The release of Disney•Pixar’s “Coco” on the big screen is just a few weeks away on November 22, but Disney Springs guests can celebrate early with a family-friendly fiesta that will take place at Disney Springs West Side from October 27 through November 26, 2017.
In the film, aspiring musician Miguel teams up with charming trickster Héctor on an extraordinary journey through the Land of the Dead. At Disney Springs, guests will get a taste of the bright and vibrant world of “Coco” through a medley of themed music, food, and décor daily from 6PM to 10PM.
With a flurry of colorful papel picados planned and décor depicting scenes from the movie, Exposition Park will become a lively cornucopia of fun. On weekends (Friday, Saturday and Sunday), there will also be face-painting and activities for kids. Springs’ Street Tacos Food Truck will serve up vanilla flan for a limited time, alongside their signature taco offerings.
A new clip Mariachi Plaza from Disney•Pixar’s “Coco” is now available. Plus, check out Crafting Coco, a new featurette that includes interviews with filmmakers and talent, showcasing the immense research and detail that went into bringing the story and music of “Coco” to life.
“Mariachi Plaza” clip:
https://youtu.be/bFqeYK96JXc
“Crafting Coco” featurette:
Directed by Lee Unkrich (“Toy Story 3”), co-directed by Adrian Molina (story artist “Monsters University”) and produced by Darla K. Anderson (“Toy Story 3”), Disney•Pixar’s “Coco” opens in U.S. theaters on Nov. 22, 2017.
Voice Cast: Gael García Bernal, Anthony Gonzalez, Benjamin Bratt, Renée Victor, Ana Ofelia Murguía, Jaime Camil, Sofía Espinosa, Luis Valdez, Lombardo Boyar, Edward James Olmos, Alanna Ubach, Selene Luna, Alfonso Arau, Herbert Siguenza, Octavio Solis, Gabriel Iglesias, Cheech Marin, Blanca Araceli
Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Héctor (voice of Gael García Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel’s family history.
The Tokyo Disney Resort is welcoming two band new events, “Pixar Playtime” and “Feel the Force!” with both Disney Sea and Tokyo Disneyland hosting the events. Here is what to look forward to in these upcoming months:
Feel The Force
December 15th, 2017 to March 19th, 2018
In honor of the worldwide release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, this event at Tokyo Disneyland “Feel the Force” will bring on a brand new update to Star Tours: The Adventures Continue. This update will shine a spotlight on a new planet from “The Last Jedi”.
Not only will a new ride update be revealed, but a ton of new merchandise will be available for purchase as well! Those popcorn bucket collectors out there will be happy to hear that the Darth Vader popcorn bucket will be making its debut at this event as well.
Pixar Playtime
January 11th, 2018 to March 19th, 2018
This new Pixar themed event, coming to Tokyo Disney Sea in January of 2018, will feature many character meet and greets as well as some fun games! Concept art for some of these booths have been released, and include imagery from some iconic scenes within the Pixar universe.
Some of these being Carl’s house from “Up”, the kitchen from “Ratatouille” and a pit stop from “Cars”. The event will have an overarching board game theme, as guests travel across the game.
The characters that are available for meet and greets include the following:
Our latest photo report brings u back to Disney’s Hollywood Studios as it prepares for a transitional Holiday season, offering up a new lineup that Disney hopes will fill the void left by the Osborne Lights over the last two years.
Christmas Shopping
Plenty of blown-glass ornaments for sale at Celebrity 5 & 10, including a new Monorail ornament.
They’re a little pricey at $19.99 each, but they are pretty cool.
Some new holiday apparel for sale.
A few new Beauty and the Beast ornaments have joined the existing collection this year, including this light up rose ornament.
Mickey and Minnie Mouse have both received their own action figures of sorts, exclusive to the Disney Parks. They retail for $14.99 each.
The new Mickey Mouse ear baseball cap is already out.
