The Wraith Of Con...

Walt Disney's marketing department sometimes gets it right...

We may all be faulting the marketing of Walt Disney Animation Studios' "Tangled" by the Mouse, but there are some projects that they seem to know how to market. No mater if you liked it or not, "Alice in Wonderland" was marketed very well and the end result at the box office proved it. The "Pirates of the Caribbean" film series has been handled very well, and the Pixar films have all been part of a great promotional strategy.

Another one that has been handled brilliantly so far, is "Tron Legacy."

From that first surprise clip of the test footage a couple years ago, to last years appearance and the following WonderCon marketing as well.

And the viral marketing campaign has been just as good.

Now comes word, officially from the Mouse about their plans for the 2010 Comic-Con in San Diego:

NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“ComiTRON” TAKES OVER COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL 2010 ON JULY 22

Convention’s Panel Presentation Features Filmmakers and Talent

from the Highly Anticipated 3D High-tech Cultural Phenomenon

Walt Disney Pictures’ “TRON: Legacy” Opens in US Theaters in Disney Digital 3D and IMAX® 3D on December 17, 2010

BURBANK, Calif. (June 17, 2010) — Returning for an unprecedented third year to the fans and Convention that “started it all,” Walt Disney Pictures is pleased to present a very special, insider look at its upcoming “TRON: Legacy” at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con International Convention. At 11:15 a.m. on Thursday, July 22, 2010, the panel presentation will be held in Hall H of the San Diego Convention Center. On the dais will be filmmakers and talent from the film, including director Joe Kosinski, producers Sean Bailey and Steven Lisberger as wells as cast members Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Michael Sheen and Bruce Boxleitner. The panel discussion, to be moderated by Patton Oswalt, is set to include exclusive glimpses of the film, as well as a Q & A involving all panel participants, along with special surprise guests.

It was at the 2008 Convention that the vision of a 21st century TRON was born. When VFX test footage was shown to a packed hall of incredibly surprised convention attendees, it was met with such an overwhelmingly positive response—becoming the “it” moment of the Convention—that the studio gave the film an enthusiastic green light. In 2009 “TRON: Legacy” returned to Comic-Con with an expanded presence and this year, the filmmakers and cast are back with never before seen visuals and “scoop” for the Convention fans who have been such an instrumental part of the story of “TRON: Legacy.”

Director Joe Kosinski comments: “When we made the teaser, we envisioned it as a sneak peek at the potential of this project. We set out to stay true to the characters, the vehicles, and the world established in the first film—then show its evolution. When it took off with the fans, we knew we were in the right place. Because they’ve been key to getting this story told, we’re back to keep them involved, and excited to finally present actual footage from the film to the audience that made it all possible.”

To add to the excitement of this extraordinary event, Disney will showcase an interactive TRON booth on the convention floor (located on aisle #3712), giving fans a first look at the all new “TRON: Legacy” inspired merchandise launching this fall. Capturing the action, light, and cool aesthetic style of the film, the display will include toys, electronics, collectibles, apparel, accessories, publishing and the “TRON: Evolution” video game from Disney Interactive Studios. Comic-Con exclusive products will also be on sale. Disney will also reveal exciting new mobile content at the event.

About “TRON: Legacy”

“TRON: Legacy” is a 3D action-packed adventure set in a digital world unlike anything captured on the big screen. Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), a rebellious 27-year-old, is haunted by the mysterious disappearance of his father Kevin Flynn (Oscar® and Golden Globe® winner Jeff Bridges), a man once known as the world’s leading video-game developer. When Sam investigates a strange signal sent from the abandoned Flynn’s Arcade—that could have only come from his father—he finds himself pulled into a world where Kevin has been trapped for 20 years. With the help of the fearless warrior Quorra (Olivia Wilde), father and son embark on a life-or-death journey across a visually stunning universe—created by Kevin Himself—which has become far more advanced with never-before-imagined vehicles, weapons and landscapes, and a ruthless villain who will stop at nothing to prevent their escape.

