Hat Box Ghost
The infamous Hatbox Ghost returned to Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion over the weekend, revealing the classic concept brought to life with new magic. Just how did Imagineers make this happen? Take a look:
Even though the line has not formally been launced yet, the new Pirates of the Caribbean merchandise has already started to arrive at Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Here’s what is out so far:
New pirate ear hat
Sweatshirt
The back of the hoodie
The front featuring Pegleg Pete
Skull cap
Long sleeve t-shirt
Tin sign
New t-shirts
There’s also a line of strange Mermaid items
Striped socks reminiscent of those in the cast costume
More mermaid stuff
There are now foam swords with the logo
New kid’s shirt
Playing cards
Mystery pin set
Open edition pins
Two-sided lanyard
Baseball
HE’S BACK! Video courtesy of Disney Hipsters on Instagram:
Using projection mapping technology, Disney has successfully brought the Hatbox Ghost back to the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland starting today. The original effect installed in 1969 never quite worked properly and was removed a few weeks later. 45 years later, he has returned just in time for the Diamond Celebration at Disneyland.
An inside source has sent us some internal images promoting the special food and beverage souvenir items coming to Disneyland Resort when the Diamond Celebration kicks off later this month:
Diamond glow cubes that will be available with select beverages
32oz sipper artwork, available only on 5/22
Artwork for souvenir mugs
Specialty popcorn buckets
Plastic stein, Dinoco cup for Cars Land, and popcorn bucket art
Which ones do you NEED to own?
Tonight, on WDWNT: The Radio show, we will discuss the latest park news, Star Wars, Marvel, pet apparel and more. We will also ponder what the Universal deal with Nintendo means for theme parks.
You can also win some great prizes from Theme Park Connection by playing The Match Game. Match your answers with those of our WDWNT staff panel to score points. We are giving you the chance to pre-register now to have a chance to play live on tonight’s radio show. Here are some of the rules:
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. 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 Radio.WDWNT.com.
The show begins at 8PM EST every Thursday night, don’t miss it!
Marvel has just announced the cast of “Captain America: Civil War” and the biggest surprise to me is that William Hurt will reprise his role as General Ross from “The Incredible Hulk” movie. There was also no mention of Spider-Man in the cast, but expect an announcement soon.
Marvel’s Official Announcement For “Captain America: Civil War”:
Marvel Studios has commenced principal photography at Pinewood Studios in Atlanta, Georgia on “Captain America: Civil War,” the third installment of its Super Hero franchise. The production will shoot on location in Atlanta, Georgia, which serves as the base for the film’s production, as well as locations in Germany, Puerto Rico and Iceland.
Set for release in the United States on May 6, 2016, “Captain America: Civil War” is directed by Anthony and Joe Russo (Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Community”) from a screenplay by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely (“Captain America: The Winter Solider,” Marvel’s “Captain America: The First Avenger”). The film returns Chris Evans (“Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron”) as the iconic Super Hero character Steve Rogers/Captain America along with Robert Downey Jr. (“Avengers: Age of Ultron,” Marvel’s “Iron Man 3”) as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Scarlett Johansson (“Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”) as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Sebastian Stan (“Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Captain America: The First Avenger”) as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, Anthony Mackie (“Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”) as Sam Wilson/Falcon, Paul Bettany (“Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Iron Man 3”) as The Vision, Jeremy Renner (“Avengers: Age of Ultron,” Marvel’s “The Avengers”) as Clint Barton/Hawkeye, Don Cheadle (“Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Iron Man 3”) as Jim Rhodes/War Machine and Elizabeth Olsen (“Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Godzilla”) as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch.
After his debut in Marvel’s “Ant-Man” on July 17, 2015, Paul Rudd (“Ant-Man,” ”Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues”) will make his first appearance alongside the Avengers as Scott Lang/Ant-Man in “Captain America: Civil War.”
The film also includes outstanding additional cast, including Chadwick Boseman (“42,” “Get on Up”) as T’Challa/Black Panther, Emily VanCamp (“Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Revenge”) as Sharon Carter/Agent 13, Daniel Brühl (“Inglourious Basterds,” “Bourne Ultimatum”), Frank Grillo (“Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Warrior”) as Brock Rumlow/Crossbones, William Hurt (“A History of Violence,” Marvel’s “The Incredible Hulk”) as General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross and Martin Freeman (“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”).
“Captain America: Civil War” picks up where “Avengers: Age of Ultron” left off, as Steve Rogers leads the new team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. After another international incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability and a governing body to determine when to enlist the services of the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers while they try to protect the world from a new and nefarious villain.
“Captain America: Civil War” will open on May 6th, 2016.
