All Six “Star Wars” Films To Be Released Digitally On April 10th; “Special Editions” Only

WDWNT on March 19, 2015

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Whenever I read a story on “April 1st,” I take it with a huge grain of salt because the majority are just April Fool’s jokes. This year on April 1st, Yakface.com ran with a story that all six movies from the “Star Wars” saga were going to be released this month on VUDU. Turns out, that story was no April Fool’s joke and all six movies will be released on April 10th on VUDU.

For a few days there was speculation that we might finally see for the first time the unaltered versions Original Trilogy in HD. Well, that’s not going to happen. We will be getting the “Special Editions” ….again.

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Source: VUDU

*Update #1 – Disney, Lucasfilm and Fox have officially announced that the Star Wars Saga will be available on Digital HD on April 10th. This includes multiple platforms, not just VUDU. Is it me or does it seem strange that they make an official announcement just 4 days before the release? You would think they would have been marketing then hell out of this for months.

“Since the debut of the first film nearly 40 years ago, Star Wars has become a worldwide phenomenon with legions of fans from every generation,” said Alan Bergman, President, The Walt Disney Studios. “It’s only fitting that audiences enjoy this legendary Saga and its many fascinating behind-the-scenes stories on a wide variety of platforms, and we’re very excited to finally bring all six films to Digital HD for the first time.”

“We’re thrilled that fans will be able to enjoy the Star Wars Saga on their digital devices wherever they go,” commented Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy. “These films broke new ground in technology, design, sound, and visual effects, and we’ve created some very special bonus material which delves into the Saga’s rich history, including new and never-before-released conversations between legendary Star Wars artists – the masters who helped George bring his iconic universe to life.”

With Star Wars: Episodes I-VI available for purchase as a complete digital movie collection and individually, viewers will have the Rebel forces at their beck and call across their favorite devices anywhere – sunbathing at the beach, relaxing in their living room with friends, or waiting to board a flight to Endor (or elsewhere).

Enhancing the movie collection are a host of never-before-seen special features including Star Wars: Discoveries from Inside and insightful Conversations between key contributors from across this celebrated film franchise, plus a curated collection of classic Star Wars extras from each film.

*Update #2 – I mention in my comments below that Fox will forever own the movie rights to “A New Hope.” Fox has made this perfectly clear by not allowing consumers to buy or access “A New Hope” as part of the 6 movie set, or individually, through Disney’s own digital movie streaming service, Disney Movies Anywhere. This could be the reason why this was just announced only 4 days before release. This is purely speculation on my part, but maybe Disney was trying to work something out with Fox and it failed.

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Recently I had worked on a story regarding a rumor in which it appeared Disney might be preparing to release the unaltered versions of the “Star Wars” Original Trilogy on Blu-ray just prior to the release of the theatrical release of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Unfortunately the rumor was debunked before I finished the article and decided to just scrap it for the time being.

I’m glad I decided not to delete it and just save it for another day because it’s probably a good time now to readdress:

Why We Need The Unaltered Versions Of “The Original Star Wars Trilogy”

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A long time ago, in this galaxy, we were able to watch the “Original Star Wars Trilogy” without Hayden Christensen in it. What happened? Where is it? Will we ever see it again?

Yes, I know that Fox still owns the distribution rights to “Empire” and “Jedi” until 2020 and Fox will “never” lose the rights to “A New Hope.” But there is a lot of demand out there from the fans of the Original Trilogy and Disney knows it. And from what I have heard and seen, Disney is not a fan of the Prequels and they have been pushing the Original Trilogy since they first purchased Star Wars and Lucasfilm in 2013.

The Special Editions added a lot of CGI special effects, corrected the color and contrast, cleaned up the prints and some scenes are very nice improvements from the original versions. Probably the most welcome change was that The Emperor was no longer played by a woman in “Empire” (not kidding here). So why do so many people want to see the Original Trilogy instead of the Special Editions? I’ll just name a few reasons off the top of my head.