Presented in Disney Digital 3D™ and scored by Grammy Award®–winning electronic music duo Daft Punk, “TRON: Legacy” hits theaters on December 17, 2010.

About Comic-Con 2010:

Comic-Con International is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to creating awareness of, and appreciation for, comics and related popular art forms, primarily through the presentation of conventions and events that celebrate the historic and ongoing contribution of comics to art and culture. This year’s annual convention runs July 22-25 at the San Diego Convention Center.

I think no matter what else happens at this convention (and I'm hearing about quite a few surprises), this one is going to be owned by TRON.

I will be there...

Banner Year...

Walt Disney Pictures has released another banner for "Tron Legacy" for fans to fawn over...

I personally think this one is totally geektastic. Not that the others weren't very, amazingly awesome either.

Game on, baby...

Hat Tip to /Film.

Tronvertising...

A new billboard display for Walt Disney Pictures' "Tron Legacy" has been released by the Mouse...

I await the steady progression of advertising/marketing/promotion/toys/games that this film will bring. I can't wait for the coming onslaught.

In fact, I think Disney ought to put a digital countdown clock up at their studio that focuses on the release date...

Hat Tip to Latino Review.

The Future @ The Corner Of Santa Monica & Glendon...

Those of you in Los Angeles traveling down Santa Monica this morning got a nice surprise...

On the corner of Santa Monica and Glendon is a billboard with a new image from "Tron Legacy" that will change with each passing month. So if you add it up that's at least eleven more awesome images to look forward to before we see the actual film.

I've heard from sources that we should be seeing a teaser for the film sooner than you'd think. But this time it'll be a real teaser and not the proof-of-concept one that was shown put online earlier this year.

Also come 2010 expect to see a lot of promotions in the parks. By summer time I'd expect certain areas of the parks to begin to be flooded with merchandise; building to an intense marketing campaign that overwhelms the parks right after the Halloween season ends. Tomorrow land should be very interesting with Star Tours closed. They'll have to have something to keep people in this area and I wonder what it's going to be?

Hmmm...

Oh and if you want to see the actual image on the billboard without any perspective then put another coin in and proceed down to play the game:
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Lamp North...

A little news about our favorite company in Emeryville's little expansion campus...

We've known for some time now that Pixar was building an animation studio in Canada. This one was to handle the various bits of animation that aren't handled in house, like the animated theme park segments (think: Toy Story Midway Mania), various shorts, product tie-ins and other commercial endeavors heretofore known as "Legacy Franchises." Lasseter was very concerned about the animation that was being done for TSMM since it wasn't being handled by Pixar (rather, WDI delegated it to an outside firm). This was before he was in the position to make all those decisions he's been making. This along with the spurt of growth the Lamp has been going through have resulted in the expansion of the company beyond domestic borders. Not much else has been said about it and everything has been quiet till now.

Dylan Brown, who was a supervising animator on "Ratatouille" is the Creative Director of Pixar Canada as the division will be known (that's the logo up top, sans little Luxo Jr.). Anyway, Brown was at the Vancouver Film School to meet the staff and students as well as look for potential employees. Expect more to be announced as they ramp up for production next year, but until then you can check out these nice pics of the event over at Flickr.

Hat Tip to Upcoming Pixar via The Pixar Blog.

Just Add Potatos...

And lastly, we have the release of the Mr. Potato Head poster for "Toy Story 3" from MSNBC...

Don't be a hockey puck, you know you like it...

Disney's First Marvel...

With over 5000 new characters for the Mouse to play with, I got to wondering who would could be the first...

Now granted, of those 5000 or 7000 characters, depending on whose numbers you want to believe, maybe 200 to 300 are worth translating to some platform for making money. I don't think we're going to see a big screen adaption of Squirrel Girl anytime soon.

But I felt it'd be interesting to examine what characters I think might make it out of the starting gate and which one might be the first one we see after a Walt Disney Pictures logo.