Sunset Seasons Greetings
As the park prepares for the new Sunset Seasons Greetings offering, a whole lot of new infrastructure is going into place on Sunset Boulevard. The old, white lights for the palm trees have been replaced with these beauties, capable of color changing for show elements.
Some extra hardware was also installed on the star lights, likely to be used to integrate them into the show.
The Fantasmic billboard is likely gone for good as a new billboard that can be projected onto will go in its place. Maybe it will return in some form down the road.
Behind the billboard hides the infrastructure for the projectors that will turn the Hollywood Tower Hotel into a number of holiday items during the shows.
The projectors sit on the stands you can see behind these windows.
People seem confused about a new Paradise Pier billboard that appeared recently at the Studios. I don’t see the confusion as both lands exist in roughly the same time period. Sadly, Paradise Pier will become PIXAR Pier, but this will be a nice nod to the past.
Dirt Street U.S.A.
Construction continues on Two Story Land, opening Summer 2018.
The remnants of the catwalk above the soundstage waits to be sealed in.
On the other side, we still have no idea what this weird, tall section of building is supposed to be.
A dirt wall now seals PIXAR Place, which eventually will be no more once Toy Story Land opens and the entrance to Toy Story Midway Mania moves there.
Just before this dirt wall will lie a cast access road, with PIXAR Place then becoming a backstage area.
The construction walls behind Muppet Vision 3-D expanded outward, now coming into the attraction’s exit.
Here we see the building for the “Battle Escape” attraction in Star War’s Galaxy’s Edge.
This and That
Sunset Showcase courtyard was open, being used for extended queue for Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster, as well as some character meet and greets.
The show building for Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster was recently repainted blue to blend into Toy Story Land better. It’s too bad it now doesn’t blend with anything on this side of the park. Why is every “soundstage” building a different color?
Work on Echo Lake continues, with the “logs” under the water now repainted.
With the Coco preview coming soon, the final room of Walt Disney Presents is pretty barren at the moment. The stickers on the walls were taken down and only on display case remains in use.
SOUTHWEST UNVEILS “COCO”-THEMED BOEING 737-700 AIRCRAFT,
CELEBRATING DISNEY•PIXAR’S ALL-NEW ADVENTURE IN HIGH-FLYING STYLE
Southwest Airlines Co. celebrated Disney•Pixar’s all-new, big-screen adventure “Coco” in high-flying style today, unveiling a Boeing 737-700 aircraft emblazoned with the vibrant “Coco” logo and artwork inspired by the film. The aircraft will fly among the carrier’s nearly 100 destinations throughout the United States, Mexico, Central America, and Caribbean through the end of 2017. As the largest domestic carrier in the U.S. serving more than 115 million passengers yearly*, Southwest Airlines connects people every day to what is important in their lives. With Disney•Pixar’s “Coco,” Southwest connects its customers to an all-new story that’s both exciting and inspiring. The film opens in U.S. theaters on Nov. 22, 2017.
“Southwest specializes in bringing unique and meaningful moments to our Customers,” said Southwest Airlines Vice President Controller and California Executive Leah Koontz at the aircraft unveiling event in Oakland. “Disney•Pixar’s ‘Coco’ centers on the universal themes of heart and family, core values we celebrate every day with our employees and customers.”
“‘Coco’ is about a boy with big dreams and a strong connection to his family,” says Director Lee Unkrich. “These themes really lend themselves to teaming up with a company like Southwest. And after working for nearly six years to bring this story to life, we were all so excited to see ‘Coco’ on the side of an airplane.”
Coco plane. Southwest Airlines. Stephen M. Keller
Customers are encouraged to spot the “Coco” plane and share their photos using #CocoAndSouthwest. Additionally, Southwest is sharing the adventures of “Coco” with Customers onboard flights beginning Nov. 1, with the launch of the Disney∙Pixar “Coco” OnDemand Channel, featuring complimentary movie clips and trailers to get everyone excited about “Coco” in 3D this Thanksgiving. Be sure to tune-in ahead of the film’s Nov. 22 theatrical debut.
