Inside The Mouse Castle 10-31-2014 - This is Halloween, Tokyo Disney Resort Expansion and New Disney Cruise Line Destinations

Happy Halloween from The Mouse Castle!

We're getting this frightfully fun party weekend started with an Inside The Mouse Castle drinking game. No, really. Thank you to our loyal listener Ben Watson for sending it to us. He's clearly caught most of our shows and apparently has way too much time on his hands.

This game is not for the faint of heart (or liver), especially since we worked every element on the list below into today's show. Exercise caution and please don't drunk dial us when you're done.

Take a drink when:
1. There's an intro clip at the very beginning of the podcast.
2. A segue is attempted.
3. Anthony's dad Mike is mentioned.
4. Tim talks about Disney Infinity.
5. Anthony tries to do an impression.
6. Tim talks about a trip he took to Disney.
7. Anthony looks something up on the Internet.
8. Lady Tremaine is mentioned.
9. Marvel's future plans are talked about.
10. The phrase "Let it go" is used.

Cheers!

There's a lot more going on in today's Inside The Mouse Castle. Some of it is even newsworthy.

Tokyo Disneyland's Fantasyland Expansion

• Oriental Land Co., Ltd., which oversees operation of Tokyo Disney Resort, will sink $4.5 billion into expansion projects over the next ten years. The biggest enhancements will appear in Fantasyland at Tokyo Disneyland and a new themed port at Tokyo DisneySea. 

Disney Fantasy

• Disney Cruise Line is adding new cruises and ports of call to its 2016 itineraries. Tortola, the capital of the British Virgin Islands, will be included on select Eastern Caribbean cruises aboard the Disney Fantasy and Disney Magic. There will also be four sailings from San Juan, Puerto Rico, aboard the Disney Wonder with stops in Martinique, Barbados, Grenada, Antigua and St. Kitts. For more information, visit www.disneycruise.com.
• The new Disney Infinity 2.0 Toy Box Starter Pack (i.e., the Not-Marvel edition) will be released on November 4th. This weekend, however, visitors to Once Upon a Toy at the Downtown Disney Marketplace at Walt Disney World will get an opportunity to buy the game before it's released anywhere else. It's available for PlayStation, Xbox and Wii U consoles and includes the game software, Infinity base, Merida and Stitch characters and two Power Discs. Purchase it Saturday or Sunday and Once Upon a Toy will throw in an additional Disney character figure for free.

Baymax on vinyl.

• We love this 7" Baymax vinyl of Fall Out Boy's "Immortals" that's included in a special Big Hero 6 movie soundtrack bundle. You can pre-order it now at www.disneymusicemporium.com.
• Maleficent and Planes: Fire & Rescue come out on Blu-ray, Digital HD, Disney Movies Anywhere, DVD and On-Demand on November 4th. Anthony and I are indifferent to Planes: Fire & Rescue (okay, we haven't seen it yet), but I still have serious issues with what Disney did with Maleficent. Why can't she just be pure evil? Why does she have to have a conflicted conscience?
• New York's Empire Brewing Company brews a cleverly named beer called Strikes Bock. Think about that for a second. Empire. Strikes Bock. Yeah, apparently Lucasfilm isn't too pleased (although the beer is still listed on Empire's website).

Oh, and one final thing. Anthony is running for mayor in his hometown. Yours too. Actually, he's running for any office anywhere anyone is willing to write him in. Please ponder that on election day. Thanks.

Enjoy!

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Sunday Shorts - Tokyo Disneyland Still Closed, Cast Member Dies at Walt Disney World

Odds and Ends From the Week in Disney

Tokyo Disney Resort remains closed in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11. Previous reports suggested the resort could reopen as early as March 22, but a notice on TDR's website gives no projected reopening date.

While Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea sustained minimal damage from the disaster, they are still hampered by power shortages, transportation issues and radiation fears affecting a large part of the nation. Understandably, tourism has dropped off dramatically throughout Japan since the quake.

On Thursday, Disney announced it was suspending all administrative and store operations in Tokyo until further notice. In a statement, the Mouse House said, "Our top priority is the well-being of our employees and their families during this challenging time and we will continue to closely monitor the situation as it develops."