Marvel recently released a brand new poster for the upcoming movie, “Ant-Man.”
Marvel’s “Ant-Man”, one of the original members of the Avengers, makes his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut this summer following the global critical and box office success of Avengers: Age of Ultron.
“Ant-Man” stars Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, and Michael Douglas and is in theaters on July 17, 2015.
The author of this rumor says to take this with a grain of salt and he is right. Recently there was a rumor that the next Spider-Man movie would be called “The Spectacular Spider-Man” but now it is being reported that the next Spider-Man movie will be called “Spider-Man: The New Avenger.” I like Spectacular better but since the ultimate goal for Sony is to make Spider-Man more profitable it makes sense to throw in “The New Avenger” in the title.
The way everything is shaping up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man will make has MCU debut in “Civil War”, so I wouldn’t be surprised if at the end of the movie he is asked to join the Avengers and then “Spider-Man: The New Avenger” continues Spider-Man’s story from where “Civil War” left off. Spider-Man will be making his “Avengers” movie debut in “Avengers: Infinity War” Part 1.” Even though this is a rumor, it does kind of make sense if they went this route.
Source: umbertogonzale via Intagram
Our fourth episode of “WDWNT: Nerd Alert” will air this Thursday night at 10:05 PM, which can be heard on WDWNT: On The Air. Nerd Alert will immediately follow “WDWNT: The Radio Show,” which airs from 8-10 PM.
This week will be a special roundtable episode where we discuss just what we thought of “Avengers: Age Of Ultron!”
Link: WDWNT: On The Air
Sideshow Collectible has just released it latest exclusive collectible set which show cases Iron Man, The Hulkbuster and The Hulk.
We are delighted to continue the line and officially present the Avengers: Age of Ultron Cosbaby Series 1.5 which features the Hukkbuster and Hulk. A special box set of 3 is also available which exclusively includes the Mark XLIII (Battle Damaged Version)!
The Hulkbuster and the Hulk both stand approximately 14cm tall and the Mark XLIII (Battle Damaged Version) is approximately 9.5cm tall. A special feature for the Hulkbuster is that the helmet can be opened up to put in a Mark XLIII or Mark XLIII (Battle Damaged Version) Cosbaby!
“Avengers: Age Of Ultron” Collectible Set Of Three is exclusively sold through Sideshow Collectibles and is avaiable for preorder for $94.99 and will ship in the third quarter of 2105.
Source: Sideshow Collectibles
That’s it for this week!
BURBANK, Calif., May 7, 2015 – D23: The Official Disney Fan Club announces the lineup of the most highly anticipated presentations at D23 EXPO 2015, August 14–16. The Disney Legends Awards Ceremony, hosted by Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger, will kick off the Expo on Friday, August 14. Later that same day, The Walt Disney Studios will give fans a sneak peek at all the latest from Disney Animation and Pixar. On Saturday morning, The Walt Disney Studios will preview the coming slate of live-action films from Disney, Marvel, and Lucasfilm. Then on Saturday afternoon, fans will get a preview of what’s in store at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts during a presentation hosted by Parks Chairman Bob Chapek.
To showcase these Expo favorites, Disney is creating “Hall D23,” a new 7,500-seat venue located in Hall D of the Anaheim Convention Center, so that more guests than ever can see the presentations live and in person.
The Schedule of Hall D23 Events and Presentations includes the following (times and additional announcements forthcoming; all events subject to change):
The Disney Legends Awards Ceremony will take place Friday, August 14. The ceremony, hosted by Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger, will once again honor those who have made significant contributions to the Disney legacy. The creativity and innovation of these visionaries and artists have earned them a place among such names as Dame Julie Andrews, Howard Ashman, Annette Funicello, Sir Elton John, Angela Lansbury, Steve Martin, Alan Menken, Hayley Mills, Fess Parker, Dick Van Dyke, Barbara Walters, and Robin Williams. At the D23 EXPO in 2013, Tony Baxter, Collin Campbell, Dick Clark, Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Jobs, Glen Keane, and Ed Wynn were inducted.
In two separate Hall D23 sessions, The Walt Disney Studios will unveil an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at its upcoming film slate. At Friday’s session, fans will go in-depth with the talented filmmakers at Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios to get a sneak peek at films such as Zootopia and Finding Dory. On Saturday, live-action titles such as Alice Through the Looking Glass and The Jungle Book and films from Marvel and Lucasfilm, along with some very special guests, take center stage.
On the afternoon of Saturday, August 15, join Bob Chapek, Chairman, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, for a behind-the-scenes peek at the magical experiences and entertainment coming to Disney’s parks and resorts around the world.
