Alice, Through The Looking Glass...

Well, we now have our first pictures of Alice from Tim Burton's adaption of the classic novel/Disney film.

The guys over at INF Daily have gotten a scoop with some shots of Mia Wasikowska in the title role...

Go over and take a peek.

Telling Bedtime Stories...

The trailer for Adam Sandler's first role in a family film is out...

"Bedtime Stories" is a tale of a crazy, child-like uncle who tells stories to his niece and nephews before they go to sleep, only to realize that they come true. I know some people say that Sandler already makes movies for children(No comment from the peanut gallery here), but this is different...

This is a Disney children's film.

And it's pretty cute, too...

Traveling The Mother Road One Last Time...

It is with sad news and deep regret that I mention the passing of one our greatest actors...

Paul Newman passed away in Westport, Connecticut at the age of Eighty-Three years old. I don't know how old that is in car age, but my thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family. My first memories of film come from seeing "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" with my mom and dad in a theater way back when... He had a long and successful career in films such as "The Sting", "The Hustler", "Cool Hand Luke", "Slap-Shot", "The Hudsucker Proxy" and "Road to Perdition". He was a true humanitarian with his Newman's Own food products which gave all profits to charity and an avid race car driver, which led him to play in one of Pixar's films: "Cars".

We'll miss you, Doc...

Free Fun, Sixty One...

Walt Disney Productions releases its ninth animated feature on this date, sixty-one years ago today. The movie, "Fun and Fancy Free" features two classic animated shorts, "Mickey and the Beanstalk" and "Bongo The Bear". Also of importance is this being the debut of Jim MacDonald as the voice of Mickey Mouse.

Pocahontas Says Goodbye To Her Forest Friends...

After ten years, this is the last day that the "Pocahontas and Her Forest Friends" live-show will be playing at "Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

One door closes, another opens...

Patience.

Disney Open House...

Sorry I didn't put up all of the info that the Mouse released the other day at the Walt Disney Studios Showcase...

I've been feeling a little under the weather and just haven't had the energy or time to do it justice. That said...

Wow. What a display Walt Disney Studios had, huh?

First off, this is one of the reasons I really like Dick Cook. As much as I have a distaste for Jay Rasulo, I have the opposite for Cook. He's warm, friendly, smart and highly intelligent. He's got a very good relationship with many in Hollywood and is well liked by most if not all. He's put out some smart special events over the last few years that really put a spotlight on what the studio has coming out. And this time out, it sounds like an extravaganza many of us Disney Geeks/Fans would have loved to attend. If you want to see more coverage, check out our friends over at Ain't It Cool News here, here and here.

From all the press and a few friends that have sent me e-mails, you can tell the Mouse is really excited about its upcoming slate and it was prepared to put out the moola to show that pride. There were a few glaring omissions not mentioned(), but all in all it was a fantastic presentation. Heck, the free screening of "Bolt" alone would be enough for me since they got to see almost an hour of footage more than me. Grrrrr. But enough...

Disney went through what would almost be their entire line-up for the next couple year, minus a film or two that's in development. Let's go over the highlights that are of interest to Blue Sky:

"Bedtime Stories" - I've been curious to see more information about Adam Sandler's new film and they played the trailer for the guest attending the event. It sounds very much like a Sandler film, while also being very much a Disney film. Now that Adam has kids and a family he wants to do films that his kid(s) can see. This could be a very good thing(It worked for Johnny Depp pretty well, didn't it?). Suffice it to say, the trailer played well with the audience.

"Race to Witch Mountain" - The Rock on Witch Mountain as it might be called is something I'm perplexed about. While I loved the original and don't consider it a classic that can't be touched, I really don't know what to think till I see a new trailer. The one shown here was the one from Comic-Con. While it looks interesting and better than most sci-fi fair, I feel that there needs to be more shown, hopefully in the new trailer that's supposed to be coming out later this year. There has to be a better reason to remake/re-imagine this film than what we've been shown. I'm kind of rooting for this film, yet I don't know why.

