PHOTO: Mickey and Minnie Mouse to Greet Guests in Diamond-Studded Duds for Disneyland’s 60th

When Disneyland’s Diamond Celebration kicks off next month, Mickey and Minnie Mouse will be stepping out in style for the event…

CCkdmr0WAAAFS-j

If you want to meet the pair in their 60th anniversary costumes, you’ll have to head out to Disneyland Resort for the Diamond Celebration beginning May 22, 2015. They will be appearing in Town Square at Disneyland Park along with Goofy, Pluto, Donald duck, Daisy, Chip, and Dale who will also have special costumes during the event’s run.

Disneyland Releases Tons of New Details on 60th Anniversary Diamond Celebration; Merchandise, Food, Entertainment, & More!

In addition to the giveaways and new character costumes announced earlier today, the Disneyland Resort continues to roll-out new information of the 60th anniversary Diamond Celebration beginning May 22nd. Here’s what we have learned so far today:

dlrout293847

  • New details on the “Paint the Night” parade:

Tinker Bell leads the procession in a magical, musical overture, closely followed by a float reminiscent of the giant bass drum that led the “Main Street Electrical Parade.” Lightning McQueen races in with his buddy Mack Truck, who makes a hefty impression at 54-feet long, covered from headlights to tail pipe in gleaming light. Anna and Elsa from “Frozen” glide through the night in a shimmering palace of ice and snow, the tallest float in the new parade. Guests also will be delighted to see Cinderella, Rapunzel and beloved characters from tales such as “Monsters, Inc.,”  “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Toy Story,” with Mickey and his pals creating a breathtaking grand finale.

  • New details on the “Disneyland Forever” fireworks spectacular:

Guests will be surrounded by the worlds of timeless Disney tales, from the tips of their toes to the sky high above, thanks to the largest installation of projection mapping technology in a Disney park and surprising special effects. One minute they will be standing on Main Street, U.S.A., and the next they could be stampeding across Simba’s Pride Lands, dancing with King Louie from “The Jungle Book,” traveling “Under the Sea” with the Little Mermaid, flying over London with Peter Pan, dripping in honey with Pooh in a whimsical dream of heffalumps and woozles, or quivering as Queen Elsa brings a glimmering blanket of snow over Disneyland.

Similar to Tinker Bell, Dumbo, and Zero, Nemo from the Disney-Pixar animated film “Finding Nemo,” Nemo will swim through the skies above Sleeping Beauty Castle in this new show, as the Matterhorn is transformed into the fiery peak of Mt. Wannahockaloogie.

  • For the new nighttime spectaculars, Disneyland will roll out new “Made with Magic” merchandise that glows with the show. Among the new items will be a souvenir sipper, new design ear hats & magic wands, and the paintbrush that debuted with the Paint the night Parade at Hong Kong Disneyland.
HKDL-Images1

The “Made with Magic” paintbrush available in hong Kong, allowing guests to paint performer costumes during the nighttime parade

  • Changes are coming to some already existing Disneyland entertainment come May 22nd:

During the Diamond Celebration, guests will be invited to become part of the musical magic, singing, dancing and marching along with resort performers such as the Disneyland Band, Dapper Dans, Red Car News Boys, Straw Hatters and Five & Dime. The after-dark “Mad T Party” will return to Disney California Adventure as a dazzling new “Diamond Mad T Party,” featuring sparkling new decor, interactive fun, dancing and delectable food and drink.

Guests may join a daily Diamond March-Along up Main Street, U.S.A., with the Disneyland Band and Disney characters in their sparkling, new Diamond Celebration costumes. The cavalcade concludes with a Diamond Sing-Along at Town Square in Disneyland Park. Also on Main Street, U.S.A., the Dapper Dans quartet will invite guests to join Diamond Sing-Alongs, while the Straw Hatters band will encourage Diamond Dance-Alongs.

Guests may Dream-Along with Mickey Mouse and the Red Car News Boys, as Mickey shares a whole new song about his vision for the Happiest Place on Earth. When the Five & Dime arrive on Buena Vista Street, guests will be immersed in a joyous Dance-Along with Dime, Goofy and the boys.

Mad T Party returns to Disney California Adventure beginning May 22, as guests are invited down the rabbit hole to experience the Diamond Mad T Party, a nighttime entertainment party inspired by Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” motion picture. The Mad T Party main stage will feature a live band, performing contemporary and classic rock favorites as well as newly mashed-up Disney tunes given a rare Mad T Party twist. When the band isn’t onstage, the White Rabbit DJ takes over and plays the latest, hottest dance tunes.