“A New Hope”

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKxOEUhRMt0]

  • Greedo Shoots first – In the 1977 version of “Star Wars,” Han Solo shoots Greedo in the Mos Eisley Cantina. In fact, there is no Greedo shooting at all. Through the years it has bothered George Lucas that Han shot first because he felt Han is a hero and it wasn’t very heroic to shoot Greedo the way he did. Lucas tried to convince everyone in interviews that Han was never meant to shoot first and that it was just a bad camera angle. George’s Jedi Mind trick didn’t work on anyone. George altered the film to show Greedo shooting first at point blank range and missing and then Han ducking out of the way and shooting back at Greedo. The very first Special Edition version of this scene looked ridiculous. The most recent version is the least offensive, where they actually shoot at each other at the same time, except Greedo’s aim still sucks.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-ufJAp6meU]

  • Adding Jabba The Hutt – I really dont like this scene because it was never needed in the first place. First of all, the CGI version of Jabba The Hutt looks horrible. They show a goofy scene where Han walks over Jabba because the original actor to play Jabba was a human and Han walks behind him. That scene was cut from the original film. They also show the Millennium Falcon in the background. This scene completely ruins the scene when we first originally saw the Millennium Falcon and Luke looks at it and says, “What a piece of junk!” For some reason, Lucas felt it was a good idea to place this new scene before the original.

“The Empire Strikes Back”

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOvJOV0PxHg]

  • New Wampa – In Empire, they added a news scene showing a guy in a new Wampa costume eating Luke’s Tauntaun. The costume is an improvement but it looks nothing like the original Wampa, which they decided to not take out in the Special Edition. It looks like two different Wampas, but it’s not meant to be.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaXgK5HRBjk]

  • Luke “screams” as he falls after Vader reveals that he is his father – In the original unaltered version, Luke doesn’t scream. He just lets go and falls. It made Luke look very brave, valiant and heroic. The Special Edition version has Luke screaming all the way down. When Luke screams in the Special Edition, it makes it seems like he is thinking, “Maybe this wasn’t the best idea! Somebody save me!” Plus he sounds like Kermit The Frog. Thankfully though, Lucas came to his senses and removed it when the Blu-Ray version was released.

“Return Of The Jedi”

(These are the most offensive changes)

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiDRgDmXGi4]

  • A new musical number added to Jabba’s palace – I have no idea what Lucas was thinking. If that scene was not long enough, Lucas decides it was a good idea to throw in an absolutely horrible musical number and he actually had his son write the lyrics to the song. The CGI is horrible and it shouldn’t be there.

Special Edition:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3u70WELSEg]

 

Original:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BOQI-LAEzM]

  • Vader’s “No” from “Revenge Of The Sith”  – There is a scene in “Revenge Of The Sith” where Darth Vader is first revealed in costume on a Frankenstein table and he yells, “Nooooooo!”  I would say that most of the audience in my theater laughed because it sounded so funny and it was just so uncharacteristic of Vader to do. Lucas finally releases “Jedi” on Blu-ray and what does he do? He ruins the best scene in the movie where Vader is torn as to whether to obey his master or save his son. Lucas actually had his people copy over the audio clip from “Sith” and just paste it in the middle of that scene so we can see Vader scream like an idiot as he lifts the Emperor up and throws him to his death. Originally, that scene never failed to deliver chills to me when Vader just stood their silently, contemplating and thinking back and forth. And the audience was still not sure if he was going to save Luke or not. My audience back in 1983 all stood up, literally yelling at the screen, “Come on Darth! Do It!” And then when he finally turned away from the dark side, the place exploded with applause and not one person was sitting down. Now that scene has been turned into a joke. We never needed to know what he was thinking. We knew! I would much rather watch a VHS copy with black bars on the sides then to have to see the HD remaster of this scene with his abysmal “Noooooo!” again. This scene is the most offensive change to me without a doubt and really ruins the movie for me.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRvAAYjmqkE]

  • Jar Jar is still alive – Lucas was never happy to know that Jar Jar was mostly universally hated. He had to cut his part in the sequels because of so much Jar Jar hate. But Lucas had the last laugh. In one of the most recent changes to the Special Editions, Jar Jar can be seen and heard celebrating on Naboo yelling, “Weesa free!” That whole scene of different planets celebrating the fall of the Empire was never needed at all and shockingly John Williams added depressing music where before we had uplifting music.

Special Edition:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1-4U6GXPnc]

Original:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S2auEHR4rg]

  • Hayden Christensen replaces Sebastian Shaw as Anakin’s Force Ghost – This is definitely the second worst. You have an old Obi-Wan ghost, you have an old Yoda ghost and now you have a young Anakin ghost with them? This was just Lucas’ way of pushing the fact that all of these movies were tied together. There are a lot of Prequel haters, including myself, and we are OK with the Prequel’s existing. But I like to think of “Star Wars” as though the Prequels just never existed. We cant do that now because we have whiny, annoying, arrogant Anakin as a force ghost as opposed to an older looking Jedi that Luke knew was his father. How would Luke know that Hayden Christensen, who is younger than Luke, was his father? Another scene where I used to get chills, now I just get pissed off.

