Yesterday, the long-awaited Starbucks location at Disney’s Animal Kingdom opened to guests:
The exterior got a nice new paint scheme
The interior is quite different
Yes, they have the Animal Kingdom mug
Creature Comforts Starbucks Coffee is now open on Discovery Island in Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park.
PHOTOS BY BRIAN CAREY
Last night I visited the Magic Kingdom and I took some newsworthy photos of what’s going on at the park while I was there, so let’s see what’s new and exciting:
Work continues on the northern hub area
A lot of the old Adventureland Veranda and the backstage area inside has been gutted for the upcoming Jungle Cruise restaurant
On the other side of the hub, a structure reminiscent of those that housed the food and drinks stands has appeared
Tarps still up for this set of turrets
The center hub area is finally finished
The Little Orange Bird has returned to signage and inside the Sunshine Tree Terrace
Not sure why this took 6 months…
The egg roll cart in Adventureland has moved over between Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean
Pirates of the Caribbean is closed until September for modifications
More new Pirates of the Caribbean merchandise is rolling out, including this mug
This strange plush
AND THIS PEG LEG PETE PLUSH!!!
New notebook set
For $3.99, you can get a paper map of the one that appears in the Disneyland attraction
Walt Disney Animation Studios today announced its most exciting presence at D23 EXPO yet. The event, presented by D23: The Official Disney Fan Club, will take place August 14–16 at the Anaheim Convention Center.
Calendar of Key PRESENTATIONS/ PANELS/ Events:
Every Story Is a Journey: The Upcoming Films of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios
Friday, August 14, 3:00 pm – Hall D23
After meeting the Emotions inside the mind of an 11-year-old, taking a trip to San Fransokyo where a boy genius and his robot save the world, and falling in love with a queen with icy powers who wants to “let it go,” come see where Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios plan to take you next. In what has become a D23 EXPO must-see, host John Lasseter, chief creative officer of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, presents “Every Story is a Journey.” Filmmakers will unveil never-before-seen footage from Pixar’s upcoming The Good Dinosaur and Finding Dory and Disney Animation’s Zootopia and Moana. The event will include surprise announcements, musical performances, and appearances by the films’ star voice talent. Cell phones, cameras and all recording devices will be checked for this presentation.
Welcome to Zootopia!
Saturday, August 15, 1:30 pm – Stage 28
Welcome to Zootopia, a magnificent mammal metropolis, and home to Walt Disney Animation Studios’ next feature, the comedy-adventure Zootopia. Join directors Byron Howard (Tangled, Bolt) and Rich Moore (Wreck-It Ralph), producer Clark Spencer (Wreck-It Ralph, Bolt), and artists from the incredible production team as they introduce rookie rabbit-officer Judy Hopps, con-artist fox Nick Wilde and a host of dynamic animal characters, sharing footage and behind-the-scenes stories with D23 EXPO-goers.
Aladdin – The Making of a Classic
Saturday, August 15, 6:00 pm – Stage 28
Join Walt Disney Animation Studios filmmakers, including legendary directors John Musker and Ron Clements, animators Eric Goldberg (Genie) and Mark Henn (Jasmine), as well as Jasmine herself, Linda Larkin, and the two actors who gave life to the character Aladdin: Scott Weinger and Brad Kane, as they unveil the stories behind one of the great Disney classics, Aladdin, a film that led to a “whole new world” for animation.
The Shorts of Walt Disney Animation Studios: from Paperman to Prep & Landing, Feast to Frozen Fever
Sunday, August 16, 11:30 am – Stage 28
When Walt Disney and his brother Roy founded the Disney Brothers Studio in 1923, their first medium for storytelling was the animated short. More than 90 years later, Walt Disney Animation Studios continues this tradition, making groundbreaking and award-winning shorts including Feast, Paperman and this year’s hit Frozen Fever. Join the filmmakers behind these shorts and so many others, including Get a Horse!, John Henry, Lorenzo and The Ballad of Nessie for a conversation about this truly animated art form.
Frozen FANdemonium: A Musical Celebration!
Sunday, August 16, 3:00 pm – Hall D23
Join host Chris Montan, president, Walt Disney Music, and the Oscar®-winning songwriting team of Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez as they take you on a once-in-a-lifetime musical journey through the world of Frozen. This one-day-only performance features your favorite friends from the Walt Disney Animation Studios film—including Anna and Elsa––with sing-along experiences and fascinating stories behind some of your favorite Frozen songs.
