Wednesday, October 10, 2012

More Uprisings...

Trontastic...


Well, it's about time...

If you've been watching "Tron Uprising," then you've noticed that there haven't been any new shows in a while.  It left off with a cliffhanger of what Tron was about to do for revenge.  And then in when black, or looped, or a glitch happened in the machine.

In other words, reruns.

Well, now comes the news that new episodes begin on October 19.  Want to see what is to come?  Watch the clip here.  And tune into Disney XD next week for a return to the Grid.

Now, if they can get that script ready for a return to the Grid on the Big Screen...

Hat Tip to Nerdist...

A Themed World...

News of paramount importance... 








Walt Disney had it right when he created Disneyland...

It wasn't that people just wanted a collection of cheap thrills to stimulate the senses, it was that they wanted it structured, and filled with a narrative: a theme.  A purpose.  It took a while for others to catch on to this concept, but for the past few decades the idea of theme parks has exploded.  Disney had it correct from the beginning though.  What better way to have a theme park than build it around stories that people already know?  Movies.  The visual medium has a built in brand awareness.  A film studio is a factory churning out these stories, these dreams.  A dream factory, if you will.

Now, it's taken a while for other studios, (Universal was the only other studio to "get" it) but the Suits at the rest of the Hollywood entertainment companies have moved to compete in this area.  Not only do we have Universal expanding their brand all throughout the world, but Warner Bros. is licensing their properties to them (a mistake, if you ask me), Dreamworks Animation is doing the same, and now Paramount Pictures is starting to mine their properties.

Of course the deal is for an international park, the United Kingdom, specifically.  The famed studio is partnering with the London Resort Co. Holdings to turn 872-acres on Swanscombe Peninsula in Kent into a European destination to rival Disneyland Paris.  And at a cost of $3.2 billion, it might look quite pretty depending on what the theming looks like, as well as the properties they choose.  I can see a "Mission: Impossible" attraction, but properties like "Transformers" and "G.I. Joe" are owned by Hasbro, and we know that the films they distributed like "Iron Man" and "Captain America" are now owned by, uhm, someone else.

The deal looks similar to the agreement that Disney has with the Oriental Land Company.  It looks like the London Resort Co. Holdings will be the one making the decisions with Paramount getting a percentage of the earnings from the gate, merchandise and food.  Let's hope that they hire brilliant designers to create this park.  Possibly some brilliant, former Imagineers?

It'll be interesting to see what takes shape when this opens in 2018...


Monday, October 8, 2012

Toy-ror Story..

You've got a fiend in me...






It looks like we'll be getting more than just Toy Story Toons...

While there are no plans for any new feature films in the near future, it looks like the folks at the Lamp have plans to go ahead with more than just the shorts that we've seen in front of Pixar releases.

While the feature film franchise has ended for the time being, it has become clear that Woody, Buzz and the gang will not go quietly into the night.  From "Hawaiian Vacation," "Small Fry," and "Partysaurus Rex" we can see that there will be a future, at least in short form, for the toys from Pixar's first, classic film.  And more are to come over the next few years.

Now, it appears that the Lamp is going to go into Dreamworks territory.  If you remember a few years ago there was the DWA special, "Scared Shrekless" for Halloween?  Well, now the artists in Emeryville are planning on giving us a spooky half-hour show for trick or treaters in 2013.  "Toy Story of Terror" will be a special that is tentatively scheduled for this time of year that will feature the entire crew in a tonally scripted tale.  No network is attached yet for broadcast, but ABC is the prime candidate for the special since they have a record of working with Lasseter on projects like Walt Disney Animation Studios' "Prep & Landing" projects (which sadly may not have a third).

It'll be interesting seeing how the toys handle this terror...

Pixar's Other Campus...

Give it that old college try... 









No, I'm not talking about Pixar Canada...

The Lamp has put up a very creative viral website for their 2013 release, "Monster University."  It's set up like the typical website that you'd click on to when browsing a school to choose to attend or send your child.

It's pretty detailed and filled with many little bits of humorous info that are absolute Disney and purely Pixar.  As we get closer to the release of the film, it'll be interesting to see what else they come up with before we finally see an actual trailer.

Too bad they couldn't come up with something as interesting for John Carter...

Friday, October 5, 2012

Passing Different...

Brilliantly different... 











February 24, 1955  October 5, 2011









February 24, 1955  October 5, 2011

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

The Lone Teaser...

Hi ho, where do we go...


We finally have our first look at a small 2013 film from the Mouse...

Our first glimpse (at least in teaser form) of Armie Hammer as the Lone Ranger and Johnny Depp as the Indian warrior who aids him in his goal for justice.  It's a very visual teaser that shows off some grand images, but very little of the story.

Of course, that is what the trailer will be for next year.  Along with hearing the Masked Man speak it seems.  But for now we'll have to settle for iconic imagery, and a promise of a grand western.

Perhaps even an epic one...

Monday, October 1, 2012

Roll Call...

Your mission, should you choose to accept it...




Well, we finally are starting to find out about that new Joss Whedon series...

