Short Film — The Mouse & The Desklamp

So, I noticed last night I had missed the first SparkShort from Pixar, Purl. I was really excited to sit down & watch it. However, upon doing so I was not only totally let down, but also glad I chose to watch this before watching it with my littlest child. I've always applauded Pixar for adding adult themes in disguise to their amazing animated movies, but this attempt pretty much totally abandoned the disguise. What you get instead is a very heavy handed short dealing with women equality in the workplace. Nothing I'm against at all by the way, I'm known for mainly hiring teams of women myself. I'm just not a fan of how this was pulled off in this short. One cute character overlay does not work to disguise the approach, containing an adult joke, & a curse word. Which in my spare time I'm pretty sailor mouthed myself, but I don't need my littlest jumping up saying, "You bet your ass!" just because the cartoon says it. Over the years I've seen Pixar hide very mature themes of love, growing old, death, self worth, & more, & I feel like to their standards this was a complete fail. While I appreciate its message, I'm just highly let down by its execution. I hope to get more from the next SparkShorts. At least something I can share with my kids. Until then check it out, & let me know your thoughts. Put 'em in the comments, like, & share.

I want a living dumpling so bad. This thing in friggin adorable! In an exclusive with Entertainment Weekly we got our first look at Bao , the newest Disney*Pixar short that will open Incredibles 2 on June 15th, & it looks like it will be overflowing with cuteness. Director Domee Shi describes the seven and a half minute short as a "modern day fairy tale, kind of like a Chinese Gingerbread Man story." A Chinese-Canadian woman suffers from empty nest syndrome, finding joy in taking care of one of her handmade dumplings that comes alive. Said dumpling is so cute, I might question eating dumplings in the future. Only for a couple seconds though, because they're delicious. Y'all know I love my cartoon shorts. Obviously, I can't wait for this, & I already see so.e version of a stuffed dumpling being purchased in my future. What do y'all think? Excited for this cartoon short of cuteness overload? Put it in the, comments, like, & share.

Jun 18, 2019

Michelle Rejwan Now Senior VP Live Action Development And Production For Lucasfilm

Hollywood Reporter reports Michelle Rejwan is now the Senior VP of Live Action Development & Production. She will oversee new feature films as well Disney+ series while still producing with president Kathleen Kennedy. That seems like a hefty responsibility to drop on someone who's previous credits at Lucasfilm are producing The Force Awakens & The Rise of Skywalker. Kennedy really sees something in her though, having “seen first-hand her skills collaborating with writers and directors, and I've been incredibly impressed with her creative skills and her ability to manage the complexity surrounding these massive projects.” Can she be the Feige of Star Wars? Time will tell. After the hate Kennedy got from the last installment, which I loved by the way, one could think this is just to give her a scapegoat if things don't go as well over the next few projects. Curious to see how much influence this winds up having as a whole. What do y'all think? Trust in Kennedy? Or do you think maybe a more vetted choice would have been better? Put it in the comments, like, & share.

May 21, 2019

Disney Reveals Name of Tokyo DisneySea's 8th Port

After breaking ground in what is to become Tokyo DisneySea's 8th port, we now have its official name. Fantasy Springs will be the title, but that's not all Dismey released on the subject. They also released some beautiful day & night concept art depicting the look of the new lands. Oriental land is investing 250 Billion Yen on this project that will feature lands themed to Frozen, Tangled, & Peter Pan. Frozen's land of post film Arendelle will feature an attraction that tells the story of Elsa and her beloved sister, Anna. Sounding like the familiar Epcot ride, suests will board boats and experience the sisters’ heartfelt journey, enjoying songs from the film, and encountering surprising thrills. There will also be a restaurant set inside the beautiful Arendelle Castle. Tangled's land will naturally feature Rapunzel’s tower rising above the forest. It will also include an boat attraction where guests will board gondolas for a romantic boat tour of Rapunzel’s “Best Day Ever” as she journeys with Flynn to the lantern festival. Flickering lanterns illuminate the attraction’s climactic scene while Rapunzel and Flynn sing an iconic song from the film. The pand will also feature a restaurant, inspired by the hideout of the band of thugs who appeared in the film in the "I've Got A Dream" sequence. Neverland will also be home to two attractions and a restaurant. Featuring landmarks including verdant mountains, Captain Hook’s pirate ship and Skull Rock. One attraction will fly over the jungles of Neverland into a battle with Captain Hook and his crew of pirates to rescue Wendy’s younger brother, John, who has been kidnapped by Captain Hook and his pirates. You'll board boats and follow the Lost Boys down a river until Tinker Bell sprinkles the boats with pixie dust, & you take off flying through Neverland on an adventure that featuring iconic music and dynamic 3D imagery of the characters from the film. The second attraction immerses us in the oversized world of Pixie Hollow, while the restaurant is inspired by the Lost Boys and their hideout. There will also be a new Disney Hllyel in the park. Themed to Disney fantasy, it will rise above and around the magical springs that serve as the core of the new themed port’s story. Offering 475 deluxe-type and luxury-type guest rooms, this park facing hotel will also feature a merchandise shop that helps share the story of the magical springs. One day I'll make it out here to see all the amazingly beautiful things TokyoSea has to offer. Luckily, I have one more reason to postpone that adventure until this amazing new addition is done.