Also for Mad T Party, the Hottest Deck in Town dance crew will perform their high-energy show with a new look at a new location, the Hollywood Backlot Stage. Diamond Mad T Party guests will also play interactive games, take photos or just chill out with a cold drink from the Drink Me Bar or Chiller truck. A new photo location combines the fantastical spirit of the Mad T Party with a tribute to Disney’s past.

  • Over 500 new merchandise items are being introduced for the celebration:

Headwear will include a Diamond Celebration ear hat, Minnie Mouse rhinestone-embellished headband, and youth and adult baseball hats. Also being introduced from the Diamond Collection is a crystal-encrusted Minnie Mouse headband and Mickey Mouse ear hat.

Home Décor items will include frames, snow globes, mugs, a dinner plate, dessert plate, trivet, napkin, drinkware and bottle topper, as well as a beach towel, throws and pillow.

Toys will include an array of plush, a fashion doll, a Diamond Celebration truck hauler, train set, playing cards, puzzles, Sleeping Beauty Castle playset and more.

Open and limited edition pins, trading accessories, boxed pin sets and framed pin sets will be available.

Collectors also will be interested in limited release, limited edition and crystal embellished Vinylmation.

Art & Collectibles will include notable brands such as Precious Moments, Lenox, Highland Mint and Arribas Bros. Over the course of the celebration, fans will find artwork by Dave Avanzino, Disney Design Group (Costa Alavezos, Tyler Dumas, Susan Foy, Caley Hicks, Alex Maher, Randy Noble), Liana Hee, Ink & Paint artists, Brian Jowers, Lisa Keene, Jerrod Maruyama, Kurt Raymond, Tim Rogerson, SHAG, Javier Soto and The Thomas Kinkade Studios and Gregg Visintainer, among others.

  • It of course wouldn’t be a party without some new food and beverage offerings:

The Disneyland Resort is filled with a variety of popular dining options. For the Diamond Celebration, some new specialties will join the classic favorites, served in colorful Diamond Celebration souvenir containers.

Special Diamond Celebration Cupcakes will be found at the Jolly Holiday Bakery Café (lemon flavored) in Disneyland and the Fiddler, Fifer and Practical Café (orange flavored) in Disney California Adventure.

Appropriately sparkling for the Diamond Celebration, a Pomegranate Silver Sparkler, topped with lemon-lime foam and garnished with silver flakes, will be served at the Jolly Holiday Bakery Café on Main Street, U.S.A., in Disneyland.

At the Lucky Fortune Cookery in Disney California Adventure, a special Lucky Fortune Tea will feature mango, pineapple and passion fruit flavoring.

Exotic new Diamond Celebration beverages will also be available at Disneyland Resort hotel locations: a Longboard Lemonade at the PCH Grill in Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel, and a Wild Raspberry Rapids Lemonade at White Water Snacks in Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa.

Diamond Celebration Crisped Rice Treats, Caramel Corn and Cotton Candy will be available at select locations in the parks.

All of these newly announced items come in addition to already revealed offerings such World of Color – Celebrate!, the Hatbox Ghost returning to the Haunted Mansion, Matterhorn Bobsleds enhancements, Peter Pan’s flight enhancements, Soarin’ enhancements, and the decorative overlays of the park icons.

Frozen Summer Fun Premium Package Being Offered Again

Reservations for the Frozen Summer Fun Premium Package (which was introduced last year) are now available for dates from June 17 to September 7. The offerings are about the same as 2014, but there is no event pin gift this time.

fsfwdw394586

Each Frozen Summer Fun Premium Package includes:

  • See Anna and Elsa in the reserved viewing for Frozen Royal Welcome, complete with refreshments (water, a selection of soft drinks, and ice cream)
  • Reserved seating for your choice of one show time of For the First Time In Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
  • Frozen Fireworks viewing with dessert party, a dazzling nighttime display of fireworks paired with Frozen-themed desserts as well as specialty alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages

Cost is $69 for adults, $39 for children age 3 to 9 (tax and gratuity are included). Reservations can be made online or by calling 407-939-3463. Package availability is limited.

New “Tomorrowland” Featurette Called “Vision of Tomorrow” Features Walt’s Greatest Dream

1

Learn about Walt Disney’s vision for the future in this “Tomorrowland” featurette starring George Clooney, producer/writer Damon Lindelof, and director Brad Bird!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnboqKkvI9U]

From Disney comes two-time Oscar® winner Brad Bird’s “Tomorrowland,” a riveting mystery adventure starring Academy Award® winner George Clooney. Bound by a shared destiny, former boy-genius Frank (Clooney), jaded by disillusionment, and Casey (Britt Robertson), a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity, embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space known only as “Tomorrowland.” What they must do there changes the world—and them—forever.

