Blue Sky Disney

Blue Sky In Eleven (Part One)...

2012-01-26T22:25:00.000-08:00

Slowly, we're back...

Even though Blue Sky was quiet for the last part of the year, a lot still went on...

The beginning of the year saw an eyesore from the Disneyland Resort's Second Gate disappear.

I focused on what I thought was the true successor to Colonel Henry Walton, Jr., Ph.D.

We started to get enlightened on what Shanghai Disneyland was going to become.

This post offered a great interview with Glen Keane that focused on the difference between the Lamp and the Mouse.

Blue Sky put some perspective on what to create a Disney theme park/not create a Disney theme park.

Or this really great interview with Guillermo del Toro in the New Yorker.

And the celebration/lack thereof of Disney California's tenth anniversary.

While I liked the first "Iron Man" quite a bit, I thought the second one was a disappointment. This rumor, gave me hope a third would be the best. And then it was confirmed, making me sure of it.

Take a look at this speech, it could be coming from the man that will replace Iger.

And for those that are looking for the reasoning behind the theming of DCA, a little Blue Sky perspective.

And the year had just begun really...

Buying An Empire...

2012-01-18T14:14:00.000-08:00

The Force will be with him, always...

Yes, this will be another one of those posts...

George Lucas gave an interview with the New York Times where he talked about how he is done with the commercial part of his career. Even producer Rick McCallum commented on it saying: "Once this is finished, he's done everything he's ever wanted to do," Imagine that, to have accomplished all your goals in life. Not many people can say that.

But if we are to believe him, it brings up that question I always wondered. Will he take Lucasfilm public, sell all, or part of the company? There is plenty of reason to believe that he will never fully let go of the reigns of power. But as time goes by, could we possibly be seeing a Lucas that desires to move beyond the commercial shadow that he's lived in over a quarter of a century? And if he moves on, what becomes of his beloved Lucasfilm and the properties that it owns? Could he wind up selling the company? Selling some of the properties? Or maybe licensing them to others for commercial use?

I've long been a supporter of the Walt Disney Company buying Lucasfilm or at least purchasing its most popular properties (Star Wars and Indiana Jones). If there were ever a company that fit the mold to control and utilize these creations, it's Disney, not 20th Century Fox. Lucas has always said that he had thought of building his own theme park, and if he didn't the one company he would want to do something with would be Disney. Lucas and Spielberg are the two figures that seem to fit as closely as possible to the mold of what Walt Disney was. Having his creations within Disney is the perfect home for them. Yes, I know I've beaten this drum before, but as time goes by, Lucas will have to address what will happen to his legacy. He will have to let someone control the universes he has created. Other than taking his company public, what other company could/would do it better?

Now, if Bob Iger will do this we can get those Imagineers working on a Star Wars theme park...

Contemporary By Design...

2012-01-10T07:46:00.000-08:00

Now let's do something about the last hotel...

If you've been to the Disneyland Resort lately, you've seen all that construction...

Not just in the parks, but around the entire resort. And one of those projects that is about to end is the renovation/makeover of the Disneyland Hotel. After almost three years, the hotel is in the final stages of turning itself into an actual Disney Hotel. I know for some that might sound confusing, but those of us that remember, know that it wasn't even owned by the Mouse till 1989.

That's when Jack Wrather's company was bought by Disney, simply to own the hotel. All of their other properties (Queen Mary, The Lone Ranger, ect.), were sold off to try and justify the cost of getting the hotel finally into the Disney family.

And while many, myself included, had hoped that Disney would bulldoze it and put up a Hotel similar to the Disneyland Hotels in Paris, Tokyo or Hong Kong, the state of the economy didn't justify such a dramatic departure. But what has happened is reflective of what the other American Disney Resort has got.

Walt Disney World has the beautiful Contemporary Hotel. It was presented to the world on its opening day back in 1971, and the Imagineers have reflected back to that day in giving us what is essentially the West Coast version of it. While the Contemporary is a retro-version of early 70's design matched with the timeline of when WDW opened up, the Disneyland Hotel here in California is a retro-version of mid 50's design matched with the timeline of when Disneyland opened up. It is in a sentence, our Contemporary Hotel. And they've done a great job taking the bland towers designed by someone not associated with Disney, and turning into something that you could imagine had been all part of the master plan.

From the theming of the blue sky towers, the naming of each one after a land (A Tomorrowland Tower is still being talked about), the lush foliage and pools, to the newly themed restaurants. It's a great improvement. And while I'd still love to see a V(M)ictorian themed hotel (that parking lot looks awful big, doesn't it?), it's nice to see that two of the three Disney Hotels here are up to the name of the man behind it all.

Now if only plans for the Paradise Pier would just fall into place...

Gratitide...

2012-01-07T16:00:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to thank all those that have commented...

Both private and in the comments section, people have really said embarrassingly nice things about me.

While I can't promise the site will be back up to normal publishing, it will slowly start to have more new content. So please be patient. And thanks again for the warm thoughts.

It means a lot...

Test Patterns...

2012-01-06T08:18:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the silence, guys...

But life has to take preference over some things, and unfortunately, I've had to deal with some of those things. While they're not over, they have gotten to a point where I will be able to handle posting.

Next week, post will begin slowly. While I can't promise that they'll be back up to normal levels for a while, they will begin again.

And for those that have asked if the blog is dead, I hope this answers it...

Mouse In The Apple Tree...

2011-11-16T13:52:00.000-08:00

Frank Sinatra he ain't...

Now that Steve Jobs is gone, the Apple Board has no chairman and is down one member...

Until today. Apple CEO Tim Cook upped Arthur Levinson to Jobs' former title of Chairman and added Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger to the board. It's hard to imagine that he wasn't already there considering the closeness between the two companies. Disney has been one of the earliest supporters and adopters of the Fruit Company's products/devices/services.

Iger will sit on Apple's audit committee and provide a closer relationship between the entertainment and electronic giants...

A Thousand Colors...

2011-11-11T00:34:00.000-08:00

The world is a carousel of...

Not only do they debut the "Prep & Landing" pre-show tonight...

But DCA reaches a milestone with World of Color. Tonight the show has it's 1000 presentation. That's right.

One Thousandth Show.

Hard to believe it's only been going on for a year and a half and they've already had that many show, but they have.

Imagine how the park will look when they celebrate two thousand...

Prepping Color...

2011-11-09T07:58:00.000-08:00

You been busted...

Those of you that have read this blog often know that I'm a huge "Prep & Landing" fan...

Well those of you that are at Disney California Adventure for World of Color this Friday will get a special treat. There will be a pre-show featuring the lovable elves, Lanny and Wayne before the actual show begins. It's only a couple minutes long, but it's still a wonderful little promotion that they've put together to push, "Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice."

Anyone that's a fan of the WDAS short will sure to love it...

Circus Leaves Town...

2011-11-08T10:04:00.000-08:00

Bill Keane, the creator of "The Family Circus" and father of legendary Disney Animator, Glen Keane passed away today...

Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.

Heaven must have one massive bullpen of talented artist right now...

The Long Fall...

2011-11-01T13:25:00.000-07:00

Fall loves me...

Sorry for the lack of updates, guys...

The real world has came crushing around me and prevented me from entering the Blue Sky universe, unfortunately. Posts will be coming, but intermittently until later this month/next month.

Apologies for the silence...

Burton's Weenie...

2011-10-27T07:48:00.000-07:00

So we finally know what Tim Burton's "Frankenweenie" will look like...

If you're going to pic up the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly, then you'll see these shots from the film in a nice article about the film/man. We now have a sense as to what the director meant when saying to would be in black and white. It certainly has that "Burtonesque" quality to it. The dog, Sparky, looks exactly like the design that he did for Brad Bird's "Family Dog" that ran on Amazing Stories back in the Eighties. And the picture of the character of the boy that brings his pet back to life bares a striking resemblance to the lead character in the Disney short that Tim did called "Vincent" back when the Studio had no idea what to do with him.

It'll be interesting seeing if this film turns out more like "The Nightmare Before Christmas" or "The Corpse Bride."

Punishing Television...

2011-10-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

Get ready for punishment...

So a non-Disney owned network gets a Marvel adaptation...

Fox will get the first show based on a Marvel property that isn't on a Disney branded (Disney XD, ABC, ABC Family) broadcaster, "The Punisher."

And purist of the comic will be upset at the deviations from the source material. As envisioned by "Criminal Minds" showrunner Ed Bernero, Frank Castle will do his punishment moonlighting style. New York Cop by day, vengeful vigilante by night. Many will be upset, but I'll hold my powder dry until I see the finished product.

It's also fitting that the show will be made by Disney, but broadcast somewhere else. Since the subject matter is darker than other Marvel properties the Mouse probably wants to distance itself from the direct relation to the graphic material. Will it be a hit after the three disappointing films?

Time will tell...

Warner's Path & The Mouse's Mistakes...

2011-10-19T14:34:00.000-07:00

Mr. Iger, Valve is calling...

There's a really good article over at the LA Times about the Mouse's competition...

Not the film competition, or the theme park competition, but the gaming competition. Disney Interactive has been one of the few sore spots for the Walt Disney Company over the last five years. It's clear that the strategy they started out with hasn't worked. The pull back from the original strategy of the division, as well as the closing of companies it bought has revealed several weaknesses in the Mouse's plan.

Meanwhile, across town in Burbank, Warner Bros. seems to be following a much more successful path. There really is no excuse for Disney, as it has as much, if not more resources than Warner. It's clear that the companies and titles they produced, with exceptions of course, haven't been up to quality. WB Games has taken a strategy that has paid off very well, and this year will have revenues of over a billion dollars.

The Mouse continues to bleed red, though. While Warner bought Rocksteady, Disney bought Propaganda Games. Warner bought Traveller's Tales, and Disney bought Black Rock. When they should have bought a company like Valve or something like Sony's Naughty Dog. Instead, they aimed low and expected to go high.

Perhaps they will take a page from Warner, or perhaps not. But the path they have chosen is closer to what I'm sure Disney Interactive would have liked to have seen. Too bad they didn't follow that direction.

Gaming isn't as easy as they expected...

The Lone Ranger Rides Again, Rides Again...

2011-10-13T15:01:00.000-07:00

Ho hi, here we go again...

Well it appears that sanity has come to Burbank...

It this struggling economy, spending well north of a quarter of a billion dollars on a Western was enough to make the Mouse believe that it wasn't worth it. Thank you very much, "Cowboys & Aliens."

But the studio has come to an agreement with the producer, director and stars (what, no writers?) to take a 20% pay cut and defer some of the payments on the back end so as to get the film rolling. Also, any cost overruns will come out of Jerry Bruckheimer's pocket not Disneys. So it appears the production is back on track for shooting to start on February 6, 2012, with the film being released in the summer of the following year, May 31, 2013 to be exact.

Fear not, this is still a budget of over $215 million dollars, sans werewolves and a few other mystical things, but it still has three or four amazingly complex train robberies/crashes that should excite audience amidst the shoot outs. And don't worry about Johnny Depp not looking like an Indian, even though he is part Indian. You won't be able to recognize him if the make up test that they've done are approved. He's going to look like something you've never seen before. Of course, that has the studio a little worried, after all, if you're selling Johnny Depp and he doesn't even look like himself, will the audience not buy a ticket?

Come two years from now we'll likely know, but I like Gore Verbinski and I already know he can pull off a Western since he did "Rango" this year.

Now, let's hope he can turn silver bullets into box office gold...

Iger's End And Openings...

2011-10-07T13:20:00.000-07:00

Power corrupts, absolute power gets drunk on it...

Well Bob Iger has signed a two/three year extension of his contract...

But he's done something that Michael Eisner never did. He gave us an end game. Iger announced that he will gain the title of Chairman as of next year, and will leg go of the reigns of power as CEO on March 31, 2015. He will then stay on as Chairman of the Walt Disney Company at least till this new contract expires in June, 2016.

This is in stark contrast to Eisner who tried to maintain his hold on power well after he should have resigned. It also sets up a debate as to whom will become the next CEO. The obvious choices are Walt Disney Parks & Resorts Chairman, Tom Staggs and Dark Lord of the Sith, err, I mean Chief Financial Officer, Jay Rasulo. It's my belief that it will be Tom Staggs who gets the title as it appears he's a much better fit for the role. Jay belongs over in the bean counting department dealing with the numbers. Staggs has proven himself to be a savvy Suit working the parks and getting much respect from those that he's had dealings with.

It may be interesting to see which Suit comes out in the lead over the next four years...

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish...

2011-10-05T15:58:00.000-07:00

Thought Different...

Steven Paul Jobs
February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011

Be Back 10, 9, 8, 7...

2011-10-01T14:51:00.000-07:00

We are experiencing technical life difficulties...

Sorry everyone, but the real world has prevented anything from being posted lately...

Blogging should begin again next week.

Reality permitting...

Of Beasts And Burdens...

2011-09-23T14:05:00.000-07:00

Yeah, king of the world baby...

As we learn more about this deal for an expansion of Disney's Animal Kingdom, some thoughts...

A lot of people are asking about how this deals with the possibility of fans seeing Beastly Kingdom? Well, to be honest, I'll let the dark lord of soulless numbers give you the answer:

”We just won’t do something else we were going to do”

- Jay Rasulo, Chief Financial Officer, Walt Disney Company

That was in response to a question he was asked about the cost of this new "Avatar" land and how it'll affect the bottom line. So for anyone expecting an announcement coming anytime in the near future, you better be patient. While the idea of Beastly Kingdom still lives in the halls of WDI in Glendale, it's not going to be happening anytime soon. And when/if it finally does, don't expect it to look exactly as the original proposal did. Somewhere, sometime in the future you could expect to see dragons, griffins and unicorns to make it to Animal Kingdom, but likely before the end of this decade. I'm willing to wait and watch it grow and evolve.

While "Avatar" wasn't my favorite film in 2009, I can see some appeal for putting it in DAK. And it does fall in the slot of fantasy or mythical creatures, but could likely be referred to as sci-fi creatures. So it would be a variation or play on the original theming of extinct animals, living animals and mythical animals. This would be a subset of that particular group.

