeeping, but instead hell-bent on destroying mankind. Ultron is voiced by James Spader and we can't think of anyone better to voice the maniacal robot.

Okay, maybe Christopher Walken. Christopher Walken would be a cool crazed villain. 

In the trailer we can already see the groundwork being laid for the rumored "Civil War' story line set to begin in Captain America 3. Even as the Avengers unite to battle a common enemy, you can see the conflict among them building. Thor fights Tony Stark and in the most epic confrontation of all, Stark dons the jaw-dropping Hulkbuster armor to take on Bruce Banner's green alter ego. If you couldn't get excited previously, now is the time to be absolutely giddy about this epic superhero film scheduled to open in the US on May 1, 2015.

Also in this episode:

• We really like Mark Ruffalo as the current version of Bruce Banner/Hulk, but his predecessor in the role, Edward Norton, has some interesting things to say about why he opted out of continuing the franchise.
• Marvel is developing a new comic book hero who is hearing impaired. We're impressed with Marvel's willingness to create such a character, but we think the results are kind of lame.

(l. to r.) Director Don Hall, voice actor Miho Kanno, director Chris Williams,
producer John Lasseter, Baymax, voice actor Kotaro Koizumi, producer Roy Conli
and Walt Disney Studios general manager Andrew Millstein.

• Baymax (aka Big Hero 6) premiered Thursday at the Tokyo International Film Festival. Producer John Lasseter commented about his appreciation of Japan and the influence it had on the film. Meanwhile, Anthony and I speculate on what the best restaurant would be in the east-west mashup city of San Fransokyo.
• Progress continues on the restoration of Walt Disney's Laugh-O-Gram building in Kansas City. Thank You Walt Disney, Inc. has plans to convert the two-story office building where Walt started his animation career into a digital production studio and museum. Construction could begin as early as the end of 2015.

• On Saturday, October 25, you can play Disney Infinity at Disney Interactive Studios in Glendale and at the same time support the Extra Life program to help sick kids at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. RSVPs are required. To find out more, visit https://infinity.disney.com/news/be-a-hero-this-2133. 
• Let's get dangerous! Darkwing Duck is returning to comics (no TV show, dammit) in 2015. 

Elsa, making snow and offending Brits since 2013.

• Some hyper-sensitive parents in England are complaining that a shirt sold at H&M featuring Elsa from Frozen is obscene and inappropriate for their kids because the ice queen is making a V-shaped gesture offensive to Brits. Funny, all we see is her making snow. Some people need to let it go already.

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 10-22-2014 - 'Moana,' 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' and the Walt Disney Birthplace Restoration

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Yep, we're blaming Hydra.

If Marvel can finger its fictional terrorist group for leaking the trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron six days early, then we can blame them for the technical issues that kept Tuesday's Inside The Mouse Castle off the air until tonight.

Actually, it was a wonky HP laptop that caused our podcast problems. Who knows what nefarious force made the Internet explode with glee when the new Avengers trailer found its way online? Entertainment websites everywhere posted the lo-res video before Disney and Marvel quickly slammed the door on the leak. But, since nothing online is ever really deleted once it goes viral, Marvel had no choice but to release the official trailer well before its scheduled TV premiere on next Tuesday's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

For our part, you won't hear anything about the leak in today's ITMC. Anthony and I recorded the show well before the story broke. Rest assured, we'll be talking about it plenty on Friday's show.

(l. to r.) Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner,
Robert Downey, Jr. and Don Cheadle in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

And so, here's the trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron in all its intense, epic, superhero glory. WOW!!!

Also in today's show:

• Moana, an adventure set in the oceans of Polynesia, is Walt Disney Animation Studios newest project. John Musker and Ron Clements (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin) are directing the film which is due for release in late 2016.
• What's better than listening to the Guardians of the Galaxy Awesome Mix Vol. 1 on CD or vinyl? How about listening to it on cassette, just like Peter Quill intended?

• Keston Ott-Dahl and her wife Andrea have a young daughter with Down Syndrome. They've started an online petition to ask Disney to create a special needs princess their daughter and others like her can relate to. Do we think it will succeed? Probably not, but it's not a bad way to raise awareness of Down Syndrome. For more info visit www.delaneyskye.com.
• Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved is an imaginative and beautifully rendered video game that cleverly interacts with all styles of music from classical to contemporary pop. It's available now for Xbox One and Kinect for Xbox 360.
• Start some good and support the restoration of the Walt Disney Birthplace, the Chicago home built by Elias Disney where his son Walter was born. To contribute to the cause, visit www.startsomegood.com/WDB.

Enjoy!

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'Guardians of the Galaxy' Hits Blu-ray December 9th

Guardians of the Galaxy will be out on Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere on November 18th. The Blu-ray, DVD and On-Demand releases will follow on December 9th.

The Marvel adventure starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper was the highest grossing film of 2014 and the only one to break $300 million in the U.S.

Bonus Features on the Digital HD, Disney Movies Anywhere and Blu-ray packages will include:

• Deleted scenes
• Making-of featurettes
• An exclusive look at Avengers: Age of Ultron
• Gag reel
• Audio commentary by director James Gunn

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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 07-29-2014 - Comic-Con, 'The Avengers: Age of Ultron,' 'Once Upon a Time' and Rock 'n' Roller Coaster

Comic-Con has come and gone and Tim and Anthony have all the news from San Diego, plus plenty of other cool stuff from the world of Disney:

• Marvel didn't offer any new hints on their unnamed movie release dates that span through 2019, but they did provide a heaping helping of Avengers fun. Most of the gang was there, including producer Kevin Feige, Robert Downey Jr., Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Colby Smulders, Samuel L. Jackson, and Chris Evans. Newcomers to the Marvel Cinematic Universe were also part of the Hall H panel: Aaron Taylor Johnson (Quicksilver), Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch) and James Spader (Ultron).
• The new Frozen story line in the upcoming season of ABC's Once Upon a Time continues to have fans buzzing. This week, it was announced Tyler Jacob Moore will join the cast as Hans, the good/bad prince from the Southern Isles. John Rhys-Davies will also provide the voice of Pabbie the Troll King because trolls are a thing in Norway (see also: Maelstrom, World Showcase). To our knowledge, there will be no boats floating backwards in Once Upon a Time.
• In a touch of strange casting, Joaquin Phoenix is said to be in negotiations with Marvel to play the title character in Doctor Strange. The film is slated for release in July 2016.
• We still think a movie reboot of The Jungle Book is questionable at best, but that still doesn't mean we aren't intrigued by the casting. Oscar-winner Christopher Walken will voice King Louie and Giancarlo Esposito will voice alpha wolf Akela. The head-scratcher remains Scarlett Johansson providing the voice of Kaa. No, really.
• Happy Birthday to the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith. The excellent indoor coaster is holding up well after 15 years. So is Steven Tyler, who hasn't aged a day in the attraction since it opened at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Backstage passes for everyone!
• Disney twenty-three, D23's quarterly magazine, will release it's 23rd issue next month. The issue will have an international feel with stories about the new Ratatouille attraction at Disneyland Paris, the Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives exhibit touring Japan, and the Asian influences that will bring San Fransokyo to life in the upcoming Big Hero 6. What we like best about the issue, though, is the terrific vintage cover featuring Walt Disney, Roy Disney and Margie Gay, one of the star of Disney's early Alice Comedies.

Enjoy!

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