Inside The Mouse Castle 12-07-2015 - Han Solo, Annie Award Nominations and Dating Disney Style

By Tim Callaway

We're less than two weeks away from the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in theaters. The most surprising thing, though, is we're a week away from the film's star-studded world premiere and we have no idea where it's going to be held. Just add it to the ever-growing list of tightly-held Star Wars secrets we've come to expect from J.J. Abrams and Lucasfilm. We're guessing they'll tell us eventually. Maybe.

Here's what else we've got going on this week Inside The Mouse Castle:

• The search for who'll play young Han Solo in a new Star Wars spin-off film is underway. No less than 2,500 actors will be considered to play the role originated by Harrison Ford. Lucasfilm has time. The origin story about the scruffy-looking nerfherder isn't scheduled to start shooting until 2017.

Star Wars Launch Bay at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

• Star Wars invaded Disney's Hollywood Studios again as the Star Wars Launch Bay, Star Wars: Path of the Jedi and Star Tours: The Adventure Continues all made their debuts at the Florida park. But, is there as much excitement for these attractions as there was for their Anaheim counterparts?
• Star Wars Rebels is getting a third season on Disney XD. This is a series that has grown on me, with interesting character arcs and some great throwbacks to the old Star Wars: The Clone Wars series.

The Good Dinosaur.

• Pixar's Inside Out and The Good Dinosaur dominated the nominations at the Annie Awards. It's a good thing too. Dinosaur needs all the help it can get. It took a nosedive at the box office over the weekend and could end up being Pixar's lowest grossing film ever.

Historical images from the Walt Disney Archives
are now available at www.disneyphotoarchives.com.

• We're really excited about the new Photographs from the Walt Disney Archives website. There you can order fine art prints of historical photos of Walt and his many creations. Prices start at $59 for unframed 11 x 14 images and increase from there based on size and framing options. 
• Are you single and ready to mingle with a fellow Disney fan? A new dating site, MouseMingle.com has launched and, well, it's a dating site. For Disney fans. Anthony will be happy to meet you there.

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 11-30-2015 - 'The Good Dinosaur,' 'Captain America: Civil War' and Big Trouble in Disney's China

By Tim Callaway

The Good Dinosaur.

Pixar's The Good Dinosaur opened in theaters over the weekend and, depending on who you talked to, was a big success or a bigger disappointment. It had strong box office numbers for a Thanksgiving weekend release, but ranked far down the list among the first weekends of every other Pixar film. I saw it on Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed it. It has its flaws--most notably an alarming lack of originality--but it's beautiful to look at and has a huge amount of heart and emotion. Thumbs up. Go see it. 

That said, The Good Dinosaur probably won't be regarded as one of Pixar's more memorable films. Toy Story, Wall-E and Up it ain't With that in mind, Anthony and I offer our two cents on the least memorable Pixar movies of all time in this week's edition of Inside The Mouse Castle.

We also tackle a few other items:

• Bromance, betrayal and one badass superhero three-way. Ladies and gentlemen, the first trailer for Captain America; Civil War.

• Oh yeah, here's a trailer for Disney Infinity's Star Wars: The Force Awakens play set. I want it.

• China is cracking down on a hotel chain in the country that has been blatantly using the Disney name without permission. Apparently, plunking down $4 billion to build a resort in Shanghai buys you a considerable amount of trademark protection.
• You can now buy Haunted Mansion Funko Pop! characters based on the Hitchhiking Ghosts and the Hatbox Ghost, but only at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. I want them.

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 11-03-2015 - Harrison Ford and 'The Force Awakens,' 'Zootopia,' and Scarlett Johansson on the Tower of Terror

By Tim Callaway

Harrison Ford told Jimmy Kimmel last week that Star Wars: The Force Awakens is "really, really good." He praised his young costars Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver and Oscar Isaac and added, "J.J. (Abrams)  has made an incredible movie. You will not be disappointed at all. I promise you,"

On this week's ITMC, Anthony and I failed to mention that Ford was also wearing a hot dog costume at the time of the interview (it was Kimmel's Halloween show). I'm not sure why this is relevant, but it must have something to do with why we haven't seen Luke Skywalker in the movie poster or trailer. But, I digress.

Harrison Ford likes The Force Awakens. That's all that matters.

