'The Jungle Book': Bill Murray Thinks Kipling is 'Quite a Guy'

Neel Sethi is Mowgli in The Jungle Book.

If Bill Murray says you're quite a guy, you're quite a guy.

We're talking about you, Rudyard Kipling.

Murray, who provides the voice of Baloo in director Jon Favreau's upcoming live-action reboot of The Jungle Book, shares his admiration for the author of the original story in a new featurette from Disney.  The video looks at the legacy of The Jungle Book, including the 1967 animated film, shining a spotlight on Favreau as well as Murray's castmates Ben Kingsley (Bagheera), Scarlett Johansson (Kaa), Idris Elba (Shere Khan) and Lupita Nyong'o (Raksha),

Disney also released two new clips from the film:

The Jungle Book opens in the U.S. on April 15th. 

By Tim Callaway

Inside The Mouse Castle 02-09-2016 - 'Inside Out' Rules the Annie Awards and 'Weird Al' Yankovic Joins Disney XD

By Tim Callaway

Pixar's Inside Out dominated the Annie Awards over the weekend, winning 10 awards out of the 11 categories it was nominated in. The journey into the mind of an 11-year old was named Best Animated Feature and Pete Docter was named Best Director. Inside Out also took trophies home for writing, storyboarding, editing, character design, character animation, music and production design. And finally, Phyllis Smith received a much-deserved Annie for providing the voice of Sadness. It was a busy night for Team Disney as their animated TV series Disney's Mickey Mouse received three Annies (storyboarding, editing and music). The Good Dinosaur, Wander Over Yonder, Gravity Falls and Avengers: Age of Ultron all received one Annie each.

Anthony and I recap the Annies and keep things animated with these other entertaining items in this week's Inside The Mouse Castle:

• Happy Birthday, Disney California Adventure! Disneyland's sister park turned 15 years old on Monday.

• Fresh off his Super Bowl 50 win over the Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning visited Disneyland on Monday and--as tradition dictates--was honored with a victory parade down Main Street, U.S.A.

Peyton Manning is feted at Disneyland.

• On Super Bowl Sunday, Disney debuted new trailers for The Jungle Book and Captain America: Civil War. One we were pretty excited for. The other not so much. You'll never guess which is which. Or maybe you have already.

• The Mouse Castle sends our condolences to the family and friends of Daniel Gerson. The screenwriter passed away in Los Angeles Saturday at the age of 49. Gerson co-wrote the scripts for Monsters, Inc. and Big Hero 6, among others. Rest in peace.

Milo Murphy

• This has us majorly excited: "Weird Al" Yankovic will lend his voice and musical talents to a new animated series on Disney XD from the creators of Phineas and Ferb. Milo Murphy's Law will follow the adventures of Milo, the fictional great-great-great-great grandson of the Murphy's Law namesake. Yankovic will play Milo with a voice cast that includes Christian Slater, Vanessa Williams, Sarah Chalke, Jemaine Clement and Mackenzie Phillips. The show premieres this fall.
• Want your house to smell like Disneyland? Anthology Candles has created a line of scented candles that borrow from your favorite park aromas like Dole Whips, churros, the Main Street Bakery and even the Haunted Mansion. That's all well and good, but call us when you've perfected Pirates of the Caribbean Grotto.

Enjoy!

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Inside The Mouse Castle 09-21-2015 - Halloween and Christmas at Disneyland, 'Star Wars' on Netflix and a New 'Mary Poppins'

By Tim Callaway

GOAT TRICK!

Anthony is back from a week at Disneyland, where he checked out all the Halloween Time activities. There was fall finery everywhere and pumpkin spice-flavored everything, but, we're mostly excited by this perfect pic Anthony took of the goat on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. 

Of course, Halloween festivities are barely underway and we're already talking about Christmas. We've got a preview of all the stuff to expect--and what will be missing--from this year's holiday events at Disneyland. 

Here's what else we have slated for this episode of Inside The Mouse Castle. It's enough to make your head spin. 

• Rob Marshall (Into the Woods, POTC 4) will direct a new Mary Poppins movie for Disney. Before you lose your minds for them daring to touch this untouchable classic, keep in mind this will not be a remake of the original. It won't exactly be a sequel either. P.L. Travers wrote eight Mary Poppins books. The new movie will likely be adapted from stories we haven't seen on the screen before. If you really want something to be excited about, Emily Blunt (Into the Woods) is the rumored front-runner for the role of the practically perfect nanny. We can't think of a better choice.
• Bryan Singer (X-Men, The Usual Suspects) has confirmed he'll direct a remake of Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. We aren't certain if it's going to be for Disney or not, but we're intrigued nevertheless.
• There's a new trailer for next year's live-action remake of The Jungle Book. Despite some interesting casting choices (Bill Murray as Baloo, Christopher Walken as King Louie), we're not terribly excited yet for this CG-heavy adventure.

• Star Wars is coming to Netflix. Maybe. Kind of. Probably not where you are. Whatever.
• Here's some travel advice for your next Walt Disney World visit: don't joke about building a meth lab in your hotel room. Kthanksbye.

Enjoy!

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The Mouse Castle Lounge 03-12-2015 - Disney Legend Floyd Norman, Part One

By Tim Callaway

Floyd Norman

Growing up, Floyd Norman fell in love with Disney animated films. He familiarized himself not only with the name “Walt Disney,” but also with the names of the many talented artists and directors who created the films. Floyd was determined that one day he would become an artist at the Walt Disney Studios.

As is the case with many a Disney success story, it took a combination of talent, perseverance and luck to make that dream a reality. Floyd joined Disney in 1956 and was, in fact, the first African American artist ever hired by the studio. It was the beginning of a long career as an artist, animator, cartoonist, story writer and film maker both in and outside of Disney.