The Tunes Behind the Toons: Screening/Q&A
Sunday, August 16, 6:00 pm, Stage 28
D23 EXPO invites you to a special screening and Q&A panel for The Tunes Behind the Toons, a short form documentary that celebrates the power of music in animation. From the silent film days when organists played live accompaniments, to the music within today’s animated features, this documentary traces the origins of cartoon music and its pioneers. Featuring interviews with Alan Menken, Randy Newman, Patrick Doyle, Mark Watters, Bruce Broughton, Richard Sherman and many others. Producer/director Dave Bossert will lead a star-studded Q&A following the presentation.
ON THE EXPO SHOW FLOOR:
Animation – Show Floor Exhibition
For the first time at D23 EXPO, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios have created a joint experience no Disney fan should miss. With live demonstrations, presentations and autograph signings with top filmmakers from each studio, plus free giveaways and interactive displays featuring the films Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur, Zootopia, Finding Dory and Moana, this is a can’t-miss attraction for animation fans.
An Animator’s Gallery: Eric Goldberg
D23 EXPO 2015 hosts the first public exhibition anywhere of “An Animator’s Gallery: Eric Goldberg.” Celebrate Goldberg, whose artistry at Walt Disney Animation Studios began with his groundbreaking work on Genie in Aladdin, and continues to this day on projects such as the upcoming Moana and the 2014 Oscar®-nominated Mickey Mouse short Get A Horse! The exhibition features a collection of more than 100 of Goldberg’s caricatured creations of Disney characters, drawn in a style reminiscent of art seen on the famed walls of Sardi’s Restaurant and The Brown Derby. This incredible collection of art is from the newly released book An Animator’s Gallery: Eric Goldberg Draws the Disney Characters, and will be available for purchase in the Walt Disney Publishing pop-up shop on the EXPO show floor.
Frozen Album Signing
With the purchase of Frozen: The Songs or Frozen Picture Disc at the Disney Music Emporium, guests will be issued a wristband to secure a space for an album signing with Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez and Tom MacDougall (Co-Producer, Frozen Soundtrack) on Saturday, August 15 at 10:30 am.
Tickets for D23 EXPO 2015 are available at a discounted price for a limited time. Through 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.
WDWNT.com will continue to bring you updates on the D23 Expo 2015 as they become available.
A new video for the Disney Infinity 3.0 play set “Star Wars: Rise Of The Empire” was introducing at Sony’s E3 Press Conference as well as the introduction of “Boba Fett” as the newest Star Wars character to join Disney Infinity 3.0.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBlg_7NyJoA]
Currently Boba Fett is exclusive to Sony consoles but more than likely it is just a timed exclusive and make its way to other platforms eventually.
From IGN:
The Star Wars Saga Starter Pack featuring Boba Fett is coming exclusively to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3, VP of production John Vignocchi at Disney announced during Sony’s E3 2015 press conference today.
Sony’s platforms will also get Star War Rise Against the Empire Play Set nearly a month before it hits retail for US$114.99.
The Star Wars Saga Starter Pack features classic character figures, such as Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Boba Fett, along with Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker. Boba Fett is also unlockable in all of the Star Wars Play Sets.
The new starter pack also consists of Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition game, base, Star Wars Twilight of the Republic Play Set and Star Wars Rise Against the Empire Play Set pieces. A web code card that unlocks content for PC and mobile is also thrown in.
Source: IGN
I visited Disney Springs/Downtown Disney, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios this week and took a ton of newsworthy photos to share, so let’s take a look:
Work continues on the Town Center in Disney Springs
The new pedestrian bridge is nearing completion
Some new concept art can be found as you arrive from the parking garage
Time is running out for the old globe
Artwork of what the new Planet Hollywood will look like
Portions of Paradiso 37 are being remodeled
Jock Lindsay’s Hangar Bar is coming along nicely
Vivoli Il Gelato is now open in Disney Springs
Inside Out Tsum Tsums are now available at Once Upon a Toy
There’s also plenty of other Inside Out items
Not sure how new these are, they are called “Snuggle Snappers”
There are now Once Upon a Time phone cases available at D-Tech on Demand
Also, new Star Wars designs
The Sign Shoppe in Marketplace Co-Op also has some interesting new items
The Wonderground Gallery has some really fantastic items
The expansion of the World of Disney Store is moving full steam ahead
New ceramic mugs have been released at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
There’s also a new window display between Captain Cook’s and BouTiki
If you wanted your MagicBand to be a watch, your wish has been granted in MagicSlider form
The launch screen at Rock’N’Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith was replaced
There are some new graphics guests will see before they launch into the ride
EA Star Wars just released a brand new game play video showing actual multiplayer game play which focuses on “The Walker Assault On Hoth.”