We'll again do a little recap to whittle away at what they can't do. Naturally, with regards to film, the primary properties Marvel owns are all taken. The Big Kahuna, "Spider-Man" is loaned out to Sony and as long as they continue to pay money to Marvel, they'll continue to make films for the foreseeable future. At least a decade will pass before there is even an outside chance of Disney using ole' Web Head. The only hope for an out from this situation would be a contract violation or somehow being able to get more money from Sony than the franchise is worth. Considering how much money "Spider-Man 3" made, it makes the character worth a whole lot of licensing money. Despite the fall back into mediocrity, Spider-Man is going to spend a lot of quality time on the Sony Lot. Fox also retains the rights to "Ghost Rider," which was handled sooooo well also. I don't know if they have any plans for a reboot/sequel to this, but I would hope they just let the rights expire and Marvel does their own projects with the character a few years later.

Same goes with properties such as "X-Men," "Fantastic Four" and "Daredevil" over at Fox. This also includes several characters that appeared in the X-Men films that aren't part of that group. The character of Deadpool was directly put into "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" to legally hold that character hostage, not to advance the story. Yet another reason why I hated that film. But those characters in that spin-off are in Fox's own corporate form of Stockholm Syndrome, sadly.

New Line Cinema has the rights to "Blade," the vampire slayer. After the stinking chapter that was the third film, hopefully there won't be anymore films made by New Line. Marvel could go ahead and reboot this as well. I really enjoyed Wesley Snipes as the bad-ass Daywalker, but perhaps it's time for a new actor to play the character. Will Smith perhaps? Hehe... no. Really, no.

Lionsgate has or had the rights to "The Punisher," but judging by the box office of the last two films it's not likely to pursue another one. A shame, because I actually liked "Punisher: Warzone" much more than the early film staring Thomas Jane and a badly miscast John Travolta. And I won't even mention the Dolph Lundgren film which was just an entire can of cheese whiz all by itself. The character of Frank Castle is an awesome archetype that could create some great cinema and despite the last film not doing well at theaters, I hope Marvel hasn't given up on bringing him back to the big screen.

The deal with Paramount Pictures is simply a distribution agreement. They don't own these characters, the studio just gets a flat fee to distribute the films that Marvel Studios makes. Now that they're owned by Disney, they have the best distribution company in the world. The deal with Paramount is for five films, four of which have already been announced. My feeling is the last film will most likely be "Iron Man 3," which means that Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark will almost certainly not be in Disney's future. By then, he'll likely be through with the Iron Man character. But "Iron Man 4" or any other sequel to "The First Avenger: Captain America," "Thor," "Avengers" or "The Hulk" will be under a Disney or Touchstone moniker.

So now that we've said all that, we're up to speed. Now, the question is where do we go from here? Because all those deals with Paramount won't end before 2012. So what film will be seen before then. Possibly 2011? There's not much chance that next year will see a major release of a Disney-Marvel film. I could be wrong, though it's not very likely. But imagine that it's late 2010 and you're sitting in a darkened theater watching previews for next summer. What might we see?

Just my opinions here, but the first choice...

Ant-Man. Edgar Wright ("Hott Fuzz," "Shaun of the Dead," and "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World") is known to have been developing a project based on the character for some time. It's my opinion that this would be a great character to platform out across the Disney empire. And I know people have talked about this being a Pixar film and even a Pixar live-action film, but I don't see that happening. The Lamp has since its creation been a film studio that develops things internally. They don't really take other ideas and use them. That could change, but I have a feeling that Pixar, like WDAS will focus on things it's developed on it's own. I know with Disney, people can mention "King of the Elves," which is a licensed property or "The Black Cauldron," but those projects are the rare exception, not the rule. It's far more likely the Disney Pictures and Marvel logos will be all you see and there will be no inclusion of little Luxo Jr. between them.

