Dirk Wallen’s 6/8/15 Animal Kingdom Photo Report (Tree of Life, Lots of Construction, Nighttime Safari, ETC.)

WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen visited Disney’s Animal Kingdom this week and has some newsworthy photos to share with us from his trip:

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Work continues on the Tree of Life facade as they prepare for some nighttime lighting upgrades

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A strange new structure has appeared on the left side of Disney Outfitters

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Same for the right side where some sort of tower is going up next to a new building, possible a new guest relations location

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Work is still underway to bring hyenas to Kilimanjaro Safaris

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More walls, these for what should be a small seating area by the Starbucks location opening June 18th

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Not much to see outside of the Starbucks

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The Disney Vacation Club kiosk that used to be on the way to Camp Minnie-Mickey is getting an overhaul

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More Tree of Life work

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More walls outside of Island Mercantile

6/12/15 Marvel News Mash-Up (Red Hulk, Punisher on Netflix, Han Solo Has a Wife?)

The Punisher Is Coming For Daredevil In Season 2 Of “Daredevil”

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Marvel has announced that Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead) has been cast to play The Punisher/ Frank Castle in Season 2 of Marvel’s “Daredevil” on Netflix.

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From Marvel:

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Bernthal will portray The Punisher, one of Marvel’s most popular characters. He is a vigilante who aims to clean up New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen by any means necessary, no matter how lethal the results.

“Jon Bernthal brings an unmatched intensity to every role he takes on, with a potent blend of power, motivation and vulnerability that will connect with audiences,” said Jeph Loeb, Marvel’s Head of Television. “Castle’s appearance will bring dramatic changes to the world of Matt Murdock and nothing will be the same.”

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Many Marvel fans have been dying to see Daredevil and Punisher go at it. In the comics, they have sometimes been allies but also have been enemies and they have had some of the best knockdown battles in Marvel history. I am sure this will lead the way for The Punisher’s own series on Netflix. After seeing the graphic violence on Daredevil (which sometimes went a bit overboard), I definitely can see that style work perfectly with The Punisher.

Source: Marvel

More X-Men And Fantastic Four Characters Missing From Marvel’s Lineup

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The war between Marvel and Fox is still going on and here is more evidence from this year’s Marvel’s Official Lineup Poster (above). As you can see when comparing to last year’s Lineup Poster (below), all of the members from the X-Men and Fantastic Four have been removed.

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And take a look at 2007’s Official Lineup, which occurred before the release of the first “Iron Man” movie. Spider-Man, Wolverine and the Fantastic Four are the prominent characters and Iron Man looks like he was squeezed in.

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Source: Bleeding Cool

“Amazing Spider-Man” Facebook Page Changed To “Spider-Man” Facebook Page

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This could be a sign of things to come. The Official Amazing Spider-Man Facebook Page has changed it’s name to the Spider-Man Facebook Page. With “Captain America: Civil War” currently filming, the big missing component is who will be playing the new Spider-Man? We should expect to hear word soon from Sony and Marvel about which actor will play the new Spider-Man along with the official title of the film will be. We have heard rumors that the title could be “Spider-Man: The New Avenger” and another rumored title was “The Spectacular Spider-Man.” Maybe it’s not a big deal that the Facebook Page has changed, but then again, maybe it is.

Source: Spider-Man Facebook

Rumor: Will There Be A Hulk (Or More Like Hulks) In “Civil War”?

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After the end of “Age Of Ultron,” The Hulk’s future definitely came off as uncertain. The last that we saw of him, the Hulk was using the Quinjet as a way of escaping from the team, for their own good. Nick Fury mentions that some kind of vessel was spotted by SHIELD but he also mentions that the Quinjet had no tracking device, so it could or could not be the Hulk’s Quinjet.

No one really knows for sure what plans Marvel has in store for the Hulk. But according to the site We Are Wakanda, their sources are saying that we may see the Hulk and we may see him battle against the Red Hulk, who is General Thunderbolt Ross in the comics and is played by William Hurt (The Incredible Hulk). I did find it odd that William Hurt was cast in “Civil War” especially since his character is not in the original Civil War comic book series. It does seem as though they have plans for General Ross and it could be that they have him follow his comic book story line and have him become the Red Hulk.