Featuring a screenplay by “Lost” writer and co-creator Damon Lindelof and Brad Bird, from a story by Lindelof & Bird & Jeff Jensen, “Tomorrowland” promises to take audiences on a thrill ride of nonstop adventures through new dimensions that have only been dreamed of.

The film also stars Hugh Laurie as brilliant scientist David Nix, Raffey Cassidy, Tim McGraw, Kathryn Hahn, Keegan-Michael Key and Thomas Robinson.

“Tomorrowland” is produced by Damon Lindelof, Brad Bird and Jeffrey Chernov and directed by Brad Bird, with John Walker, Bernard Bellew, Jeff Jensen and Brigham Taylor serving as executive producers. “Tomorrowland” opens in U.S. theaters on May 22, 2015.

4/23/15 Marvel News Mash-Up (New-Look Spider-Man, Captain Marvel in Avengers, Nerd Alert Episode #3)

Official Character Poster Of ” The Vision” From “Avengers: Age Of Ultron”

6uu8kCZ

Just minutes after the last Marvel Mash-Up article came out, Disney and Marvel released the official character poster for “The Vision” in “Avengers: Age Of Ultron” and he looks fantastic! Trust me on this one, I hear he steals the movie, just like Hulk did to the original “Avengers: Movie.”

“The Incredible Hulk” Graces The Cover Of Rolling Stone Magazine

1035x1407-R1234Cover

The Hulk is on this months issue of Rolling Stone mostly to promote “Avengers: Age Of Ultron” but it really looks like he is ready for a solo movie. I’ve been watching some interviews with Joss Whedon and Mark Ruffalo (Hulk) and they both seem to hint that a solo movie for the Hulk is in the works.

Ruffalo was asked by IGN about the future of the Hulk:

Mark Ruffalo: “I think there’s a lot of places to go with him [Hulk].”

Scarlett Johansson: “Like where?”

IGN: “Space?”

Ruffalo: “Well he’s going to space. Yeah, I mean there’s some talk of maybe Planet Hulk.”

Here is a synopsis of the Planet Hulk comic book series:

The Illuminati (a group consisting of Tony Stark, Reed Richards, Black Bolt, Namor, and Dr. Stephen Strange) meet to discuss the recent destruction of Hulk and how to deal with him. The decision to deposit Hulk on a peaceful uninhabited planet is interrupted by a wormhole, placing the savage Hulk on the violent planet Sakaar.

The green skinned warrior quickly bonds with others like him in a gladiator arena, as well as creates an enemy of Red King. Through his conflicts and troubles Hulk unites a planet by killing the tyrant king, while finding a kindred spirit and falls in love with the warrior Caiera. Hulk, the savior of the people, is crowned king with Caiera as his queen. The peace does not last for the green goliath however, but instead leads to the destruction of Sakaar and the terribly destructive World War Hulk.

That would be great if the went with a movie adapation of “Planet Hulk.” If that is the case, it would probably be 5% Bruce Banner and 95% Hulk in the movie.

Source: IGN; Rolling Stone

Marvel Releases Covers For The “Star Wars” Movie Adaptions

star-wars-episode-iv-ogn-hc-cover-granov-115580

Marvel has revealed the covers for all three of the “Star Wars” Original Trilogy comic book adaptions drawn by artist Adi Granov.

m8UO9Vx dlrfSb6

These issues are actually reprints of the original “Star Wars” comic book series that was released back in 1977. Marvel added a nice touch be retouching all of the panels and they look really nice.

star-wars-episode-iv-ogn-hc-coloring-comparison-115581Source: ComicBook.com

“Spider-Man” In The Marvel Cinematic Universe Update

08-spider-man-2002

Kevin Feige, the heard of Marvel Entertainment, recently spoke with Collider and revealed some new information, as well as confirmed previous speculation, about the new “Spider-Man” who will make his debut in “Captain America: Civil War”:

  • Spider-Man will be Peter Parker, not Miles Morales, who is currently the Ultimate Spider-Man in the comics.
  • No origin story. Feige said, “There is a young kid [already] running around New York City in a homemade version of the Spider-Man costume in the MCU, you just don’t know it yet.”
  • Spider-Man will get a new costume. It will be classic Spider-Man but not a costume we have ever seen before on screen.
  • Peter will be 15-16 years old and he will be a high school student.