And as for this being a Pixar live-action film? Not going to happen. Remember that "John Carter of Mars" was moved over to the Walt Disney Pictures brand because the film wasn't going to be "Pixar" material. I believe Lasseter and Cook want to protect the image of the little Emeryville Wonder. This is in contrast to what I was thinking when I heard Andrew Stanton was directing this a year or so ago. I thought Pixar might go into live-action, but the "Finding Nemo" director has made it clear in interviews that John Carter's story would be a better fit with the Disney label. Now that doesn't mean we won't get "Pixar" quality. Lasseter will have influence over this project, but more as a friend and confidant of Stanton, not a studio head. Not that that is a bad thing... I'm sure he'll offer great advice. Which is what I think would happen on any Ant-Man film. Lasseter would most likely give advice and suggestions and nothing else. Still, it sounds like a project Dick Cook and Co. will hopefully have the business sense to greenlight. And if Pixar is a guide, then they'll leave Marvel to take care of the film and Disney to market the heck out of it.

Another project that would be great is perhaps the Guillermo del Toro and Neil Gaiman adaption of "Dr. Strange" which has been mentioned from time to time over the past year or so. A faithful film of this character would be something akin to elevating a secondary character with great potential to a higher prominence. Just as "Blade" wound up being a very popular character most people had never hear of, so too could the mystic Doctor become.

Then there's Iron Fist. Daniel "Danny" Rand would make a great martial arts character to bring to the screen. I know it's wishing, but maybe the Wachowski Brothers or their minion, James McTeigue could handle this property. This could easily be the adolescent-male project that Disney was looking for when they bought Marvel in order to appeal to the boys demographic.

Or the Black Panther could another character that makes it to the big screen in the next few years. The story of T'Challa, heir to the dynasty of the fictional African kingdom of Wakanda, leader of its famous Panther Clan. Again, Will Smith has been mentioned for this film. Is there any role this guy is not up for?

There have been a couple attempts to bring Namor, the Sub-Mariner to the screen as well. This project has languished in development hell for years, with by David Self most recently taking a crack at the Atlantian Prince. Could this be a property Disney winds up bringing to audiences anytime soon?

And lastly, we come to my favorite property that I'd like to see them develop. I've been a fan of this comic since I was in high school. Iron Fist would be a fun character to have an exciting karate action-adventure film. But... I'd prefer a Kung Fu film. As in Shang Chi, Master of Kung Fu. It would be an amazing cinematic experience, imho. He's got the mythos, the drama and narrative that would make for an awesome adaption into the world of film. For those that don't know, Shang Chi is a Chinese Kung Fu expert who happens to be the son of the evil, mastermind, Fu Manchu. This would be an awesome story if they followed the issues written and drawn by Doug Moench and Gene Day, respectively. If you've never seen those issues or the ones Moench did with Paul Gulacy, I highly recommend them. Totally cinematic, totally coolage.

And for those that talk about Disney not wanting to touch R rated material, I have another suggestion. The Mouse has several imprints for films. From Walt Disney Picture to Touchstone Pictures to Miramax Pictures. But you know one that's missing? Hollywood Pictures. They've sort of let this shingle wither on the vine, with nothing more than a few low budget horror releases over the past five or six years. How about they take that production company and release all of Marvels mature, R rated films there? So if they ever made another film like Punisher: Warzone, it could go in that imprint. It's all about branding and the Hollywood Pictures moniker is just lying there dormant, waiting to be used. So with all these characters you now have a home you can give them, Iger. Open up the doors on the studio that gave us "The Sixth Sense" and "The Rock" and welcome in Stan Lee's family.

Well, that's some of my suggestions as to what would make for great adaptions for Disney to start their relationship with the Marvel masses. I doubt that they're listening to me, but then again, look what happened after I wrote that "Without Tights" post.

Here's to dreaming...

Expo Grows...

The full schedule has expanded for D23 Expo. For the most part it's solidified, although you may see a few minor changes/additions:

Burbank, California – August 19, 2009 -- The Walt Disney Studios is jumping on the D23 Expo bandwagon with four days (September 10-13) of exciting programming that includes major overviews of upcoming films by Disney Studios Chairman Dick Cook and Disney-Pixar Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter, plus a full schedule of events spotlighting new releases and newly restored digital versions of classic favorites.

