PHOTO REPORT: Disneyland Resort 2/24/16 (Interactive Game, Star Wars Land, Zootopia, ETC.)

Our Disneyland Reporter, Tim Alcoser, recently visited the Disneyland Resort and has some photos to share with us from his trip, so let’s take a look:

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Land clearing for Star Wars land is well underway and quite visible from the top of the parking structure

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Welcome to Disneyland

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This week’s theme for AP Days is Fantasy and Fun

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Work continues on Autopia as Honda is added as a sponsor

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The Mark Twain sits on the dock, waiting to be explored

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The Strawhtters have been performing on the boat, one nice thing about the ship being docked

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Not much to see around the back of the river yet

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A cast member polishes the engine

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Dr. Facilier roaming around

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Splash Mountain is closed for refurbishment

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The Columbia sits and waits…

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This strange prop showed up near Harbor Galley last week, rumor has it Disneyland may be installing their first interactive game attraction…

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Jungle Cruise Skipper School continues while the attraction is closed

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NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

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Soundsational will be live streamed on the Disney Parks Blog this week, but we have some photos of the parade for you to enjoy

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Moving over to California Adventure…

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Zootopia posters have gone up outside of the Magic of Disney Animation

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Still no exact opening date being given for the FROZEN musical

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Soarin’ closed for the conversion to Soarin’ Around the World

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Back to Disneyland for some AP Days fun

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Buttons and more being given to guests

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Some pieces from the Disney Archives on display

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Over at the Disneyland Hotel, the pool is closed to be resurfaced

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Goodnight Disneyland Resort!

Explore the History of the Matterhorn, including EPCOT & The Magic Kingdom!

Have you heard this week’s WDW News Today Podcast? If you haven’t, here’s what you can expect:

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Join Tom Corless for a variety show dedicated to the Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort. Plenty of information and fun awaits you on this edition of the WDW News Today Podcast!

On this week’s show, we celebrate 350 episodes with our signature segment, Back to the Future. On this special edition, we take an over 2-hour journey through the history of the mighty Matterhorn, from the creation of the first peak at Disneyland, to the possible heights of EPCOT Center’s World Showcase and Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom.

To download or listen to the show on-site, go to our podcast download page. You can also download episodes of the show by subscribing to the Enhanced Episode and Standard Episode feeds on iTunes, or through Stitcher.

PHOTO REPORT: Animal Kingdom 2/23/16 (Rivers of Light, AVATAR, New Food, ETC.)

WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen and myself visited Animal Kingdom recently and has some newsworthy photos to share, so let’s take a look at what’s new and exciting around the park:

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The shop outside of Riverside Depot switched from pins to hats and plush

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The Hipster Mickey 9″ Vinylmation is now available

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It’s expensive…

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These cute character plush were released recently

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The weather at the parks has been really fantastic the last two weeks

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Work continues on Rivers of Light, which should soft-open the last week in March

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One entry area for the show is out from behind walls

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Some of the seating areas at Flame Tree BBQ are now being repainted

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Work continues on Tiffins and Nomad Lounge

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Some of the booths around the Tree of Life have some pretty interesting menu items, like these cheese grits with pulled pork that Dirk enjoyed

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He was not a big fan of the 3 cheese pasta bake though

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From Everest, we see more of Pandora: The World of AVATAR taking shape

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Work continues outside and inside of Disney Outfitters

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A look at Rivers of Light from across the river

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Flights of Wonder still closed for enhancements to the theater

CONCEPT ART: Disney Reveals New Art and Details of Star Wars Land

For the first time since the 2015 D23 Expo, Disney shared new details (as promised during the Disneyland 60th TV special) on the Star Wars themed-lands coming to Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

I crudely took photos off of my television screen for now, we will share higher-res images as soon as we can:

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A short video was shared of the Millennium Falcon ride, where guests will not only take the controls of the classic vessel, but control the guns as well. It will be fully interactive and guests will be in complete control.