Floyd contributed his talents to animated features that include Sleeping Beauty, The Sword in the Stone, The Jungle Book and Robin Hood. His career spanned into the CG era where he created storyboards for Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc., making him one of the rare individuals to work for both Walt Disney and John Lasseter. Today, at age 79, Floyd still consults for Disney and recently oversaw the production of “The Further Adventures of Thunderbolt,” a bonus feature on the recent 101 Dalmatians Blu-ray release that answers the gnawing questions, “What happened to the Wonder Dog after he fell over the cliff with Dirty Dawson?” You know you've been dying to know.

Floyd Norman is my guest today for part one of our two-part conversation in The Mouse Castle Lounge. Enjoy!

Related: The Mouse Castle Lounge 03-19-2015 - Disney Legend Floyd Norman, Part Two

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Inside The Mouse Castle 09-19-2014 - Talking Like Pirates, Epcot Food & Wine and Disney Sing-Alongs

Aye, matey, this be a shot from
Disney's original pirate film, Treasure Island.

Hoist the sails and shiver me timbers!

Anthony and I mark International Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19) by, well, talking like pirates and celebrating the great buccaneers of Disney films from Long John Silver (Robert Newton) to Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp). We also look back at the origins of this offbeat piratical observation, tracing it to two guys playing raquetball and humorist Dave Barry. No, really.

We also honor iPhone 6 day (well, I do--Anthony's loyal to Android) and reveal where to find cool Disney covers for you new Apple device online and in the parks.

We also talk about these other fascinating items in the latest episode of Inside The Mouse Castle:

• The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is going on right now and we cover some of the tasty treats you need to be trying. We also have our suggestions of what wine goes best with Inside The Mouse Castle (hint: it's not wine).
• The Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend is January 7-11, 2015 and runDisney is offering a "Goofy Giveback" to allow more runners the opportunity to participate in the marathon and half marathon. Is it a clever promotion or is Disney covering for an event that may not be selling as well as they hoped?
• On the Marvel front, Dr. Strange will go into film production next spring and may or may not have Joaquin Phoenix playing the title role. Also, TNT has secured the broadcast rights to at least five future Marvel films. And, even though it's Marvel, but has nothing to do with Disney, we're excited about 20th Century Fox's long-awaited Deadpool which may finally become a reality starring (we hope and pray) Ryan Reynolds in 2016.
• Will Frozen ever run out of steam? From speculation on who will say (or sing) what when Anna and Elsa join Once Upon a Time to a contest where you can sing "Let it Go" to your heart's content, the animation blockbuster still refuses to slow down.
• Are you a Disneyland APer who wouldn't mind taking part in a more laid back sing-along? You can do just that at special screenings of The Jungle Book and The Lion King at Disney California Adventure. Visit https://event-registration.disneyparks.disney.go.com/disneyland for details.

Sleeping Beauty Castle

• Safety regulations are requiring Disneyland to make some repairs and enhancements to the Sleeping Beauty Castle drawbridge that could prevent it from ever raising and lowering again. Is this really a big deal or is Cal/OSHA out to destroy Disney aesthetics?
• We can't wait to get our hands on the new book Marc Davis: Walt Disney's Renaissance Man. It won't be available to the general public until October 7, 2014, but poke around the parks now and you might be able to find an early copy available for purchase.

Enjoy!

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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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Inside The Mouse Castle 08-05-2014 - 'Guardians of the Galaxy,' 'Alice in Wonderland 2' and Walt Disney Meets 'Drunk History'

Guardians of the Galaxy opened to huge box office numbers over the weekend, racking up $94.3 million dollars and setting a U.S. record for an August film release. Tim and Anthony talk about the film's success, where it ranks in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the movie's uber nerd director James Gunn.

Also, in this episode:

• Alice in Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass has began principal photography in England with most of the cast from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland (Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Mia Wasikowska, Helena Bonham Carter and Alan Rickman) intact. This is not thrilling news given Tim and Anthony's dislike of Burton's film. Still it's encouraging that James Bobin (The Muppets, Muppets Most Wanted) will direct and will almost certainly give the sequel a lighter touch than its predecessor.

Mia Wasikowska as Alice in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland.

• Bill Murray will voice Baloo in Disney's reboot of The Jungle Book, slated for release on October 9, 2015. No word on if he'll croon The Bare Necessities as a cheesy lounge singer.
  
  
• Frozen co-director Jennifer Lee is penning a script for Disney based on Madeleine L'Engle's famed children's book A Wrinkle in Time. It was one of Lee's favorite stories growing up.
  
  
• The Muppets are back in a series of short comedic vignettes, Disney Drive-On with The Muppets. In episodes available only on www.DisneyMoviesAnywhere.com, Kermit the Frog assigns Pepe the King Prawn to mentor Walter on the ins and outs Disney Studio activity. On the way, they encounter celebrities like Martin Landau and Jennifer Tilly. Yeah, we think it's cute too.

• Gravity Falls is back (finally) for a second season on Disney Channel and Disney XD. Tim waxes poetic about the animated denizens of the strange Oregon town and pines for the voice of Mabel Pines, Kristen Schaal.
  
• A seven-minute preview of Star Wars: Rebels is online now. Time to tear to shreds the animated series Anthony calls "Aladdin in Space."

• Walt Disney was known to enjoy a drink of scotch or two during his life. How this plays into Walt being portrayed in an episode of Comedy Central's Drunk History remains to be seen. You can catch the episode which stars Jack Black, John Lithgow, Nick Kroll, Tony Hale, and Lindsay Sloane tonight (8/5) on Comedy Central.

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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