Personally, I would love for Spider-Man’s costume to be inspired by Todd Mcfarlane’s version, which was inspired by the very earliest versions of Spider-Man in the comics. Todd added really big bug eyes to the costume and brought back the webbing under his armpits. He also brought us those crazy detailed webs from his web shooters. Always loved this version:

SpiderMan1_01

Source: Collider

“Captain Marvel” Was Originally Going To Be In” Avengers: Age Of Ultron” But Her Scene Was Cut And Replaced By “Scarlet Witch” And Her New Costume

Captain-Marvel

Kevin Feige explains just how close it was that Captain Marvel was going to appear in “Avengers: Age Of Ultron” and he explains why her scene was cut:

There were drafts that maybe people somehow got their hands on and read early on that included some characters – maybe others, but certainly one, which is why it’s dangerous to read scripts early on, and talk about them early on…

[Captain Marvel] was in a draft. But to me, it would have done that character a disservice, to meet her fully formed, in a costume and part of the Avengers already when 99% of the audience would go, ‘Who is that?’ It’s just not the way we’ve done it before.

Thanos is the good ‘Who’s that,’ because he’s clearly a bad guy, for comic fans he represents a specific storyline, you can get the buzz started from fans to non-fans with that cameo – as opposed to a title character, who deserves their own story. Even Black Widow you don’t meet in the last two seconds of Iron Man 2 wearing her costume – you evolve that going forward.

The way we reveal Scarlet Witch [in costume] at the end of the movie? Those were Captain Marvel plate shots. Joss said, ‘We’ll cast her later!’ And I said, ‘Yeah Joss, we’ll cast her later.’ [Whispers to an invisible associate who isn’t Joss] ‘We’re not putting her in there!’

Finally Joss was like ‘Let’s use those plates to let Scarlet Witch fly into frame, give her a big entrance?’ And that makes sense – she’s come to their side, and she deserves the cool intro, which will feed into another movie we start shooting in a few weeks.

Scarlet Witch In The Comics (maybe?):5dce3892b4c83c5c31c4d8e6b25e3737

Source: BadAssDigest

WDWNT: Nerd Alert Episode 3 Airs Thursday Night

Nerd-Alert-Transparent_1080x1080Our third episode of “WDWNT: Nerd Alert” will air this Thursday night at 10 PM, which can be heard on WDWNT: On The Air. Nerd Alert will immediately follow “WDWNT: The Radio Show,” which airs from 8-10 PM.

This week we will be talking about the recent flood of trailers and our main focus will be the newest trailer for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

Link: WDWNT: On The Air

That’s it for this week!

Several “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” Promotional Art Pieces Released, Better Look at New Characters

Kylo2

With today being the first official day for “Star Wars Celebration,” some promotional art showcasing “Kylo Ren”, “Captain Phasma” and “Incinerator Troopers” has made it’s way online.

Kylo1

CCtbXHIW8AAi1qhCCtbcmrWYAE0VeU.jpg large

CCtbfZHWMAADVzP

These promotional art images look pretty legit. Keep in mind though that one site is saying they have 100% confirmation that these are authentic and the other site is issuing a warning that there is a possibility that some of this could be really good fan art productions.

SOURCE: Making Star Wars; Indie Revolver

New Teaser Trailer For “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”

111

Today at Star Wars Celebration, J.J. Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy revealed the second teaser trailer for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Lucasfilm has officially released the newest trailer on their “Star Wars” YouTube channel:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngElkyQ6Rhs]

 

Some images I was able to capture from the trailer:

New Lucasfilm logo:

0

A downed Imperial Star Destroyer and X-Wing:

1

Darth Vader’s cremated helmet:

2

R2D2 and Rey?

3

Luke’s missing light saber?

4A fleet of X-Wings:  6

X-Wing pilot, Poe Dameron:

7

Rey, Finn and BB-8:

8

Kylo Ren:

9

New Stormtroopers:

10

Rey (or Kira):

11

New TIE Fighters:

12

Stormtroopers being attacked:

13

Finn, an ex Stormtrooper:

14

New Star Destroyer:

15

Captain Phasma/Chrome Trooper?

16

The Millennium Falcon being chased by a TIE Fighter:

17

Into a downed Star Destroyer!!!!

18

Redesigned TIE Fighter pilot looks so cool!

19

Chewie and Han are back!