For years, fans were pushing Lucas to release the unaltered version of the Original Trilogy on DVD because many fans did not liked his changes with the Special Editions.  Lucas finally caved in but in the end he basically screwed the fans. Those DVD versions of the unaltered versions of the Original Trilogy were just copies of the old Laser Disc versions. They were also non anamorphic, meaning that there were not only black bars on the top and bottom, but also on the left and right. Nobody bought them because they looked horrible and Lucas basically said, I thought you guys wanted the unaltered version of the Original Trilogy? Guess not.

When Lucas made all of the changes to the Special Editions, he wasn’t thinking of the fans, he was think of himself. Kind of like, this is my world, you either like what I give you or you get nothing at all. He even has come out and said that he used the original negatives to make the Special Editions and that some parts of the original are gone forever because he destroyed them while making the Special Editions. So even if he wanted to release the unaltered versions, he couldn’t. Who does that? I have seen fan man versions of the unaltered versions of the Original Trilogy online and they look beautiful. So I dont buy Lucas’ excuse that the original negatives no longer exist so it cant be done. Also, I am pretty sure that the Smithsonian has a decent copy if it is needed.

Don’t get me wrong. I am very, very grateful that George Lucas exists and that he gave us “Star Wars.” Just stop touching it, George. Leave it alone and go play with something else. There is this movie that Steven Spielberg and he did called “Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull” that if he really, really tried, he might be able to make it better. Go play with that one.

Now that Lucas is sitting on his rocking chair at Skywalker Ranch and enjoying his retirement (and he probably isn’t looking), please Disney and Fox, do the right thing. At least give fans a choice. That’s all we are asking for.

EDITORIAL: Why Removing the Sorcerer’s Hat from Hollywood Studios is a Good Thing

WDWNT on March 19, 2015

Used with permission.

A fixture at Hollywood Studios since 2001. Used with permission.

The Sorcerer’s Hat is no more. For some this is a moment of triumph and restoration. For others it represents a seismic shift in Disney’s Hollywood Studios ethos and theme. My family and I are both excited about it as well as a little sad to see such an icon of so many Disney trips say goodbye. Regardless of your personal reaction, the decision to remove the hat allows Hollywood Studios to return to its original intent and design as well as to restore the park to its more purely “imagineered” vision.

By now most of us know the story. It was 1984. Michael Eisner and Frank Wells had just accepted roles as CEO and COO of Walt Disney Productions. Early in their leadership Walt Disney World added Captain EO, Mickey’s Toontown, the Norway Pavilion, and two new resorts. To generate interest beyond Walt Disney World’s only two parks at the time, Magic Kingdom and EPCOT, plans for what was then referred to as “The Third Gate” were in motion at WDW.

According to Jeff Kurtti’s Since the World Began, plans for a third park grew out of concepts for a new EPCOT pavilion. In addition to the Norway Pavilion, Disney leaders Eisner and Wells as well as the Imagineering community had been developing a “Movie Pavilion” that would tell the story of Hollywood with a unique Disney “bent.” Once they got into the concept, however, the decision was made to abandon notions of a new pavilion within EPCOT and instead expand the idea into a new park that became MGM Studios, which became Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2008.

The Sorcerer's Hat contributed to a very "unDisney-like" departure in thematic direction and purpose. Used with permission.

The Sorcerer’s Hat contributed to a very “unDisney-like” departure in thematic direction and purpose. Used with permission.

Thematically, this new park was created in the spirit of 1930’s and 1940’s Hollywood. This is significant because, if you’ve visited the real Hollywood, Walt Disney World’s iteration is nothing like Hollywood is now nor ever has been. Here is what Michael Eisner read from the dedication plaque on the park’s opening day:

The world you have entered was created by The Walt Disney Company and is dedicated to Hollywood—not a place on a map, but a state of mind that exists wherever people dream and wonder and imagine, a place where illusion and reality are fused by technological magic. We welcome you to a Hollywood that never was—and always will be.