Cook will present exclusive sneak peeks at such highly anticipated Disney features as “Disney’s A Christmas Carol,” Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland,” “Old Dogs” (with Robin Williams and John Travolta), “Prince of Persia” and “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” (both from producer Jerry Bruckheimer), “Tron: Legacy,” plus updates on many more exciting projects. Lasseter will discuss and show materials from such upcoming Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios’ motion pictures as “The Princess and the Frog,” “Rapunzel,” “Toy Story 3,” etc. Both presentations will be held at The Anaheim Convention Center in a 4000-seat arena.

All other film screenings and programs will take place in The Walt Disney Studios Theater (at the Anaheim Convention Center), a custom-built state-of-the-art venue with 3D capability, located within the Convention Center. All Disney Digital 3D™ presentations will be shown in RealD 3D, the world's most widely used 3D cinema technology. Among the U.S. premieres at the D23 Expo will be new Disney Digital 3D™ versions of “Toy Story” and “Toy Story 2,” the digital conversion of the original “Tron,” and a newly restored digital version of the Walt Disney classic “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” Expo guests will get an exclusive look at all things Muppets, as well as meet the filmmakers and see exclusive presentations for such highly anticipated new Disney features as “The Princess and the Frog,” “Toy Story 3” (from Disney-Pixar), “Tron: Legacy,” “Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure” (from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment), and the new ABC-TV holiday animated special, “Prep and Landing.”

The Expo will also debut selected scenes from the upcoming Disney Digital 3D™ version of the Studio’s 1991 modern classic, “Beauty and the Beast.” Other highlights of the four-day event include a program devoted to the music from “The Lion King,” a panel discussion and screening of “Sleeping Beauty,” and the first U.S. screening of “Trail of the Panda” (Disney’s second co-production with China). There will also be presentations on two recent documentaries – “the boys: the sherman brothers’ story” and “Walt & El Grupo.”

A special screening series, “Fifty and Fabulous,” will unspool at 10:00 pm in the Studio Theater on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights spotlighting films that are celebrating their 50th anniversary – “Darby O’Gill and the Little People,” “The Shaggy Dog,” and “Sleeping Beauty.”



D23 EXPO – WALT DISNEY STUDIOS THEATER

PROGRAM OF EVENTS

THURSDAY 9/10

10:00 a.m.
Bob Iger Address
Disney President and CEO Bob Iger kicks off the D23 Expo speaker program with what promises to be a fascinating look at Disney that no fan will want to miss.
Arena

11:00 a.m.
Disney Legends Ceremony
Be on hand as The Walt Disney Company honors the 2009 Disney Legends — who will join a prestigious circle of luminaries who embody the Company's unique creative spirit, as best personified by its founder. This is only the third time this hallmark event on the Disney yearly calendar has been open to the public — and the first time the ceremony has not been held on Disney property.
Arena

1:00 p.m.
Beauty and the Beast Panel Discussion
The D23 Expo debuts selected scenes from the upcoming Disney Digital 3D™ version of the Studio's 1991 animation classic.
Walt Disney Studios Theater

3:00 p.m.
"The ABCs of Disney"
Hosted by Emmy®-nominated Tom Bergeron (Dancing with the Stars, America's Funniest Home Videos), "The ABCs of Disney" presentation features Steve McPherson, President of the ABC Entertainment Group, unveiling sneak peeks of many of the fall TV season's most anticipated new series.
Arena

4:00 p.m.
The Lion King Music Program
A fun and insightful panel discussion about the role its unforgettable music score played in making The Lion King one of the most heart-warming animated classics of all time.
Walt Disney Studios Theater

7:00 p.m.
The Boys: the sherman brothers' story Panel Discussion/Screening
A discussion of the making of this deeply felt documentary about the timeless songwriters and Disney Legends Richard and Robert Sherman.
Walt Disney Studios Theater

10:00 p.m.
Darby O'Gill and the Little People Screening
Fall in love again with Darby O'Gill and the Little People, which features a young and dashing Sean Connery. It's part of the D23 Expo's "50 and Fabulous" screening series, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of some of Disney's most beloved films.
Walt Disney Studios Theater