111

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is the first chapter of a new trilogy that takes place 30 years after Return Of The Jedi. The movie is being directed by J. J. Abrams and will reunite the original cast as well as new cast members to continue the Star Wars saga.  Star Wars: Episode VII is scheduled to be released domestically on December 18th, 2015.

The Latest Park News & Build Your Dream Star Wars Attraction Contest Tonight (04/16/15) on WDWNT: The Radio Show

radio_show_post_logoTonight, on WDWNT: The Radio show, we have a lot to catch up on around Walt Disney World.

You can also win some great prizes from Theme Park Connection by calling in and describing your dream Star Wars theme park attraction (more details to come).

Hosted by radio veterans and life-long Disney fans Tom Corless and Nick LoCicero, the live radio talk show on AM 1520 WBZW in Orlando focuses on the latest news and current trending topics at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. WDW News Today: The Radio Show can also be streamed live at www.1520wbzw.com. WDW News Today the Radio Show debuted in August of 2013 as a 1 hour broadcast on Saturday evenings and has grown into a 2-hour program by popular demand.

To interact with the hosts during the show, listeners can call in at (407) 774-8255, tweet @WDWNT using #WDWNTRadio, or use the new LIVE chat that will be available at Radio.WDWNT.com.

The show begins at 8PM EST every Thursday night, don’t miss it!

VIDEO: Watch “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” Droid “BB-8” Make A Surprise Appearance At Star Wars Celebration

bb8

BB-8, the newest droid from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” made a suprise appearance at the Star Wars Celebration Live Stream and completely stole the show.Check out this amazing technical demonstration video of BB-8:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABzjUf3E_0c]

When BB-8 was first seen in the first teaser trailer for “The Force Awakens” last year, many people thought this was just a complete “CGI” created robot. Nope. BB-8 is a fully functional working droid who appeared with the rest of the cast on the set of “The Force Awakens.”

Kathleen Kennedy, head of Lucasfilm, also revealed that we actually have Bob Iger, CEO of Walt Disney, to thank because it was Iger that found the company that created the tech that brought BB-8 to life.

BB-8 kind of reminds me of a cross between R2D2 and Wall-E and a soccer ball.

bbbb

Future Star Wars Disney Parks Park Toys & Merchandise Announced at Celebration

SWW2015_MerchandisePoster-1088x816-979314586985

There was a panel yesterday at Star Wars Celebration that discussed upcoming toys and merchandise from Disney based on the characters from “Star Wars Rebels” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” StarWars7news provides us with a breakdown of some of the future Star Wars merchandise we can all look forward to:

Disney store toys came first. The first announcement was Hologram Princess Leia Minnie and Pluto as R2-D2

Chief Chirpa got a plushie, alongside Wicket, Teebo, Lugray, Princess Kneesa, and Romba.

Darth Maul Donald Duck was another reveal, along with Star Wars art pieces and themed baseballs.

An expanded version of the Droid Factory build-a-figure is also coming. New hats and accessories are available.

May The Fourth Be With You and Revenge Of The Fifth had a few special releases.

Galactic Gathering attendees will get a MagicBand and an Aurebesh nametag. Pete as Jango Fett will be available to purchase here, along with several pins. Mystery Pin collections will also be available, and you can obtain mini prints and Dooney & Bourke bags. Mouse-eared character figures will be ready to buy at this event.

D-Tech Me has two figurines of a Jedi and a TIE fighter pilot.

Star Wars Weekends have an assortment of shirts available. Mini-globes, cups, and a new wave of character mashups will be made for the events. Jedi Mickey’s Secret Mission will be the last character mashup action figure set released for a while. However, more character mashups will be made available through plushies.

New blasters based on Boba Fett, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and the Stormtroopers are available now. Youngling lightsabers are another forthcoming toy, allongside latex Rancor and Space Slug figures. Foam lightsaber and ball sets are in the works, along with box sets for the Prequel Trilogy and the Original Trilogy. Rebels box sets are also in the pipeline.

Star Wars racer toys include Chewbacca and the Inquisitor.

R2-D2 Rebel Trainer lets the droid project images that you can shoot at with a toy blaster.

Collector packs containing characters from all eras are also being made.

Build-A-Lightsaber is getting a whole new series of nearly 40 new pieces to customize your weapon for a more civilized time with.

Holographic R2-D2 is headed for Star Wars Weekends. In Fall, R2-D60 and R4-D23 will hit, alongside Imperial Binders, Luke Skywalker lightsabers, and a Yoda Santa Claus plush.

Disney Cruise will start up a line for Star Wars called “Cruising The Galaxy”.

Source: StarWars7News