Tickets for D23 EXPO 2015 are available at a discounted price for a limited time. Until June 30, 2015, tickets are $67 for a one-day adult admission and $48 for children 3–12. Tickets for members of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club are $58 for a one-day adult admission and $42 for children. Multi-day money-saving tickets are also available. D23 Members can save as much as $188 off the price of admission, based on the purchase of four three-day tickets at the D23 Member rate. For more information on tickets and the ticket pricing structure for D23 Members and general admission, visit D23EXPO.com.
Surely by now you have heard about the Disney Channel original movie coming out called Disney Descendants. The live-action made-for-tv film follows the children of some of the most infamous Disney villains of all-time and has been quite a hot topic amongst Disney fans over the last few weeks. Well, there is a prequel novel, called The Isle of the Lost, which will tell you everything you need to know about the events before the movie, and you can pick-it up now to prepare yourself for this movie event which will air this summer:
ABOUT THE ISLE OF THE LOST
The spellbinding prequel to the Disney Channel movie event!
Evil tree. Bad Apple?
Twenty years ago, all the evil villains were banished from the kingdom of Auradon to the Isle of the Lost–a dark and dreary place protected by a force field that makes it impossible for them to leave. Stripped of their magical powers, the villains now live in total isolation, forgotten by the world.
Mal learns from her mother, Maleficent, that the key to true darkness, the Dragon’s Eye, is located inside her scepter in the forbidden fortress on the far side of the island. The eye is cursed, and whoever retrieves it will be knocked into a deep sleep for a thousand years. But Mal has a plan to capture it. She’ll just need a little help from her “friends.” In their quest for the Dragon’s Eye, these four kids begin to realize that just because you come from an evil family tree, being good ain’t so bad.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Melissa de la Cruz is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for teens and adults including The Au Pairs series, the Blue Bloods series, the Ashleys series, the Witches of East End series, and The Ring and the Crown.
Disney Publishing was nice enough to send us a review copy of the book (which we’ll be reviewing at a later date), but they also are going to give out a “Meet the Descendants” prize pack to the winner of our contest!
The prize pack includes:
To win, just comment below and tell us who is your favorite Disney villain and why. Our favorite choice and comment will be chosen by the end of Friday May 8th at midnight EST. The winner will be contacted via email.
For as long as I can remember, people have asked why Disney or Universal didn’t have or try to obtain the theme park rights for the Nintendo video game library, and there are a lot of stories out there as to why. For whatever reason, it just seemed like park-goers would never see Mario or Zelda themed rides, shops, and restaurants. That was until today…
KYOTO, Japan & ORLANDO, Fla.–Nintendo and Universal Parks & Resorts today announced plans to bring the world of Nintendo to life at Universal theme parks – creating spectacular, dedicated experiences based on Nintendo’s wildly popular games, characters and worlds.
The agreement brings two icons of entertainment together and represents a significant partnership for Nintendo as it expands the reach and popularity of its characters and intellectual property.
While I know our focus is usually just the Disney Parks, today is a landmark moment in theme park history that is sure to affect Disney should Nintendo-themed attractions come to the U.S. parks. There is a small chance that this deal will just affect the Universal park in Japan, but I can’t imagine that the two companies wouldn’t want to see Mario and the gang taking over the now-booming Orlando and Los Angeles area parks.
The magnitude of this deal is yet to be seen and will depend on what kind of investment Universal makes with the giant Nintendo character library. If the Nintendo characters end-up as just an overlay replacement of Marvel Super-Hero Island, Toon Lagoon, or the Woody Woodpecker’s Kid Zone area, then this probably will not be anything to write home about, but should Universal start from scratch and build attractions and environments on the scale and quality-level of the first Harry Potter endeavor, then Disney will have something to contend with, even with a HUGE Star Wars land on the horizon.
Regardless of what the future holds, this is another fascinating chapter in the theme park wars between Disney and Universal.
First previewed last year, Disney is finally getting around to the release of “Park Pack”, a monthly mystery box of Disney Parks merchandise. The first edition being released, called Trading Edition, will go on sale May 14th through the Disney Parks online store. This box will focus on Disney pins and include an exclusive Limited Edition 500 pin, as well as 2 open edition pins guests can not yet purchase at Disney Parks. The limited edition pins are part of a series and may include characters from animated features or attractions at Disney Parks. The limited edition pins will also have two embellishments (like pin-on-pin or special fills).
The boxes will retail for $39.95 including shipping and subsequently be released on the first Thursday of every month.
“Park Packs” containing other types of items are expected to come at a later date, but no announcement has been made yet.