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXU5k4U8x20]
From large-scale 40-player battles to smaller modes for 8 players, Star Wars Battlefront™ has a variety of action-packed multiplayer modes.
With Walker Assault mode you will fight in epic 40-player battles as a Rebel to destroy the Empire’s onslaught of AT-AT’s by calling in Y-Wing bombers. Side with the Empire and protect your Walkers while utilizing their mighty weaponry to crush the Rebel objective.
In addition to Walker Assault, Star Wars Battlefront will feature immersive, fun-filled multiplayer modes including Supremacy, Fighter Squadron, Blast, Drop Zone, Cargo and more to be announced in the months ahead. Stay tuned for more information on these exciting multiplayer modes.
Star Wars Battlefront will be available November 17, 2015 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and on Origin for PC.
Source: StarWars.EA.com
With Disneyland’s diamond celebration well underway, it has been very exciting to be able to virtually explore the lands and attractions with Disney Infinity and their Disneyland Project. The Disneyland Project is a complete recreation of the Anaheim park using the Infinity 2.0 video game. The Infinity game designers built the entire park, from Main Street USA to the Hub and all the surrounding lands and attraction facades. Then, they enlisted the help of players to build the individual attractions. Everything was then linked together, so you could explore the park. All this took place over the past few months, and the entire park with attractions is now available for download in the Toy Box for players.
I will continue my review of this project with a tour around Adventureland, Frontierland & New Orleans Square. (check out Part 1 of this series)
Tiki Room
Just a one room INterior house. Nicely done, but nothing to do here. There are some tiki props, but the hightlight is the tiki bird tree with Jose, Pierre, Michael, and Fritz.
Jungle Cruise
This one seemed so promising at first. The entire set looked well placed and wonderfully themed. The mechanics of the ride also worked well. With you jumping aboard a hockey puck that was then moved along a path automatically while you just had to move the camera around to look at all the set pieces. But were this attraction went wrong was in the script. Text would pop up, but the jokes were poorly written, and many were not at all what you would find on your average ride. Many of the jokes were horribly misquoted, like “rear of water” and others. Many of the actual gags that could have been easily built were missing as well. The giant Trader Sam looked good and it had the temple ride-through, but overall I was relieved to make it back to the dock.
Indiana Jones
This one starts with a giant walk through queue. It had pros and cons. It was very well themed, using many INterior decorations and artifact toys. But it was way to big, long and boring. I would have made it more platform like to give the gamer something to accomplish. At the end of the ride, there was a jeep waiting for you to ride. From here, you drive up to the start/finish line and have the option of starting a race or not. I’d recommend not activating a race on first play. Instead, take a leisurely drive through and enjoy the set. I’d also recommend not holding the acceleration. If you pump the drive button to start and stop your vehicle and stay on course, the jerky motion really feels like attraction. I will say, knowing what other builders can, do, the builder of this attraction should have had Mara’s eyes animate. Also, Indy is only in it once… he needs to show up at least twice. Overall its a great scene by scene representation of the ride.
Pirates of the Caribbean
I had high hopes for this one, but then was sadly disappointed by the horribly broken mechanic. It was a very nice set up from the queue, but then it went downhill from there. First off, the “boat” is Tony Stark’s Sports Car. It automatically generates and then moves slowly in an invisible rail. Seeing what other people had done, like in the Jungle Cruise, and object that you jump on top of instead of in, would have worked better. But the whole mechanic of the ride is broken, and I gave it many tries. The boat too slow, it misses script queues, and it tumbles down waterfalls often falling off the course. The cave scene is way too long. There are some highlights… the town on fire looks great. There is an animated skeleton skull. The auction scene has pop up text. And the jail scene has Jack and Pluto. There is also a well done treasure room cut away with Jack. And the pirates fighting cannon scene is done very well done with all kinds of explosions and action. Overall, there are some great scenes… the problem is getting there in your attraction vehicle. I had to get out and walk it.