I personally think that even though Mark Ruffalo, who plays Bruce Banner and The Hulk in The Avengers movies, is not part of the cast, maybe they can have just The Hulk show up and battle The Red Hulk towards the end of the movie. I think it would make more sense to just set up General Ross in “Civil War” which would eventually lead to him becoming the Red Hulk in a future movie series. Who knows, but anything is possible and maybe we will see both the The Hulk and The Red Hulk in “Civil War.”

Source: We Are Wakanda

Samuel L Jackson Is Not In “Captain America: Civil War”

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It doesn’t sound as though Samuel L Jackson is too happy not to be a part of “Civil War.” And it sounds like it was a surprise to him just as much as it was to us.

I finally met [comics writer] Mark [Millar], last year, when I was doing Kingsman, ‘cause he was on set one day, and I finally got a chance to thank him for making Nick Fury black and changing the whole dynamic. It’s really great to be the connective tissue between so many different characters in so many different films, that brings those guys together. But I’m not in Captain America 3. I can’t figure that out, but I’m not. I guess I’m still out there, trying to figure out what happened to S.H.I.E.L.D. and who these other people are.

Source: Collider

Netflix’s “AKA Jessica Jones” Is Now Just “Jessica Jones”

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Several people had noticed that the name for “AKA Jessica Jones” Netflix series had mysteriously changed to just “Jessica Jones.”

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ComicBook.com has confirmed with Marvel that they did indeed change the name of the series.

Source: ComicBook.com

A Big Surprise From Han Solo’s Past Shows Up In Marvel’s “Star Wars #6”

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SPOILER ahead! According to George Lucas, the new Marvel comic books are cannon. Marvel recently revealed a comic book panel for the upcoming “Star Wars # 6” and it turns out that Han Solo has a wife and her name is Sana Solo. This story takes place between “A New Hope” and “The Empire Strikes Back,” so maybe something happens to Sana just before “Empire” which would leave the door open for Han and Leia’s romance.

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Source: Marvel

Sideshow Collectible Corner

“Scarlet Witch”

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Sideshow Collectibles has revealed Hot Toys’ latest premium collectible figure from “Avengers: Age Of Ultron” and it is no other than Scarlet Witch.

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Sideshow Collectibles and Hot Toys are pleased to officially introduce Scarlet Witch, one of the new stars of Avengers: Age of Ultron, as a Sixth Scale Collectible Figure!

The movie-accurate collectible is specially crafted based on the image of Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch in the film, and features a newly developed head sculpt with long curly brown real fabric hair, a finely tailored costume, specially created hands with red translucent fingertips, and magical effect accessories to emulate Scarlet Witch using her powers. Ultron’s heart, which Scarlet Witch has taken from the robot’s body, is also included as a special bonus accessory!

Scarlet Witch is available for preorder exclusively through Sideshow Collectibles at a a price of $229.99 and will ship in the last quarter of 2015.

Source: Sideshow Collectibles

That’s it for this time!

Does C3PO Have A Red Arm In “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”?

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Sure looks that way! Last month an image of C-3PO, BB-8 and R2-D2 was spotted on some children’s furniture and it showed that for some reason C-3PO has a new red arm. Another image was found this week on a soda can in Mexico and again it shows C3PO with a red arm.

Did something happen to C-3PO after “Return Of The Jedi”? Or could something have occurred during “The Force Awakens”? Does Tony Stark lend one of Iron Man’s gauntlets to C3PO? We’ll soon find out in almost 6 months!

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Source: Furious Fanboys, Reddit

VIDEO: New Clip Released For PIXAR’s “Inside Out”

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A brand new clip from Disney/Pixar’s “Inside Out” is now available.

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When Riley’s family relocates to a scary new city, the Emotions are on the job, eager to help guide her through the difficult transition. But when Joy and Sadness are inadvertently swept into the far reaches of Riley’s mind—taking some of her core memories with them—Fear, Anger and Disgust are left reluctantly in charge. Joy and Sadness must venture through unfamiliar places—Long Term Memory, Imagination Land, Abstract Thought and Dream Productions—in a desperate effort to get back to Headquarters, and Riley.