And on a side note, we're pretty sure the first trailer for Captain America: Civil War will screen in theaters prior to Star Wars. Like you needed another reason to hit the cinema on December 18.

Here's what else we're Forcing you to listen to today Inside The Mouse Castle:

• Asian actress Pom Klementieff is rumored to have joined the cast of James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. At the time we recorded the show, we weren't sure what her role would be. Now we believe she'll play Mantis, who's kind of a badass telepathic martial artist in Marvel canon. If true, Mantis will be quite the match-up next to Gamora and her messed-up sister Nebula.
  

Idris Elba will voice Chief Bogo in Zootopia.

• Disney announced the principal voice cast for Zootopia. We already knew about Jason Bateman and Ginnifer Goodwin as the leads Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps. Now we know that Idris Elba, J.K. Simmons, Bonnie Hunt, Octavia Spencer, Alan Tudyk and Tommy Chong are also lending their talents to the Byron Howard/Rich Moore-directed film. And yet, despite that deep roster, we're still not excited about Zootopia, which opens on March 4, 2016.

• We're also not too excited about Alice Through the Looking Glass, the follow-up to Tim Burton's bloated, joyless--but immensely profitable--Alice in Wonderland. Brief video teases for the upcoming film, which opens next Memorial Day weekend, have been popping up online. Meh. The one glimmer of hope that might make us care about the film is that it's being directed by James Bobin of The Muppets and Flight of the Conchords fame.
• Is Hocus Pocus 2 finally going to be a thing? Maybe. Maybe not. Producer David Kirschner has hinted that the long-rumored sequel to the 1993 comedy could eventually land on the Disney Channel. No word if Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy would be back as the Sanderson sisters, but all three have teased in the past that they'd be interested.

The Good Dinosaur in Disney Infinity.

• Disney Infinity is giving fans of Pixar's The Good Dinosaur a peek at some of the film's characters three week's before the movie opens. The caveboy Spot made his debut this week as a playable character in the video game. His dinosaur buddy Arlo and their three T-rex cohorts are also available as ride-able Power Disc characters. 
• It's a good month to be a Disney collector with deep pockets. Auction house Bonhams and Van Eaton Galleries are both conducting auctions of rare (and yes, pretty expensive) Disney memorabilia. Don't worry, there's stuff you might be able to afford too. I'll have more about these two exciting events in this Friday's episode of The Mouse Castle Lounge.
• So, on Halloween, this happened at the Hollywood Bowl:

• If you're Scarlett Johansson, you can visit Walt Disney World and ride the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror with your husband just like any normal person. You can also have your souvenir photo conveniently deleted much to the chagrin of your surprised ride buddies. Good thing there are persistent resort guests and TMZ to bring the pic to the light of day. It's actually a really cute photo. 

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 10-05-2015 - The Vanishing Rivers of America and Disneyland's Annual Pass Price Increase

By Tim Callaway

Hey, did you hear? Disneyland Annual Passport prices went up.

Click to watch the prices enlarge.

The news was breaking over the weekend just as Anthony and I were about to record this week's show. While we didn't have all the info as we fired up the mikes (believe me, we do now), we certainly got the gist of things. One thousand dollar top level Annual Passports. That's pretty much all anyone needs to know.

Do you think the new prices are worth it? Or is outrage more your style? Anthony and I offer our takes in this week's edition of Inside The Mouse Castle.

• Then there's that Rivers of America thing at Disneyland. Seems a chunk of the river and the north part of Tom Sawyer Island are going to get chopped off to make room for the new Star Wars Land expansion. That also means a rerouting of the Disneyland Railroad. MiceChat posted a rough sketch of what they believe will be the new layout. Disneyland has confirmed that RoA will change, but they haven't confirmed exactly how much yet.
• The Children's Hospital of Orange County partners with Disneyland this weekend for the 25th annual CHOC Walk in the Park. Want to help support the health and well-being of children? Visit www.chocwalk.org.
• The Walt Disney Family Museum will honor songwriter and Disney Legend Richard Sherman at a fundraising gala on November 3rd. Sherman will be the first recipient of the Diane Disney Miller Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Good Dinosaur

• Sneak previews of Pixar's The Good Dinosaur will begin screening at Disney California Adventure and Disney's Hollywood Studios on October 16th. The film opens in the U.S. on November 25th.