"Up" - Pixar. Yeah, the Lamp was here to promote its upcoming slate starting with Pete Docter's "UP". This was basically a rehash of what was said at Comic-Con, but it looks interesting and shows Lasseter and Co. are not afraid to venture into unknown territory in search of a good story. I'm looking forward to the trailer for this one as we get closer to Thanksgiving.

"The Princess and the Frog" - Now, it's my feeling that this one is when Disney animation kicks back into high gear(after the good restart with "Bolt"). They announce the casting of Oprah as we talked about earlier. Then they played one of the six new songs that Randy Newman wrote for the film. Everyone who e-mailed me seemed to like it.

"Cars 2" - A big surprise is that they've moved up the release date for this by a whole year. Directed by Brad Lewis, this sequel will travel the literal world of Cars. And in between now and then you can expect to see several new cartoon shorts known as "CARS Toons". They premiered the first one and naturally it was with Mater. We can expect to see these on Disney Channel and even possibly in the theaters over the next couple years. Along with a ton of merchandise for those little kids to buy.

"Toy Story 3" - They finally revealed a bit more about the plot of this film and described it beginning with Andy going off to college. Everyone should return for the voices along with a few new voices(Memo to Mr. Beaks, Michael Keaton will be the voice of Ken). It's going to be interesting to see this film... especially when it premieres over in DCA's Paradise Pier. There was a lot of emotion at this one, for obvious reasons it's the film that started it all for the Lamp.

"Bolt" - The lucky guests actually got to see the final and unfinished film. While the last act is still in the story board phase, the reaction from the audience and those friend that contacted me is good. Very good. It's a much needed step up from the past decade and it's only going to get better.

"A Christmas Carol" - I don't know if I'm looking forward to this for the story or the morbid fascination that Robert Zemeckis can actually make me interested in a story that's been done and done again, and again... but the designs are very unlike what we've seen before so maybe he'll create a film that I haven't seen before.

"Alice In Wonderland" - Any film by Tim Burton is something I'm always interested in and if you throw in Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter that makes it doubly so. The film will be a combination of live action and motion-cap CG that will blend the real world of Tim Burton with the bizarre world of Lewis Carroll... I'm there.

"Surrogates" - Strangely, I've gotten quite a few e-mails from people that really enjoyed the new trailer for this new Bruce Willis film. The story sounds much like "Blade Runner" meshed with "Minority Report", but I'll wait to see the trailer... and film.

"Earth" - Disney's first foray back into the world of nature, coming from its "Disney Nature" brand is the earth and apparently looks as good as you would imagine. I really hope this line of films does well as I've always been a big fan of the "True-Life Adventure" series.

"National Treasure 3" - Nicholas Cage is back and this time he's out to find even more money. While these films are "Raiders-lite", I actually enjoyed them for the escapist fluff that they were, while actually building in real, historic events into the story. Not a bad way to get kids that don't like history to get to know it, hmmm? I have a feeling the third one won't be the last...

"Confessions of a Shopaholic" - I don't really know why this film intrigues me other than I feel that this one is going to be this years "The Devil Wears Prada"... Girls, start lining up now.

"Prince of Persia" - This Jake Gyllenhaal film will attempt to do for Arabian action films what Pirates did for... uhm, Pirate action? If things go well, this could be a very cool film that turns into a new franchise... notice the subtitle below Prince of Persia: "Sands of Time". Just like "Curse of the Black Pearl, this could be the start of a new cash cow for the Mouse... Maybe.

"Tron 2" - The sequel to the classic Tron(TR2N), is a film everyone I know will be lining up to see. I only hope the script is much better than the original. The news that Lasseter is secretly guiding this project is very good news and if there is any trailer that I want to see it's an official one for this film.