FRIDAY 9/11

11:00 a.m.
Dick Cook Address
Walt Disney Studios Chairman Dick Cook oversees all aspects of the development, production, distribution and marketing for all live-action and animated films released under the Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, Hollywood Pictures and Miramax banners worldwide.
Arena

1:00 p.m.
Screening of The Nightmare Before Christmas in Disney Digital 3D™
A spook-tacular screening in 3D of Tim Burton's stop-motion animation classic. Includes two of Burton's beloved shorts, Frankenweenie and Vincent.
Walt Disney Studios Theater

4:00 p.m.
Tron/Tron: Legacy Presentation
See the digital debut screening of Tron and go behind the scenes of the making of Tron: Legacy.
Walt Disney Studios Theater

7:30 p.m.
Walt & El Grupo Presentation
Learn more about the making of this soon-to-be-released documentary, and then enjoy all over again Saludos Amigos, Walt's film about Latin America released in America in 1943.
Walt Disney Studios Theater

10:00 p.m.
The Shaggy Dog Screening
Wilby Daniels becomes a Bratislavian sheep dog in this hilarious film starring Disney Legends Fred MacMurray and Tommy Kirk. It's part of the D23 Expo's "50 and Fabulous" screening series, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of some of Disney's most beloved films.
Walt Disney Studios Theater

SATURDAY 9/12

10:00 a.m.
Disneynature Presentation
The latest news from Disney's newest film label, Disneynature, a production company that goes to the ends of the earth to produce nature documentaries for the big screen.
Walt Disney Studios Theater

11:00 a.m.
Disney Store: The Magic is Back!
Jim Fielding, president, Disney Stores Worldwide, provides an exciting look into Disney's retail efforts around the globe.
Arena

12:00 p.m.
Snow White Panel Discussion Followed by a Special Screening of Restored Print
A special panel discussion of the first animated feature film followed by a screening of a just-restored print of this beloved cinematic masterpiece.
Walt Disney Studios Theater

2:00 p.m.
Jay Rasulo Address
Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts share how Parks and Resorts dream up the magic that our guests enjoy every day at our magical destinations around the world.
Arena

3:00 p.m.
The Princess and the Frog Presentation
A special panel discussion of The Princess and the Frog, Disney's beautiful upcoming 2-D animated film.
Walt Disney Studios Theater

5:30 p.m.
Prep and Landing Presentation
Join the filmmakers behind Walt Disney Animation Studios' Prep and Landing for an insightful discussion about the upcoming holiday movie for ABC.
Walt Disney Studios Theater

6:30 p.m.
D23 Expo Live Auction
Join us for an ultimate Disney Fan experience as we unveil the magic of Disney during our D23 Live Auction. Disney enthusiasts will have the opportunity to bid on our unique Walt Disney Studio and Theme Park experiences, tours, artwork, props and more.
Arena

7:30 p.m.
Trail of the Panda Screening
View Disney's second co-production with China shines a cinematic light on these reclusive animals.
Walt Disney Studios Theater

10:00 p.m.
Sleeping Beauty Screening
Revel again in the enduring classic Sleeping Beauty, part of the D23 Expo's "50 and Fabulous" screening series, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of some of Disney's most beloved films.
Walt Disney Studios Theater

SUNDAY 9/13

11:00 a.m.
Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios Presentation Featuring John Lasseter
Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter takes you behind the scenes of the upcoming films The Princess and the Frog, Rapunzel, Toy Story 3 and more.
Arena

1:00 p.m.
Muppets Presentation
An exclusive look at all things Muppets!
Walt Disney Studios Theater

2:00 p.m.
A Magical Afternoon With the Cast of Wizards of Waverly Place
Disney Channel will present "A Magical Afternoon With the Cast of Wizards of Waverly Place", a fun-filled, must-see event for kids, tweens and families. On hand will be Selena Gomez, David Henrie, Jake T. Austin, Jennifer Stone, Maria Canals-Barrera and David DeLuise, along with executive producer Peter Murietta.
Arena

