The Star Wars Facebook Page released a brand new character poster for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and this time we get to see “BB-8” up close! We are getting very close to the 18th!
Source: Star Wars Facebook Page
Many a guest was excited to see the Three Caballeros added to Epcot’s Mexico boat ride back in 2007, but the multiple screens of animated scenes leading to one large animated scene always felt like it was lacking something. In fact, it wasn’t uncommon to hear guests insist that there should have been animatronic versions of the Three Caballeros built for the ending scene of the ride. Well, Disney solved this problem this past weekend…
With the Mickey Mouse Revue attraction closing in Tokyo in 2009, the Disney Archives found a set of Donald, Panchito, and Jose animatronic characters in their possession. In fact, these figures were even displayed at a D23 event here in Florida not too long ago. With just a little bit of restoration and some programming, Walt Disney Imagineering brought the figures back to life, now appearing in their first role at Walt Disney World since they left the Magic Kingdom for Tokyo in 1980. Be sure to catch these amazing pieces of Disney history the next time you are at Epcot. They certainly have enlivened what has been a fun, yet fairly anticlimactic attraction up until now.
This weekend, Disney XD aired a new promo for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and we got a glimpse of the elusive new character, Maz Kanata. She can be seen next to Finn as he ignites his light saber:
Maz Kanata is a new CGI character introduced in “The Force Awakens” and is played by actress Lupita Nyong’o. Similar to the marketing of Luke Skywalker, the character has been mostly under wraps in order to officially introduce her for the first time to audiences when they see “The Force Awakens”. You can see a small image of Max Kanata in the background of the official “The Force Awakens” poster and her voice-over is heard in a few TV spots.
Maz Kanata is a mysterious character which appears to be an integral part to “The Force Awakens” story line. So far what we know about Maz Kanta was revealed to us by J.J. Abrams:
Her history is that she was a pirate for a long time. She’s lived over a thousand years. She’s had this watering hole for about a century, and it’s like another bar that you’d find in a corner of the Star Wars universe.
I had some specific ideas about how she would work and what she would do. I had this pitch about these goggles that she wore. Her eyes are an important aspect of her character, and you’ll see how it plays out.
Source: Comic Book Resources
Just in time for what would have been Walt Disney’s 114th birthday on December 5, 2015, Disney launched Photographs from the Walt Disney Archives, a new online print-on-demand photo service that allow fans to own vibrant images from Disney’s rich history, including classic images of Walt himself.
Iconic photographs, from a young Walt circa 1932 surrounded by more than a dozen plush Mickey Mouse dolls to a shot of Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland on opening day in 1955, are available for purchase in an array of sizes and formats, including photographs and canvas. Each image tells a story, including a rare behind-the-scenes photograph of musicians during the filming of the concert epic Fantasia (1940), as well as a shot of Walt and his staff with the groundbreaking multiplane camera during the 1951 filming of Alice in Wonderland.
With multiple sizes and frames to choose from, individuals can customize their orders—from an 11’’ x 14’’ print on paper or gallery–wrapped canvas ($59.00) to a 20’’ x 20’’ print in a natural or black wood frame ($150.00).
All artwork comes from the photo library operated by the Walt Disney Archives. Comprised largely of original negatives, the roughly 4 million photos rarely leave their cold storage facilities to see the light of day. As more and more digital copies have been created, the Archives is offering this special opportunity to own a print from its one-of-a-kind collection.
Photographs from the Walt Disney Archives launched December 5, 2015 at DisneyPhotoArchives.com.
The Official Star Wars Twitter account has just released a brand new character poster from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”. Poe Dameron, played by Oscar Issacs, is one of the Resistance’s best pilots and leader of the elite Black Squadron.
Source: Star Wars Twitter
Morimoto Asia recently opened in The Landing at Disney Springs, providing guests a large menu of Pan-Asian offerings. The restaurant is located in the former home of Mannequin’s on Pleasure Island, which has now been beautifully converted into this modern restaurant.
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The interior is painfully modern, but pleasing. Having lived in New York for many years, this is pretty much what I always expect from a higher-end restaurant. There is an Asian flair, but the interior does not carry any of the industrial district story of The Landing or Disney Springs, but it doesn’t really have to either.