Haunted Mansion
This may be one of the most brilliantly executed Toy Boxes I have ever played. Using the remote control function, which has a learning curve, the building gives the player a very fun way of viewing the stretching room portraits. It also adds replay-ability because you want to see each one. Then it cuts to the hanging scene and I have no clue how they pull off this optical illusion using the tools at hand! The doors around you open as needed and you proceed to the loading platform. The rides automatically moves you forward. You do not touch a single button once “upon the ride.” The sound effects, like thunder and lightning are perfect and so well timed. Great touch with the door slam. And this builder knows his Disney… it has the exact script. The seance scene was very fun. The attic and graveyard are done so very well. But the best part is the Hitchhiking ghosts. The effect is simply jaw dropping. You see the ghosts before, then your vehicle spins, and like magic, you see your character in front of you and you get the ghosts riding in your vehicle effect. They even included the final scene with bride saying goodbye.
Splash Mountain
Perfection. Great vehicle choice. Its a slow moving vehicle from the Guardians play set that is very easy to handle. Instead of automagically moving you on invisible rails, you drive yourself… at your own pace. There are text cues and the course is easy to navigate. As you make your way up the mountain, there is a great cut scene with a vehicle slashing down. They use the lone ranger wagon and it looks perfect from afar. Great splash visual and sound effects at each drop. Smooth and flawless execution. Even the double dip into the laughing place! Characters are sparse, but well done. Oswald as brer rabbit. You can also choose a day or night ride. The sound effects on the lifts are amazing. And the final splash down is so much fun.
Big Thunder Mountain
I had very mixed feelings about this one. The toy box itself, from a distant cut scene, is very impressive. The builder did a wonderful job on aesthetics, but slightly missed on mechanics. It’s tricky to get on your train. You must get near track and push Y as soon as train comes into view. Overall, its a wonderful ride. Fast and crazy, it really feels like attraction. But it is a little broken in parts. You have to give it a tiny touch of gas when you stop or slow to a crawl, but if you give it too much, you may get way off course. I turned around and had to 180 at times. I also tipped over at times, but it normally auto corrected. On some ramps, I completely jumped out of the course and had to restart game play. I never had a perfect run and only made it to the very end once, which became a fun challenge. The explosions and town were there, but it needed a goat.
If you have played any of these, let us know your thoughts. Next time, I will review Tomorrowland.
D23 EXPO 2015 attendees are in for a fun-filled musical treat when Frozen FANdemonium: A Musical Celebration! takes over the 7,500-seat Hall D23. The event, presented by D23: The Official Disney Fan Club, will take place at 3:00 pm, Sunday, August 16, at the Anaheim Convention Center.
In what will be a thrilling and fun interactive experience for Disney fans of all ages, join host Chris Montan, president, Walt Disney Music, and the Oscar®-winning songwriting team of Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez as they take you on a once-in-a-lifetime musical journey through the world of Frozen. This one-day-only performance features your friends from the Walt Disney Animation Studios film––including Anna and Elsa––with sing-along experiences of your Frozen favorites such as “Let It Go,” “In Summer” and more. Plus, fans can expect special surprises and fascinating stories behind some of your favorite Frozen songs.
Tickets for D23 EXPO 2015 are available at a discounted price for a limited time. Through 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.
Kristen Anderson-Lopez, along with husband and collaborator Robert Lopez, wrote the songs for Disney’s Frozen. Anderson-Lopez and Lopez won an Oscar® and a Grammy® for the movie’s signature song “Let It Go,” and share a Grammy for the Frozen soundtrack. Their song “Moving Pictures,” sung by Neil Patrick Harris, opened the 2015 Academy Awards®. Anderson-Lopez and Lopez’s original musical “Up Here,” directed by two-time Tony® nominee Alex Timbers, will be featured in the La Jolla Playhouse’s 2015-16 season.
Anderson-Lopez made her off-Broadway debut at Primary Stages with In Transit, a musical performed entirely without accompaniment, inspired by the rhythms and sounds of life on the subway. The show earned her Drama Desk, Drama League, Outer Critics Circle and Lucile Lortel nominations. Together with her husband and collaborator Robert Lopez, she wrote the Annie Award-nominated songs for the 2011 feature film Winnie the Pooh, as well as Finding Nemo: The Musical. For young audiences, she was a staff writer for Nickelodeon’s The Wonder Pets and wrote book/lyrics for several of Theatreworks/USA’s stage adaptations of children’s classics. She is the recipient of the BMI Harrington Award and the Dramatists Guild Fellowship, and a frequent guest moderator of the prestigious BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop. Anderson-Lopez is a graduate of Williams College and just received the bicentennial alumni award for distinguished achievement. Also an actress, Anderson-Lopez was featured as the voice of Kanga in Disney’s Winnie the Pooh.