And if James Cameron gets his way, which he's used to getting, then you can expect that every penny that he wants will get put into this project. And from what unnamed suits have been saying is this will be somewhere around $500 million dollars. To put that in perspective, Cars Land is somewhere close to $300 million and the Extreme Expansion of the Magic Kingdom's Fantasyland is a little under that. Keeping that in mind, remember that the Extreme Makeover of DCA is a little under one billion dollars. So for just a section of DAK Imagineers will have half of that funding. This could make for an extremely immersive world if done properly.

And if everything goes well, dragons, griffins and unicorns will join this place when another expansion finally comes...

Posting Periods...

2011-09-23T08:13:00.000-07:00

Posted...

If you happen to get to see the new display at the Blue Sky Cellar, you will find these...

Three new lovely posters for more attractions. This brings to nine the number of posters done in this retro-Disneyland style. Now wouldn't it be nice if they sold all of these together in a set? Of course, there's still more that need to be done, like Midway Mania, Radiator Springs Racers, ect.

But it's lovely to view the walk back...

A Different Kind Of Beastley Kingdomme...

2011-09-20T10:33:00.000-07:00

A world of tall, cat looking, blue creatures...

Now this is surprising, but not entirely unexpected...

The Walt Disney Company has licensed James Cameron's "Avatar" for an attraction based in Disney's Animal Kingdom for debut after the release of the next film. So, Universal has Spielberg and now Disney has Cameron helping design themed attractions? Here's the press release:

BURBANK, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide is joining forces with visionary filmmaker James Cameron and Fox Filmed Entertainment to bring the world of AVATAR to life at Disney parks. Through an exclusive agreement announced today by Disney, Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment and Fox, Disney will partner with Cameron and producing partner Jon Landau to create themed lands that will give theme park guests the opportunity to explore the mysterious universe of AVATAR first hand. Disney plans to build the first AVATAR themed land at Walt Disney World, within the Animal Kingdom park. With its emphasis on living in harmony with nature, Animal Kingdom is a natural fit for the AVATAR stories, which share the same philosophy. Construction is expected to begin by 2013.
“James Cameron is a groundbreaking filmmaker and gifted storyteller who shares our passion for creativity, technological innovation and delivering the best experience possible,” said Robert A. Iger, President and CEO of The Walt Disney Company. “With this agreement, we have the extraordinary opportunity to combine James’ talent and vision with the imagination and expertise of Disney.”

“AVATAR created a world which audiences can discover again and again and now, through this incredible partnership with Disney, we’ll be able to bring Pandora to life like never before. With two new AVATAR films currently in development, we’ll have even more locations, characters and stories to explore,” said James Cameron. “I’m chomping at the bit to start work with Disney’s legendary Imagineers to bring our AVATAR universe to life. Our goal is to go beyond current boundaries of technical innovation and experiential storytelling, and give park goers the chance to see, hear, and touch the world of AVATAR with an unprecedented sense of reality.”

The agreement announced today gives The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) exclusive global theme park rights to the AVATAR franchise and provides for additional AVATAR themed lands at other Disney parks. The other locations will be determined by Disney and its international theme park partners. James Cameron, Jon Landau and their Lightstorm Entertainment group will serve as creative consultants on the projects and will partner with Walt Disney Imagineering in the design and development of the AVATAR themed lands.

“This exciting new venture combines the world of AVATAR with the enormous reach of Disney and the incomparable talent of Jim Cameron,” commented Fox Filmed Entertainment chairmen Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman. “While Jim is bringing audiences further into Pandora with the next two chapters in the AVATAR motion picture saga, the theme park attraction will likewise bring a new dimension to the amazing universe he created.”

“AVATAR is a uniquely powerful franchise that has global appeal with audiences of all ages. Its spectacular settings, intriguing characters, imaginative creatures, and strong themes of family and loyalty make it a perfect fit for Disney,” said Thomas O. Staggs, Chairman, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “We can’t wait to give our guests the ability to journey to Pandora and explore the incredible immersive world of AVATAR in person.”

In addition to setting a global box office record, AVATAR has been hailed as one of the most innovative and visually stunning movies ever produced. With its advanced motion capture and 3-D digital projection technologies developed by James Cameron and his team, moviegoers were able to connect with the world of AVATAR in new and engaging ways.

This new venture complements Walt Disney Parks & Resorts’ strategic efforts to continue to invest in its core theme park businesses around the world while simultaneously expanding into other parts of the family vacation business.

More commentary to follow...

Hat Tip to Deadline Hollywood.

Holiday Of Color...

2011-09-16T05:35:00.000-07:00

Ho Ho Ho Two Oh...

When the holidays roll around this year, DCA may be the place to be...

Regardless of all those walls, the Christmas holiday season may offer a great reason to skip the fireworks over at Disneyland. Unless the plans change between now and October, the World of Color show that you watch in December will be filled with a lot of green and red, with sugar plum dreams to dance in your head.

They've been testing selections and musical pieces over the past couple of months for it, as well as a Halloween show. That show has been postponed till next Halloween when the park will be fully open, sans walls. It's pretty impressive, from what I've been told, but for now it appears that the Christmas/Holiday show will be the only one. Which isn't a bad thing at all.

Imagine the snow...

A Glimpse Of The End Of The Beginning Of The End...

2011-09-13T05:43:00.000-07:00

Reving up for next year...

It's less than a year before the Extreme Makeover of DCA is over...

Could this ad for a pin trading event next year be a peek into the marketing direction of where the Mouse will go?

Developing...

Ten Years Out, Forever In...

2011-09-11T06:50:00.000-07:00

We will prevail...

Glasscrawler...

2011-09-06T08:17:00.000-07:00

Disgusting creatures...

This looks like a beautiful piece of architecture...

George Lucas' headquarters for Lucasfilm Animation Singapore will be completed mid-next year, but it's already developed a nickname: The Sandcrawler. Based on the pictures here you can see how it resembles the famed vehicle from the original Star Wars film.

Construction started in October 2010 on the facility which will consist of eight floors of office space, a retail shopping space located on the first floor, a lush public park area, elevated public gardens, a state-of-the-art data center and production capabilities as well as a 100 seat theater. The structure will be located in the country's Fusionopolis Development Complex.

It is expected to house the company's growing animation unit that is working on a secret feature film project. Apparently the creative elements of the story will still be developed in Marin County, back in Skywalker Ranch, but the visual construction of that tale will take place in a glass Jawa transport. The projects that are being done here are in addition to anything yet to be announced from ILM and their attempts to become a full fledged animation studio.

The Empire grows...

A Tenth Of The Tenth...

2011-09-05T08:06:00.000-07:00

There were so many events and ceremonies celebrating the anniversary of Tokyo's Second Gate...

No way we could cover them all, but I thought it would be nice to look at a few of them. If you can't be there, at least YouTube can take you there.

Here is the opening ceremony to commemorate the tenth year of the park with the heads of the Oriental Land Company and Walt Disney Company head of parks, Tom Staggs (Take a look around Tom, this is what we expect!).

The musical celebration on the water in the Mediterranean Harbor yesterday. Again, nothing is as good as actually being there with the sights and sounds, but you can get some of the flavor of what it is to see this magical place at this magical time.

Before everything begins, custodial has to be make sure everything is up to the high standards of a Disney Park, but take a look at how much the Japanese Cast Members get into their jobs.

Some of the bizarre musical renditions (with Chip & Dale) you can find at Port Discovery during this time.

And speaking of music. Here's the official song of the 10th anniversary. Now, can you imagine if Disney California Adventure had an anniversary song?

And here are some of the decorations outside the entrance to the park.

If only the tenth of DCA could have been celebrated in such a tradition. We do have another one coming up in five years so perhaps they can take some tips from these celebrations and make it a memorable one. By then the Second Phase will be done if everything works out smoothly, or at the very least will be deeply in development.

And one can only imagine what will be up in Tokyo's Second Park by then...

A Perfect Ten...

2011-09-04T00:27:00.000-07:00

Oh, now I sea...

Ten years ago today a miracle happened...

The Walt Disney Company let someone else take their talent and ideas and create something better than they could/would do. They let someone else build their dreams. On this day a decade ago, Tokyo DisneySEA was born.

Born out of the collapse of Port Disney, Tokyo's Second Disney Gate is a masterpiece that all should see.

It is a prime example of what Disney and Imagineers are capable of if given the opportunity.

If you would like to know more about Tokyo DisneySEA or Port Disney click here. If you'd love some great wallpapers of it then get the Disney and More App for it here. If you'd like to go there then go to a travel site and book a trip now. And if you don't then I have to ask, why not?

Dreams are worth seeing as much as believing in...

Blu-American...

2011-09-02T07:06:00.000-07:00

The first on the twenty-fifth...

You can always tell if I liked a film based on if I'll get the Blu-Ray...

And as many of you know, I absolutely loved "Captain America" when it came out. So there should be no doubt that when October 25th. It was a great adaption with depth and heart that should show any studio how to faithfully take a comic and create something everyone can have accessibility to. The Blu-Ray also features a ton of extras:

00:03:44:01 MARVEL ONE-SHOT: A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THOR’S HAMMER
00:01:08:17 THE AVENGERS – EARTH’S MIGHTIEST HEROES!
00:03:40:16 (CAPTAIN AMERICA’S ORIGIN)
00:10:20:20 (OUTFITTING A HERO)
00:05:47:02 (HOWLING COMMANDOS)
00:11:41:07 (HEIGHTENED TECHNOLOGY)
00:09:53:15 (BEHIND THE SKULL)
00:08:23:13 (THE TRANSFORMATION)
00:02:13:15 CAPTAIN AMERICA – SUPER SOLDIER
00:01:37:13 THE AVENGERS
00:00:38:06 (DELETED SCENES: NORWAY TANK ATTACK)
00:01:29:22 (DELETED SCENES: BUCKY’S BATTLE)
00:00:57:23 (DELETED SCENES: YOU DESERVE A MEDAL)
00:02:02:22 (DELETED SCENES: THERE’S A PLACE FOR YOU HERE)
00:00:39:08 (DELETED SCENES: NORWAY TANK ATTACK W/COMMENTARY) 00:01:29:24 (DELETED SCENES: BUCKY’S BATTLE W/COMMENTARY)
00:00:57:23 (DELETED SCENES: YOU DESERVE A MEDAL W/COMMENTARY) 00:02:18:05 CAPTAIN AMERICA – THE FIRST AVENGER (THEATRICAL TRAILER #1) 00:02:17:19 CAPTAIN AMERICA – THE FIRST AVENGER (THEATRICAL TRAILER #2)

Come October, I am there...

Rocketeering Back...

2011-09-01T07:27:00.000-07:00

You look like a hood ornament...

So September begins and the Mouse announces holiday gifts...

After much anticipation about when they would finally release a Blu-Ray of the classic film, "The Rocketeer" would be announced, the details are out.

December 13.

That's when you can get your copy of the film. Who knows, if enough people buy it we might even see the Suits in Burbank think of a sequel, reboot or even an animated series on Disney XD?

Hey, I'm a dreamer...

Coming Magic...

2011-08-29T09:03:00.000-07:00

Believe...

It's almost been a decade since the Japanese showed Disney how to be Disney...

The anniversary of the most amazingly beautiful theme park is just around the corner and the publicity is starting to ratchet up. Take a look at this commercial reminding everyone what is coming.

And what Disney can do when it lets itself be free to dream...

Uncle Scrooge's Father Passes...

2011-08-25T18:27:00.000-07:00

Work smarter, not harder...

Eleven years ago today, Carl Barks went on into history...

At his home in Grants Pass, Oregon the man that created my favorite Disney comic to read as a child, passed away. He started at Disney in the mid Thirties and later went on to draw Donald and the gang well into the late Sixties. In his comics, the characters were dramatically different than the shorts. Donald was not near as much of a rascal and he took readers on adventures to exotic and exciting places way before Dr. Jones ever did. For an old man, he was mighty limber (Scrooge, not Barks). Carl did as Walt did, not creating stories for children, but the child in all of us. And I delighted in every issue he provided me. My love of adventure started with his words and pictures and I owe him a great deal of gratitude. Many youths of today will not even know him, but they do know of him through his creations.

And he lives on through them in comics, films, shorts and television...

Cars Show, D23 Style...

2011-08-25T06:54:00.000-07:00

I am speed...

I didn't get to go to the D23 Expo panels on Sunday due to a previous commitment...

There were only two events I wanted to attend, if I had been about to be there on that day: the Marvel Panel and the Cars Land Panel. Well, thanks to the wonders of YouTube, you and I can watch that panel. Just imagine all those people that waited in line only to be told the room was full? They could have been riding something in the parks and just clicked on this once they got home. So here it is for your viewing pleasure:

Cars Land Panel One

Cars Land Panel Two

Cars Land Panel Three

And this time next year you'll be in another line; one for these attractions...

Jobs Loss...

2011-08-24T09:38:00.000-07:00

One More Thing...

A lot of people have lost jobs, but now a Jobs has quit his...

Steven P. Jobs has resigned as CEO of Apple, Inc. as of today. This is like hearing something equivalent to Walt Disney resigning from Walt Disney Productions. It truly is the end of an era. Like when Walt passed away and the Disney Studios had to find there way without him, or Henry Ford no longer being at Ford Motor. It's one of those points in history that you can point to and say that you were there, or you remembered what you were doing at that time.

It won't likely mean anything for his involvement in the Walt Disney Company. They don't meet that often and he will likely stay on the Board of Directors, as his seven percent of the company still makes him an important contributor to business discussions. My warmest feelings and deepest regards go out to him, his family and the people who work there. He will now be the Chairman of the Board, but he won't be around One Infinite Loop on a continuing basis or regular schedule.

While his shadow will loom long and far over the company, his fingerprint will remain there forever...

Lessons Unlearned...

2011-08-21T11:46:00.000-07:00

Plan ahead, plan well you big dopes...

With the closing of the Mouse's second convention, I thought it was time to reflect...

On what went right and what went wrong. Mostly on the wrong part of that reflective question. Lets recap a little about the 2009 D23 Expo. First, it was over 4 days and in the end had over 20,000+ attend the show. Not bad for a first time event. Disney pulled it off pretty well, although there were some rough edges that you would think they would learn from and tweak the next time, right?