"Pirates of the Caribbean 4:The Search for more Booty" - Captain Jack Sparrow will return... Let's hope that the original writers and director will also. I don't want it being made without Terry, Ted and Gore since they played such an integral part of the trilogy. As for Keira and Orlando, I think we've seen the last of them and any further Pirate adventures will focus on Jack. I do hope that Geoffrey Rush returns as Barbossa because he is the perfect foil to Depp's Sparrow... plus it'll be fun seeing him show up halfway in the movie after chasing after Jack and that the map he store. Wouldn't it be funny to watch Sparrow and Barbossa after having drank from the Fountain of Youth? Two kids playing pirates? What a motif that would be! I don't think we'll be seeing this for at least a few years... like 2011/2012. There goes that year(s) again.

"The Lone Ranger" - Hey, they got the USC Marching Band to play the theme for this, how cool. I was shocked to hear that Johnny Depp was playing Tonto... as much as I love him, he's not as Indian as I was expecting for the Lone Rangers pal/best friend(Although he is part Cherokee). The other news not officially announced, but being thrown around is that George Clooney is being sought for the role of the Masked Man himself. Now a film starring Clooney and Depp produced by Bruckheimer and written by the fellas who wrote "Pirates of the Caribbean" is enough to make theater owners drool... Bring it on.

All in all, a very comprehensive list that the folks who set through this six hour publicity event got to see. While it wasn't everything, it was a great example that Disney Pictures/Studios is not the budget minded, strictly controlled studio it was a mere three years ago.

Let's hope for a bright, bright future.

Enter The Fairies...

The Fairies that will populate Pixie Hollow at Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom were introduced the other day...

Come this fall, little girls across America can be shrunk down to enter the Hollow and have a "Meet and Greet" with the newly popular Fairies.

Get your autograph books ready, girls...

The Big "O" Joins Princess...

All sorts of tidbits(Mouse droppings) yesterday...

Seems Oprah Winfrey is playing the mother of the Princess in the "Princess and the Frog" film. The talk show queen will play Eudora to Tiana, Disney's first African-American Princess.

Vedy, vedy Interesting. More to follow about all the announcements made...

Cars Bumped...

It appears that "Cars 2" has been pushed up to 2011 instead of 2012...

No word yet from Pixar on what will happen to the schedule of "The Bear and the Bow" and "Newt".

Developing...

He's Mad All Right...

It's official...

Johnny Depp will play the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" live adaption of the Lewis Carroll classic.

I can't wait to see him in make-up. Actually, I'm looking forward to the trailer for this one...

The End Is Nigh...

One month from today "High School Musical 3" goes out into theaters...

It's the last one to star Zach and the gang so it's the end I guess, but it's not the end of the HSM franchise. Disney is already planning a part fourth... and fifth... and so on. As long as tweens keep going into theaters and filling in the seats there will always be another class to graduate.

Lucky you, lucky me...

The Race Is On...

All the studios are vying for the privilege to get into business with Steven Spielberg and his soon to be freed Dreamworks SKG...


The two main studios that are the odds on favorites are Universal and Walt Disney Studios with Fox a distant second. While the chances of Disney getting the distribution agreement aren't as good as Spielberg going with Universal,(he's had a long history with the studio) don't count Iger and Dick Cook out. They're a new face and don't carry the baggage that Eisner had when dealing with some of the talent in town...

Seems like the situation we described earlier this year is finally playing out.

Developing...

Disney Magic Via Miyazaki...

There's a really interesting review/article about "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea" over at Time online. The film will be distributed by Disney next year and appears to be another example of the influence that animation master, Hayao Miyazaki had over John Lasseter.

Give it a glance, perhaps even a looksie...

Beloved, Not Loved...

I want to take this moment to talk about movies from Walt Disney's "Dark Period"...

You remember that time, don't you? It was the period between Walt Disney passing away and Michael Eisner being hired to save the company. From the late sixties to the early eighties was a period where the company went through an identity crisis. Without Walt at the helm it didn't know what it should become. Everything that was done in this period suffered from being under the long and mighty shadow of The Maestro himself. Every idea, every decision, every single movement was second guessed with the little thought in their heads:

"What would Walt think?"

