The new look balloon for Characters in Flight was inflated today at Disney Springs.
The new design features no characters, a request made by Disney in keeping the new story of Disney Springs cohesive.
Today Disney has launched a new Star Wars game for mobile devices called Star Wars: Force Arena.
This free-to-play game let’s players compete in online versus battles of one-on-one or two-on-two. Collect cards to upgrade members of your squad, then build and customize your squad with just the right characters. Genre wise, the game seems to be somewhere between a real-time strategy, and a MOBA, so players can engage in real-time action gameplay, as opposed to the turn based gameplay found in many recent mobile Star Wars games.
Force Arena features over 80 notable heroes from the Star Wars universe such as Darth Vader, Han Solo, and Princes Leia Organa. In addition to classic characters, the game also features characters from Rogue One, including Jyn Erso and Grand Moff Tarkin.
The game does include in-app purchases that can provide players with new characters and units. Hopefully players won’t be able to gain an advantage simply by paying for bigger and better units or characters.
http://https://youtu.be/Jnc47duir4M
Star Wars: Force Arena is available now for iOS and Android devices.
Last night on WDW News Tonight…
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Hosted by radio veterans and life-long Disney fans Tom Corless and Nick LoCicero, WDW News Tonight is a live, weekly, audio and video program presented on 105.5 FM, 660 AM, and AM 1520 WBZW in Orlando, Florida, as well as online at WDWNewsTonight.com every Wednesday from 9-11pm EST. The show covers the Walt Disney World Resort and other Disney news. The show combines the latest headlines, comedy, trending vacation topics, call in games, and in-depth discussions to bring Disney fans a one-of-a-kind 2-hour program covering the Disney Parks. While the show is being live-streamed in both audio and video, listeners and viewers also interact via a live chat online. The show is also available on demand as an audio download, online audio stream and can be watched live or recorded on YouTube.
The newest issue of Total Film takes an exclusive look at Disney’s “Beauty And The Beast”. Check out some of these never before seen images of the upcoming movie.
Dan Stevens as The Beast.
Here is something we never have seen before in the animated version, Beast showing Belle (Emma Watson) the childhood room of Prince Adam.
A familiar scene from the animated classic showing Gaston (Luke Evans) on the cart that will bring Maurice to the insane asylum.
Gaston and Le Fou (Josh Gad) preparing the crowd to storm Beast’s castle.
This special issue of Total Film will be available for purchase on January 17th.
Source: Games Radar
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Will Smith is in early talks to star in the live action adaption of the classic Disney animated film, “Dumbo”.
From The Hollywood Reporter:
Will Smith is in early talks to star in Disney’s live-action take of Dumbo, being directed by Tim Burton, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Ehren Kruger penned the script for the project, which is based on Disney’s classic animated 1941 movie about a baby circus elephant who is made fun of for his large ears and is separated from his mother.
Plot details are being kept under wraps, but sources say that one thing the new version does is expand and deepen the circus aspect of the story. The character that Smith would play, if a deal is made, is that of a father who works at the big top and whose children develop a relationship with the pachyderm.
No offer has been made, but conversations have taken place. One challenging point is Sony’s Bad Boys sequel, which could shoot at the same time as Dumbo.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
ARIANA GRANDE AND JOHN LEGEND TO PERFORM
OSCAR® AND GRAMMY®-WINNING SONG “BEAUTY AND THE BEAST” AS THE TITLE TRACK FOR DISNEY’S UPCOMING SOUNDTRACK TO THE LIVE-ACTION
ADAPTATION OF THE ANIMATED CLASSIC
GRAMMY nominated and multi-platinum selling artist Ariana Grande and 10-time GRAMMY, Oscar®-winning and multi-platinum selling singer/songwriter/ musician John Legend are set to perform the Oscar and GRAMMY-winning duet “Beauty and the Beast” as the title track for Disney’s upcoming soundtrack to the live-action film adaptation “Beauty and the Beast.” The song will also be featured in the film.
The enchanting ballad, originally performed by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson featuring eight-time Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken’s beautiful melody and two-time Oscar-winner Howard Ashman’s unforgettable lyrics, received an Academy Award®, Golden Globe® and GRAMMY Award, among other accolades, upon its release in 1991.
The new rendition of the classic song is produced by GRAMMY-winning veteran Ron Fair, whose music career spans 37 years as a major-label record company leader and accomplished producer, arranger, recording engineer and musical director. Fair was brought in to produce by Disney’s president of Music & Soundtracks, Mitchell Leib, who also brought Grande and Legend to the project. The history of collaboration between Leib and Fair in film music goes back to the highly-successful “Pretty Woman” soundtrack. “Ron was the first and only choice to make this particular record,” says Leib. “No one is a better vocal producer and he also has a great understanding of the filmmaking dynamic.”
Fair’s recordings have won six GRAMMY Awards and have been nominated 18 times. Fair discovered and shepherded Christina Aguilera, selling over 50 million albums and winning numerous GRAMMY Awards. He A&R’d Aguilera’s first five albums and championed the Black Eyed Peas to 27 million albums, 4 number-ones and multiple GRAMMY wins, as well as co-producing and arranging the strings on their global breakthrough # 1 hit “Where is The Love?”