Not really, no.

This time to save money, (I mean, those numbers weren't a success for a first time event.) they decided to have the event over three days instead of four. And the attendance this year was more than last time, catching Disney off guard. close to 40,000 attended this year. A full 17,000 attended a sold out Saturday event alone. Do the math, almost twice as many people with one less day to do it in. Crowds far worse than last time. Less Cast Members were there to help out from the parks as well. Have to save those pennies you know. After all, no one will notice right? There were five security companies hired to handle this event as well and I talked to some of them as well as several people that worked for the Anaheim Convention Center and they all agreed that the Mouse botched it.

There were a lot of displays, but it did seem like there were less of them. I could be wrong about that, but the general perception was along those lines. The Walt Disney Parks & Resorts display was nice, but the open space between the displays made it feel like there were less models on view. Also, the announcement that there would be things on display from all parks wasn't accurate as well. Florida, with the Extreme Expansion at the Magic Kingdom's Fantasyland was the big model this time. California with Buena Vista Street and Cars Land were represented. Shanghai was on display in a very intentionally vague model. Disney Cruise Line had a representation there as well with models of the Dream and a statue of Minnie from the Fantasy. Adventures by Disney, the Aulani and the Disney Vacation Club was represented as well. But Hong Kong from 09' wasn't represented, neither was Disneyland Paris and nothing from Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo DisneySEA (Mustn't embarrass the other parks by stunning Disney fans with pictures from this park, could they?).

But as I mentioned in my observations in the earlier post, the biggest mistake was the Arena area of the park. This was the place where the big stuff was to be held. This place holds 6,000+ people and during the first D23 Expo Disney rented out the entire place. Even then people still didn't get in. You would think with this demand, event planners would have prepared for this and did something to address the situation. They did. They made it worse. To make it more intimate (company phrasing to hide the unwillingness to fork over cash for the entire place) they decided to only rent out approximately 4,000 seats. Leaving almost a third of the place empty. Empty even though they could have filled up all the seats. Almost the whole upper balcony sat vacant while fans waited outside. Way to make it more intimate, guys. Real good PR move. While I got into the Parks & Resorts event, hundreds of people did not. This left many people that attended this expo who waited in line feeling frustrated and saddened at not being able to see the presentation. Now, what was shown was very entertaining, but it wasn't any big surprise. Tom Staggs continues to grow in his job and will hopefully be Iger's successor some day. Like I mentioned in my other article, Staggs would likely only give a small surprise, not a big one. Which is exactly what happened.

But the major screw up was the big event for Walt Disney Studios; the massive two and a half hour collection of previews of coming films, DVD's and teases of what's to come over the next two/three years. This event did offer some surprises and the fact that they didn't let you bring your camera was a clue to this. If they have a Parks & Resorts event at a future Expo where they don't allow cameras or cell phones then you will have a clue that something is going to be shown that you'll want to be there for. But even with all these wonderful surprises, there were thousands of people, yes thousands, that didn't get to see any of it. They had to wander around the panels and exhibits checking websites for updates. All while two thousand seats sat empty. But it was intimate right? I was one of the lucky ones with a connection, but most were not.

The really bad thing is those that got up, drove to this thing and waited for three or four hours ahead or more only to be told that the Arena was full. Now, if those other seats were available there still would have been people who didn't get in to see it, but there would have been far less. And to make matters worse, this event was not advertised as a D23 Member exclusive event. That's because it was open to the public... or so it was advertised. But the geniuses at planning didn't think this one through. See, if you are a D23 member then you get early admission to the Expo. Fair enough, but it also means that you can line up for the Arena queue up to an hour before anyone else can. Including those that have been there four hours before you. So by the time the attendees were let in, it was full.

No one that waited in this line got to see the show. If the other two thousand seats had been available, many would have got to see it. But Disney chose to only buy out two thirds of it and make the others that waited feel like they'd wasted a good deal of time. Unless you were someone in the media or a D23 member you were shut out. That's not how it was advertised and that is not how it was planned, but it is how events unfolded. And several of the media weren't too happy having their reporting materials confiscated. To make matters worse, Marvel live-blogging the announcements made many reporters upset that they were invited to cover an event only to be scooped by the host. And with the chaos that happened over these three days many in the media felt that Disney had been touting that they can hold an event as good as, or better than Comic-Con does. The reporters I talked to believe they clearly cannot.

I can tell you at least one vice president no longer has a job because of these screw ups and I can think of one or two more I wouldn't mind seeing let go. I think the planning should have been done to make sure everyone wanted to return for the next expo. I don't know if that will happen, because I talked to several people that were so frustrated they didn't know wether or not they were going to book it. I think many will wait for the schedule to see what is planned. And several of those will wait to see if the Arena is fully booked, because if they plan on leaving a third empty then many will just stay home. Because they'll know that the events they are being told they have a chance of seeing, they have no real chance of attending. The planners of the next event had better have at least the entire Arena available or there will be major complaints. At least? How can they have more? Well, there are several rooms that weren't rented out which the event planners could have put seats in and big screens at the front to broadcast the events. If they're worried about cameras and cell phones then they can ban them from this room like they did for the Studios keynote. But at least many more will get to see it. That would leave the guest happy to have been part of the magic they wanted to see. Imagine that, Disney?

There were several things that went well, but far too many screw ups were worse than the original Expo, which shouldn't have happened. I wonder how many who worked that last one were paying attention? I wonder if they really thought this through? It certainly didn't appear so this time. They had better examine the problems they had and address them before next time. I remember hearing the PR Suits saying that two years would help them plan for an even better expo. Really? Then next time play it safe.

Plan three, four or even five years in advance, please...

ReTangled...

2011-08-21T10:21:00.000-07:00

I have a dream...

One of the things announced at D23 this weekend was a continuation of the goldmine known as "Tangled" next year...

Not a sequel, but a short that will debut on the Disney Channel in 2012. Nathan Greno and Byron Howard will bring us "Tangled Ever After" as a special event on the Mouse's main cable channel which has yet to be scheduled.

Now, if some of those shorts inch closer to production...

Expo-Tube...

2011-08-20T21:13:00.000-07:00

For those that didn't attend the D23 Expo here is a surprise for you...

No long lines. No crappy, overpriced food. No dealing with screw-ups that shouldn't have happened. Just sit back in your chair and click the links. Watch them at your leisure and pause then to go to the bathroom or grab another drink from the fridge. Through the magic of YouTube you can be there.

Others have sacrificed for your pleasure:

Tom Staggs' Walt Disney Parks & Resorts Keynote - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

Walt Disney Parks & Resorts Carousel of Projects - Disney and More has excellent coverage of this as well as here and more here.

Buena Vista Street Panel - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

Disney Legends Panel - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6.

Talk with Mickey Presentation - Part 1, Part 2.

Voices from the Parks Panel - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8.

Imagineering Cars Land Panel - Highlights here.

Walt Disney Studios Keynote - What, are you crazy? You think even we have that? Move along!

And now we can all wait for the next D23 Expo...

Twenty-Three Perspectives...

2011-08-19T19:11:00.000-07:00

Evo-lutions...

And so ends the first day of D23 Expo 2011...

I thought I'd add a few comments from Blue Sky's perspective on the second convention put on by the Mouse. I got to attend quite a few panels today that I wanted to. I barely got into Tom Staggs speech after a very interesting conversation with a couple of Bothans. But here are some thoughts.

First off, it's evident that Disney decided to pull back somewhat from the 2009 expo. Whereas the first one was over four days, this year there is only a three day event. The rooms used for panels was lowered as well. Disney is trying to be somewhat conservative after their first expo and not over plan for some of the events. I believe they intended to tighten their belt a bit this time and see how things go with the fans. The one area where I think they made a mistake is by not renting out the entire Arena for the big events. Sure, the line going around is that they wanted to make it more intimate, but that's not the case. The first expo had events using all 6000 seats in the Arena, while this year they're only using 4000 seats. Disney expected to save some money by not renting out many of the top tier seats (hence the propaganda about "intimate."). But truthfully, all that did was leave hundreds of fans unhappy and angry that they were left waiting outside in a line that had no hope of seeing events. If they're going to do this again next time, I suggest they at least put some screens along the queue area to allow those not inside to at least view Tom's announcements.

Now, as far as what was announced? Not much new as I expected. I know that a couple of things that were on the list got cut off for a later announcement (the program was reduced from an hour and a half to just an hour). But all present got to see a lot more of the progress on the current projects. If anyone expected a lot of new info to be released, all you had to do was look at the description of the keynote to make you lower your expectations. No new projects were going to announced for Disneyland as that will upstage all the stuff surrounding DCA. You can expect that we won't hear much about the next phase for that park till after next summer.

As for Shanghai, if you were visiting the Carousel of Projects then you'd see that vague model and those rotating pictures behind it. But that's all you'll see for a while. This park is about five years away. So they are in deep blue sky right now. it'll be another two years before the plans start to finalize and closer to three before you see any tangible progress. Even the projects that we announced here could evolve. This is "Blue Sky" Disney, of course. Nothing is set in stone just yet. Plans are made, shown to execs and then they're sent back to the drawing board. Tom himself has had them go back and change plans a couple times already. Disney spent a lot of time wooing the Chinese over the last decade with many samples of artwork that showed extravagant designs of beautiful things that would be possible in this park. Now, the hard part will be actually turning that paint into something buildable for a budget. Kind of like what they have to do with this year's expo.

Then it's all about managing expectations...

Blue Sky Buzz: Shanghai Hopes...

2011-08-17T00:24:00.000-07:00

He's got high hopes...

With only a couple days to go before the Mini-Con, I thought it was time to address a few things...

I know that several sites have reported on several rumors about Shanghai Disneyland. Blue Sky has been relatively quite on the subject lately. Part of that is having to deal with the real world and the limits of time I have. The other part is that I promised my Bothans not to speak about certain thing until the fall. I've also only spoke to them a few times in the past several months. Tom Staggs is a very good leader, that apparently understands the workings of Imagineering better than Jay Rasulo ever could. And he's also good at stopping leaks. But from what I've heard, I'm slowly becoming a fan of the direction he is headed. Staggs is a business man first, but he's someone that seems to get what most bean counters don't. And having him in charge of the parks could offer great opportunities ahead. Time will tell, but I think the Walt Disney Company is a world away from where it was a decade ago. And I clearly think he is the obvious candidate to replace Bob Iger when he decides to step down. Which I hope he realizes in his tenure before Eisner did.

That said, lets move on to Asia:

First off, the rumors that you've heard about a TRON attraction are true. It will take the place of Space Mountain in this sixth Magic Kingdom styled park. It is the giant white dome you see in that overview artwork piece the company released when they officially announced the resort a while back. It will be enclosed in darkness so that you won't see the exposed beams that shoot the lightcycle-type vehicles through the world of Tron (And yes, like the websites are saying, it is based on the Vekoma Motobike System designs).

As we were the first to break this, yes the water attraction that we mentioned is called the "Lost World River Rapids" and it is the mountain that you see in that artwork that was released (you did click on the link to "The Lost World" novel right?). I was able to tease what it was, but I wasn't able to reveal the name. Now that it's out, I can say that the stories are correct and there is more. Remember when Bob Iger mentioned that this park will be uniquely Chinese? Well, that's one of the reasons this attraction was approved. China is home to the largest collection of dinosaur finds in the world and the Mouse wants to play this up. The ride itself will be influenced by the GRR attraction that we have here in California, but it will be different. First off, it will have dinosaur audio-animatronics on it. Unless they make budget cuts, like happened on GRR, which have twice ended the inclusion of AA's, then you can expect a prehistoric experience. Also, the rockwork is very beautiful and extravagant. It is also expensive and over budget in design. Let's hope that the project isn't downscaled because the design is quite lovely and will become an instant classic. Please don't cut the beauty simply because of the cost overruns, Mr. Staggs.

Some people have noticed that Mayan temple over in the Adventureland area and have supposed that it is a Indiana Jones attraction. I can confirm that it is not. As of now, there are no plans to include the Man in the Hat on opening day. Things could change, but the designs of this attraction are not based on the Lucasfilm property. What it is, I can't say at this time, but wanted to tell you what it's not.

I know that sites are starting to report that the area will include a new "Pirates of the Caribbean" attraction with elements based on the designs of the attraction that was proposed for Hong Kong Disneyland. I can't confirm this, but there was/will be a POTC stunt show similar to the Indiana Jones one at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Whether this to be done in conjunction with or in place of the attraction, I'm not sure. As always, time will tell, and maybe we'll find out in not too much time.

There will be no Frontierland as of my last talks with the Bothans. Not that it hasn't been mentioned, but the plans for anything related to something that would go in such an area, would be placed in another land. While Japanese don't have any conception of what a "frontier" is, the Chinese experience with that term is known and considered far more negative. Hence the decision to not have a land named for it. In truth, Shanghai itself is the true Frontierland; wild, untamed and full of energy.

Just like HKDL has a variation of the Haunted Mansion, the Shanghai park will have variations on classic Disney attractions. In this case, the "Jungle Cruise" will be part of the park when it opens up in 2015/16, albeit with the same kind of variations that you see between the original Haunted Mansion and Mystic Manor. But it will be classic WDI from the designs I know of.

Over in Fantasyland, the "Seven Dwarfs Mine Coaster" is a go. This appears to be a clone of the one being built in the Extreme Expansion of WDW's Fantasyland. Another attraction that will be found in this land that is not in China's other Disney park is "Peter Pan" and a variation of the classic "Winnie the Pooh" ride. Plans are evolving and discussions are ongoing as to which other attractions are to be included. Expect at least one, possibly two more to join these on opening day.

That slow flume ride beneath the castle is also true as well. But, while some sites have reported that it will go throughout the entire park, it will actually only travel around Fantasyland. But it will be a beautiful ride through that popular land. The experience you get will be one of an enveloping fairytale, but done with the Imagineer's golden touch.

Disney and it's Imagineers have had a difficult time adjusting to Chinese culture and their way of doing things. It is a learning experience and a frustrating one at times. The way that things are constructed and the guidelines that China uses are not what WDI expects and it has been a challenge dealing with the way things are done in the Middle Kingdom, and Shanghai in particular. Let's just say the tools they use, figuratively and literally are different than what Glendale is used to working with.