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A short video was also shared of the attraction where guests are racing against time in the midst of a battle between the First Order and the Resistance.

The special stated that guests will be transported to another world, where they can interact with roaming aliens and droids, peruse a huge marketplace, and even taste the local delicacies.

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Among the dining options will be a cantina, and the newly announced dinner show type establishment that promises to be beyond belief.

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Excited yet?

VIDEO: First Teaser Trailer For Disney’s “Pete’s Dragon”

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The first teaser trailer for Disney’s “Pete’s Dragon” has been released and in it we get our fist glimpse of Elliot in flight:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlUkOid3TYc&feature=youtu.be

“Pete’s Dragon” is a reimagining of Disney’s cherished family film starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Oakes Fegley and Robert Redford, which flies into U.S. theaters on August 12, 2016.

Disney Twenty-Three Magazine Celebrates Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Storytelling

In the 10 years since John Lasseter and Ed Catmull took over the reins of what is now Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disney has enjoyed incredible creative and box office success with such films as Tangled, Wreck-It Ralph, Big Hero 6, and, of course, Frozen. The spring 2016 issue of Disney twenty-three looks at the creative talents—from writers and directors to producers and animators—who have driven this wave of superior filmmaking that has resulted in two Academy Awards® for Best Animated Feature for the studio.

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Disney twenty-three, available exclusively to D23 Gold Members, includes exclusive interviews with Lasseter and Catmull, as well as the teams behind Walt Disney Animation Studios’ run of hits, discussing the secrets behind their work and how a Disney animated film goes from concept to creation. Plus, Disney twenty-three unveils rarely seen visual development art created for the Studio’s most recent films. There are also advance looks at the upcoming animated films Zootopia—including a revealing one-on-one with star Ginnifer Goodwin—and Moana.

In addition to the animation celebration, the issue offers a sneak peek of Captain America: Civil War, featuring exclusive interviews with star Chris Evans and one of the film’s directors, Joe Russo. And director Jon Favreau details the incredible work behind crafting the stunning live-action adaptation of The Jungle Book, including how he snared Bill Murray to voice Baloo the bear.

Also included in the spring issue of Disney twenty-three:

  • Three cheers for the 10-year anniversary of High School Musical, including interviews with the director and members of the cast
  • A look at the colorful concept art from the 1967 animated hit The Jungle Book, with stories from Disney Legend Floyd Norman, who worked with Walt Disney on the film
  • A walk through Walt Disney’s office suite on the Studio lot, recently restored by the Walt Disney Archives
  • Regular features including A Walk with Walt, D Society, and Ask Dave

Disney twenty-three, which is delivered directly to fans’ doorsteps, is offered exclusively to D23 Gold and Gold Family Members as a benefit of their membership. The latest issue will begin arriving in late February.

Vote In The “Oh My Disney Awards” Until February 26

Leading up to the Academy awards, Disney fans get to vote about what they care about in the inaugural Oh My Disney Awards!

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This awards season, fan voices will be heard on the moments they find funny, romantic, and memorable.

Voting opened Wednesday, February 17 and will end on Friday, February 26, culminating the announcement of the winners on Awards Day, Saturday, February 27.

Be sure to go cast your votes!

How Will The “Eternal Sunset” of Kilimanjaro Safaris New Nighttime Adventure Be Achieved? We Now Know

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When Joe Rhode further elaborated on the new nighttime version of Kilimanjaro Safaris debuting this spring, we all kind of wondered what exactly this meant:

Starting in spring, guests will get to experience the African savanna at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in a whole new light: amid the orange glow of the setting sun. During the nighttime adventure, guests can extend their travels on the safaris into the evening.

How would Disney achieve a “eternal glow of sunset”, even into later evening hours? Well, last night we accidentally figured this out.