We started with a Sake Sangria which was very refreshing and I would HIGHLY recommend
For appetizers, I ordered the spare ribs which were cooked to perfection. The meat fell right off the bone and the sticky sauce had a great flavor to it.
The five-spice chicken wings were cooked nicely, but really didn’t deliver much flavor despite the name
We also have 5 different “dim sum” dishes, all of which were spectacular. You really can’t go wrong with anything in the “dim sum” portion of the menu.
For my entree, I had the Peking Duck. This was by far my favorite duck dish I have ever ordered.
It had great a great flavor, but was especially good with the included sweet chili sauce
The “buri-bop” is a unique dish prepared table-side in a bowl heated to a very high temperature. The yellowtail tasted great and mixed well with everything in the dish.
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The chicken pad thai is a large portion for $16 and very tasty. From the lowest priced entrees to the highest, there really wasn’t anything we regretted ordering.
The orange chicken had a strong orange taste (probably what is should taste like at more Asian restaurants), but was still very good. Again, just cooked perfectly.
We also had a side of brown rice that was so good, I would come in and just order a few bowls of this as my entree!
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If there was one problem we encountered, it was the speed and quality of the sushi kitchen. Our tempura shrimp roll was not served in a timely manner and was not at the temperature it should have been served at. I would go back to try another sushi dish, but I’m not sure this is the restaurant’s strong suit.
While I loved many of the appetizers and entrees, this dessert dish was my favorite offering. This is the chocolate cream and crunch featuring Oreo tempura, Mandarin orange jelly, dark chocolate gelato, and hazelnut chocolate crunchies.
In my 27 years visiting theme parks, this was my favorite dessert I’ve ever ordered. It was unique and delicious, offering just the right hint of orange flavor mixed with decadent chocolate. Our waiter was convinced this wasn’t even the best dessert on the menu, so I look forward to returning and trying the rest!
In review, I was blown away by Morimoto Asia. While the restaurants in Japan and China at Epcot have always been solid offerings, this is the first real “Asian-style” restaurant of any kind at Walt Disney World that I am clamoring to return to. The menu is diverse in offerings, pricing, and has quite the drink selection. There really is something for everyone of every taste and budget. Between the Boathouse, Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar, and Morimoto Asia, I could not be more pleased with the direction Disney Springs is heading in. I have high hopes for STK and other restaurants still yet to be named for the project, but in the meantime, I need to get back to Morimoto as soon as possible!
In “Moana,” Walt Disney Animation Studios’ upcoming big-screen adventure, a spirited teenager named Moana (left) sails out on a daring mission to prove herself a master wayfinder. Along the way, she meets once-mighty demi-god Maui (right). Featuring Native Hawaiian newcomer Auli’i Cravalho as the voice of Moana, and Dwayne Johnson as the voice of Maui, “Moana” sails into U.S. theaters on Nov. 23, 2016. ©2015 Disney. All Rights Reserved.
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Moana” has found her voice following a worldwide search to cast the film’s title character. Native Hawaiian newcomer Auli’i Cravalho, 14, joins Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the big-screen adventure about a spirited and fearless teenager named Moana (voice of Cravalho) who, with help from demi-god Maui (voice of Johnson), sets out on a daring mission to prove herself a master wayfinder.
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Fortunately, the film’s Hawai’i casting director remembered an unrelated audition Cravalho did as part of an a cappella group, which had been submitted for a talent showcase for a charity. Feeling the local teen would be perfect for the Disney role, she tracked her and her mother down and invited Cravalho to audition. “Her audition was fantastic – she was such a raw talent,” said producer Osnat Shurer. “Auli’i was among a small number of girls we brought back for a second round of auditions. Then we flew her and her mom over to audition at our studios in Burbank.”
“Auli’i demonstrated a certain fearlessness in her auditions and call-backs,” said director John Musker. “She has a playful, mischievous wit. She can project vulnerability, she doesn’t seem intimidated at all by the challenges ahead, and her Polynesian background has helped shape her connection to family, hard work and music. These are all qualities she shares with Moana.”
“Moana is a vibrant, tenacious 16-year-old growing up on an island where voyaging is forbidden,” added director Ron Clements. “But Moana has been drawn to the ocean since she can remember and is desperate to find out what’s beyond the confines of her island.”