There will be plans and models shown at the D23 Expo, but I wouldn't expect everything or most of what has been revealed here to debut. Unless Staggs changes the initial plans then we can really expect an overview with some minor surprises. But we'll have to wait for that big, beautiful tomorrow to find out.

Because tomorrow is only a tomorrow away...

Del Toronations...

2011-08-14T09:03:00.000-07:00

We need at least two more...

If you haven't seen it, MTV has a video interview with the busiest man in entertainment...

Guillermo del Toro spoke with the network about many of his upcoming projects, including: "The Haunted Mansion," his "Hulk" television series, his giant robot vs. giant monster film, "Pacific Rim," among many other projects, including his new foray into video games, "inSANE." But didn't include anything on his new book series, "The Strain" or "Trollhunters" over at DreamWorks Animation. I guess if they discussed everything the man is connected to then it would have turned into a mini-series.

An interesting interview as he's quite candid and open as a film maker and creator. If there is ever to be a case for cloning, del Toro is the man I'd recommend as the first candidate. Just image all the projects that we'd have coming out. My only complaint is that the interview about Mansion doesn't include the most obvious question: "Will he direct it?" I suspect he won't, but will co-write and produce it. But I'd like a definitive answers, none-the-less.

Now if he can just get "At the Mountains of Madness" made then he'll have complete domination of the world...

Stating The Obvious...

2011-08-11T14:07:00.000-07:00

A long, long time ago, hopefully soon to be bought...

Disney is still in the buying mood it appears...

In a conference call with investors for the Walt Disney Company the other day, Bob Iger mentioned that the Mouse was looking at the opportunity to buy other characters. Now, I know that people will complain about a lack of creativity, but the Maestro himself purchased the rights to several characters he didn't own(101 Dalmatians, Winnie the Pooh, ect.). Many of those characters today are thought of as being as Disney as Mickey Mouse. But I'll take this opportunity to stand up on my soapbox once again:

Star Wars/Indiana Jones/Lucasfilm.

These characters have been inside Disney Parks for two decades and most guests, particularly young boys, identify them as Disney characters to begin with. To inform them that they aren't owned by Disney would be a surprise to most if not all. If Iger is true to this statement then it's time to purchase them from Lucas and make it happen. I can only cross my fingers that this is what has been happening in back channels. I dream of Iger having meetings with George Lucas up in Marin County, discussing a transaction similar to the Marvel deal over a nice lunch at Skywalker Ranch.

If there is any company that Lucas could/would/should leave his characters in the hands of, it's the Walt Disney Company. It represents a strong collection of characters that Iger can utilize across all sectors of the company. From merchandise, television, film, theme parks, the brands represent an opportunity for the company to expand earnings and generate content with a very recognizable list of characters.

If George doesn't want to continue the films beyond Episode VI then you could have adventures like "Knights of the Old Republic," or that "Boba Fett" film that Joe Johnston wants to make. How about a Star Wars animated film from Pixar or Walt Disney Animated Studios under the guidance of John Lasseter? Or even a possible reboot/reinterpretation of the films the way J.J. Abrams did with "Star Trek."

Television offers opportunities as well, with the Clone Wars series being such a success on the Cartoon Network, shows made for Disney XD would be a given. And lets not forget to mention my long dream of an "Indiana Jones" animated series from Paul Dini. How about an animated series focusing on "The Adventures of Han & Chewie?" And if ABC can have a network show coming that stars the Hulk, could you not see one staring Republic Commandos?

Then there is the possibility of expanding the Lucasfilm brand in the parks. Could you see an entire section in the Hollywood Studios dedicated to Star Wars? Or even better: A Fifth Gate that is nothing but that? The opportunities are endless and as big as the universe the Bearded One created. So, I think Bob Iger should take the advise of one of Star Wars wisest characters:

Do, or do not, there is no try...

Hat Tip to The Disney Blog.

The World Of Tomorrow (Films)...

2011-08-08T13:48:00.000-07:00

It's amazing, it's astouning, it's the world of tomorrowland...

Time passes so quickly that you tend to lose perspective of what has happened...

Or what could happen. The middle of the decade is only about three and a half years away. I thought it would be interesting to take a look at where the Mouse will likely be then.

When we get to 2015 you have to wonder where the Walt Disney Company will be. What will the film business be like? The theme parks division? How will the events and advances in technologies change or advance the Burbank entertainment company? In this post, I thought we'd look at the film division.

Walt Disney Studios -

This division is divided into five branches that includes Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Studios and Touchstone Studios.

Walt Disney Pictures:

The live action family division of the Mouse at the middle of the decade will have released "John Carter," "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," probably "Pirates of the Caribbean 5" and various others. A "TR3N" will likely have been released if the reception to "Tron: Uprising" meets the Suits approval. And should many of those films be successful, then you can imagine sequels to several of them would be on the way. Another John Carter would be close to production or already being filmed based on how much box office receipts came in in 2012. A sixth, and likely final Pirate film starring Johnny Depp would undoubtedly be in the making as well. The likelihood of Rich Ross still being in charge will depend on the success of many of these films as well as several comedies recently approved. Should we get more stinkers like what has come out with over the past year, another head of the studios could be in charge by the middle of the decade. Success in this business has a way of leveling out and rolling heads.

Walt Disney Animation Studios:

The heart and soul of the company will look dramatically different come a few years. The output of films will have been of a consistently better quality for the good part of a decade by then (Pixar bought in 2006, "Bolt" two years later). With Lasseter making sure stories count more than bean counter opinions, audiences will hopefully have started to regain faith in the brand by then. Also the variety of films will have broadened. While princesses and queens and kings will still be present, stories that you wouldn't normally think of coming from Disney will have come or be soon coming from Disney. By 2015, you can expect "Wreck It Ralph," "King of the Elves," and likely "Snow Queen" to be out come the middle of decade. But the most interesting ones are yet to come from the trailers of what Dean Wellins and Don Hall have planned. By this time WDAS will have likely rebuilt a reputation that war torn down over the late 90's/early 2000's.

Pixar Animation Studios:

Up north in Emeryville, Disney North will be passed all the announced films that we know will continue through 2013. Next year is "Brave" which presents a princess tale from the Lamp's point of view. Afterwards, "Monster University" will roll into theater the following year. 2014 and 2015 have yet to be announced, but one of those films is likely to be by Pete Docter, and there are four or five other projects that are in various states of active development up there and anyone of them could be moved on the production slate. It all depends on which ones Lasseter believes are ready to move into production. I would expect an expansion of the slate of films from Emeryville to be announced within the next year or so. We're about due for another list.

Marvel Studios:

Disney's latest sibling has a much fuller and more open slate over the next few years. Now, this is a list of films the studio is producing itself, not the characters that have been licensed to other studios. But by 2015 expect to see "Avengers," "Iron Man 3," "Thor 2," "Ant Man," "Captain America 2," and possibly a "Runaways," film, a "Doctor Strange," film and a "S.H.I.E.L.D." film. This isn't even counting several other projects that are gestating like "Iron Fist" and others that the comic book powerhouse are planning for the silver screen.

Touchstone Pictures:

Over at the adult live-action division, which has basically become a distribution house for Steven Spielberg, will have just had the five year/thirty picture deal expire the year before. Should DreamWorks and Disney seem to be enjoying the marriage at this time, you could expect a similar five year plan to be announced. Films like "Lincoln," "Robopocalypse" and several others will have been released within this time frame. That would mark a decade worth of relationships with Spielberg and his company. Hopefully, some of his talent will be used in other areas of the company throughout these coming years.

The many divisions of the studio focus on different aspects of the market. Walt Disney Pictures concentrates on the live-action family entertainment. Walt Disney Animation Studios concentrates on classic animated entertainment. Pixar Animation Studios concentrates on cutting edge animated entertainment. Marvel Studios concentrates on live-action adventures of its vast catalog of characters. Touchstone Pictures which used to be another label of Disney produced/non-Disney stories will now concentrate on the new mission of being a simple distribution label for DreamWorks. It's come a long way from where it was as a small, animation company that made shorts for RKO Pictures to play in front of their features.

It's going to be interesting to see where it after the the middle of this decade...

Still Not Forgetting About You...

2011-08-06T08:11:00.000-07:00

Forget saving Ferris, don't forget about he...

Two years ago today, an important part of my youth vanished...

Film maker John Hughes passed away on this date in 2009.

I will never forget about him...

The Marvel Age...

2011-08-01T18:33:00.000-07:00

Film making: The Mighty Marvel Way...

It's interesting to look at the body of work Marvel Studios has built up in less than half a decade...

Iron Man (2008)

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Iron Man 2 (2010)

Thor (2011)

Captain America (2011)

Next year is the culmination of the comic book company's and many geek fans dream with the release of "The Avengers." It also marks a turn for Marvel Studios, in that it will be finally be working as an independent entity within the Mouse, a lot like Pixar. They won't be relying on an outside partner (Paramount) to distribute their films for a small percentage of the take. The Walt Disney Studios will take the reins of distributing and marketing them, but the Marvel executives will be the ones making the decisions; a semi-form of autonomy, with exceptions only when budgets start to go beyond a certain point.

But think of what they've accomplished. Marvel has essentially in less than a decade, become a live-action Lamp. They're the live-action Pixar. Now, this is not to say I don't have problems with "Iron Man 2," but I didn't hate it. It had it's moments and much of it was compelling. But it was very uneven to me, and much too much of just a calling card for Avengers. This is something that "Captain America" was accused of, but totally off base. That film works as a story until itself. If anything it only adds/accentuates the idea of seeing the spin off. I could easily live without any Avengers film so long as I got a couple more Cap films of the same quality. So far, no film Marvel has made has turned out to have been a dude, a bomb or truly bad. They've taken great care to make sure the adaptations that reach the screen are authentic and assessable to the public at large. And they clearly have a plan that reaches out for the next few years.

The Avengers (2012)

Iron Man 3 (2013)

Thor 2 (2013)

Possible film projects:

Doctor Strange (2013)

Ant Man (2013/14)

The Runaways (2013/14)

Captain America 2 (2014)

Iron Fist (2014)

Luke Cage (2014)

S.H.I.E.L.D. (2014)

While I'm a DC Guy, I begrudgingly have to acknowledge that Marvel is kicking their butts right now. With the exception of video games where DC is better represented, and home video where they have a slight lead with the quality of their DVD films. Marvel is clearly the company making the better decisions. Other than Batman and Superman, DC just hasn't been able to make any traction in adaptations. While "Green Lantern" may have not been a bomb, it was a huge disappointment. The didn't fully get what the character was about. Let's cross our fingers if a sequel is made that they realize the errors from the first film and rectify it. And any future adaptation had better be handled with care. Perhaps they should try the Marvel Way? Even in comics, DC's latest moves strike me as gimmicky and desperate (rebooting all your titles back to #1? Superman wearing pants? Really???). Warner Suits, please pay attention to what you're doing. You have the potential to make a great deal of money, or possibly alienate anyone you wish to see your films.

Even on television where "Batman the Animated Series" represents the pinnacle of great tv animation, Marvel is now leading the way. "Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes" is an example of an excellent show that is very well written, and the upcoming "Ultimate Spider-Man" looks promising too with the writing staff that has been hired for the first season. Not to mention that Paul Dini is now involved in the new "Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H."and that is a monstrously positive note as well. Now, when they finally get around to that Hulk television show from Guillermo del Toro I'll definitely be interested in seeing how they've handled it. And if they'd only green light that S.H.I.E.L.D. animated series I'd be really, really happy.

One of the ways they've accomplished this difficult feat of becoming a major Hollywood player, is to recreate a variation of the old studio system that was disbanded in the late Sixties. This was a system within the entertainment industry where talent was controlled, educated and trained, and most importantly, marketed by the moguls of Hollywood. Marvel has created a system where they lock up talent for long periods of time with multiple film commitments. This is something that hasn't been done to this level in decades. Most of the contracts for actors run 7 to 9 films. Samuel Jackson is signed for nine pictures total. The same contract was offered to Chris Evans, but he didn't want such a long commitment and was able to negotiate one for just six pictures. That's still a lot of films. Scarlett Johansson also has a similar contract. These deals, many of which are not for great amounts of cash, create a stable group of talent from which to draw from for their stories. One of the main reasons Marvel is able to do this is because of the cache value that superhero films have right now. They can turn a very good actor into a super star who can command and control his/her own destiny outside of Marvel's films. It's a small price to pay for benefits that would come from such a success.

Another reason that is even more important that the talent is the story. And Marvel doesn't have groups of committees that pore over scripts offering suggestions as to how to make it better. They have a small group of executives lead by Kevin Feign that actually knows the properties they're trying to get made. Somewhat like Pixar and the small group of film makers that John Lasseter relies on, this group is the one charged with choosing the characters, hiring the directors and green lighting the film for production. They typical Hollywood high concept assembly line that turns out one after another soulless films has been avoided.

It will be interesting to see what happens after 2013, because that is when most of the brand characters will have run their cycle and a new collection of stories and heroes will have to arrive on the silver screen.

We will then see if they can save the day...

Teasing A Legacy...

2011-07-29T22:09:00.000-07:00

Bring me some grid...

The new trailer for "Tron Uprising" is out...

And it looks quite detailed and visually intriguing to me. Let's cross our fingers that this turns out to be good. At least we know that Jeff Bridges won't look fake in it. It'll be interesting seeing how this does. Disney XD is becoming quite the Boys Network with all the Marvel properties and this. Wouldn't it be nice if they had a "Captain America" series and a new "Fantastic Four" series?

With the new Tron series you wonder if they'll try to animate another franchise like "Pirates" or "John Carter" even? Maybe since Paul Dini is already working for them on two series, they can get George Lucas to let him make that "Indiana Jones" series that he's been wanting to make? I can dream at least.

Until then, we have an uprising to look forward to...

Smashing Success...

2011-07-28T10:16:00.000-07:00

Hulk crush puny humans in ratings...

So I'm recovering from jet lag right now...