The one that he's doing for Marvel Television, of course.  Whedon has been a cult hero to television viewers for a long time, but he never quite was able to translate that into a transfer to the big screen, until "The Avengers" happened.  And even when it comes to tv, he's never had the power of a J.J. Abrams until now.  With his new blockbuster cred, he's going to be able to get what he wants, how he wants, and the patience that Suits have with him will be much greater.

While "Buffy" was a very entertaining series, it's never been a staple in my viewing habits.  "Angel" was a natural spin-off of that show.  "Dollhouse" had a great premise, but didn't quite live up to that with the actual show.  Now, "Firefly" is a wonderful little jewel that was sadly overlooked.  Will this new show allow him the opportunity to explore territory he's wanted to go, but couldn't because of studio interference?  It's going to be interesting seeing the details of this S.H.I.E.L.D. series unfold as each month goes buy.

So  TVLine got their hands on a list of the main characters in the series and put it out for all Whedonesque viewers to see:

SKYE | This late-20s woman sounds like a dream: fun, smart, caring and confident – with an ability to get the upper hand by using her wit and charm. AGENT GRANT WARD | Quite the physical specimen and “cool under fire,” he sometimes botches interpersonal relations. He’s a quiet one with a bit of a temper, but he’s the kind of guy that grows on you. AGENT ALTHEA RICE | Also known as “The Calvary,” this hard-core soldier has crazy skills when it comes to weapons and being a pilot. But her experiences have left her very quiet and a little damaged. AGENT LEO FITZ and AGENT JEMMA SIMMONS | These two came through training together and still choose to spend most of their time in each other’s company. Their sibling-like relationship is reinforced by their shared nerd tendencies – she deals with biology and chemistry, he’s a whiz at the technical side of weaponry.

Read More at: http://tvline.com/2012/10/01/joss-whedon-s-h-i-e-l-d-casting/#utm_source=copypaste&utm_campaign=referral#utm_source=copypaste&utm_campaign=referral

  • Skye – This late-20s woman sounds like a dream: fun, smart, caring and confident – with an ability to get the upper hand by using her wit and charm.
  • Agent Grant Ward –  Quite the physical specimen and “cool under fire,” he sometimes botches interpersonal relations. He’s a quiet one with a bit of a temper, but he’s the kind of guy that grows on you.
  • Agent Althea Rice –  Also known as “The Calvary,” this hard-core soldier has crazy skills when it comes to weapons and being a pilot. But her experiences have left her very quiet and a little damaged.
  • Agent Leo Fitz and Agent Jemma Simmons – These two came through training together and still choose to spend most of their time in each other’s company. Their sibling-like relationship is reinforced by their shared nerd tendencies – she deals with biology and chemistry, he’s a whiz at the technical side of weaponry.


Now, the line up of characters are definitely the archetype that Joss works with, and you can see the resemblance to some of the roles in Firefly.  There's even a joke going around now that he's basically redoing that beloved show and setting it in the Marvel Universe with different names.  But, I'm sure this show will have plenty of originality and creativity when we finally get a look at it.
SKYE | This late-20s woman sounds like a dream: fun, smart, caring and confident – with an ability to get the upper hand by using her wit and charm. AGENT GRANT WARD | Quite the physical specimen and “cool under fire,” he sometimes botches interpersonal relations. He’s a quiet one with a bit of a temper, but he’s the kind of guy that grows on you. AGENT ALTHEA RICE | Also known as “The Calvary,” this hard-core soldier has crazy skills when it comes to weapons and being a pilot. But her experiences have left her very quiet and a little damaged. AGENT LEO FITZ and AGENT JEMMA SIMMONS | These two came through training together and still choose to spend most of their time in each other’s company. Their sibling-like relationship is reinforced by their shared nerd tendencies – she deals with biology and chemistry, he’s a whiz at the technical side of weaponry.

Read More at: http://tvline.com/2012/10/01/joss-whedon-s-h-i-e-l-d-casting/#utm_source=copypaste&utm_campaign=referral#utm_source=copypaste&utm_campaign=referral
SKYE | This late-20s woman sounds like a dream: fun, smart, caring and confident – with an ability to get the upper hand by using her wit and charm. AGENT GRANT WARD | Quite the physical specimen and “cool under fire,” he sometimes botches interpersonal relations. He’s a quiet one with a bit of a temper, but he’s the kind of guy that grows on you. AGENT ALTHEA RICE | Also known as “The Calvary,” this hard-core soldier has crazy skills when it comes to weapons and being a pilot. But her experiences have left her very quiet and a little damaged. AGENT LEO FITZ and AGENT JEMMA SIMMONS | These two came through training together and still choose to spend most of their time in each other’s company. Their sibling-like relationship is reinforced by their shared nerd tendencies – she deals with biology and chemistry, he’s a whiz at the technical side of weaponry.

Read More at: http://tvline.com/2012/10/01/joss-whedon-s-h-i-e-l-d-casting/#utm_source=copypaste&utm_campaign=referral#utm_source=copypaste&utm_campaign=referral

Now we have to wonder when Agent Nathan Fillion shows up...