The “state of mind” referenced on the plaque probably comes closest to capturing the essence of the park. I’ve heard Matt Hochberg, host of www.studioscentral.com, talk about the design of Hollywood Boulevard from the entrance to the original Studios centerpiece, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, as a metaphorical journey from 1935 Hollywood to the present with Prime Time 50’s Cafe squarely in the middle. It’s a fascinating take on the park’s tight thematic design and Imagineering vision. And it makes sense. The net effect is this: Disney’s Hollywood Studios was created to be a representation of all Hollywood could have been, perhaps should have been, but actually has only existed in our  imagination. This vision naturally culminated in the full-scale replica of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, which premiered Disney’s Mary Poppins in 1964. So it is with good reason that Mickey’s Sorcerer Hat was not original to MGM Studios. It was added an an attraction during 2001’s 100 Years of Magic Celebration at Walt Disney World.

Over countless trips early in my Disney park experiences I never really gave the Sorcerer’s Hat much thought. It didn’t really fit aesthetically, but it wasn’t terribly dissonant in its theming. Because “Hollywood” in my mind always implied a sense of magic, at least to a degree, the Sorcerer’s Hat felt consistent enough. It wasn’t until we were at rope drop one morning with a long, straight-down-Hollywood-Boulevard, view that I realized just how intrusive Mickey’s Sorcerer Hat was to the park described on the dedication plaque.

Hollywood Boulevard in Disney's Hollywood Studios today. Used with permission.

Hollywood Boulevard in Disney’s Hollywood Studios today. Used with permission.

You can see in the photo above, as the Hat disappears an ever better Hollywood has emerged. Even given the size of the Hat, the impact removing one visual element from an environment is surprisingly dramatic. Similar to the recently completed work on the Magic Kingdom hub, removing the Hat really opens the area up for guests.  Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, the only structure built to full-scale on Hollywood Boulevard, is also the perfect icon for the “Golden Era” Hollywood  the Imagineers have captured. It makes everything better from the Citizens of Hollywood characters to the sense of nostalgia, and we haven’t lost Mickey’s Sorcerer Hat completely, we’ll just have to make our way to Anaheim to see one now!

PHOTOS: Aloha Isle and Dole Whips Swap Places with Sunshine Tree Terrace

WDWNT on March 19, 2015

Effective today, Sunshine Tree Terrace and the ever-popular Aloha Isle in Adventureland have switched places:

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Sunshine Tree Terrace taking the place of Aloha Isle

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The Little Orange Bird will move in soon, for now he is nowhere to be found

 

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So, the Citrus Swirl is now over here

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Aloha Isle by Dole is now next door to the Enchanted Tiki Room

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And Dole Whips over here

The change is being made to alleviate the long lines for Aloha Isle and the over-crowding of the area outside of the former Adventureland Veranda (also formerly Tinker Bell’s Nook). Rumor has it that the former restaurant may be turned in a new table service dining location and removing the more popular Aloha Isle from the area would alleviate some of the pressure of having to share the restaurants promenade with a lengthy Dole Whip line. Only time will tell.

PHOTOS BY KELLY DERDA

CONFIRMED: Name Change Coming for Disney’s Hollywood Studios

WDWNT on March 19, 2015

While no name has been revealed, Disney CEO Bob Iger accidentally confirmed a name change for Disney’s Hollywood Studios during the Q & A portion of today’s Disney Shareholder Meeting.

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An announcement of the new name will be made at some point in the future, but Disney was clearly not ready to announce the change today.

With the removal of the Studio Backlot Tour, the Sorcerer’s Hat, the American Idol Experience, and the Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow, along with the on-going expansion of Toy Story Mania, and the upcoming overlay of the Great Movie Ride, among all of the rumored changes to be made to the park, the announcement should not be a surprise, but the Disney’s Hollywood Studios name was just changed from the Disney-MGM Studios in 2008.

Stay tuned as more information becomes available on this breaking story.

Disney Officially Announces “Frozen 2”

WDWNT on March 19, 2015

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During Disney’s annual shareholder meeting, John Lasseter, CCO of Pixar, officially announced that “Frozen 2” is in development.

The company revealed plans during the Walt Disney Company’s annual shareholders meeting on Thursday from San Francisco.

The first film’s director Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck are developing the project.

John Lasseter, chief creative officer at Pixar, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and DisneyToon Studios, made the announcement with Bob Iger.

The sequel doesn’t come as much of a surprise, considering how the first film continues to be a major moneymaking force for Disney’s divisions since its release Nov. 22, 2013.

“Frozen” generated nearly $1.3 billion at the box office and has become a merchandising juggernaut, breaking sales records on homevideo and at Disney’s stores.