Not only have I been away, but I was gone during Nerdvana so I didn't get to see some of my favorite people. Strangely, this years Comic-Con was a bit subdued. It didn't have the big surprises you normally expect. Not that there weren't surprises, just not anything earth shattering.

One of the surprising things that did get announced was another animated series for Disney XD based on the Marvel properties. It really is becoming the Marvel Channel, isn't it? For those uninformed, Jeph Loeb revealed that Doctor Bruce Banner was getting his own show on the cable network. His sidekick will be a tall, green man that looses his temper from time to time. No one knows who the band leader will be, but my suggestion is Michael Giachhino. Now that would make a heck of a theme song, don't you think? If you wanna see the logo for it click here.

The great think about this announcement is the revelation of who will be working on it. Non other than the great Paul Dini, who is now working on "Ultimate Spider-Man." So two Marvel series in a row? I always thought of Paul as a DC Man, I think he's defecting. Sad.

"Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H." will debut in 2012...

American Awakening...

2011-07-22T15:44:00.000-07:00

Take that, Hydra...

I know I said I don't do reviews anymore, so I'm labeling this a commentary...

First off:

Go.

See.

This.

Film.

Follow that with a hundred exclamation points. I am absolutely in love with it. It's fun, earnest and filled with everything I had hoped it would contain. The script by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely with an uncredited polish by Joss Whedon, is great and the characters are real, interesting and you care for them. Something that doesn't always happen when watching a film these days. This is Joe Johnston's best film, by far. This puts him in a whole new league in my opinion. He's always had potential, but there seemed to be something holding him back in each of his films. Usually it's the script. It is no surprise then that this is the best script he's had to film and it shows.

Although "The Dark Knight" is my favorite superhero film, this is my favorite adaptation. It's the closest thing I've seen to a perfect adaptation of the material. In a word, it is authentic. It takes things from many periods and many storytellers. There's the familiar Joe Simon & Jack Kirby stuff as well as the classic reboot by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby. But they also left room to use plot lines from the likes of Ed Brubacker and Mark Millar. You can tell where they leave off, and more than others, I can see how you could spin off several properties in the film. Bucky for "Winter Soldier," "The Howling Commandos," and even a glimpse of what a "S.H.I.E.L.D." film could be.

But this is a film that lives on its own. Unlike "Iron Man 2," where two thirds of the film felt like a set-up for "The Avengers," this film is totally self contained. There is no need to see or have seen another Marvel film. I was even fascinated by the closing credits and the way Johnston used them. Pure brilliance. If you waited around after the credits then you saw the teaser trailer for next summer's big offering, but I want to see a sequel to this film. And I hope at least part of it stays in the past that Steve Rogers longs to be in.

Because I know how he feels...

A-Game...

2011-07-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

Saving the world, one film at a time...

A teaser poster was released for Marvel Studios' "The Avengers" film...

With the last piece of the set up for this film opening tomorrow, the Mouse and Marvel are going to start heating up the marketing of this big, superhero film. The official website of the film and this minimalist poster were released today.

Expect more reveals at Comic-Con, but nothing like last year. As the weeks and months pass the marketing burn should increase until no one is in the dark about this film coming out next summer.

Slowly assembling...

Amazing Teaser...

2011-07-20T08:05:00.000-07:00

Spider-Man, Spider-Man...

The teaser trailer for Sony's "The Amazing Spider-Man" is out...

While I won't call it amazing, I'll say that it sets a different tone than the Sam Raimi films. It looks interesting and Andrew Garfield gives the impression that he'll make a great Peter Parker. I'll be glad to see a full trailer near the end of the year. I'm curious as to what The Lizard will look like. I love the line in the trailer that he says, even though we don't really see him.

I know the Mouse doesn't mind getting the money, but they'd really love to get their hands on the character so that Marvel Studios could work him into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But like the X-Men series, that'll have to wait for decade or so. But this film could be good. It can't be as bad as "Spider-Man 3." Hopefully, Sony has learned to stay out of the way. Riiiiiiight.

2012 is going to be a very big year...

August Projected...

2011-07-18T10:22:00.000-07:00

A world filled with imagination...

One of the great things about the first D23 Expo was the Imagineer Display that everyone gravitated toward...

It was great to see the plans that WDI had for the upcoming future. At least what they were willing to reveal. Next month's D23 Expo will have another area that will display work throughout all 11 Disney Parks called the "Carousel of Projects."

It'll have much of what we've seen already, but several sections will have more detailed views of what to expect from the Fantasyland Expansion in the Magic Kingdom, the further progress of Hong Kong Disneyland and more elaboration on what to expect from Shanghai. Hopefully they'll show some of the incredible models for that River Run project we mentioned a while back, or perhaps what is to be expected in the very different Tomorrowland.

But what I'm looking forward to is the presentation by Tom Staggs who I'm greatly happy is in charge of the parks instead of the soulless Jay Rasulo. I always thought he was a creativeless, bean counter and it's good to see he is in the proper position now. The management team of Burbank is quite better than it was a decade ago, but the WDW management team seems more of an enigma to me. I wish they seemed to care about the parks as much as Anaheim. I expect that Staggs knows the problems and will slowly over the next few years make the moves that will put people in power in Florida that can advance that resort to its full potential.

Until August...

Fifty-Six Lovely Memories...

2011-07-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

Happy B-day, DL...

Hard to believe the dream was born Fifty-six years ago today...

Walt Disney opened his version of what a theme park should look like on this day, and in doing so he reinvented it. It was the first, the original and unheard of at that time. Disneyland became the park that all others would emulate. Doesn't look too shabby for being born all the way back in 1955, does it?

Through most of his life Walt struggled to get money for his projects, from shorts to films... he very often gambled the fate of his studio on projects that if they were to fail, would have doomed his own company to bankruptcy. And when it really counted, like "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" or "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" he came through more confident, more strong and more able than before. But after Disney land opened he never ever had trouble getting financial backing again for anything.

Anything...

Happy Birthday to the one and only!

Building Back The Brand...

2011-07-15T13:46:00.000-07:00

A bear of very little brain John is not...

Hopefully most of you got to see the new "Winnie the Pooh" film this weekend...

While I won't go into a review, I will say that it's a perfect example of how to pay homage to a classic and still bring it up to date for modern audiences.

And it's another sign of Disney animation reclaiming its tarnished image. From the late 80's to the early part of this century, the declining quality of the animated films and the credibility of the Disney name has given the public a bad perception of what it was capable of. With the onslaught of Cheapquels and the lowering of standards at Walt Disney Feature Animation, Disney fans were so happy to see when Pixar was bought by the Mouse. When John Lasseter was put in charge of WDAS, most people rejoiced like a group of people free from a long imprisonment. Like most fans, we thought that the change would be evident immediately. But as history shows us, change is slow and sometimes difficult to notice. Perhaps, in later years we can look back at the catalog of films that started with "Bolt" and see when the change occurred. Only then will we be able to clearly define when a Third Golden Age started, and sadly enough, how long it lasted.

Slowly over the past few years John and Ed Catmull have been rebuilding the House of Mouse brick by brick. From the small beginnings of green lighting the first hand-drawn film in more than half a decade to the restarting of the shorts program, drop by drop, the foundations for a rebirth were being put in place. And even though the first features didn't quite live up to their box office projections, they were far better than what had been coming from the Hat Building for a long time. It was clear that the new regime in power was getting it's footing slower than they expected and we wanted.

Finally with last year, the release of "Tangled" showed everyone that Disney magic hadn't died and wasn't dormant. It was just lost somewhere in the halls of the old Disney Animation Building. This updated tale of Rapunzel showed that it could keep up with its younger and more contemporary sister in Emeryville. With this year, the hand drawn release of a sequel to "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh," drew a groan of disappointment that WDAS had lost its ability to create original stories and had given in to the marketing department's desires to churn up yet another film featuring these classic characters. Those that have seen the film will tell you it's not so. It's a wonderfully refreshing walk back into your childhood that you can enjoy with your family or simply the kid deep down inside you. It, along with the "The Ballad of Nessie" short are an example of the quality that families can expect from future films with the iconic Steamboat Willie logo in front of it.

As we mentioned in "Untitled Road," the future of Disney Animation is picking up steam and the stories that will be coming out are going to be filled with tales and characters that have heart and purpose and entertaining. For the last few years the public has started getting used to going into a Disney animated film and actually coming out feeling that they got their money's worth. Something the Suits seemed to have forgot how to do for almost a decade before the Lamp was brought into the family. Come next year, "Wreck-It Ralph" will expand the narrative of what a Disney film is even more. But it'll do it in classic Disney storytelling. It will be another example to show the public that the one that started it all still knows how to tell great stories better than anyone else.

And it'll show why paying for Pixar was a steal...

Poster Propaganda...

2011-07-15T09:02:00.000-07:00

American Poster, ##(@$ yeah...

Purty...

Another poster has been released for Marvel Studios upcoming "Captain America" film over at Hitfix. Very love with some classic Drew Struzan qualities to it. My only complaint is a consistent one with all the posters so far. Why they aren't showing him with the mask? Anyway, the buzz on this one is way good and I'm going to have fun sitting down and watching this with friends in a week.

I just hope they have Hydra in the sequel...

First Tour Of Mars...

2011-07-14T07:28:00.000-07:00

Walt Disney Pictures has released the teaser trailer for "John Carter" a day early...

And we have to remember that it's a teaser. It's meant to tease. And I think that it partially achieves its purpose. But it does give me hope that Andrew Stanton has gotten it right. I like various elements, but feel that the marketing campaign has got their hands full.

Like many people I've heard from, this is based on a classic that is a hundred years old (next year). But there are many things in this that are going to seem as though they are stolen from "Star Wars" or "Avatar." The opposite is true. But I think marketing are going to have to address this. From what I know, everyone associated with the screenplay viewed this as a labor of love. I'm going to cross my fingers and put my confidence in them to faithful put my and other geek/fanboy's dreams on the screen to Barsoom.

Come March, I can't wait to make the journey...

A Day In His Shirt...

2011-07-13T07:18:00.000-07:00

Once Upon A Time in Sonoma Valley...

We've all wondered what it would be like to be John Lasseter...

Now Walt Disney Studios and the man himself give you the chance to follow him from the time he wakes up until he leaves work on a particular day. It's really a very interesting look at a very busy man, and how he runs his life. Running two studios and being the chief creative advisor to another division must be daunting. Having six iPads to manage it must help.

Take a look and enjoy for yourself...

Disney's Stalker...

2011-07-12T07:14:00.000-07:00

Come on, believe me. It was a monster...

Now it'll be interesting seeing how this develops...

When I was a wee, little lad, I would sit around the television and watch this show that came on every Friday. It scared the living daylights out of me and I loved every minute of it. "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" was one of those shows that made a deep impression on me as a child. I didn't understand why it ended as a boy I knew nothing of what ratings or seasons were. I was deeply disappointed when it stopped playing new episodes and even more sad when the program disappeared all together.

Later, while going to college at USC, my friends and I were hooked fans of "The X-Files" series. I couldn't help but notice a lot of similarities between this and The Night Stalker. So it was no surprise that I found out that Chris Carter, the creator of the series, was a huge fan of the Darren McGavin series. So much so, that he actually put him in the show as a guest.

A few years ago, they tried to make an updated version of The Night Stalker show featuring Stuart Townsend as the character, but it was tonally wrong. They took everything that was great about the show and through it out, replacing it with a edgy and sexy motif. They just didn't get it.

Now, it appears that Johnny Depp was as big a fan of 70's shows as I was and now he wants to remake the show as a film. The most interesting thing is that they seem to want this to be a Disney film. As in, under the Walt Disney Pictures banner. I hope that they keep it set in the early Seventies, that would be great tonally. And there has to be some of that schlocky atmospheric humor. This shouldn't be set up to be some hard edge film. Johnny Depp could turn in an interesting portrayal as a two-bit reporter, down on his luck that happens to stumble into cases that are way over his head.

I just pray the Suits get it...

Rises Teases...

2011-07-11T17:40:00.000-07:00

Holy end of an era, Batman...

The teaser poster for Christopher Nolan's final Bruce Wayne film is out...

Nice use of negative space. Hopefully the film will live up to the incredible amount of hype that will be heaped on it after the box office and critical hit of "The Dark Knight." Will it be as good as that film? Doubtful, but Nolan has never let me down. I've never seen a film of his that made me feel I didn't get my money's worth. If he turns a character like "Bane," which is totally uninteresting to me, I'll be very happy. He has a great actor playing him. Selina Kyle will hopefully turn out to be a great addition as well, but I'll wait and see. Hard to believe this time next year it'll be out.

And then it'll be time for someone else to reboot the Caped Crusader...

Untitled Road...

2011-07-08T10:51:00.000-07:00

Don't stop, go, go, go...

A lot has been happening in the Hat Building over the past six months...

After all, at the end of last year saw the release of "Tangled," which was a huge film for the studio. Not only did it relieve a bit of pressure to perform by the Disney animators, it also made way for a lot of projects to move further into development. Many have complained that there wasn't much in development over the past few years, causing many an animator/artist to get a layoff notice.

I am happy to tell you that that is not the case now. Of course, the development slate is nowhere near as large as DreamWorks Animation, which has a very large and long list of projects, but it is getting fattened up, and it's still growing.

First off, we know that Walt Disney Animation Studios next film is the hand-drawn sequel "Winnie the Pooh," which comes out as counter programing to "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2." But where does the road take us after that?

Well, come 2012 we know that Rich Moore's "Wreck-It Ralph" will be the studios' animated offering. I hear that the project is very different from the last few films, but still shares the same, Disney heart. If some of the hysterically dark scenes I heard make it though the cut then this one will get an unusually rare, PG13 rating for the 52nd animated feature from Disney Animation. But we'll have to wait and see what final form it arrives in.

As of 2013, the next project to be moving down the pipeline is newly re-envisioned "King of the Elves," which has been chugging along under the direction of Chris Williams (something we reported exclusively last year). The storyboarding has been going on, new scenes are being written and the story structure is being tightened up. This CG animated feature should tentatively arrive during the holidays unless a kink in the production process pops up. I've heard many people asking if rumors of it being out of development were true and from what I know, it has continually been moving forward since last year.