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 08-19-2015 - Disney's D23 Expo 2015

By Tim Callaway

Meet the Parents: Mike and Darla Reynolds with Anthony

I doubt there's a better way to recap last weekend's D23 Expo then doing it with friends over cocktails at the Anabella Hotel.

Bonus points for having Anthony's parents join us.

Even more points for being able to face off about Disney Infinity in-person with Anthony's dad. 

It was a good night. 

Exhausted, exhilarated and just a bit tipsy, Team Mouse Castle does its best to analyze the highs and lows of Disney's mega fan event. So, pull up a chair, pour a drink and join us, won't you?

"Star Wars Land" concept art.

• Plans for "Star Wars Land" (or whatever they decide to call it) at Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios were the biggest news to come out of Expo. We were all thrilled to see the first concept images, but couldn't D23 have saved them for the Parks and Resorts presentation Saturday afternoon instead of springing them at the Walt Disney Studios show earlier that morning? 

Avatar Flight of Passage

• Pandora: The World of Avatar will probably look fantastic when it opens at Disney's Animal Kingdom, but does anybody really care?

Finding Dory

• Animation: Based on what we've seen so far, our thumbs are way up for John Musker and Ron Clements' Moana and Pixar's once-troubled The Good Dinosaur. We liked our first look at Finding Dory, but the jury is still out on the Jack and the Beanstalk epic Gigantic, the Day of the Dead tale Coco and, yes, Toy Story 4 (although the Woody's-search-for-Bo-Peep story line has us intrigued). Try as we might, though, we still can't muster any excitement for Disney's March 2016 release Zootopia. 

Rogue One

• Rogue One will be the first Star Wars film that won't be part of a trilogy. The standalone flick will tell the story of how the Rebels stole the plans to the Death Star prior to Episode IV. It will star Felicity Jones, Forest Whitaker and Alan Tudyk. Principal shooting has begun under the direction of Gareth Edwards. The film will open in the U.S. on December 16, 2016.
• Colin Trevorrow will direct Star Wars: Episode IX. Not a bad gig after helming Jurassic World.
• It was my pleasure to regale Mike with the latest on Disney Infinity 3.0, which hits stores in the U.S. on August 30th. Who wants some sneak peeks?

• There was also an exciting announcement about the upcoming Kingdom Hearts III:

These are just some of the highlights in today's episode of Inside The Mouse Castle. We also talk about Shanghai Disneyland, lines, the Walt Disney Archives exhibit, lines, the Disney Dream Store, lines and camping overnight (which also involves lines). 

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 07-27-2015 - D23 Expo, Marvel's 'Ant-Man' and Disney's 'Descendants'

By Tim Callaway

In this week's episode of Inside The Mouse Castle, Anthony has an existential crisis. We're attributing it to a cataclysmic combination of Neil deGrasse Tyson, sleep deprivation, Ant-Man shrinking down to a molecular level and the wretched "Be Our Guest" number from Disney's Descendants (debuting this Friday on the Disney Channel).

With Anthony curled up in a fetal position, he and I delve deeply into these thought-provoking topics guaranteed to make you feel insignificant against the infinite backdrop of space:

• For the first time, the D23 Expo will split their traditional motion picture fan presentation into two separate events, one for animation and one for live action. We're hoping for big announcements (or at least some new trailers) for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Captain America: Civil War and Finding Dory.
• I finally saw Ant-Man and thoroughly enjoyed it. I left the theater totally perplexed, though. Why don't people stay all the way to the end of a Marvel movie to see the post credit-scenes? Have they not learned? The last scene in Ant-Man (and yes, it comes at the very end) is not to be missed. It does an epic job setting up (and raising a few questions about) Captain America: Civil War.

The Sword in the Stone

• Annnd.....The Sword in the Stone is the latest Disney animated classic to go into development as a live-action film. We recap all we know about the full slate of upcoming Disney retreads.

• There's a new trailer for Pixar's The Good Dinosaur. Despite our earlier concerns about production delays, recasting and a new director, we're encouraged by what we see. But, with all the (justified) attention Inside Out has received, will people take to a second Pixar film in the same year?