With the passage of time it's become a little easier to judge the films that the Mouse made during this time period. While many of these were modest hits and others out and out bombs, none were what was made during Walt's reign... as time has passed, many of these films have developed cult-like fan bases. TRON could qualify as one of these(although I didn't include it here). It's a film which had a great deal of hype when it came out, but wound up being a major disappointment for Walt Disney Productions, which was trying to deal with a culture that many felt had passed Disney by... trying to live up to films like "Star Wars", "Close Encounters" and many others, the Suits tried some interesting concepts and some embarrassing ideas. Some succeeded, many failed...

What I include here is only a partial list of films from this time period that Disney made. A few are great, some were good and a few were guilty pleasures only a Fan/Geek like myself could enjoy.

But from me to you... enjoy:


Blackbeard's Ghost (1968)



The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969)


The Barefoot Executive (1971)


The Strongest Man in the World (1975)


The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975)


No Deposit, No Return (1976)


The Cat from Outer Space (1978)


The Black Hole (1979)


The Devil and Max Devlin (1981)


Dragonslayer (1981)


Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)

Muppets Alive!

The New York Times has an article by Brooks Barnes about the Mouse's attempts, both past and present, at revitalizing the Muppets franchise. Under the new regime they've been trying to raise the brand so that it matches other Disney franchises like Winnie the Pooh. It's been more difficult than they expected, but there appears to be a rainbow connection just over the horizon...

I know, I know... bad pun, but hey, I couldn't resist.

Nuts & Bolts And Clips & Links...

Over at Yahoo Movies, they've posted an extended clip from "Bolt" so go take a look...

Also, the guys over at Latino Review have posted a couple more articles(here and here) from their visit to the Hat Building...

Slowly, Disney's marketing campaign seems to be getting underway. Late October should be really interesting for the film.

The test for the Lamp is rapidly approaching...

The Last Spark...

On this day, forty-two years ago, Walt Disney gave his last public event...

A press conference featuring a noticeably aged and tired Disney met with reporters in Sequoia National Park where Walt talked about his plans for the Mineral King Ski Resort that Walt Disney Productions was working on.

It was the last idea he was working on since announcing his intention to build a Disney World in Florida featuring his EPCOT dream.

The Mineral King project would be developed into the early seventies until the dream of Disney's last resort, his last spark of American ingenuity was put away to develop cobwebs in the dustbin of history...

Not all of it failed to come about. Remember that in the world of Disney, nothing actually ever is buried and done. The Wilderness Lodge at WDW, the Grand Californian, Blizzard Beach and other designs reflect the inspiration Walt had for the Mineral King plans and the Country Bears, a show that was planned for the Resort was actually built in Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom.

Ideas never die. They just find new avenues to continue to exist...

The Alphabet Flashes Forward...

The Mouse's ABC Network is about to buy/greenlight "Flash Forward" as a television series. The show, which will be based on a sci-fi nover by Robert J. Sawyer, is to be written and produced by David S. Goyer (“Blade: The Series”) and Brannon Braga (“Star Trek: Enterprise”) with Goyer directing the pilot...

For those of you that are pop-culturally illiterate, Goyer is also the man responsible for "Batman Begins", "Blade 1-3" and the upcoming "Flash" film. I don't want to just bind his credits to the Blade television show, which was crap since he has done a good deal of really, really cool stuff. As for Braga, while I wasn't a big fan of Enterprise, he did produce "24" so that gets major kudos with me.

The story involves physicists who are conducting a secret, high-energy experiment that goes awry and causes people all across the planet to experience two-minutes and seventeen seconds of their own future decades in the future. This causes societal problems with people getting a glimpse of their future without really understanding the context of what they saw...

Developing.

Art House Sale...

The famous "El Capitan Theatre" has gone up for sale...

Disney restored it to its former glory in the nineties and has hosted the premieres or debuts of many of it's films there over the past decade or more. It's really become an institution, a Disney tradition, actually. I've seen many a live show there and if you're ever in Southern California, a Disney Geek/Fan and a lover of film history you really should go and see this amazingly beautiful picture palace.

The price of a ticket is a lot less than those that will want to buy the theater($11-$22)...