Now for 2014, it gets a little murkier, as these projects are in a more fluid state of development, so changes could happen. But as of now, this is what you are likely to see.

Based on the current state of projects, a CG version of "Snow Queen" directed by Chris Buck is likely to see release sometime during the year. The story structure problems that popped up in the last hand-drawn version seem to be ironed out and storyboarding has moved forward with Chris' unique take on the material. And for those of you wondering if it'll be faithful to the original story? I can only say that it'll be as faithful to it as the Mouse was to "The Little Mermaid." Presuming that another film gets released that year, it is likely to be the new hand-drawn film from John Musker and Ron Clements. And no, I'm not talking "Mort" as the rights to that would have required the Mouse to purchase the entire series, which it didn't want to commit to. So this new project is something else that the duo has pitched Lasseter. All that is known, is that it will be hand-drawn.

After that, in the 2014/2015 range will be the untitled project coming from Nathan Greno & Bryon Howard's. Not much is known about this film, but the duo hit it off on "Tangled" and have apparently pitched a project that Lasseter thinks will be great. If their project is not ready, then Dean Wellins' project will fill the slot. His is a story that will be very different from the mold we picture Disney animated films and this is a project that is aimed at all those boys that don't like princess movies.

Sometime around this point in the schedule, Don Hall's super secret project may have been greenlit and far enough down the line to be penciled in for a 2015/2016 release. That project, once announced will generate a lot of buzz in certain geek communities, as it's going to surprise a lot of people for what it is and what it's not. But it's in the very early embryonic stage and it depends on how well the project is received upon the presentation that is being prepared for John and Ed.

After that, there are several ideas that are being prepared for pitches which could compete for time on the release slate, but as of now there you have it. It will be interesting seeing how Disney's marketing department deals with some of these titles as they are out of what we normally picture for a Disney film. Even some of the ones you would think are in the classic mold, are really not.

Although several of these films have titles, they are very much temporary ones and are as much in flux as is the schedule itself. The development track expanding in the last year is a very positive step and Lasseter's trust in the talent is also a very reassuring development as well.

The greatest contribution about last years hit is not the box office it generated, but that it may have untangled the restrictions that had been placed on the company's animation future...

The Other Half Passed...

2011-07-07T00:35:00.000-07:00

Drawing angles for four decades...

Forty years ago today, Ub Iwerks passes away in Burbank, California...

With the exception of Walt Disney, he was the one person most responsible for the creation of Mickey Mouse. Iwerks was a legendary animation pioneer and helped Walt turn the animation medium into the art form it is today. Animation fans in general and Disney fans in particular, truly owe this great man a world of gratitude.

Animation and Disney itself would look very different without his fingerprints...

A Fourth Of Liberty...

2011-07-04T00:18:00.000-07:00

Red, white and blue baby...

Two hundred, thirty-five years ago America was born...

Happy 4th of July! A group of representatives gathered from the thirteen independent colonies of Great Britain, to put together a union that would help them brush off the shackles of Mother England. What they put down with a quill in ink upon paper, this very day we celebrate. A day on which we cherish the God given freedoms that our Founding Fathers acknowledged to us on this historic event in 1776.

You may not believe it, but there was a time early on when people didn't really know which day to celebrate our founding, either the Declaration of Independence, which was signed on July 4, 1776, or when the Constitution was passed on September 17, 1787. It took many years for the tradition to take hold and become the celebration we now know it as. By the time our fiftieth anniversary had come along, it had taken hold and on that occasion, something very poignant happened.

Our second President(John Adams) and third President(Thomas Jefferson) both died on that day... in the same year, 1826... just as we were celebrating the 50th anniversary of the United States of America! And the president at the time was John Quincy Adams, the son of the former president. Both Adams and Jefferson had been bitter rivals in the early days of our founding. Years later, they started up a correspondence after many years of not speaking to one another and eventually became close friends. But the rivalry still remained. When John Adams breathed his last breath he was heard to say: "Jefferson still lives." But he was wrong. Jefferson had passed away a few hours before him earlier that day. Coincidence? No. Not in my belief, at least.

Providence, it was providence. Happy 235th Birthday, America! Everyone go out and celebrate the freedoms and liberty given to us by our Creator, acknowledged by our Founders and defended by our Forefathers. Don't just have a barbeque or a day at the beach.

Freedom and liberty are too precious to be so trivial...

The Beginning Of Second Chances...

2011-07-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

The ground work for what would come...

It's hard to believe that it was twenty-five years ago today, Walt Disney Productions put out what would be the subtle beginning of the Second Golden Age of Disney Animation...

"The Great Mouse Detective", based on Eve Titus book, "Basil of Baker Street" was released in America a quarter of a century in the past. It was directed by four great animators, Ron Clements, Burny Mattinson, Dave Michener and John Musker. Clements and Musker would go on to define the films that this animation Renaissance would be recognized as over the next decade. And now, the Hat Building is slowly working towards a Third Golden Age.

Time will tell...

The Mighty Returns...

2011-06-30T11:11:00.000-07:00

By Odin's beard...

Marvel Studios has announced the release of the next adventures of a temperamental Asgardian...

Well, they've made the general time they're going to be releasing it, not the actual date. "Thor 2" will be released in summer 2013. This will also see the debut of Shane Black's "Iron Man 3," which I am anxiously awaiting. Now, since Shellhead's third outing is coming May 3, it's very likely that the Nordic sequel will come out in June or July, but the studio is going to wait until they see what other films start to line up around that time.

This makes one wonder if that is all that will be released in 2013? Perhaps there will be a spring release? Or more likely, a Christmas release? Can we say "The Runaways" or another property in that large catalog? S.H.I.E.L.D. 2014!!!

Time will tell...

ROCKETEER$...

2011-06-29T22:43:00.000-07:00

The More, the better...

No sooner had I mentioned that I'd like to see a sequel/reboot than a jewel was found...

Joe Johnston did an interview with Film Journal and mentioned that he'd love to do a sequel to "The Rocketeer." Now, he didn't mention a reboot so I take it he's talking about a continuation and not a reinterpretation. If you've seen some of the Q&A from the 20th Anniversary screening of the film at the El Capitan, then you saw Billy Campbell still looks pretty good. I don't know if I'd buy him being only a few years older though.

I wouldn't want to see a film with this character set in the 50's. That's a little too far from the material, but maybe they could get away with early 40's? Have Cliff Secord on some secret mission in the waning days of World War 2. It could/would be an interesting thing to see. Maybe they can get Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely to write the script based on their work on "Captain America" and then get Joss Whedon to do a polish on the dialog. Maybe? That would be oh, so cool.

And then, if I could just get Disney to adapt "Crimson Skies" too…

Brave Trailer...

2011-06-27T10:37:00.000-07:00

We know it's brave, let's hope it's good...

Those of you that saw "Cars 2" this weekend got to see this in all its glory...

The teaser trailer for Pixar's "Brave" has now been released on the web. It looks lovely, and has a scale of an epic adventure. I can't wait to actually see it. Until then, you'll just have to live with this teaser.

Now, if the marketing department would promote "John Carter of Mars" as well as this film...

APPsolutely Beautiful...

2011-06-26T11:24:00.000-07:00

If you visit this site often, you know of my crush on Tokyo DisneySEA...

Alain, over at Disney and More knows the feelings I have and shares them as well. He's offered you guys a tremendous deal. His website has always had a great amount of detailed artwork and great photography. Now, he's created something that will give you instant access to it. Yes. there's an App for that.

Disney and More has released an App that you can get from iTunes that features some photos of the jaw dropping visuals this park offers. For a mere 99 cents and the click of a button, it can be yours. That drab desktop of yours needs a new background, don't you think?

Take a look for yourself...

Selling/Buying Nostalgia...

2011-06-25T12:16:00.000-07:00

Biiiiig gopher...

Joe Johnston has gotten a lot of ink on this website lately...

With the 20th anniversary of "The Rocketeer" and his take on "Captain America" coming out next month, we've had more than normal to say about him. I mentioned in my earlier post about how it's be nice to see a sequel/reboot. Even an animated series would be nice. Apparently I'm not the only one thinking this. So I thought you might enjoy this bit of Rocketeer love from French animator John Banana.

Maybe a smart Suit could get an idea watching this...

Hat Tip to Cartoon Brew.

Out Of The Past, Into The Future...

2011-06-23T09:42:00.000-07:00

Red, white and blue turning into green...

So Marvel Studios has released the new poster and trailer for the First Avenger...

Actually, that's the only think I can say negative about this. The reliance on using that tag line is all I don't like about this. The poster is great, although I would like to see one with him wearing his mask. But the poster with its washed out color is a throw back to those propaganda posters you would have seen during World War 2.

And that trailer? Don't get me started. This only validates my reasons for this being my number one movie to see this summer. It looks great, authentic and is getting great reviews from those that have screened it.

Counting down the days...

Brave Poster...

2011-06-22T11:56:00.000-07:00

Brave look...

Pixar Animation Studios new film "Brave" finally has a poster...

I can't wait to see the new trailer next week, because I've heard great things about it. It will be interesting to see the Lamp's take on the princess story.

I'm sure it'll be unique like almost everything else that comes from Emeryville...

Journey Twenty Years In The Past To Journey Into The Past...

2011-06-21T08:29:00.000-07:00

Twenty years ago today Walt Disney Pictures released what they hoped would be their answer to "Raiders of the Lost Ark" franchise...

Well, it didn't turn out the way they expected. "The Rocketeer" has slowly developed a cult following over the years and if you are one of the lucky members of D23 at the El Capitan today, then you'll get a screening and panel afterwards. I was a big fan of the comic when it came out and like Jeffrey Katzenberg, hoped that it would inspire a string of movies featuring the character in a series of adventures.

Audiences decided to see other things that weekend and the film became a disappointment. Not a failure, but not what was expected and making too little to justify a sequel. I had great fun watching it (four times at the El Capitan), but felt that it need more action and a greater sense of jeopardy for the hero. I hoped that a sequel would deliver on the promise of this character. But a sequel never came. It would be great if somehow Disney tried to do a sequel or reboot of the film, but that is not likely. An animated series for Disney XD perhaps?

One can dream, since all it cost is time...

The Pixar Plan...

2011-06-20T10:24:00.000-07:00

Calling Docter Pete, calling Docter Pete...

The Lamp has scheduled it's next animated film...

And for all those out there that are screaming about too many sequels, it's an original story. As per their Modus Operandi, the gang up in Emeryville have been very cryptic. No plot details and no information on who is directing or writing it, only the release date: November 27, 2013.

From what I've heard, it's likely the next animated feature from Pete Docter since he's not helming the sequel/prequel to his "Monsters Inc." film. It probably won't be too long before we'll be hearing about the next release of the Mouse's other animation house in Burbank. The one that's coming in 2014.

It'll be interesting to see when that happens...

Chabon Designing Favreau's Kingdom...

2011-06-18T08:49:00.000-07:00

Be good, know where the material is coming from...

Michael Chabon, famed novelist and sometimes screenwriter has now become the official scribe on Disney's big, new high concept film...

Let's hope it turns out to be closer to "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" for Disney than "Space Jam" turned out for Warner Bros. I certainly don't want it to turn into that film; nothing would be sadder than seeing a huge waste of animators, film makers and actors on a project that turns out being so big, and yet storywise is only made of cardboard.

Chabon is a really good writer and I hope he pounds the keyboard constructing a great story that is befitting of some of the Mouse's most classic characters. That said, I'll hold my breath until I actually hear more about it. Favreau has went from making films for young boys, to making a film he wants for the entire family. Let us wish him well and cross our fingers that this doesn't turn into a fiasco of waisted talent, time and dreams.

I'm watching you Mr. Favreau...

Teasing Mars...

2011-06-15T12:14:00.001-07:00

Put Mars back in John Carter...

Walt Disney Pictures has released the first teaser poster for its spring 2012 tent pole feature...

"John Carter" (formerly "of Mars") will be Andrew Stanton's first live-action film will be out on March 9, 2012. I hope that Stanton's talent and love of the material create a modern classic, but I still hate the title change. John Carter of Mars sounds like a great, pulpy adventure. John Carter sounds like a bio-pic that George Clooney is staring in that follows a downsized, corporate suit as he learns to reconnect with the wife and child he neglected. Sigh.

Does it mean that the film is doomed? Not at all. Andrew Stanton is a very talented director that knows a lot about story. I expect all that he's learned in the Brain Trust at the Lamp to be instilled into the very fiber of this adaptation. It's just the lack of enthusiasm about selling a film that has such an uninspired title. Let's see if our fears our calmed when the teaser is released later this summer.

Time will tell...

From Reboot To Wreck-It...

2011-06-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

Make sure you're not a wreck at the box office...

Just don't be a wreck at the box office..

After "Tangled," Walt Disney Animation Studios is looking to prove that lighting will strike again...

Originally 2012 was going to be a hole in the production schedule for the Mouse's animation division, but with Pixar's "Monster University" being pushed out to 2013, we got a little bonus. "Reboot Ralph" got bumped up to November 2 2012 to fill that void.

Now, Disney has announced a name change as well. No longer will it be Reboot, but instead "Wreck-It Ralph." I don't know about the name, but all the buzz I've been hearing about the story sounds good. Walt Disney Pictures has even provided a synopsis of the film:

WALT DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS INTRODUCES WILDLY FUNNY NEW CG COMEDY ADVENTURE “WRECK-IT RALPH”

Directed by Emmy® Winner Rich Moore, Hilarious and Wildly Imaginative Animated Movie to Feature the Voices of John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer and Jane Lynch

BURBANK, Calif. (June 13, 2011) – Some of us are born to be bad, but that doesn’t mean we have to like it. Walt Disney Animation Studios and Emmy®-winning director Rich Moore (TV’s “The Simpsons,” “Futurama”) take moviegoers on a hilarious, video-game-hopping journey in “Wreck-It Ralph,” the story of an arcade game Bad Guy determined to prove he can be a Good Guy. Produced by Clark Spencer (“Lilo & Stitch,” “Bolt”) and featuring the voices of John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer and Jane Lynch, the CG comedy adventure will hit theaters on Nov. 2, 2012, and will be presented in Disney Digital 3D™ in select theaters.