• Avengers: Age of Ultron will be available on digital download September 8th. Want it in a disc in a box? That's available on October 2nd.
• Michael Jackson as Jar Jar Binks? It almost happened. Well, Michael thought it would anyway.

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 06-15-2015 - 'Inside Out' Premieres, 'Tomorrowland' Flops, 'Phineas and Ferb' Ends

By Tim Callaway

Inside Out had its Hollywood premiere last week, gearing up for its U.S. wide release this Friday. On this week's episode of Inside The Mouse Castle, we hear from the film's director, Pete Docter, and the some of the voice cast including Amy Poehler, Bill Hader and Lewis Black.

I expect Pixar's journey into the mind of an 11-year old girl to be a sure-fire hit while Anthony thinks the film, as good as the early reviews are, is going to under-perform at the box office. It won't do as bad as Tomorrowland, though, not by a long shot. The Brad Bird film starring George Clooney is having a dismal run in theaters and could put Disney in the red $140 million or more. 

And, Disney or not, no movie conversation this week is complete with mentioning Jurassic World, so we'll touch on that too, plus these other mind-bending topics:

• In the story that won't die, is Asa Butterfield really out of the running to be the next Spider-Man? Are Tom Holland, Charlie Plummer and Matthew Lintz the new favorites?  Who knows? Because apparently Marvel and Sony can't agree on anything concerning the franchise.
• We now know the voice cast for Pixar's The Good Dinosaur. After a series of production delays, including a director change and a reworking of the story, the film will open in the U.S. on November 25th.
• Have you seen the new teaser trailer for Zootopia yet? I think it looks cute. Anthony, not so much.

Frozen Ever After concept art.

• Frozen Ever After is coming to Epcot's Norway pavilion next year, taking over the space once occupied by Maelstrom. Guests will be able to experience a "Winter in Summer Celebration" courtesy of Queen Elsa in the kingdom of Arendelle. That includes a trip to Elsa's ice palace (see above). 
• Two new restaurants are coming to the Disney Springs (aka the revamped Downtown Disney at Walt Disney World): The Edison and STK Orlando. It's the latest in a long list of new shopping and dining establishments added to the area. Is it starting to be too much of a good thing? Disney Springs is a far cry from the quaint Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village us old-timers remember from the 1970s and 80s.
• Star Wars will be in Hall H of this year's San Diego Comic-Con. Marvel will not. Next.

• Goodbye, Phineas and Ferb. We'll miss you. Well, we'll be missing new episodes. I'm sure you'll be rerunning on Disney Channel and Disney XD for a long time to come.
• J.K. Simmon is joining the voice cast of Gravity Falls. We hope he doesn't throw a chair at Grunkle Stan. 

Enjoy!

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'The Good Dinosaur' Voice Cast Announced

By Tim Callaway

Pixar's The Good Dinosaur

We now know a bit more about Pixar's fall release, The Good Dinosaur. Disney and Pixar have announced the voice cast (descriptions courtesy Walt Disney Studios Publicity):

Raymond Ochoa (NBC’s The Night Shift, TNT’s Rizzoli & Isles, Disney’s A Christmas Carol) provides the voice of an Apatosaurus named Arlo.

Jeffrey Wright (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - parts I & II, HBO's Boardwalk Empire) was tapped as the voice of Poppa, Arlo’s father.

Steve Zahn (Captain Fantastic, Ridiculous Six, Rescue Dawn, Mad Dogs) provides the voice of a pterodactyl named Thunderclap.

A.J. Buckley (TNT’s Murder in the First, FX’s Justified) voices a T-Rex called Nash.

Anna Paquin (HBO’s True Blood) is the voice of T-Rex Ramsey.

Sam Elliott (FX's Justified, I’ll See You In My Dreams, Grandma) was called on as the voice of a tough T-Rex named Butch.

Frances McDormand (HBO's Olive Kitteridge, Fargo) was tapped as the voice of Momma, Arlo’s mother.

Marcus Scribner (ABC’s black•ish) voices Arlo's brother Buck.

Jack Bright (Monsters University) provides the voice of Arlo’s unlikely human friend, Spot.

This is the second time Pixar has announced The Good Dinosar's voice cast. Originally, Neil Patrick Harris, Bill Hader and John Lithgow were among the voice talents attached to the project, but story and script changes, not to mention a new director brought in mid-production, caused delays--and changes in the cast. Only Frances McDormand remains from the original cast.