While at a media event for Zootopia, our private chartered bus drove through the backstage area at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Not only did we drive right past the astonishing construction site for Pandora: The World of AVATAR, but we then came upon a bright series of lights in the otherwise pitch-black backstage area. The glow was coming from a series of custom-shaped, very large LED screens that clearly had raised up over the back of the Savannah, providing the backdrop of a bright orange sunset. Now clearly, these screens will give guests the illusion that the sun is still setting, but it will also take additional lights throughout the experience to properly light areas for both guests and animals alike.

Of course, we were not allowed to take any pictures since we were backstage, but we did solve one of the greatest mysteries of this new project. While we still can only confirm that the African Wild Dogs will be out for the nighttime safaris, we still have no idea what other species of animals will be joining them. Hopefully we will hear more on this exciting addition soon.

In the realm of more concrete details revealed last night, we did get to see one of the new entertainment acts for the “Discovery Island Carnivale”, which will entertain guests nightly once the nighttime Kilimajaro Safaris and Rivers of Light debut this spring.

Stay tuned for more info on all of the nighttime offerings for Animal Kingdom as they become available.

Toy Story Midway Mania Closed 3/15, Third Track Opens Summer 2016

In a rather sudden announcement, Disney has stated that they will have Toy Story Midway Mania closed on March 15th, 2016 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

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Disney is stating the closure has to do with work related to the addition of a third ride track which they now confirm will open Summer 2016. Any guests with FastPass booked for the attraction on March 15th will get a FastPass for a different attraction on that day.

2/24/16 Marvel News Mash-up (Deadpool, Civil War, Daredevil, ETC.)

Fox’s “Deadpool” Is A Hit! What Does The Future Hold For “Deadpool” And “Wolverine”?

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It seems that the release of “Deadpool” shocked naysayers and even Fox itself. “Deadpool” pulled in $150 million during the first 4 days of release.

“Deadpool” was the movie that Fox did not want to touch. It was in development limbo for about 10 years. Due to the overall positive response from a leaked test footage trailer, Fox gave the greenlight to have “Deadpool” finally go into production. Fox still didn’t have faith in “Deadpool” and set the movies budget to just $58 million. The budget was even cut by $7 million prior to release and that is why Deadpool has this problem of always forgetting his ammo in the movie.

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So why did this movie succeed?

  • One thing is that it stayed faithful to the character. Deadpool is not Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. He is just a nasty, over the top violent superhero (or more likely antihero).
  • The production team also fought for an R rating and they got it. Deadpool would not work watered down and by no means is he a hero for kids.
  • What I also felt played a huge role was the massive marketing campaign. It was rare that I did not see some “Deadpool” commercial in some form every single day.
  • Ryan Reynolds gets the character and you can tell he is a fan of the character and it is shown on screen through his performance.
  • Deadpool, as in the comics, breaks the 4th wall and fans just loved it.
  • Deadpool wears a Bea Arthur tank top in the movie.

Hopefully Fox, Warner Brothers and even Disney will learn the most important lesson. Stay faithful to the character. Which also means origin stories and costumes. Although Deadpool’s origin wasn’t exactly the comic book origin. 🙂

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Before the movie even came out, Fox greenlight the sequel. If you stay at the end for the after credits scene, Deadpool reveals he will be back and joining him will be another fan favorite, Cable. He mentions possible actors that may play Cable are Mel Gibson, Dolph Lundgren, and Keira Knightley. I wouldn’t hold my breath for any of those joining the cast though. After seeing this movie, I do have confidence they will cast the perfect actor for Cable.

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OK, what about Wolverine? This week we learned that the next Wolverine movie may actually get an R Rating. Hugh Jackman has done an excellent job portraying Wolverine but we still haven’t seen Wolverine in all of his savage glory and that may be coming. The below image from the New York Toy Fair shows an anticipated Rated R rating for “Wolverine 3”.

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Congratulations to everyone behind “Deadpool”. It’s success is much deserved.