Directed by Academy Award® winner Pete Docter (“Monsters, Inc.”, “Up”), produced by Jonas Rivera, p.g.a. (“Up”) and featuring an original score by Michael Giacchino (“The Incredibles,” “Ratatouille,” “Up”), Disney•Pixar’s “Inside Out” opens in theaters on June 19, 2015.

New D23 Expo Concert, Disney on Broadway’s “The Originals” Announced

Following the incredibly warm and rousing reception from D23 EXPO fans in 2013, Disney Theatrical Productions has announced a new concert presented exclusively for this year’s D23 EXPO at the Anaheim Convention Center entitled Disney on Broadway’s “THE ORIGINALS.”  In anticipation of high fan-demand, two performances of the concert will be presented on Saturday, August 15th at 11am and at 2pm in Stage 23.

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Disney on Broadway’s “THE ORIGINALS” stars Broadway’s original “Mary Poppins” (Ashley Brown), “Tarzan” (Josh Strickland) and “Genie” (James Monroe Iglehart) from Aladdin.  The “originals” will entertain and delight D23 EXPO attendees by performing favorite musical highlights from the Disney on Broadway catalogue.   Tony Award®-winner James Monroe Iglehart will also serve as host for this 70-minute, live performance that features a five-piece band of Broadway’s best musicians with special behind-the-scenes videos and interviews that promise to enthrall Disney on Broadway fans of all ages.

Ashley Brown

Ashley Brown

Ashley Brown originated the title role in Mary Poppins on Broadway for which she received Outer Critics, Drama League and Drama Desk nominations for Best Actress.  Ms. Brown also starred as Mary Poppins in the national tour of Mary Poppins where she garnered a Garland award for “Best Performance in a Musical”. Ms. Brown’s other Broadway credits include Belle in Beauty and the Beast, and she has starred in the national tour of Disney’s On The Record.  Ms. Brown recently returned to critical acclaim starring in the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s production of Oklahoma.   She previously played Magnolia opposite Nathan Gunn in Francesca Zembello’s Show Boat at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Ms. Brown has performed with virtually all of the top orchestras in North America including the Boston Pops, the New York Philharmonic, The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra at Disney Hall, the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall (four times), the Cincinnati Pops and the Philadelphia Orchestra (two times). Ashley starred in The Sound of Music at the St. Louis MUNY which garnered her a Kevin Kline award and her own PBS special called “Ashley Brown: Call Me Irresponsible” which received a PBS Telly Award.  Other television credits include NBC’s The Sound of Music.  Ms. Brown’s long-awaited album of Broadway and American Songbook standards is available on Ghostlight/Sony. Ashley is a graduate of the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.

Josh Strickland

Josh Strickland

Josh Strickland is a native of Charleston, South Carolina. In 2006, Strickland created the leading role of Tarzan in Disney’s Tarzan on Broadway. In 2009, he made his starring Las Vegas debut in PEEPSHOW at Planet Hollywood Casino & Resort while concurrently co-starring in the hit E! reality show Holly’s World. Strickland debuted his first single “Report to the Floor”, which skyrocketed to the top five on the iTunes Dance Charts the first week of its release, followed by “Last Dance”. Mr. Strickland is currently starring in Vegas! the Show at the Planet Hollywood Casino & Resort in Las Vegas.

James Monroe Iglehart

James Monroe Iglehart

James Monroe Iglehart won a 2014 Tony Award® for his performance in Aladdin. He originated the role of Bobby in the Tony-winning musical Memphis. Other NYC: The 25th Annual…Spelling Bee and The Wiz. Film/TV: “Gotham”, “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmitt”, “The Good Wife” and “The Electric Company” (the Silent E Soloist). James is a member of the hip-hop improv group Freestyle Love Supreme. His greatest gift is his wife, Dawn. This is an absolute blessing — a real-life wish come true!

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.

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“Disney & PIXAR Short Film Festival” Set to Replace Captain EO in the Magic Eye Theater

We already know that Captain EO will close forever on December 6th, 2015, but now we know what is replacing it:

Coming in December, Epcot guests can experience Disney and Pixar animated shorts in a new 4D experience located in Magic Eye Theater in the Imagination Pavilion. “Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival” will include a look into the visionary minds behind some of the world’s most iconic animated films today.