Robert Lopez, along with wife and collaborator Kristen Anderson-Lopez, wrote the songs for Disney’s Frozen. Lopez and Anderson-Lopez won an Oscar® and a Grammy® for the movie’s signature song “Let It Go,” and share a Grammy® for the Frozen soundtrack. Lopez is the three-time Tony® winning co-creator of the worldwide smash hit Broadway musicals Avenue Q and The Book of Mormon. Lopez and Anderson-Lopez’s original musical Up Here, directed by two-time Tony® nominee Alex Timbers, will be featured in the La Jolla Playhouse’s 2015–16 season. Their song “Moving Pictures,” sung by Neil Patrick Harris, opened the 2015 Academy Awards. Lopez shared two Emmy® Awards for his music for Nickelodeon’s The Wonder Pets and an Emmy® nomination for his work on the musical episode of Scrubs. His work has been featured on South Park, The Simpsons and Phineas and Ferb, as well as Bear in the Big Blue House, Third and Bird and Johnny and the Sprites. He has won Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League, Lucile Lortel, Frederick Loewe and Edward Kleban awards. Recently, Lopez, a graduate of Yale College, became the youngest of twelve people in history who have won Emmy®, Grammy®, Oscar®, and Tony® Awards (EGOT) and the only one to have accomplished it in under a decade.
Chris Monton currently serves as president of Walt Disney Music and oversees music for a wide variety of Disney projects including all Disney and Pixar animated feature films, all Disney Theatrical stage productions, as well as the music for Walt Disney Theme Parks and Resorts worldwide. Additionally, he is executive music producer for all of the Studio’s animated features and works closely in the story process as well as helping to select musical talent. Montan joined Disney in 1984. Under his guidance the Studio has garnered an unprecedented 42 Musical Academy Award® nominations, and soundtracks from ten of the Studio’s theatrical releases have been certified multi-platinum.
Keep checking WDWNT.com for more D23 Expo 2015 news and updates.
With Disneyland’s diamond celebration well underway, it has been very exciting to be able to virtually explore the lands and attractions with Disney Infinity and their Disneyland Project. The Disneyland Project is a complete recreation of the Anaheim park using the Infinity 2.0 video game. The Infinity game designers built the entire park, from Main Street USA to the Hub and all the surrounding lands and attraction facades. Then, they enlisted the help of players to build the individual attractions. Everything was then linked together, so you could explore the park. All this took place over the past few months, and the entire park with attractions is now available for download in the Toy Box for players.
Players got very creative using the tools at hand in the Disney Infinity 2.0 Toy Box. I love to dabble in building fun games in the Toy Box mode, but even I am stumped at how some of these attractions were accomplished. The Toy Box attractions range from spot on ride through to more abstract representations. Most of the game mechanics work incredibly well, while some are a bit troublesome. Over this three part series, I will give my thoughts on each build and ask for yours as well.
We will start with the Disneyland park as a whole and the Fantasyland attractions.
Disneyland
You start outside the gates and get to walk through the tunnel into town square. It is about as faithful as it can be, using the toys at hand. You then walk down Main Street USA and enter the Hub, where a statue of Mr. Incredible stands where Walt and Mickey would be. Not too much to see or explore here, the highlights for me are the actual land entrances and the Plaza Inn area. Of course, the castle dominates the skyline here. From here, you can enter a land and enjoy the attractions.
Pinocchio’s Daring Journey
The builder went very simple here, using only black walls and ceilings with minimal sets. It seems like a very authentic way to recreate a dark ride. There is no vehicle to hop in. Instead your character is pushed along with a gentle wind technique and guided by invisible boundaries. The character appearances are fun, but I was taken out of the moment by some jarring and ill pointed camera movements. Not having some of the Pinocchio characters available, the designer was forced to use some replacement actors. Overall it made sense as a recreation, but lacked real excitement.