Says Moore, “I love the idea of a very simple 8-bit video game character struggling with the complex question: ‘isn't there more to life than the role I've been assigned?’ In his quest for the answer, we journey with our hero through three visually distinct video game worlds. It's unlike anything anyone's seen before, and I'm thrilled to be to creating it here at Walt Disney Animation Studios.”

Wreck-It Ralph (voice of Reilly) longs to be as beloved as his game’s perfect Good Guy, Fix-It Felix (voice of McBrayer). Problem is, nobody loves a Bad Guy. But they do love heroes… so when a modern, first-person shooter game arrives featuring tough-as-nails Sergeant Calhoun (voice of Lynch), Ralph sees it as his ticket to heroism and happiness. He sneaks into the game with a simple plan—win a medal—but soon wrecks everything, and accidently unleashes a deadly enemy that threatens every game in the arcade. Ralph’s only hope? Vanellope von Schweetz (voice of Silverman), a young troublemaking “glitch” from a candy-coated cart racing game who might just be the one to teach Ralph what it means to be a Good Guy. But will he realize he is good enough to become a hero before it’s “Game Over” for the entire arcade?

From all I've been told, this is a very different film for Disney, both in tone and character. I can't wait to see where they go with it...

Thirty Years After The Greatest Adventure...

2011-06-12T04:02:00.000-07:00

I hate snakes...

Thirty years ago today the world changed for me...

George Lucas and Steven Spielberg opened up a film that would define action for decades. It introduced one of the most iconic characters in the history of cinema: Indiana Jones.

"Raiders of the Lost Ark" was a film that I had no idea what to expect, or what it was about. I actually saw it earlier than opening night. Paramount Studios actually had test screening of it all across small town America a couple of weeks before it came out. My small town was one of those places where an advance screening took place. And I went. Not really knowing what to expect, I when as a little kid that loved the movies these two guys made and went in on that blind faith alone.

I came out blown away.

I actually stayed through the entire credit run; something I had never done before, but do quite often now. I left feeling as though Spielberg and Lucas had taking something from my mind and pulled it out and thrown it upon the screen. I can remember watching all that fun, all that action and saying to myself: "Wow, this is intense." After each one of the films action set pieces went on, I'd think that this must be it, the last one, no more action, no more story. This must be the end. But the story and action continued. It was a delightful roller coaster ride. I loved it. I went home and looked up the Ark of the Covenant, because I thought it was such a marvelous device. And I was surprised to find that it was real. So as well as entertaining me, it taught my ignorant mind a little unknown history.

Growing up in the lazy little suburbs of my quaint little city, there was little to do. I was a book reader, a comic reader and a movie-goer. I watched an ample amount of television consisting of a lot of escapist testosterone driven episodes of late 70's/early 80's cheese. One Sunday afternoon, I also happened to stumble on to a little PBS show entitled: "Super Serial Showcase." I watched it and marveled at the delight of these continuing adventures. How everything was fun and filled with action, great heroes and really nasty villains. I wondered to myself why Hollywood didn't make a movie like this. And then one day as I entered adolescence they did. They DID. For all their faults, for all the ranting I do here on Lucas or Spielberg, I have to give them my deepest respect and gratitude on this day.

For they opened another world to me...

One Ring To Rule Them All...

2011-06-08T16:12:00.000-07:00

A perfect fruit...

The Mouse's biggest shareholder announced a new building for his company yesterday...

Steve Jobs, Apple's visionary leader has revealed his EP C OT (thanks to Alain over at Disney and More for the inspiration of that statement). The CEO presented his plans for the company's new headquarters in Cupertino to the city council.

Over the past decade, Apple has had a growth rate that is unheard of, and with it has come the need to find a place to house those employees. Scattered all around the city and its outskirts, numerous buildings hold some 13,ooo employees. Jobs wants them all working together, in the same space. This is the project that has been known for months as "Apple City."

So this unnamed building, in the form of a ring will house 12,000 employees. The Fruit Company will keep its 1 Infinite Loop headquarters that sits a mile down the road, but the majority of employees will reside in this massive, futuristic, spaceship-shaped building.

It'll be blasting off in 2012 and landing in 2015...

UPDATE: Several others have commented on the design and impact of this building that warrant another look.

Building Better Grids...

2011-06-07T13:34:00.000-07:00

Tron in 2015 in theaters and Shanghai...

We haven't gotten a green light for TR3N just yet...

But we have gotten clues that they are moving forward with it. First there is the animated series which debuts next year on Disney XD, then there are other projects being worked at in non-film related divisions of the company. Ahem. Now comes word that Walt Disney Studios has hired David DiGilio to pen a new version of the script.

This doesn't mean the film is going to start shooting anytime soon, but it does mean that the fire hasn't gone out yet on this property. It appears that a lot will wrest on how successful "Tron Uprising" is on television. If it is a hit and creates a loyal following, then you're like to see another film on the grid.

If not, you'll always have Blu-Ray...

Transformations...

2011-06-02T17:34:00.000-07:00

Designacons...

Hopefully you remember that article Blue Sky wrote about the new Harry Potter attraction at IOA...

Well, starting later this year in Singapore and next year in Hollywood, a continuation of that experience might be happening. I like competition and Universal Creative has been giving WDI a run for its money. Especially with "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey." Which is a fantastic experience as a mini-park/attraction. It's the perfect example of how someone other than Disney can create a Disney type of experience. And it succeeded beyond Universal's dreams. It's a Disney attraction that's not a Disney attraction. The quality of the rides, shops and merchandise, well, everything really, is phenomenal. And as I said in that old article, if they keep it up then the Mouse had better start to move quicker because they've got serious competition.

The next test of that will happen when "Transformers: The Ride" opens at Universal Studios Singapore in 2011 and Universal Studios Hollywood in 2012. If that attraction winds up being of the same quality as the Potter attraction then you can bet that Imagineers will be looking in the rear-view mirror. Not that I feel that it's a bad thing. Having WDI have to bring their best game is a good thing for them and us. We will both benefit from the challenges they each face trying to pry those dollars from our hands.

Well, recently some artwork for the queue/loading area was leaked and it shows a great deal of attention to design. Universal has already mentioned that thirty minutes of story is built into the queue, so guest will be immersed in the world of the Autobots and Decepticons for a good part of the wait. Details like this will create an experience that could rival the Harry Potter ride.

And make sure Imagineers don't rest on their laurels...

Hat Tip to /Film via Theme Park Insider.

ALL THINGS Disney...

2011-06-02T08:02:00.000-07:00

Working on the Mouse of the future...

If you're a techno-geek like myself then you follow the conference "All Things D" that is held by Walt Mossberg up in Silicon Valley every year...

Bob Iger spoke there seven years ago before taking the reigns of the Mouse and this year he returned. It's interesting to see his perspective of the changing landscape, not only for Disney, but the entertainment industry. Click here if you'd like to see part of the exchange.

Now, we'll have to wait for D23 to get more details on Shanghai Disneyland...

Blue Sky Buzz: Chinese Changes...

2011-05-31T08:08:00.000-07:00

More magic...

The Mouse's second kingdom in China is still a half decade away, but there are things that that are coming into view...

When D23 arrives later this year there will most likely be a great deal more info about Shanghai Disneyland as well as several other parks, but until then information has slowly been revealed to the public. After all, we knew that this version of the magic kingdom wouldn't have a Main Street - and it doesn't. We've known that several attractions would have a Chinese influence, and we've known that the castle would be different -- and now bigger. But what else will be exclusive/original to the park when it opens in the latter part of this decade?

You want the most interesting contrast to the other Disney magic kingdoms? No Space Mountain. That's right. The iconic attraction that we've all known at practically every traditional, magic kingdom styled park won't be there on opening day. Now, I'm not saying it'll never be built, but the blue prints as of now call for no attraction like this on the drawing board. There are several staples that you would recognize as a given in the parks, but there is also an attempt to make this park original/different. I applaud that. You know my belief that each park should be its own, with an original identity.

As we revealed earlier in the month, the park will have an original rafting ride that has a basis in the design of the Grizzly River Run, but under an entirely different adventure. One that I'm quite found of. Take a look at that original overview artwork and you'll see it in the right corner. It's the big mountain you can see there. It's intricately detailed with a great deal of beautiful rockwork. Let's hope that Burbank doesn't make them cut the budget as it's going to cost quite a bit.

There will also be a classically detailed Jungle Cruise type boat attraction, but as of now, it won't be called that. In fact, much to my delight, there are several adventure type attractions that are styled in the type of theming that I love (Disney's Animal Kingdom, Tokyo DisneySEA). This along with a couple of other projects should provide a distinct fingerprint for the Mouse's second park in the Middle Kingdom. It's going to be interesting to see what surprises are revealed at D23 later this year.

I can't wait to hear that keynote by Tom Staggs...

Honoring The Fallen...

2011-05-30T11:30:00.000-07:00

Thank you for all that you have did to protect our great country...

Today, Memorial Day, we honor and pay our respects to those that put on the uniform and place themselves in harm's way so as to protect the freedoms we take for granted.

Thank you from Blue Sky Disney,

Honor

Titled...

2011-05-26T06:10:00.000-07:00

What's in a number...

I've always loved films and don't mind a good sequel, but there is something about them that has always bothered me...

Pixar is a perfect example of this. My friends know this about me as well. I think the Lamp makes some of the most emotionally satisfying films that come out of America, animated or live action. Their ability to grasp the human condition and connect people to a subject or story is second to no one. But...

One of the things I have never liked about their films (Pixar or any other films actually), is their titles to sequels. Toy Story 2? Toy Story 3? Cars 2? Really? I mean, you couldn't come up with something better than that? Thankfully, the new Monsters Inc. 2 film is titled: "Monsters University." Which is actually a first. Naturally it has nothing to do with story, but I've always liked an original name rather than a number. If only that it masks the fact that something is an out-and-out cash grab. Even the sequels to "The Matrix" had titles like "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions." And if any film could logically have a number title it would be one that has to do with a story about being trapped and turned into nothing more than a bunch of numbers in a mechanically engineered world.

And it seems even DreamWorks Animation has gotten into the numbers game with "Kung Fu Panda 2," which used to be titled: "Kung Fu Panda-The Kaboom of Doom." While I know Marketing plays a part in this, I don't feel that audiences will be confused with seeing a title connected to a film. After all, most chapters in books tend to have names, like: "The Creeping Fear" or something similar. I tend to think of sequels to films the same way; just another chapter to the story.

One of the many bonuses I get with a great film like "The Dark Knight"is its great story along with a great title. They could have called it "Batman 6," but it wasn't. It was the opposite problem I had with the original Superman films. Why did they have to call "Superman 2" that? Why did they have to make 3 and 4? Well, the fourth one had a subtitle, but the problem with that film wasn't the title, but a bad story, script and the clear lack of understanding what or who Superman was. This is why I like the title of the new film: "Man of Steel." It clearly is a story about the last son of Krypton, but also a declaration of narrative simply by naming it that.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying I'd love to have a great title and a really crappy film. I'm just asking why we can't have both? While I love John Lasseter's attention to detail focusing on the films his Emeryville studio makes, I just have to ask why they can't spend a day or two trying to come up with a title to give it other than a number.

Other than the box office numbers...

John Carter Of Nowhere...

2011-05-24T07:44:00.000-07:00

Where and I from again...

As much as I'm looking forward to this film, I'm not looking forward to this name change...

I'm sure you've all heard the word. Or perhaps it's the lack on a couple of words in the title that is. It seems that someone, likely in the soulless marketing department, has determined that John Carter shouldn't say he's from Mars. So instead of "John Carter of Mars" we will get "John Carter." Now this makes no sense, but if it's because some brainiac determined that "Mars Needs Moms" means that moviegoers no longer like Mars, then it's even stupider.

I hope that this changes and saner heads prevail, because this is one of my most anticipated films for 2012. I trust in Stanton as he knows the source material(and is a fan) and has a great grasp of storytelling. From what I've heard, and it's not a lot, the film sounds like it works, despite some whispers about having to do some reshoots. The biggest thing I have heard that makes me wonder is: "It plays young." Which may not be a bad thing. Pixar films play young, but they play to all sides of the audience which is what I'm going to take from that comment until I see otherwise.

But I never thought there would a need to change the "Of Mars" part of the name. It's part of the classic tale that Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote. It would be like taking "Anne of Green Gables" and calling it "Ann," or something even more asinine. I hope the loss of John Carter location doesn't mean that Walt Disney Pictures has a lack of direction in where to go with this picture. Barsoom shouldn't really be that hard to find.

And neither should Mars...

A Take...

2011-05-23T01:38:00.000-07:00

A long time ago in a galaxy finally updated...

So, I rode both new attractions early last week before I left for a business trip back East...

Sorry for the lack of updates recently, but real life has been pretty hectic lately and I've had to attend to it rather than the musings of the blogosphere. But as I said, I've ridden The Little Mermaid and Star Tours. I've noticed some people, particularly the cast members being somewhat disappointed with the experience. I think this comes from expecting it to be something it's not (ala: Pirates/Indy), combined with a lack of knowledge as to what it is.

It's a dark ride. Many cast members today don't know the terminology and aren't as familiar with what defines this type of attraction. Many went in expecting something with the bells and whistles associated with a fast paced attraction, which is what this ride is not. Let me tell you what it is. If you go in expecting to see something along the lines of Pinocchio, Snow White or Peter Pan, but with animatronics instead of statues then that is exactly what you get. That is what a dark ride is. And it's very lovely and extremely detailed. It's the story you all know, so anyone going in expecting something else? This is a Fantasyland attraction that's not in Fantasyland. And it's going to bring in the crowds in droves.

Star Tours on the other hand is exactly what you would expect, and more. While I knew it was an update to an older attraction, one which I've ridden very few times of late, particularly because it's long in the tooth and Tomorrowland isn't my bag (I'm a New Orleans Square, Adventureland, Frontierland kinda guy). While the area is a mix of dated attractions and a chaotic collection of uneven themes, this revamp is just what is needed to turn this area into the land of tomorrow. Now if TDA and WDI can just get together and iron out all the differences they have and have Burbank pick one of two or three projects as well as a cohesive retheme for the area. We can now expect some true excitement for this area when Disneyland becomes the focus after next summer.