4:00 p.m.
Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure Screening
Enjoy this enchanting latest adventure about our tempestuous Tink!
Walt Disney Studios Theater

6:30 p.m.
Toy Story 3 Presentation
Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Chief Creative OfficerJohn Lasseter tells us what you can expect from the eagerly awaited third installment about Buzz and the gang.
Walt Disney Studios Theater

7:00 p.m.
Premieres of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 in Disney Digital 3D™
Be the first to see these beloved films in 3D!
Walt Disney Studios Theater

Tickets to the D23 EXPO are available at http://www.D23Expo.com. Admission includes access to all experiences and entertainment at the D23 EXPO and can be purchased for single days or for the full four days of festivities. Admission is $37 for a one-day adult ticket and $27 for children 3-12. Four-day passes are $111 for adults and $81 for children. Members of D23: The Official Community for Disney Fans will receive a discount on up to four admissions, as well as early entry to each day of the D23 EXPO for themselves and their guests.

Special vacation packages including Disneyland Resort hotel accommodations, D23 EXPO tickets and theme park admission are available at the D23 EXPO website. Packages are available from both the Walt Disney Travel Company and the Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau, which is offering a limited number of area hotel rooms at special rates to those attending the D23 EXPO.

Many more details about D23 EXPO entertainment, events and special guests will be announced in the coming weeks. Fans can keep up with all the news by visiting www.D23EXPO.com, as well as by following “Disney D23” at Twitter and on Facebook.

In Like Flynn At Comic-Con...

Oh, the power of YouTube...

The events at Comic-Con that the Mouse have been sponsoring for "TRON: Legacy" are ho so cool.

Check out these videos right here, here and here.

Of all the years I had to miss...

The Classic Past, Posted...

For those that never seen them, or those that never saw them all...

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?

There's Something Old, That's New, That's Missing...

Notice something different in the advertising for Disney's new animated offerings?

They're no longer using a certain word...

Walt Disney Pictures "Presents" has slowly became just the simple Walt Disney Pictures.

A subtle change.

One that most people won't notice...

But it's just the latest in a long line of changes for the better.

And that's a good thing...

Selling The Future's Past...

Since there's so much "Tron" talk going on right now, I thought it would be nice to take a look at some of the posters used to sell us on journeying into that world...















Ahhh, the 80's. Gotta love it!

Truth In Advertising Is "Up" In San Diego...

/Film has posted an article showing an elevator creatively used to promote Pixar's upcoming film "Up"...

Creative.

Funny.

Totally Pixar.


Hat Tip to Animated News.

The Fingerprints of Jay Rasulo...

Another example of my distaste for Jay Rasulo is the marketing campaign featuring the name of the "Toy Story Midway Mania" ride as it is known in WDW's Disney's Hollywood Studios...

Not to mention the billboards all around the Southland that feature misleading wording which makes it appear as if the attraction is in Disneyland. There are some signs actually at the Resort with DCA listed(in very, very small print, btw), but most guest tend to not pay that much attention to banners and displays. Add to this the commercial that is running on television which has the Toy Story characters walking down Main Street and I can tell we're going to have some angry guest this summer that buy a ticket to DL and wind up not being happy they can't ride the new attraction they saw advertised...

Thanks Jay. Thanks a lot.

What's Next?

On this day nineteen years ago, the Walt Disney Company aired another commercial in a series of ads that have become part of our cultural lexicon. The San Francisco 49ers beat the Cincinnati Bengals 20-16 and Joe Montana starts to walk across the field...

A voice off screen asks him: "Joe Montana, you've just won Super Bowl XXIII. What's next?"

To which he replies a line that has been mocked and imitated for a generation:

"I'm going to Disney World!"

It sounds like some marketing genius came up with that phrase, but in reality it was Disney CEO Michael Eisner's wife that thought it up. Sometimes life's answers come from the most unlikely places.

In two weeks, we'll see if Tom Brady or Eli Manning gets asked this question...