$31 million dollars. That's a pretty penny from what it cost back in the late eighties to renovate it, but it does include the entire six-story building, and includes a host of tenants like "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and the premiere soda fountain in the country. Not to mention, it has a swanky little Disney Store too. Those buying the building will do so knowing that the Mouse will remain the long time occupant of the theater so Disney is not going anywhere in the future...

Just a small piece of Hollywood history passing hands. Whose hands? We're not so sure of that yet....

Son Of Dreams...

Finally the "Year of a Million Dreams" celebration is over two years after it was unveiled...

Now we have its successor, "Celebrations". To be truthful, IMHO anything would be an improvement over the bland Dreams campaign, but this new one actually has a few things that I think are really smart marketing(if they'd only not call it "Disney Parks", but that's always been one of my beef's with Jay's running of the Parks and Resorts).

First off, if it's your birthday throughout 2009 you get into Disneyland free... that's right, free. Of course, we know almost no one goes to DL alone so they're banking on increased attendance to make up for you getting inside for free. There's going to be a new parade called "Celebrate Today", special decorations(again, anything would be better than those horridly ugly "clouds" in front of the entrance) and various other prices.

Jay Rasulo was interviewed by the Orange County Register talking about his retirement... errr, wait, wait. No, I'm sorry. That was a slip-up on my keyboard... that was what I hoped it would be about, but it's really about the new advertising campaign which I guess is appropriate. I guess.

Hey, it's Disneyland... You can wish, can't you?

How Will The Future Look?

Don't know what to think of this one...

Walt Disney Pictures and Mayhem Pictures have hired scribes Jon Lucas and Scott Moore("The Ghost of Girlfriends Past") to develop a futuristic adventure for Dwayne Johnson to star in...

Variety is saying the project is "Tomorrowland" themed but the Mouse is denying this, saying that it is an original project.

This is the third Disney project the man formerly know as "The Rock" has been attached to, it appears he's getting along well with Dick Cook and Oren Aviv enough that they see a continued future together.

The question is, is this future in Tomorrowland?

It Had To Happen...

Trying to continually capitalize on the phenomenon that is Miley Cyrus, Walt Disney Studios is currently working on a project to star the former, yes, former star of "Hannah Montana"...

Nicholas Sparks(The Notebook," "A Walk to Remember") is writing the screenplay to feature a non-singing Miley in a role that is intended to broaden her image away from the tween superstar.

Whatayaknow?

Hannah Montana grows up after all...

State Of Play...

The change will be palpable. The difference between what has come before and what has now arrived will be clearly evident when you adjust yourself in the seat waiting for the lights to go down. Waiting for what comes up on that silver screen...

Over the next few years, starting this Thanksgiving we're going to notice something from Disney that we haven't really cared about over the last few years. Maybe the last decade...

Animation.


First is Realization...

When you see "Bolt" you'll realize that this is actually a good film. A really good film. Far better than since... well, the late 90's possibly.

Next year will come Actualization...

Once you sit down and watch "The Princess and the Frog" you're going to know that the last film wasn't a fluke. It wasn't just a shot in the dark. And you're going to realize that Disney's back. Animation-wise, at least... we might be in for a great new age, you'll probably catch yourself thinking...

Then you're going to sit down with your bag of popcorn and soda as the lights go down and your mouth will be agape with Amazement...

You see, because no matter how much you liked "Bolt", or loved "The Princess and the Frog", you can't really describe the feeling that comes over you watching "Rapunzel"... its classic story, its hauntingly beautiful images or the stirring soundtrack. And when it's over you'll sit there watching the credits having that similar feeling from watching "Beauty and the Beast" way back in the early nineties when you were thinking about the next Disney film to come out. One called "Aladdin"... wondering to yourself if it would be as good as Beast was.

And what's the next one after "Rapunzel"?

"King of the Elves" you say to yourself...

You can't wait for it to come. Neither can I...

Weeks Of Bliss...

On October 24, High School Musical 3 opens nationwide...

On that same day, the High School Musical 3 parade also starts playing at DCA.

Adults, enjoy the silence, enjoy the bliss...