I think Imagineers hit a home run with this one. While the overall budget is less than Mermaid (approx $50 million for DL, and the same for WDW), the impact on the area is going to provide a major improvement in the long lines headed to see this classic Disneyland attraction. It's really an amazing site to see and the multiple experience you get will keep guest getting right back in line after exiting.

Now, if they'll just move forward with those plans for Innoventions and the building to formerly be occupied by Captain EO...

Nolan's Last Begins...

2011-05-19T09:29:00.000-07:00

Swear to me...

Today Christopher Nolan began filming "The Dark Knight Rises," the swan song to his relationship with the playboy millionaire/vigilante...

Now,as I've mentioned many times in many posts, I'm a DC guy and I love Batman. I've followed him ever since I could walk. From rushing home from school to watch reruns of the 60's Batman show, to Neal Adams and Denny O'Neil's run, to Frank Miller's historic retelling. But as much as I'm looking forward to this film (and I am), I really keep thinking what happens next?

By that, I mean where they go with the next interpretation after Nolan leaves the director's chair. I certainly don't feel that you can or should continue with this version sans both director and star. So it makes me ponder who would direct the next one, as well as who would star and also who would write it?

The obvious choice for me to write it would be Paul Dini. He's deserving of such a job as I think he'd do a fantastic script that would be different that Goyer's take. As for a director they're going to need to go after an up-and-comer that is hungry and talented. Perhaps someone like Jee-woon Kim who has a fantastic eye for stories like this. Maybe make the telling a hyper-realized version like "Batman: Arkam Asylum" is. And as for the star, I'd go for someone a little less established that Bale was. It's too bad Armie Hammer is going to be the Lone Ranger as he'd be perfect, I think. He lost the job once before when "Justice League" was put into turnaround.

Either way, it really is interesting that end of Nolan's chapter has now begun.

Here's the official press release:

BURBANK, CA, May 19, 2011 – Principal photography has begun on Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ “The Dark Knight Rises,” the epic conclusion to filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy.

Leading an all-star international cast, Oscar® winner Christian Bale (“The Fighter”) again plays the dual role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. The film also stars Anne Hathaway, as Selina Kyle; Tom Hardy, as Bane; Oscar® winner Marion Cotillard (“La Vie en Rose”), as Miranda Tate; and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as John Blake. Returning to the main cast, Oscar® winner Michael Caine (“The Cider House Rules”) plays Alfred; Gary Oldman is Commissioner Gordon; and Oscar® winner Morgan Freeman (“Million Dollar Baby”) reprises the role of Lucius Fox.
In helming “The Dark Knight Rises,” Christopher Nolan is utilizing IMAX® cameras even more extensively than he did on “The Dark Knight,” which had marked the first time ever that a major feature film was partially shot with IMAX® cameras. The results were so spectacular that the director wanted to expand the use of the large-format cameras for this film.

The screenplay for “The Dark Knight Rises” is written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer. The film is being produced by Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Charles Roven, who previously teamed on “Batman Begins” and the record-breaking blockbuster “The Dark Knight.” The executive producers are Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Kevin De La Noy and Thomas Tull, with Jordan Goldberg serving as co-producer. “The Dark Knight” is based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by Bob Kane.

Behind the scenes, “The Dark Knight Rises” reunites the director with several of his longtime collaborators, all of whom worked together on the “The Dark Knight.” The creative team includes director of photography Wally Pfister, who recently won an Oscar® for his work on Nolan’s “Inception”; production designer Nathan Crowley; editor Lee Smith; and Oscar®-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming (“Topsy-Turvy”). In addition, Paul Franklin and Chris Corbould, who both won Oscars® for the effects in “Inception,” will supervise the visual and special effects, respectively. The music will be composed by Oscar® winner Hans Zimmer (“The Lion King”).

The locations for “The Dark Knight Rises” span three continents and include the American cities of Pittsburgh, New York and Los Angeles, as well as sites in India, England and Scotland.

“The Dark Knight Rises” is a presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures, in association with Legendary Pictures. Slated for release on July 20, 2012, the film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Can't wait to see the rising...

Rebranding Bad...

2011-05-17T10:35:00.000-07:00

Gawsh...

The period look of DCA's new posters continues...

And it's a lovely thing. I enjoy how even the little things are helping to improve not only the image of Disney's Second California Gate, but the outlook for the whole park.

Now, let's see those swanky Radiator Springs Racer posters...

It Wasn't Easy Being Green...

2011-05-16T14:55:00.000-07:00

Hi ho...

Twenty-one years ago today Jim Henson passed away...

Disney Shows That Aren't (Part One)...

2011-05-13T10:54:00.000-07:00

Give me the controller...

While I'm a very big fan of Disney, I'm not a very big fan of some of their shows on the small screen...

Now, I realize that they're not all aimed at my demographic of course, but one of the main staples of a Disney film is it's supposed to appeal to everyone. That's one of my problems with entertainment in several of the parks right now. It's aimed at the tween factor or even younger and not meant to entertain all. That's one of the reasons that Pixar does so well. It hits this demographic square in the center of the bulls-eye.

So I thought I'd take the opportunity to pretend that I had been programming the television series of the Mouse. And by this I don't mean ABC, which appeals to different groups, but the "family" entertainment that is supposed to be on its other channels. Disney Channel, which is now sadly aimed at tween girls and Disney XD, which has been now designed as a counter to the female driven viewers of the original channel. If it were up to me, there wouldn't have been one or the other. It would have been a Disney channel with Disney series for everyone. Perhaps it would be like HBO, where they have an HBO 2 and HBO 3 and so on.

Now, pretending I had been the Suit in charge of a mythical channel over the past few decades, here are a sampling of what I would have put on the schedule. Now, some of these series derive from my own taste while others reflect programs that I may not like, but feel would appeal to the demographic that the company should/could aim for. And here they are:

"Everybody Hates Chris" - this series focusing on a fictionalized account of Chris Rock's childhood. It's sweet, charming, actually funny and has family values all throughout.

"Freaks and Geeks" - A wonderful series created by Paul Feig and some unknown guy named Judd Apatow about teens going through their day to day lives. It's sweet and real, respecting teens and the world they inhabit.

"Goosebumps" - Something that feels like a child's version of the Twilight Zone. An anthology series that lets kids (and parents) experience fears and thrills inside the comfort of their living room.

"Sliders" - A fun, sci-fi show created by Robert K. Weiss and Tracy Tormé that follows a group of travelers that use a wormhole to "slide" into alternate universes. Fun and adventurous journeys abound for all involved.

"Young Indiana Jones" - I know this one was on ABC, so it technically was a Disney series, but I put it here based on what the show could have been rather than what it turned out to be. It had a lot of potential, but wound up seeming more like it was trying to be a history lesson than an entertaining story. That said, I'd like to have seen what could have come from it.

"Eerie, Indiana" - What would you do if you lived in the strangest place on earth? This early 90's series created by José Rivera and Karl Schaefer, and creative consultant Joe Dante followed Marshall Teller and his family as they adapt to their new and weird surrounding. Kind of like an "X-Files" show for adolescents, this series disappeared before it had an opportunity to grow a big enough follow, other than Elvis conspiricists.

"Amazing Stories" - The 80's anthology series from Steven Spielberg was filled with all kinds of tales, from scary to funny to animated. And truthfully, anything from Spielberg in the 80's could be considered Disney in my opinion.

"Doogie Howser" - A story of the live and travels of a teen genius who is a doctor created by Steven Bochco. A child prodigy who becomes a doctor at 14 and deals with the world from his perspective. The show dealt with very mature subject matter, but from a teen's unique insight into the problems of our world.

"The Adventures of Brisco County Jr." - A show featuring Bruce Campbell cannot go wrong. So how did it get canceled after opening up for the "X-Files" after its first season? The world is a strange place. Created by Jeffrey Boam and Carlton Cuse following the wild west travels of bounty hunter Brisco County Jr., the show feels like a continuation of the original "Wild, Wild West" television show (not the horrible Will Smith film). It was a fun show with a great deal of humor and action amid a lot of horses and gun play.

"The Clone Wars" - It's sad that Disney didn't try harder for this show. I know that they were interested in it and the fact that most kids think of Star Wars as part of Disney when they enter the parks would have made a great addition to Mouse tv. I know that Disney XD is becoming the Marvel Channel, but having this show and others like it would have made the channel a force to be reckoned with years ago. While I was initially skeptical about the show, it has turned into a series that has high quality animation and stories that range from good to compelling.

Now, we return you to the world of reality...

Shanghide And Seek...

2011-05-11T11:25:00.000-07:00

It's a small world after all...

There were a lot of comments about the Shanghai Disney Resort recently...

Most of it was from people commenting that Disney isn't being honest or that they are outright lying about the reason behind the lack of artwork for the new park. Some of those comments are valid, but they're also not. Let me explain from what I know or have heard Bothans explain to me.

One point is that many have said it's not true about the artwork since the park is basically a carbon copy of Disneyland. How could companies copy something that is already out there? Fair enough. But Hong Kong Disneyland isn't an exact copy, but a detailed, pale image. The castle is an exact copy of Disneyland's famous icon, but the park is a very lushly detailed collection of attractions found throughout many other Disney theme parks, but they do have their own look. And that look has been copied at several local amusement parks. Disney Suits and WDI Suits noticed this and it was planned from at least a year ago to not inially release a great deal of artwork. It doesn't mean we won't get more, but it won't all be out there at once like before.

That doesn't address the two biggest problems that HKDL had. One is the most obvious to Disney Fans: size. The park was under built. It wasn't built looking cheaply though. The park is quite detailed and filled with little bits of embellishing that are common to most Disney parks. The problem was that attractions that people expected and were initially announced as being part of the park didn't show up. They were cut and expected to be included in a future expansion phase. This was the shortsightedness of the last decade of Eisner and his underlings.

The other part was the cultural aspect which Eisner and even some Imagineers didn't take into account. Not that they didn't expect some changes based on cultural need. Truthfully, one of the reasons certain attractions weren't built (Snow White, ect.) was that it was felt that the Chinese people, unlike the Japanese people, had not grown up on a steady diet of Disney characters and films. Of course the conception of Main Street didn't figure into this park as it has in Shanghai. But that plan has changed as you've noticed that there is no normal interest in a traditional entrance like fans have come to expect. Planning is also going ahead with a couple attractions that actually play more on what are reflected in Chinese culture. This is something that will be unique to this area and something that the company hopes will address guest concerns about appealing to the local market.

Another comment/complaint is that they are really hiding the fact that large parts of the park remain unplanned or not even designed yet. This is true, but that's because it is five to six years out. It is understandable that parts of the park wouldn't be done yet, but simply in the idea stage. This site is called "Blue Sky" Disney, after all. If this were the state of plans in another two or three years then it would be a valid concern since they would already be deeply involved in construction. Lastly, some have mentioned that there are arguments and divisions within WDI about where or how to continue.

I have to tell you that the Bothans I talked to say that this is a common occurrence that has happened for as long as they've been working for the division. All the way back to Paris. And without the guiding hand of Walt himself, there were arguments about where and how to expand every park since his passing. Before EPCOT was built there were many divisions inside Glendale as to how to continue the project that he had planned. There were arguments as to what direction to take, how close to his vision they should stick and what type of attractions would fit the differing visions they had of the project. Debates and arguments happen all the time and so far I've heard nothing that makes me believe this isn't business as usual. Now, if there are any of you out there in the know that have evidence to refute this then, by all means, please contact me. By e-mail if you'd like with your side of the story. Don't just vent anonymous comments that come off as the ranting opinions of angry fans. Feel free to enlighten me in private.

Now, this may make some people feel that nothing is planned or done. This is also not so. There are several classic attractions that will be gratefully welcomed when announced later this year or early next depending on how the timeline is addressed. But there are also several new attractions as well. Like that mountain/water rafting attraction based on the mechanics of the Grizzly River Run, but set to an entirely new theme... ooops. Sorry, you didn't hear that. I seem to have lost track of my delete button. Oh well, I don't really have to worry because most everyone will have stopped reading before they got here.

Either way, the plans for Shanghai are evolving and expanding and that is a great thing...

Mou$e Bu$ine$$...

2011-05-10T17:21:00.000-07:00

As Walt Street markets closed today the Mouse revealed its quarterly earnings...

And the company's earnings were down. Partly because of the tragedy in Japan, but also because of some man made disasters as well. Here are a list of some of the highlights:

- The Walt Disney Company had a net income of $942 million for the quarter (off 1% from 2010, ago).

- Company revenue rose by 6% to $9.1 billion, from $8.6 billion in the comparable quarter (strange how it can be off by last year and still have more cash, eh?).

- The Walt Disney Studios made $77 million for the quarter which ended on April 2 (a 65% drop from the same quarter of 2010, which had blockbusters like "Alice in Wonderland"). The bad news was mainly from "Mars Needs Moms" which subtracted $70 million from the studios bottom line. The other was "Prom" which was a huge stinking pile of, well let's just say it was a High School Musical wanna-be. Mars was one of Dick Cook's projects, but Prom was Ross' first green lit film which was an example of the bad of the old regime and the bad of the new regime. Let's pray the rest of his selections don't go like this or 2013/14 will see him going the way of Cook.

- The bright spot as it has been for several quarters is in the broadcast/cable properties of the Mouse, particularly ESPN. Income increased 17% to $1.5 billion from an rise in advertising revenue at ESPN, additional subscribers/fees for Disney Channels Worldwide and ad buys for ABC and the Disney owned television stations.

- As stated before, the earthquake/tsunami in Tokyo resulted in lower earning for the Disney Parks division now run by Tom Staggs. A 3% drop in income meant that the division made $145 million. This profit includes all 11 parks, the 9 Disney owns and the 2 that are licensed to the Oriental Land Company.

A profitable, but mixed bag for investors as the loss didn't result in going into the red, but still provided less than desirable earnings for stockholders.

Of course Summer/Soundsational is just around the corner and good things lie ahead...