Comics: Steve Rogers Returns As “Captain America” With New Costume And New Shield

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The last few years in the Marvel Universe, Steve Rogers/Captain America didn’t exactly have the best of times. The Super Soldier Serum that gave Steve Rogers his strength and made him Captain America was removed from his body resulting in him aging rapidly and no longer able to be the iconic Cap that we all know and love. Steve’s partner, Sam Wilson/The Falcon, took over the mantle of Captain America and continued to fight for justice and the American way.

One thing is certain in comics. Most popular characters that either die or lose their powers always find a way to come back and Steve Rogers is no exception. Steve Rogers will make his return as Cap in the upcoming comic book series: “Steve Rogers: Captain America”.

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Cap’s new costume, to me, looks like a hybrid of Cap’s original costume and the one that we will see in “Captain America: Civil War”. The shield is very similar to the very first shield that Cap used in the comics although this one comes apart and can be used as a weapon(see below).

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Steve Rogers: Captain America will be available on Free Comic Book Day, May 7th. To make things even nicer, it will be available for free at participating comic book stores. Check your local comic book store to see if they are participating.

Source: Marvel

New “Captain America: Civil War” Promotional Art

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Check out this amazing looking promotional art for “Captain America: Civil War”. Prepare for an epic battle. My only question is “Where is Spider-Man?” Come on Marvel and Sony. Get your act together and lets get a look at the web crawler in full costume already!

Marvel’s “Daredevil: Season 2” Official Trailer

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The following pieces are going to be a bit Daredevil heavy. But, that’s OK because Daredevil is coming back and he is bringing fan favorites such as The Punisher and Elektra to the seires for what can only be some of the most epic battles we have eve seen on the series.

This trailer highlights The Punisher/ Frank Castle and you can just tell that they are heading to a show off because they dont agree with each others methods. The Punisher has always been a judge, jury an executioner kind of hero. Daredevil is a lawyer by day and still believes in the judicial system but when the system sometimes fails, that’s when Daredevil goes to work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5_A0Wx0jU4

Source: Netflix

Original Concept Art For Marvel’s “Daredevil” Shows What Could Have Been

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I loved “Daredevil” on Netflix. One of the things that I loved is it stayed so true to the character and tone of the comic. What could have made it even better for me was if we saw Daredevil in his classic all red costume. Turns out that was originally one of the designs (above image) that could have been used nut they went with a more modern design (below).

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The above design is also faithful to the comics but when most people think of Daredevil they think of him in his red suit. The image above makes me think that somewhere Batman and Ant-Man had a baby. Deadpool’s costume was spot on in his movie and fans and the audience loved it. Dont mess with classic costumes like Spider-Man, Superman, Batman or Daredevil. Stay faithful to the source and “they will come”.

“Daredevil” Promo Images Gives A Good Look At The Punisher And Elektra

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Marvel has released no promo images Season Two of “Daredevil”. They all look great and just makes March 18th seem so far away. Check them out!

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Source: Comic Book Movie

Sideshow Collectible Corner

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“Captain America: Civil War”

I could be wrong but it looks like there have been some changes from Cap’s costume in ‘Avengers: Age Of Ultron”. Looks like more red was used on the sides and the belt covers the distracting middle red stripe. Maybe. No matter what, this looks really cool!

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Sideshow and Hot Toys are very excited to present the new sixth scale figure of the main character from the film – Captain America Steve Rogers!

The movie-accurate Captain America Collectible Figure is specially crafted based on the image of Chris Evans as Captain America/Steve Rogers in Captain America: Civil War. It features a helmeted head sculpt with two interchangeable lower faces, a newly painted un-helmeted head sculpt of Steve Rogers, a newly developed body that naturally portrays Captain America’s muscularly toned body, a completely new Captain America suit, a metal circular shield, a broken Crossbones helmet, and a specially designed Captain America: Civil War themed figure stand!

“Captain America” is available for preorder through Sideshow Collectibles for a price of $224.99 and will ship during the second quarter of 2016.

Source: Sideshow Collectibles

That’s it for this time!