Kids, be patient, be calm.

It's only a few weeks before those bubbly songs will be playing along the parade route...

Bolt Behind Scenes...

The guys over at Coming Soon and Latino Review have posted a couple nice behind the scenes article/acticles that you might enjoy...

If you'll notice both author's enthusiasm, it's clear to them as also, quite a few I've talked to that "Bolt" shows the shift over at WDAS and why they feel we're in for a rebirth from those in power at the Hat Building.

*UPDATE*

More reports have come out from the various fansites visit to Burbank...

Check out what the Animation World Network has to say in its article and IGN just posted their own piece on the visit.

Happy reading...

St. Basil Of Baker's Street?

It really is a small world after all...

Seems the Mouse is busy in Russia right now shooting its first Russian film.

Based on local fairy tales, "Book of Masters" is an adventure film aimed squarely at the family audience. Written and directed by Vadim Sokolovsky, this new venture for Disney is scheduled for release next fall...

Expect many more productions like this over the next few years as Iger's global marketing strategy unfolds.

Developing...

Iger Defies Gravity...

I was aiming to put this story up the other day but as usual, life gets in the way...

Bob Iger spoke with USA Today about running the Walt Disney Company and he discussed how the Mouse's tourism business is flying high.

Give it a read...

Disney's First Foray Into Saturday...

Twenty-three years ago today, Michael Eisner put Disney animation where it hadn't gone before...

Saturday morning.

Kids today are used to cartoons/animation all the time, everywhere... but if you take the wayback machine into the past a little more than a decade you'll find that the primary time for kids to see animation was Saturday morning.

The Wuzzles and the Gummi Bears were a statement to television that Disney under Eisner was going to be a far different Disney than what came before. These shows would build the road to the "The Disney Afternoon" that fans around the world love to this day...

Walt's Honor...

Forty-four years ago today, Walt Disney was awarded the nations greatest civil honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Lydon B. Johnson...

The highest civilian achievement for a great American. Walt had won/earned many Oscars, Emmys, Degrees over his lifetime, but this one seems to have been the embodiment of the entirety of his life's work.

Disney's experiences, dreams and goals are an example of the culmination of the ideal of an American life...

The Revolt...

Twenty-nine years ago today, Disney animator Don Bluth leaves Walt Disney Productions and takes with him many frustrated and disgruntled animators as well...

A third of the animators walk out the door with him because of what Bluth sees as a decline in standards, quality and care when dealing with the heart of the Disney company: its animated films. He goes on to start his own studio and begins work on his first feature, "The Secret of NIMH".

The departure of Bluth was a warning shot to the Suits at WDP that all was not right in it's famed animation department... sadly, it wouldn't be till a decade later when the talented animators work would shine again with "The Little Mermaid".

Thankfully, we don't have to worry about that right now as the animation department is about to experience a new, Third Golden Age. Not kidding about that...

Trust me.

Hong Kong Three Years Out...

Today, Disney's first park in China celebrates its third anniversary.

Hong Kong Disneyland was opened on this day on Penny's Bay, Lantau Island. While the smallest "Magic Kingdom" style park, HKDL is richly layered in great detail(unlike DCA), Disney paid close attention to Chinese culture, customs, and traditions when building Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and followed the rules of Feng Shui in much of the park's construction so as to give the park good luck.

It didn't work, unfortunately. More so because of the lack of many E-Ticket rides than anything to do with Feng Shui. Three rides every traditional Disney theme parks has were left for future expansion... Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion and the recently opened It's A Small World were not there on opening day. The park is slowly making progress, but an impatient world doesn't want to wait for it to happen...

Expect major announcement between late this year and early 2009.

Anyway, happy birthday Hong Kong Disneyland! Here's to a great, positive future. Never fear, the future is optimistic, slower than expected... but still very optimistic!

The Competitors...

I know we've talked before about the competition the Mouse has and how it will intensify over the next few years, so I thought we'd look at what we can count on giving Mickey a run for his money. Not surprisingly, many of these projects are in the East...