Later this fall, the music of “Coco” will come to life onboard the “Coco” aircraft with a Live at 35® inflight concert performance by Anthony Gonzalez, who voices Miguel in the movie. Customers will experience the sounds and culture up-close and in-the-moment as Anthony sings a song from the upcoming film accompanied by a guitarist.
“Coco VR” Experience Showcases Pixar’s Visual and Storytelling Magic
Pixar Animation Studios announced its first-ever VR experience this morning at Oculus Connect, the fourth annual developer conference in San Jose, Calif. Directed by Ross Haldane Stevenson and produced by Academy Award® winner Marc Sondheimer, “Coco VR” is a co-production from Disney•Pixar and Oculus with VR creative development and execution by Magnopus. Supervising technical director John Halstead spearheaded the technical efforts for Pixar.
“Coco VR” allows people to explore the worlds of “Coco” with their friends. The next-level social VR Experience will be available on Oculus Rift November 15 and Samsung Gear VR November 22, the day of the film’s U.S. release. The experience will be available for a sneak peek at the following events and locations:
Día de los Muertos festivals in Los Angeles, New York City, Houston, Phoenix, Dallas, San Antonio, Oakland and Chicago beginning Oct. 28
Camp Flog Gnaw Music Festival in Los Angeles on Oct. 28-29
Select Disney Stores and movie theaters nationwide through Nov. 22.
Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Héctor (voice of Gael García Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel’s family history.
Directed by Lee Unkrich (“Toy Story 3”), co-directed by Adrian Molina (story artist “Monsters University”) and produced by Darla K. Anderson (“Toy Story 3”), Disney•Pixar’s “Coco” opens in U.S. theaters on Nov. 22, 2017.
I never thought I would ever hear a song from The Eagles in a Cars trailer but here it is! Only one more week until Cars 3 is out!
Blindsided by a new generation of blazing-fast racers, the legendary Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) is suddenly pushed out of the sport he loves. To get back in the game, he will need the help of an eager young race technician, Cruz Ramirez (voice of Cristela Alonzo), with her own plan to win, plus inspiration from the late Fabulous Hudson Hornet and a few unexpected turns. Proving that #95 isn’t through yet will test the heart of a champion on Piston Cup Racing’s biggest stage! Directed by Brian Fee (storyboard artist “Cars,” “Cars 2“), produced by Kevin Reher (“A Bug’s Life,” “La Luna” short) and co-produced by Andrea Warren (“LAVA” short), “Cars 3” cruises into theaters on June 16, 2017.
Audiences across the world have learned that Pixar’s latest short, Lou, will be the lead for Cars 3 which debuts in theaters June 16th. Lou is the debut film for director Dave Mullins whose animating credits include Finding Nemo, Up, and the Cars franchise.
Photo: Disney/Pixar
Drawing emotions from his childhood, Mullins crafted the six-minute short to reflect on a time from his own life. Growing up, he moved frequently leaving him without a sense of belonging at various points. That trait of feeling on the outside is something both main characters deal with in the film. Produced by Dana Murray, Lou tackles the everyday subject of bullying by reaching back into the well for a tried and true delivery system: toys.
Lou centers around a watchful toy monster whose convictions seem to align with a teacher or watchful protector. After watching the children interact on the playground and witnessing one child in particular torment his fellow classmates; the title character takes it upon himself to help not only return the items JJ has taken for himself but also to teach him a lesson or two along the way.
The film is dedicated to Mullins’ father who passed away during the film’s early development. Several nods to his father appear in the film including a skateboard and football that live with Lou in his box.
Lou will be the 17th Pixar short to premier before a theatrical release. Cars 3 is the first of two Pixar films to be released in 2017. Coco is set to hit theaters on November 22, 2017 and is directed by Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina. This year marks just the second time Pixar will release two feature films in one year. The first came when Inside Out and The Good Dinosaur both debuted in 2015.