Snow White’s Scary Adventure
This Toy Box uses an amazing effect… your character stays put and you are switched to 1st person point of view. The cameras move along a rail automatically, so you just sit back and enjoy. This is the most dark ride like attraction I encountered. It really mimics just sitting in your vehicle and enjoying the show. The camera slowly moves from scene to scene with quick turns and no cuts. Even story dialogue appears to tell the tale. Characters come into view along the way. The first scene had bad camera placement, but the rest were good. Traveling through the scary woods was amazing. It had the perfect use of sound effects and music. Not a lot of characters, but beautifully recreated show scenes. Overall, it was about as close to perfection as a Toy Box attraction could get.
Peter Pan
This was a very clunky toy box. First off, you must have helicopter flying skills to maneuver through this one. An experienced player will be able to handle it, but many players will have issues with this. It does take away from the enjoyment of the scenes, because you have to think about what you are doing the entire time. There are also some small doors to fly through. On the positive, there is great perspective and show scenes. And the sound effects work really well. But there are zero characters. Overall, knowing that other designers can put you on auto rails, this one is a slight miss.
Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
Here you have the choice of driving or sitting back and watching. Watch puts you in first person POV and the cameras move you forward. It is very fast and choppy… just like the ride! Good sound effects use. Poor glitchy camera jumps. It kept jumping back to my character on the load platform for split seconds. Drive mode makes a car appear. I’d recommend using the Mr. Toad car disc if you have it, because it not only gives you the actual ride vehicle, it also loads the actual music and makes it more real. It is a very easy to drive course. It also forces you to push the gas in short spurts, and that helps mimic the jerkyness of the ride. There are some gags. Great sound effects. Overall, it is a boring set design that seems trapped between two ideas. Good story line. Horrible train effect, but at least they tried. The Hell scene could have been better.
It’s a Small World
Perfect atmosphere using the terrain and sky discs. There are pop-up facts that make things more interesting, although most of them are not great. You get into some Guardians of the Galaxy vehicle that is an odd choice mostly due to sounds it triggers. You then fly along the river route at your own leisure. I expected better sets, but some of them lack interesting. There are also some characters that pop up. Overall, it is a nice experience, but lacked a wow visual impact.
Matterhorn
This one was going to be intriguing, because the builder had to go above and beyond just the Matterhorn prop that is supplied in the Toy Box. It has a very nice start that gives you feel of hopping in the queue. It is all riding the rails with your character as expected. The Pros: It is a long course with lots of dips and curves. It is also very themed at end with water and pine trees like at the bottom of the mountain. There is also the perfect sound effects of wind and growls. Con: There is ZERO payoff. No glimpse of abominable snowman. No attack scene. Nothing like that. It is only riding the rails around a mountain.
Let us know your thoughts. Next time, I will review Adventure/Frontierland.
One of the coolest ways to check out the past, present, and future of Vinylmation is to compare and contrast the evolution of certain themes or licenses. The best example of this, in my opinion, is Star Wars. Looking at the debacle that is Star Wars Series #1 and comparing it to the other series and limited edition vinyls shows how artists started to not only understand the platform, but the theme as well, ultimately making better art. But since Nick is pretty much the Star Wars guy and has been on a 5 week high with Star Wars Weekends, I figured this was a good time to give attention to my favorite Disney-owned property, Marvel.
Even though Disney purchased Marvel Entertainment on August 31, 2009 (for 4 BILLION $$$$$!!!!) the property didn’t make its debut on the Vinylmation platform until October, 2013. While it took some time to add Marvel Vinylmation into our collection, its also interesting to note that Marvel Series #1 was the first piece of merchandise created by the Disney Design Group. And these figures certainly did not disappoint. They arrived at one of the most exciting times for collecting Vinylmation, and showed amazing detail and representations of characters that blew even extremely “vocal” collectors away. The set became an instant hit, and quickly sold out. It wasn’t long until Series #2 was released (focusing on Spider-Man and his foes), which continued to push the envelope for how licenses could be represented on the platform.
The newest series was released on May 1, 2015, tying in perfectly with the release of Marvel’s biggest movie to date, “Avengers: Age of Ultron”. While being careful not to refer to itself as Marvel Series #3, this new Avengers Series featured six character designs including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye, and Black Widow, each sporting their MCU look. Sprinkled in the set were variant figures of a few of the designs. Unique to the set was also an interesting distribution method, with all of the commons (except Iron Man) having the same distribution rate, the Hulk chaser and two of the variants having 1/24 odds, and an even more rare variant having 1/96 odds. I originally wrote a scathing review of this series, however this was based on blurry and leaked photos. It wasn’t until I got the set in hand that I realized how amazing some of these designs were. And seeing as how we are beginning to get character redesigns, I thought I would go figure-by-figure, noting the similarities and differences and deciding which I liked better. So here we go!