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Not just a box office disappointment, Mars Needs Moms is being called one of Hollywood's biggest bombs. The family-friendly motion-capture sci-fi film took in a paltry $10 million during its first full week of release. That's a small crater compared to its planetary $150 million cost. MNM's poor return is consistent with Disney's decision last year to break ties with Robert Zemeckis's ImageMovers Digital studio, which co-produced the film, and to scuttle Zemeckis's plan to shoot a remake of the Beatles animated classic Yellow Submarine.

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A maintenance worker at Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom died Monday, a day after being struck in the head by a ride vehicle on the Primeval Whirl attraction. The victim was identified as 52-year-old Russell Sherry Roscoe.

Primeval Whirl is a "wild mouse" style roller coaster ride in Animal Kingdom's DinoLand area. It was closed for scheduled maintenance at the time of the accident.

Our condolences go out to Mr. Roscoe's family, friends and co-workers.

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Four of a kind: Depp, Rush, Cruz and McShane

Disney released four new movie posters for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. In this latest adventure in the Pirates saga, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) goes in search of the mythical Fountain of Youth. On his quest, he encounters his old rival Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), now in service to the British Navy, and meets an old flame (Penelope Cruz) who is none other than the daughter of Blackbeard (Ian McShane), "the pirate all pirates fear."

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides opens in the U.S. on May 20.

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New artwork also surfaced for the upcoming Disney animated short The Ballad of Nessie. The cartoon will be shown with the new feature Winnie the Pooh when it opens on July 15.

The Ballad of Nessie evokes an animation style reminiscent of Disney in the 1940s and '50s, particularly that of legendary artist Mary Blair. It tells a revisionist story of the Loch Ness Monster, who has a run-in with an evil land developer who wants to take over her home.

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Disaster at Tokyo Disneyland's Doorstep

Tokyo Disneyland guests
stranded following the earthquake

Like many of you today, I followed intently the news of the devastating earthquake in Japan. At once, it was a fascinating observation of the unforgiving power of nature and a somber reminder of the frailty of humankind and the preciousness of life. As a Disney blogger, the disaster had added resonance because of the close proximity of the Tokyo Disney Resort to the epicenter. During the day, I passed along news bits here and there via Facebook and Twitter of the status of the Tokyo parks, the guests who were stranded there, and the likelihood of the parks reopening soon. I'm grateful to the entire Disney blog and news community for their generosity in sharing information.

Thousands of people were forced to remain at the parks overnight because of train service cancellations following the earthquake. By all accounts, Disney cast members did everything they could to keep guests as comfortable as possible during the chilly, rainy evening. Rain jackets, plastic bags and hand warmers were given out to help protect people from the elements. A statement from Disney via the Disney Parks Blog noted that there were only minor injuries reported and that the parks sustained minimal damage. It went on to say the "safety of our guests and cast members is always our first concern." As damage assessments continue, Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea will remain closed at least through Saturday.

In the grand scheme of things, though, that all seems so trivial.

A guest at Tokyo Disneyland shot this video during the earthquake as people awaited the beginning of the Jubilation! parade:

The calmness of the crowd, cast members and videographer belies the destruction that was being unleashed 250 miles to the north. Entire towns and neighborhoods were being flattened by an 8.9 magnitude quake, then swamped by an epically powerful tsunami. The most unforgettable video news footage I saw was of burning houses, ripped from their foundations, being washed out to sea still ablaze. As of this post, over 400 people are confirmed dead from the disaster and that number could reach the thousands. There are further fears that a nuclear reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, about 160 miles north of Tokyo, could suffer a meltdown.

Suddenly, Disneyland being closed this weekend isn't so important.

Our hearts are with the people of Japan.

Help support recovery efforts by visiting http://american.redcross.org/Earthquake.

News sources:
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42023385/ns/world_news-asiapacific
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42025882/ns/world_news-asiapacific
http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/blog.php?b=829

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www.twitter.com/disneytim
www.youtube.com/disneytim