Then inside the theater, guests can put on their 3D glasses and enter the imaginative worlds of three animated shorts, which will burst to life on the big screen (and in the theater) like never before.

While this is the permanent replacement for Captain EO, we can’t help but feel this is just a placeholder until a full overhaul of the pavilion can be planned and carried out.

Stay tuned for more details on this breaking story as it develops.

Star Wars “Season of the Force” Cancelled for Walt Disney World; Star Wars Fireworks to Run Nightly Instead

Despite a HUGE announcement at the D23 Expo, it seems Walt Disney World has decided to make several changes in regards to the roll-out of the many aspects that would have been part of the Season of the Force event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. With many fragments of the event rolling out in small bursts from now until January 5th, it seems Disney will simply advertise all of the pieces individually rather than market it as some seasonal event. In short, Season of the Force will not exist.

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That being said, all of the advertised pieces of Season of the Force are still happening. In fact, the fireworks show that was originally announced as only a weekend offering will now be offered nightly:

“Symphony in the Stars: A Galactic Spectacular’’ – Starting Jan. 5, 2016, guests will be treated to a spectacular finish to their visit to the park involving a dazzling Star Wars-themed fireworks show set to memorable Star Wars music from throughout the saga.

There will also be an added-charge dessert party offered for the show:

Guests will soon be able to purchase admission to a dessert party during the fireworks show featuring themed desserts, specialty drinks and a souvenir Chewbacca stein.

But specialty snacks will also be available throughout the day:

Guests can experience Star Wars through their palates. Various novelty items and specialty foods inspired by a galaxy far, far away, such as Blue Milk Panna Cotta, Padawan Limeade, BB-8 Lemon and Butter Cream cupcake and a Han Solo Souvenir Kid’s Meal served in a Han Solo-themed bucket, will be available at various locations inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Another new offering beginning on January 5th will be the First Order Stormtrooper patrols:

As guests enjoy the sights and attractions of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, they may come face to face with First Order Stormtroopers who will patrol various areas of the park, interacting with guests during their mission to find members of the Resistance.

These pieces come in addition to the Path of the Jedi clip show, Star Wars Launch Bay, Star Tours: The Adventures Continue additions, and the new Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple Show that will all be in place by December.

VIDEO: New TV Spot For “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”

The Official Star Wars YouTube Channel has just released a brand new TV Spot with new footage for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”.

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Watch the second official TV spot, “Discover” for Star Wars: The Force Awakens — coming to theaters December 18, 2015.

Source: Star Wars YouTube

Disneyland Paris Re-Opens After Unprecedented Three-Day Mourning Period Following Paris Attacks

Disneyland Paris reopened this morning following a four-day closure in respect of victims of the terror attacks in Paris on Friday 13 November 2015. The closure marks only the second time that the park had not opened to the public since opening in 1992. The previous closure was for one day in 1999 where strong storm damage needed to be repaired.

Euro Disney S.A.S. president Tom Wolber released the following statement in regards to the attacks and the closure: “We mourn those lost to the horrific attacks in Paris. We pray for the injured and we hold them all in our hearts. As part of France’s three-day national mourning period, Disneyland Paris will remain closed through Tuesday 17 November 2015.”  Disneyland’s closure is in line with other attractions around the capital with museums, art galleries and the iconic Eiffel Tower all closing to mourn the losses.

Between 14 and 17 November the two theme parks remained closed, but resort hotels and the Disney Village shopping and entertainment district remained open to provide activities for guests.  At the resort hotels Cast Members were on hand to provide assistance and entertain guests. Disney characters came to the hotels and provided meet & greets and Cast Member VoluntEARS also were on site to organize special activities with children.

Although the park was closed, Disneyland Paris displayed a touching tribute to the victims of the attack by colouring Sleeping Beauty’s castle in the colours of the French flag.  This tribute was visible from the public areas of the Disneyland Hotel which overlooks Disneyland Parc.

 

Disneyland Paris is allowing guests who have booked visits to reschedule their trips for a future date or receive a full refund and should contact the resort’s Guest Communication team by email on dlp.guest.communication@disney.com for requests of this nature.