IRON MAN: Iron Man was the breakout hit when Marvel Studios began making their own films in-house, and therefore, was one of the most popular figures in Marvel Series #1. The detail on him is great, ranging from the bolts on his chest plate to the lights inside his hands. But to me, I think I like the MCU version better. This is a great example of how the Vinylmation artists are continuing to improve their craft. The designs on the suit are so much smoother, especially the helmet. The look in the faceplate is captured perfectly!! Definitely one of my favorite figures in the set.
HULK: This one is very tough. With Marvel Series #1, we have a perfect representation of the Jack Kirby design, especially in the ears. On the other, we have the chaser of the MCU set, which, in person, you can actually see Mark Ruffalo’s face behind that Hulk rage. I think, in the end, I have to go with the Hulk from Series #1, there’s just too much nostalgia painted all over this guy. (But special recognition to the hidden ‘A’ logo on the MCU Hulk’s pant pockets!)
BLACK WIDOW: This is where things start getting difficult, because we are dealing with variants. Starting with Black Widow I will now have to compare three designs of figures. Series #1 featured just one design of Black Widow, and I thought the artist, Thomas Scott, did a really good job with her. Females are particularly hard to draw on the platform because their faces tend to look fat. But using hair to cover up the sides usually works really well. This is the example here and I think Thomas Scott did a great job. However, I’m leaning toward the common in the MCU series being my favorite out of the three. You can really see Scarlett Johansson in the face here, the hair is drawn on perfectly, and I LOVE how the suit is lit up, wow!! The variant here is an interesting choice, where it’s pretty much the same design but a non-lit up suit, thus omitting my favorite part of the figure (side-note, the MCU version includes an electric night-stick)
HAWKEYE: Hawkeye was chosen to be the combo topper in Series #1. The design chosen for this version of Hawkeye is his look in his newer run of comics, a series that Thomas Scott told me he was a huge fan of. I really like this choice, and I think he is one of the stronger figures in this set. In terms of the MCU version, I think the Jeremy Renner attempt here is a total miss. The entire expression is wrong, and I think it is the weakest design in the series. Hawkeye does, however, have a variant in this series, which I think is much stronger, and bears a resemblance to the combo topper from Series #1. Still, I think the original wins out for me here.
THOR: The Series #1 design of Thor is a pretty basic design, although at the time it was a hugely detailed figure, and extremely popular. The Hammer accessory he comes with is an amazing touch. He even had a variant in this series, featuring a beard on his face. The Thor that was released in the MCU series looks more like the variant (since Chris Hemsworth is bearded), but I still like the variant from Series #1 better than this design. I really don’t think this looks like Chris Hemsworth at all, proving just how difficult it is to replicate an actor onto the Vinylmation platform, as opposed to the comic book version. The bearded Thor variant is definitely a must have!
CAPTAIN AMERICA: Last but not least, Captain America. The Series #1 version of Steve Rodgers looks great. He comes with a shield accessory that attaches to his arm, which is still one of the coolest accessories I’ve ever seen on a Vinylmation. He’s also one of the best figures in the series. The detail on him is insane! And I love the expression on his face as well. The MCU version definitely had its work cut out for it. However, I think it’s also one of the best ones in its respective series. I absolutely love Chris Evan’s suit in the new Avengers movie, and Thomas Scott did an amazing job replicating it here. What really shines in this series though, is the 1/96 variant of this figure. This figure features an unmasked Chris Evans design, and it is easily one of my favorite figures I own. I’m a sucker for unmasked designs, and this one looks fantastic. Therefore, it has my vote for best Captain America vinyl.
So while the first set of Marvel Vinylmation definitely pushed the envelope in terms of what we can expect from licensed merchandise being transferred to the platform, I definitely think this new MCU series continues to show how the medium can evolve. Transferring actors onto the Mickey platform is no easy task, and I’m glad that, for the most part, Thomas Scott did a great job here. In terms of the future, I’m still holding out hope for an X-Men set for Series #3. However, at this point I feel like a Guardians of the Galaxy set is becoming more and more likely. Only time will tell, True Believers!