Source: Variety

 

“Star Wars: Episode VIII” Gets A Release Date; First “Star Wars” Spin Off Movie To Be Called “Rogue One”

WDWNT on March 19, 2015

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Today during a Disney shareholder meeting, Bob Iger, announced the release date of “Star Wars: Episode VIII” will be May 26, 2017. He also confirmed that Rian Johnson (“Looper”) is set to director the next sequel in the new “Star Wars” trilogy.

Since every “Star Wars” movie has always been released in May, Disney and Lucafilm originally planned a May release date for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” They soon realized that there was not enough time for J J Abrams to adequately work and edit the final cut of the film to release it this May and the movie was pushed back to December 18, 2015. Having “Star Wars: Episode VIII” is a welcome return for fans and “Epidsode VIII” will actually be released 40 years and 1 day from the original release date of “Star Wars,” which was released on May 25, 1977.

Bob Iger wasnt done there. He also revealed the title for the first “Star Wars” spin off movie will be titled: “Star Wars: Rogue One.”

Rogue One is the title for the first film in a unique series of big-screen adventures that explores the characters and events beyond the core Star Wars saga. Rogue One will be directed by Gareth Edwards (Monsters, Godzilla) and written by Oscar nominee Chris Weitz (Cinderella, About a Boy, Antz). The first actress cast is Felicity Jones, who garnered an Academy Award nomination and critical acclaim for her performance in The Theory of Everything. The idea for the story of Rogue One came from John Knoll, an Academy Award-winning visual effects supervisor and chief creative officer at Industrial Light & Magic.

Source: StarWars.com

Sign-Up & Play Along as WDWNT March Madness Begins Tonight (3/12/15) on WDW News Today: The Radio Show

WDWNT on March 19, 2015

Tonight, on WDWNT: The Radio show, MARCH MADNESS BEGINS! We will also discuss the news from the past two weeks including the expansions of Toy Story Midway Mania and Soarin’, and we invite you to join in the conversations as well.

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Tonight is the start of the 64 attraction WDWNT March Madness Tournament! Join us for some great debates and win some great prizes from Theme Park Connection. Not only will we try to decide the greatest attraction at Walt Disney World, but you’ll get the chance to win some great prizes as you root for your attractions! Here’s how it all works:

  • There is a pre-tournament e-mail sign-up for the March Madness attraction tournament starting tonight (Thursday 3/12/15).
  • Send an email to contactnickl@gmail.com with your name, hometown and phone number.
  • The email must be sent in and received before 9PM ET on March 12, 2015.
  • We will in return send you an email with 4 attractions that will be yours in the tournament. The attractions will come from four categories and be assigned randomly. You will receive 1 attraction from the 1-4 seed category, 1 attraction from the 5-8 seed category, 1 attraction from the 9-12 seed category, and 1 attraction from the 13-16 seed category.
  • You will need to tune-in to WDWNT: The Radio Show  from 9-10 ET on March 12th, but also again on March 19th from 8-10PM ET for the conclusion of the tournament in order to win.
  • The four attractions you will be assigned can win points for each victory they gain in the tournaments. The point distribution is as follows:
    • 1st Round Win – 1 Point
    • 2nd Round Win – 2 Points
    • “Swell Sixteen” Round Win – 3 Points
    • “Exciting Eight” Round Win – 4 Points
    • “Fantasmic Four” Round Win – 5 Points
    • Championship Round Win – 6 Points
  • The winner of each match is decided by the illustrious panel on the Radio Show. Each panelist counts for s single vote for an attraction. Majority rules on the 7 person panel and decides the winning attraction by vote count.
  • However, listeners who register to play along can change the outcome by calling in. A listener who is registered and playing in our contest may call in once during the run of the tournament and place a vote for an attraction that is worth 2 votes, more than any single panelist. The caller will be allowed to vote only on the match being deliberated at the time of their call-in.
  • The top 8 players in terms of points amassed throughout the tournament will receive prizes from Theme Park Connection! The top player will receive a grand prize package and be declared the WDWNT March Madness 2015 champion.
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Click for full size

Hosted by radio veterans and life-long Disney fans Tom Corless and Nick LoCicero, the live radio talk show on AM 1520 WBZW in Orlando focuses on the latest news and current trending topics at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. WDW News Today: The Radio Show can also be streamed live at www.1520wbzw.com or on your TuneIn and iHeartRadio apps, just search for WBZW. WDW News Today the Radio Show debuted in August of 2013 as a 1 hour broadcast on Saturday evenings and has grown into a 2-hour program by popular demand.

To interact with the hosts during the show, listeners can call in at (407) 774-8255, tweet @WDWNT using #WDWNTRadio, or use the new LIVE chat that will be available at Listen.WDWNT.com.