Cravalho has already started recording for the role.
“Moana” sails into U.S. theaters on Nov. 23, 2016.
PIXAR updated their film release schedule today…
As you can see, Cars 3 has been sped up into a June 16, 2017 release date, while Toy Story 4 was pushed back to June 15th, 2018. The Incredibles 2 also got a release date, set for June 21, 2019.
Marvel has announced that they are adding additional movies to the Phase 3 slate of movies and the first new movie will be a sequel to “Ant-Man” and it will be called “Ant-Man And The Wasp”. Paul Rudd will reprise his role as Scott Lang/Ant-Man and joining him this time on his adventure will be Evangeline Lily who will reprise her role as Hope Van Dyne and now take on the role of superhero, The Wasp. “Ant-Man And The Wasp” will open on July 6th, 2018.
To accommodate this addition both the “Black Panther” and “Captain Marvel” movies will be movie their release dates to February 16, 2018 and March 8, 2019.
Marvel also announced that 3 unnamed Marvel movies will premier on May 1st, 2020, July 10th 2020 and November 6th 2020. I’m expecting a Hulk movie to be one of them since he was originally supposed to appear in “Civil War” and pulled out at the last second and also Kevin Feige has said that they have plans for Hulk in the future.
Source: Marvel
Netflix has released the first teaser trailer for their upcoming series, Marvel’s “Jessica Jones”.
The Wrap has reported that Rachael McAdams will join Benedict Cumberbatch and Telda Swinton in the upcoming Marvel movie, “Doctor Strange”. There is no official announcement as to watch character McAdams will be playing. All we know is it is the female lead.
It could be Clea, who is the niece of Dormammu, which is one of Doctor Strange’s greatest enemies. Clea later betrays her uncle and joins forces with Doctor Strange and became his love interest.
Source: The Wrap
There was a big shake up within Marvel Entertainment. Kevin Feige who has produced all of the Marvel movies and is the President of Marvel met with Disney and made it known that he was not happy reporting directly to the current CEO of Marvel Isaac Perlmutter. Now Feige is reporting directly to Disney Pictures President, Alan Horn.It seems that Perlmutter was a thorn in Feige’s side and it sounds like it came to the point where Feige was even considering leaving Marvel. Perlmutter is notorious for being a cheapskate and not providing enough dough for the movies. “Captain America: Civil War” was apparently the breaking point since they were going over budget and Perlmutter didn’t want to release any additional funds to support the movie.
Then there was also the disbandment of the Marvel Creative Team which some are saying was responsible for Edgar Wright leaving Ant-Man. It has Brian Michael Bendis and Joe Quesueda. The following list show the movies that the Creative Team had some input in:
Movies they worked on: Iron Man, Avengers, Guardians Of The Galaxy, Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Captain America: Civil War.
Movies somewhere in the middle: Hulk, Ant Man, Thor, and Thor: The Dark World.
Movies with little to no input: Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3, and Avengers: Age Of Ultron.
What is weird about these movies is that it seems that the Creative Team was heavily involved with the best Marvel movies and barely had any input with the lesser ones. What does this mean for the future? We dont know right now but we’ll see what happens after “Captain America: Civil War”.
That’s it for this time!
WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen visited Animal Kingdom and Disney Springs this week and has some newsworthy photos to share with us, so let’s take a look:
GIRAFFE!
We often find cute animals are a good way to ease you into construction photos…
As seen from the heights of Everest, here is the latest progress on Pandora: The World of AVATAR
The floating mountains rise high above the park
Work is ramping up on the Rivers of Light show as well as there is just a few months left to go before it debuts
Here you see the viewing area under construction
Various new rock structures hide the projectors and lighting for the show
The control tower for the show rises in front of Everest
Guests will be able to sit all the way down to the water’s edge for the show
At Kilimanjaro Safaris, strange rock work (which we suspect hides the lighting for the nighttime version of the ride) has appeared
Work continues on the new building in Discovery Island
Painting of the existing buildings continues
Moving over to Disney Springs, construction is coming along nicely on the Town Center
The Edison, former home fo the Adventurer’s Club
The home of STK Steakhouse
This will soon be the new bus loop and drop off area
Another look at STK