The Good Dinosaur playfully speculates what might have happened if an asteroid hadn't wiped out the dinosaurs millions of years ago. The film is directed by Peter Sohn and opens in the U.S. on November 25, 2015.

Disney/Pixar Teases That Other Dinosaur Movie

By Tim Callaway

Disney and Pixar finally gave us a look at their upcoming animated film The Good Dinosaur. Speculating what might have happened if that giant asteroid hadn't wiped out the dinosaurs millions of years ago, the movie tells the tale of an Apatosaurus named Arlo who develops an unlikely friendship with human child. Like most Disney/Pixar teasers, this one doesn't give away much in the way of plot details. The asteroid misses, dinosaurs run around. Although we do get a peek at the child on top of Arlo's head.

The Good Dinosaur is directed by Peter Sohn (Partly Cloudy) and will open in U.S. theaters on November 25th, marking the first time Pixar has released two films in one year (Inside Out opens on June 19th). 

Inside The Mouse Castle 08-22-2014 - Battle of 'The Jungle Books,' 'The Good Dinosaur' Do-Over and Tim and Anthony's Ice Bucket Challenge

Disney and Warner Bros. are releasing live-action-plus-CG/motion-capture versions of The Jungle Book in 2015 (Disney) and 2016 (Warner Bros.). Over the last few weeks a casting battle has ensued with both studios announcing A-listers joining their productions. For those of you keeping score at home:

Disney's original animated The Jungle Book (1967)

Disney's 'The Jungle Book'
Mowgli - Neel Sethi

Baloo - Bill Murray
Bagheera - Ben Kingsley

Shere Khan - Idris Elba
Kaa - Scarlett Johansson

King Louie - Christopher Walken

Rakcha - Lupito Nyong'o
Akela - Giancarlo Esposito

Warner Bros.' 'Jungle Book: Origins'

Mowgli - Rohan Chand

Baloo - Andy Serkis

Bagheera - Christian Bale

Shere Khan - Benedict Cumberbatch

Kaa - Cate Blanchett

Nisha - Naomie Harris

Vihaan - Eddie Marsan

Brother Wolf - Jack Raynor

Tabaqui - Tom Hollander

Akela - Peter Mullan

In this edition of Inside the Mouse Castle, Anthony and I discuss the casting choices and which Jungle Book production we're favoring. Here's what else we're talking about:

• Pixar is completely revamping The Good Dinosaur. This tale of dinosaurs co-existing with humans was originally slated for release this year, but now won't be out until November 2015. Is this a case of quality control, or is it a film in trouble?
• Brian Patrick Wade will join the cast of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. this year as the villain Absorbing Man. This quicker picker-upper joins an impressive roster of guest stars that include Adrianne Palicki, Kyle MacLachlan and Lucy Lawless.
• Get out your handkerchiefs. Monday night's Primetime Emmy Awards will include a special tribute to the late Robin Williams. His longtime friend Billy Crystal, who has been mostly silent--at least publicly--about Williams' death, will lead the tribute.

• Want to show off your dog dressed in his/her Disney finest? Get your pictures to the Disney Parks Blog this weekend for a chance to parade your pooch at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom on August 30. The 101 pets and their masters who make the cut will attend and early morning party in the park and could be featured on an episode of Animal Planet's America's Cutest Pets. Visit http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2014/08/enter-now-for-an-opportunity-to-attend-a-disney-side-dogs-day-at-magic-kingdom-park for entry details. 

A screening of Disney's Sleeping Beauty? Well, well.

• Tickets are still available for a special D23 screening of Sleeping Beauty at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank that coincides with the release of the animated classic on Blu-ray. Noted producer and filmmaker (and previous guest in The Mouse Castle Lounge) Don Hahn will be on hand to talk about the evolution of the princess's tale from the 1959 film to this year's Maleficent. The screening is open to D23 Gold and Silver members only. For details, visit https://d23.com/d23-events/vaults-sleeping-beauty. 
• No one has yet challenged Anthony and I, so we decided to challenge each other. We're talking the Ice Bucket Challenge. We'll be dousing ourselves this weekend all in the name of raising money and awareness for ALS research. Watch for our videos posting very soon.

Enjoy!

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