The show begins at 8PM EDT Thursday night, don’t miss it!

SPOILERS: Japanese Trailer For “Tomorrowland” Shows More Disney Attractions; Hints At Walt Disney’s Connection To The Film

WDWNT on March 19, 2015

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A Japanese trailer for “Tomorrowland” was released and displays new footage that ties the movie to Walt Disney, Disneyland, and the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair. Unfortunately, the trailer was pulled this morning…

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjSDLA6ygLg]

The trailer shows young Frank Walker (George Clooney’s character) discovering a secret entrance while on the ride, “it’s a small world” that apparently leads to the futuristic world of “Tomorrowland.” Two characters in this trailer reveal that Tomorrowland, found in Disneyland, is actually a cover for the real thing. They explain that geniuses like Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison and Walt Disney worked together in order to change the world and create a real “Tomorrowland.”

Here are some images that I captured from the trailer showing lots of new footage, very familiar places and some memorabilia from a very famous movie:

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In Disney’s riveting mystery adventure “Tomorrowland,” a jaded scientist and an optimistic teen embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space.

From Disney comes two-time Oscar® winner Brad Bird’s riveting, mystery adventure “Tomorrowland,” starring Academy Award® winner George Clooney. Bound by a shared destiny, former boy-genius Frank (Clooney), jaded by disillusionment, and Casey (Britt Robertson), a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity, embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space known only as “Tomorrowland.” What they must do there changes the world—and them—forever.

Featuring a screenplay by “Lost” writer and co-creator Damon Lindelof and Brad Bird, from a story by Lindelof & Bird & Jeff Jensen, “Tomorrowland” promises to take audiences on a thrill ride of nonstop adventures through new dimensions that have only been dreamed of.

“Tomorrowland” opens on May 22, 2015.

Joseph Kosinski Will Return To Direct “TRON 3”, Expected Plot

WDWNT on March 19, 2015

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The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Joseph Kosiniski, who directed “TRON: Legacy,” will be back to direct “TRON 3.” As reported yesterday, Disney is looking to start production of the third film in the “TRON” series in the fall of 2015 and Disney has attached Kosiniski to direct. Besides “TRON: Legacy,” Kosiniski is also known for directing “Oblivion,” which starred Tom Cruise.

“TRON 3” is expected to pick up where we last had seen Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) and Quorra (Olivia Wilde) after they returned to the real world. Edward Dillinger, Jr. (Cillian Murphy) son of the character played by David Warner in the first “TRON” movie, has been teased by director, Joseph Kosiniski, as being the villain in “TRON 3.”

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Disney Parks “Coolest Summer Ever” Brings Another 24-Hour Day; Frozen Summer Fun Returns & More

WDWNT on March 19, 2015

Walt Disney World Resort will kick off the “Coolest Summer Ever” with 24 hours of nonstop fun during a special event May 22-23 at the Magic Kingdom, hosted by Olaf, the summer-loving snowman from Disney’s blockbuster animated hit “Frozen.”

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Memorial Day weekend is the traditional start of family vacation time, and Walt Disney World Resort will launch into the season full force. The Magic Kingdom will be open 24 hours to guests from 6 a.m. to 6 a.m., Friday May 22 to Saturday, May 23. Guests will be invited to come in costume to show their Disney Side while a selection of favorite attractions, entertainment, special event merchandise, plus food and beverage are on tap all night long to celebrate the start of the “Coolest Summer Ever” at Walt Disney World Resort. The around-the-clock celebration features Disney character greetings, dance parties and surprises into the wee hours of the night.

The summer offerings at Walt Disney World will include the return of Frozen Summer Fun to Hollywood Studios, with the fireworks show, DJ dance party, and small parade re-joining the sing-along celebration. Frozen Summer Fun will be hosted June 17th through September 7th.

Disney also took this opportunity to announce the water park hopper ticket we have been talking about a rumor for some time now.

On the West Coast, Disneyland Resort will kick off the summer with a dynamic 24-hour event of its own, May 22-23, to launch the Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration. Marking the 60th anniversary of the resort, the Diamond Celebration includes the premieres of three new nighttime spectaculars: “Disneyland Forever” fireworks, “Paint the Night” parade and “World of Color – Celebrate!”

The all-day/all-night revelry of the 24-hour party will include dancing and special character encounters at locations in Disneyland and Disney California Adventure parks, along with enchanting Diamond décor throughout the resort and the exciting shows and attractions that bring guests back year after year.