Says Fair, “Stepping into the shoes of an Oscar and GRAMMY Award-winning classic is not small potatoes. But with today’s two greatest plutonium singers – John Legend and Ariana Grande – we are bringing the song back with a new school-old school fresh treatment that shows the soulfulness and power of what a great melody and lyric can inspire.”
The music video will be directed by Dave Meyers, the innovative visionary whose long-time collaborations with major artists like P!nk, Janet Jackson, Ice Cube and Britney Spears have resulted in dozens of award nominations and many wins, including a GRAMMY in 2005 for Best Music Video and 11 MTV Video Music Awards, including one for Katy Perry’s smash hit “Firework.” He recently directed the music video for P!nk’s hit single “Just Like Fire” from the Walt Disney Records soundtrack for “Alice Through The Looking Glass.”
Menken also provides the film score, with new recordings of the original songs written by Menken and Ashman. Also featured are three new songs written by Menken and veteran lyricist and three time Oscar winner Tim Rice. The original motion picture soundtrack will be released by Walt Disney Records on March 10, 2017. The pre-order is available now at http://disneymusic.co/BeautySndtrkP.
Our latest photo report brings us to Disney Springs for a quick evening visit.
Starbright Holidays (the drone show) was still happening while we were visiting, it has since come to an end for the season. It’s worth noting that the Characters in Flight balloon had not yet been taken down for its refurbishment where it is getting a new-look balloon.
Work continues on the Planet Hollywood Observatory and Stargazers Bar (I thought it was lounge, but the sign says otherwise).
Just the Hollywood sign was lighting up, no planet…
See? The Stargazers Bar.
Goodbye character-filled design. The new design will be devoid of any characters to better fit the theme and story of Disney Springs. Oh well.
The Planet Hollywood entrance is still covered up.
Columbia is selling Star Wars: Rogue One jackets…
I don’t see the trooper wearing a Columbia jacket…
A new store called Stance recently opened, and they sell socks.
I would usually say that a store like this won’t last, but they have licensed Disney and Star Wars socks.
They are a little pricey at over $15.00 a pair, but they are pretty neat.
Work continues on The Polite Pig, set to open this year.
These Star Wars stackable meal sets recently hit shelves. They are a little strange, but kind of cool I guess…
They are $16.99 each.
Over at D-Tech on Demand inside Marketplace Co-Op, a Star wars category was added to the phone case creation kiosks.
Walt Disney World Marathon designs were available here.
A new MARVEL comic books’ case.
D23 members can pick up an exclusive phone case here as well.
More of the stackable meal sets for sale inside of Once Upon a Toy.
These new Mickey and Minnie model sheet art pieces were on sale at the Art of Disney, they cost $295.00 each.
Work continues on The Paddlefish.
The paddlewheel and smokestacks are back, which despite the new exterior, makes the boat look really fantastic.
Last week there was a rumor going around that Woody Harrelson was joining the cast of the Han Solo stand alone movie as Han’s mentor. StarWars.com has just made it official. Harrelson has indeed signed on but there is still no confirmation as to what role he will be playing in the film.
From StarWars.com
Veteran film and television actor Woody Harrelson is stepping aboard the upcoming Han Solo movie set to arrive in theaters next year.
Harrelson, known for wide-ranging roles in film and TV such as The Hunger Games, No Country For Old Men, True Detective, Cheers, and Zombieland, will join actors Alden Ehrenreich (Han Solo), Donald Glover (Lando Calrissian), and Emilia Clarke in the adventure. This Star Wars Story is the second in a series of films that live outside the Skywalker family saga, and is set during the early scoundrel days of the iconic characters, prior to A New Hope.
“We couldn’t be more excited to work with an artist with as much depth and range as Woody,” said the film’s directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. “His ability to find both humor and pathos, often in the same role, is truly unique. He is also very good at ping pong.”
The as-yet-untitled movie, which is being produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Allison Shearmur, and Simon Emanuel, is scheduled for release in 2018.
Source: StarWars.com
WDWNT: Nerd Alert is back for Season Three!
In this week’s episode, the gang talk about:
Join hosts Joe Hogarty, Patrick Hackett, Ron D’Anna, Jack McCarthy and Taylor Katcher!
WDWNT: Nerd Alert – Season Three Episode 1 is now available for download through WDW News Today: Original Programing and iTunes!
Tonight on WDW News Tonight, we preview 2017 at Walt Disney World, talk about the possibilities of paid FastPass service, and you can win a Star Wars: Rogue One MagicBand…
If you are in the Orlando area, you can tune in to 105.5 FM or AM 1520 WBZW at showtime. For those outside of the Orlando area, the show can be watched via video stream at listen.WDWNT.com on your computer or mobile device. You can also use WDWNT: The App to watch and chat along. The show also utilizes a live chat and the ability to call-in to interact with the show. WDW News Tonight is hosted by Tom Corless and Nick LoCicero, but also features appearances by a number of other WDWNT correspondents and announcer Michelle Wargo.
Coming up on this week’s show:
We hope that you will tune in tonight at 9PM ET for another episode of WDW News Tonight!
If you missed our last show, be sure to watch it:
